[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 90 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25891-25893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1038]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF04-7-000]


Entrega Gas Pipeline Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Entrega Gas Pipeline 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notico 
Public Scoping Meetings and Route Inspection

May 3, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on 
Entrega Gas Pipeline Inc.'s (Entrega) planned Entrega Gas Pipeline 
Project in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. This notice 
announces the opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to 
gather input from the public and interested agencies on the planned 
project. Your input will help to determine which issues need to be 
evaluated in the EIS. The Commission will use the EIS in its decision-
making process to determine whether or not to authorize the project. 
Please note that the scoping period will close on June 15, 2004.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written 
comments, you are invited to attend the public scoping meetings 
scheduled as follows:

                  Schedule for Public Scoping Meetings
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             Date and time                           Location
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Monday, June 7, 2004 at 7 p.m..........  Best Western Hitching Post 1700
                                          West Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004 at 7 p.m.........  Hungry Miner Restaurant 2300
                                          West Spruce, Rawlins, WY.
Wednesday, June 9, 2004 at 7 p.m.......  Moffat County Extension Office--
                                          CSU 539 Barclay Street, Craig,
                                          CO.
Thursday, June 10, 2004 at 7 p.m.......  CSU Extension 779 Sulfur Creek
                                          Road, Meeker, CO.
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    This notice is being sent to landowners; Federal, State, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested parties; and 
local libraries and newspapers. We\1\ encourage government 
representatives to notify their constituents of this planned project 
and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
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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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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Entrega, an affiliate of EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., is planning 
to construct,

[[Page 25892]]

own, and operate a new 327-mile-long interstate natural gas pipeline 
that will extend from the Meeker Hub near the Town of Meeker in the 
Piceance Basin of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, to new interconnections 
with Colorado Interstate Gas Company and Wyoming Interstate Company 
near Wamsutter, Wyoming. From Wamsutter, the pipeline would turn 
eastward, continuing on to the Cheyenne Hub near Rockport in Weld 
County, Colorado.\2\ The pipeline would be 36 inches in diameter 
between the Meeker Hub and Wamsutter, and 42 inches in diameter between 
Wamsutter and the Cheyenne Hub. Under the maximum proposed gas 
compression, this project could ultimately add up to 2.0 billion cubic 
feet per day of new capacity to transport natural gas from the Western 
Rocky Mountain Region to markets on interstate pipelines serving the 
Cheyenne Hub and beyond.
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    \2\ A ``hub'' is a location where several pipelines owned by 
different companies are in proximity or cross one another.
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    The project would include construction of five compressor stations 
and other appurtenant facilities, and would follow existing pipeline 
corridors for about 93 percent of the planned route.
    A map depicting the planned pipeline route is provided in appendix 
1.\3\
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    \3\ 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 are being sent to all those receiving this notice in 
the mail.
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    Entrega proposes to place the project in service in two phases. The 
36-inch portion (Meeker Hub to Wamsutter) is proposed to commence 
service by the Fall of 2005. The remaining portion (Wamsutter to 
Cheyenne Hub) would commence service one year later. To achieve the 
initial in-service date, Entrega intends to request approval to begin 
construction of the pipeline facilities in the Spring of 2005.

Land Requirements

    Construction of the pipeline would require about 5,159 acres of 
land. Where paralleling another pipeline, the new pipeline would 
typically be located about 40 feet from the existing pipeline. Entrega 
has proposed a pipeline construction right-of-way of 125 feet. The 
construction right-of-way may be expanded at special work areas (e.g., 
steep slopes, major stream crossings). Entrega has requested an 80-
foot-wide permanent right-of-way, although vegetation would be 
periodically cleared on only 50 feet of the permanent right-of-way.

