[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 43 (Thursday, March 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10220-10222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-459]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF04-6-000]


Questar Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for Questar's Proposed Southern System 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 27, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of Questar Pipeline Company's 
(Questar) proposed Southern System Expansion Project. This notice 
announces the opening of the scoping process we \1\ will use to gather 
input from the public and interested agencies on the project. Your 
input will help us determine which issues need to be evaluated in the 
EA. The Commission will use the EA in its decisionmaking process to 
determine whether to authorize the project. Please note that the 
scoping period will close on April 7, 2004.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    The FERC will be the lead Federal agency in the preparation of the 
EA which will satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). The Southern System Expansion Project is in the 
preliminary design stage. At this time no formal application has been 
filed with the FERC. For this project, the FERC staff is initiating its 
NEPA review prior to receiving the application. The purpose of our NEPA 
Pre-Filing Process is to involve interested stakeholders early in 
project planning and to identify and resolve issues before an 
application is filed with the FERC. A docket number (PF04-6-000) has 
been established to place information filed by Questar, and related 
documents issued by the Commission, into the public record.\2\ Once a 
formal application is filed with

[[Page 10221]]

the FERC, a new docket number will be established.
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    \2\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions 
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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    This notice is being sent to landowners; Federal, State, and local 
government agencies; Indian tribes; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern. With this notice, we are asking Federal, State, and local 
agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation 
of the EA. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status 
should send a letter describing the extent to which they want to be 
involved. Follow the instructions for filing comments provided below.
    Some affected landowners may be contacted by a project 
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct, 
operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. If they are, the company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the project is certificated by the Commission, that approval conveys 
the right of eminent domain for securing easements for the pipeline. 
Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
State law.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Questar proposes to expand its natural gas system to add an 
additional 102,000 dekatherms per day of firm transportation capacity. 
More specifically, Questar requests Commission authorization to:
    [sbull] Construct and operate approximately 18.4 miles of 24-inch-
diameter pipeline near the city of Price in Carbon County, Utah. 
Approximately nine miles of the proposed pipeline would loop \3\ 
Questar's existing Main Line (M.L.) No. 40 and the remaining nine miles 
would follow other existing utility rights-of-way;
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    \3\ A pipeline ``loop'' is a segment of pipe installed adjacent 
to an existing pipeline and connected to the existing pipeline at 
both ends. A loop increases the amount of gas that can move through 
that portion of the system.
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    [sbull] Construct and operate two new compressor stations. The 
Water Canyon Compressor Station, with approximately 9,400 nominal 
horsepower (hp) of compression, would be constructed adjacent to 
Questar's M.L. No. 40 in Duchesne County, Utah. The Thistle Creek 
Compressor Station, with approximately 5,800 nominal hp of compression, 
would be constructed adjacent to Questar's M.L. No. 41 in Utah County, 
Utah; and
    [sbull] Modifications within the existing fenced yards of Questar's 
Oak Spring Compressor Station located in Carbon County, Utah and the 
Greasewood Compressor Station located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado.
    A map depicting the proposed pipeline route and compressor stations 
is provided in appendix 1.\4\
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    \4\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet Web site http://www.ferc.gov at the 
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference and 
Files Maintenance Branch at 202.502.8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this notice. Copies of 
the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the 
mail.
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    Questar proposes to place the project in service by October 2005. 
To achieve this in-service date, Questar intends to request approval to 
begin construction of the pipeline facilities in May 2005.

The EA Process

    NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental 
impacts that could result from an action whenever it considers the 
issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA 
also requires us to discover and address issues and concerns the public 
may have about proposals. This process is referred to as ``scoping''. 
The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA 
on the important environmental issues and reasonable alternatives. By 
this notice, we are requesting agency and public comments on the scope 
of the issues to be analyzed and presented in the EA. All scoping 
comments received will be considered during the preparation of the EA. 
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section of this notice.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in an EA. 
The EA will be mailed to Federal, State, and local government agencies; 
Indian tribes; elected officials; environmental and public interest 
groups; affected landowners; other interested parties; local libraries 
and newspapers; and the Commission's official service list for this 
proceeding. Depending on the response to this notice and the nature of 
issues raised during the review process, a 30-day comment period may be 
allotted for review of the EA. We will consider all comments on the EA 
before we make our recommendations to the Commission.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the 
potential environmental effects of the proposal, reasonable 
alternatives (including alternative compressor station sites and 
pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. 
The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. By 
becoming a commentor, your concerns will be addressed in the EA and 
considered by the Commission. To ensure that your comments are timely 
and properly recorded, please mail your comments so that they will be 
received in Washington, DC on or before April 7, 2004, and carefully 
follow these instructions:
    [sbull] Send an original and two copies of your letter to:

Magalie R. Salas, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First St., NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426;

    [sbull] Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3, DG2E; and
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. PF04-6-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, the Commission 
encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Internet 
Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the 
link to the User's Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as 
you would if filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. 
Before you can file comments you will need to create a free account by 
clicking on ``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' You will 
be asked to select the type of filing you are making. This filing is 
considered a ``Comment on Filing.''

Intervention

    When Questar files its application for authorization to construct 
the proposed pipeline, the Commission will publish notice of the 
application in the Federal Register and establish a deadline for 
interested persons to intervene in the proceeding. Because the NEPA 
Pre-Filing Process occurs before an application to begin a proceeding 
is officially filed, petitions to intervene during this process are 
premature and will not be accepted by the Commission. You do not need 
intervenor status to have your environmental comments considered.

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Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on 
the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket 
number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be 
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance with 
eLibrary, the eLibrary helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY 
(202) 502-8659, or at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on 
the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to the texts of formal 
documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is also available 
for viewing on the FERC Internet website. This fact sheet addresses a 
number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent 
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Information about the project is also available from Questar. 
Questar has established a single point of contact for the project. The 
contact is Mr. David Ingleby, Supervisor, Property and Right-of-Way, 
and can be reached by phone at 1-800-366-8532 or e-mail at 
[email protected]. You may also access Questar's Southern 
System Expansion Project Web site at www.questarssxp.com.

Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-459 Filed 3-3-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P