The EIS Process

    The FERC will be the lead Federal agency for the EIS process which 
is being conducted to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 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 (Certificate).
    NEPA also requires us to discover and address issues and concerns 
the public may have about proposals and to ensure those issues and 
concerns are analyzed in the EIS. This process is referred to as 
``scoping.'' The goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis 
in the EIS on the important and potentially significant environmental 
issues related to the proposed action, and on reasonable alternatives. 
This notice formally announces the beginning of the scoping process and 
requests agency and public comments on the Entrega proposal. All 
scoping comments received will be considered during the preparation of 
the EIS. To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully 
follow the instructions in the Public Participation section of this 
notice.
    Our independent analysis of Entrega's proposal will be included in 
a draft EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal, state, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; affected landowners; other 
interested parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the 
Commission's official service list. A 45-day comment period will be 
allotted for review of the EIS. We will consider all timely comments 
and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS.
    The Entrega Gas Pipeline Project is in the preliminary design 
stage. At this time, specific routes and other details are being 
finalized and no formal application has been filed with the FERC. 
Entrega expects to file a formal application with the FERC by September 
2004. Although we have no formal Certificate application, we are 
initiating our review of Entrega's planned project under our NEPA Pre-
Filing Process. The purpose of the FERC's NEPA Pre-filing Process is 
to:
     Establish a framework for constructive discussion between 
the project proponents, potentially affected landowners, agencies, and 
the Commission staff;
     Encourage the early involvement of interested stakeholders 
to identify issues and study needs; and
     Attempt to resolve issues early, before an application is 
filed with the FERC.
    We have already held early discussions with the U.S. Department of 
the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which has agreed to 
assist us in the preparation of the EIS as a cooperating agency to 
satisfy its NEPA responsibilities. By this notice, we are asking other 
Federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special 
expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate 
with us, too. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status 
should follow the instructions for filing comments provided below.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the planned project. Please focus your 
comments on the potential environmental effects, reasonable 
alternatives (including alternative facility sites and pipeline 
routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more 
specific your comments, the more useful they will be. 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 
June 15, 2004, and carefully follow these instructions:
     (Send an original and two copies of your letter to: 
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     (Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1; and
     (Reference Docket No. PF04-7-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    The public scoping meetings (see page 1 of this notice) are 
designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on the 
planned project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to 
attend the meetings and present comments on the environmental issues 
they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of the 
meetings will be made so that your comments will be accurately 
recorded.
    A docket number (PF04-7-000) has been established to place 
information filed by Entrega and related documents issued by the 
Commission, into the public record.\4\ Once a formal

[[Page 25893]]

application is filed, the Commission will:
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    \4\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions 
for using the eLibrary link in Availability of Additional 
Information, below.
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     Publish a Notice of Application in the Federal Register;
     Establish a new docket number; and
     Set a deadline for interested persons to intervene in the 
proceeding.
    Because the Commission's 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.
    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 ``eFiling'' 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.''

Route Inspection

    From June 7-11, we will also be conducting an inspection of the 
route and locations of aboveground facilities associated with Entrega's 
planned project. This inspection will include both aerial and ground 
components. Anyone interested in participating in the inspection 
activities may contact the FERC's Office of External Affairs 
(identified below) for more details and must provide their own 
transportation.

Environmental Mailing List

    If you wish to remain on our mailing list to receive any additional 
environmental notices and copies of the draft and final EIS, it is 
important that you return the Return Mailer (appendix 2) attached to 
this notice. If you do not return the mailer, you will be removed from 
our mailing list.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the planned project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) 
or on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the 
``eLibrary'' link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, 
enter the selected date range and ``Docket Number'' (i.e., PF04-7-000), 
and follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrase 
``Entrega Gas Pipeline'' in the ``Text Search'' field. For assistance 
with access to eLibrary, the 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.
    The Commission now offers a free service called eSubscription that 
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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    In addition, a fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An 
Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' 
is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site. 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.
    Entrega has initiated a Public Participation Plan to provide a 
means of communication for participating stakeholders. A toll-free 
number (1-866-305-3830) has been established for communicating with 
Entrega representatives regarding this project. Also, contacts and 
information requests can be made by e-mail to Entrega at 
[email protected]. Finally, Entrega has established a Web site 
for this project. The Web site includes a list of public repositories 
along the planned route where all maps are available for inspection, 
along with applications filed with state and Federal agencies, among 
other useful information. Entrega's Web site is: http://www.entregapipeline.com.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-1038 Filed 5-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P