[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39460-39462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1443]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP04-343-000]


Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Paiute Wadsworth Compressor 
Station, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Site Visit

June 23, 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 Paiute Pipeline Company's (Paiute) 
proposed Wadsworth Compressor Station Project. Paiute proposes to 
abandon operation and use of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) peak-shaving 
facility near the town of Lovelock in Pershing County, Nevada and an 
associated pipeline, modify existing valve assemblies, and construct 
and operate a new compressor station near the town of Wadsworth in 
Washoe County, Nevada.\1\ The EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the projects are in the 
public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Paiute's application was filed with the Commission, on May 
21, 2004, under sections 7(b) and (c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) 
and part 157 of the Commission's regulations. The Commission issued 
a notice of the application on May 28, 2004.
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    This notice (NOI) is being sent to affected and adjacent 
landowners; Federal, State and local representatives and agencies; 
local newspapers and libraries; potentially interested Indian tribes; 
public interest and environmental groups; and parties to the 
proceeding. Government representatives and agencies are encouraged to 
notify their constituents of the proposed projects and encourage them 
to comment.
    Additionally, with this NOI we \2\ are asking government agencies 
and tribes with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. 
Agencies may choose to participate once they evaluate Paiute's proposal 
relative to their responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request 
cooperating status should follow the directions for filing comments 
described below.
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us, and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    If you are a landowner receiving this NOI, you may be contacted by 
a representative of Paiute about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the project is approved by the Commission, that approval conveys with 
it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations 
fail to produce an agreement, the company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in accordance with state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' should have been 
attached to the project notice Paiute is required to provided to 
landowners. 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. It is available for viewing on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Paiute seeks authority to:
     Abandon operation, use, and storage services at the H.G. 
Laub LNG facility near Lovelock, in Pershing

[[Page 39461]]

County, Nevada, at about milepost (MP) 164.4 along Paiute's mainline, 
which it leases from Public Service Resources Corporation (PSRC);
     Abandon operation and use of 61.1 miles of 20-inch-
diameter pipeline which loops \3\ Paiute's mainline between the 
Lovelock LNG plant and Paiute's existing Wadsworth Pressure Limiting 
Station. This loop is also leased from PSRC;
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    \3\ A loop is a segment of pipeline installed adjacent to an 
existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. The loop allows 
more gas to be moved through the system.
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     Modify existing aboveground valve assembly facilities, 
including the:

--Compressor Station 6 Valve Assembly at about MP 164.4 in Pershing 
County, Nevada;
--Chimney Rock Valve Assembly at about MP 183.9 in Pershing County, 
Nevada;
--Brady Hot Springs Valve Assembly at about MP 199.5 in Churchill 
County, Nevada;
--Pyramid Indian Reservation Valve Assembly at about MP 219.4 in Washoe 
County, Nevada; and
--Wadsworth Pressure Limiting Station at about MP 225.5 in Washoe 
County, Nevada; and
--Construct, own, operate, and maintain a new 3,747 horsepower (hp) 
compressor station near Wadsworth, at about MP 224.0 in Washoe County, 
Nevada.

    Paiute has proposed two options for the abandonment of the 
facilities leased from PSRC. One option would be to leave the 
facilities in an inactive state, with all natural gas purged from the 
LNG plant and loop. The loop would be cut and capped, and the 
connections between the loop and Paiute's mainline would be removed at 
four valve assembly sites. The second option would be to leave the 
leased facilities in an active state, with PSRC taking over operation 
of the LNG plant and loop. In this case, Paiute would need to install 
inlet and outlet piping at the LNG plant, Compressor Station 6 Valve 
Assembly, and at the Wadsworth Pressure Limiting Station. PSRC would 
need to install custody metering and pressure limiting facilities at 
the same locations, plus odorization facilities at the LNG plant. 
Paiute's proposed new Wadsworth Compressor Station would add 27,154 
dekatherms per day, or 26.7 million cubic feet per day, to the capacity 
of its mainline system, making up the deficit lost by abandonment of 
the LNG facility and loop. Paiute's lease of the LNG plant and 
associated loop terminates in July 2005. Paiute would like to have the 
proposed facilities constructed and in service prior to the winter of 
2005-2006.
    Paiute's proposed Wadsworth Compressor Station would be located on 
privately owned land. However, Paiute's existing Compressor Station 6, 
Chimney Rock, and Brady Hot Spring Valve Assemblies are on land 
administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), while its 
existing Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation Valve Assembly is within the 
Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation. The general location of the project 
facilities is shown in appendix 1.\4\
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    \4\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other 
than appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's website at 
the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference and 
Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to 
eLibrary refer to the last page of this notice. Copies of the 
appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail. 
Requests for detailed maps of the proposed facilities should be made 
directly to Paiute.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would affect a total of 
about 12.2 acres. Operation of the facilities would require about 1.3 
acres total. Construction of Paiute's Wadsworth Compressor Station 
would affect about 11.7 acres, of which 1.3 acres would be needed for 
operation of the facility. Most of the modifications at Paiute's 
existing aboveground valve assemblies would be done within the existing 
fenced permanent right-of-way. However, modifications at three existing 
Paiute facilities may affect about 0.5 acre total temporarily during 
construction. The land temporarily impacted during construction of 
these facilities would afterwards be restored to its previous condition 
and use.

The Scoping Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (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 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. By this NOI, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues it will address in the EA. All 
comments received are 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 NOI.
    Our independent analysis of environmental issues will be in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA 
may be published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, 
affected and adjacent landowners, environmental and public interest 
groups, interested individuals and Indian tribes, local newspapers and 
libraries, and the Commission's official service list for this 
proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA is 
published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our 
recommendations to the Commission.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Paiute. This preliminary list 
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Geology and Soils:

--Seismic hazards related to the location of facilities in areas of 
high earthquake potential.

     Water Resources and Wetlands:

--Assessment of impacts on any streams and wetlands.

     Fish, Wildlife, and Vegetation:

--Permanent clearing of vegetation for operation of new aboveground 
facilities.
--Potential effects on the bald eagle, a federally-listed threatened 
species.
     Cultural Resources:
--Avoidance of archaeological sites which may potentially qualify for 
the National Register of Historic Places.
--Native American and tribal concerns.
     Land Use, Recreation and Special Interest Areas, and 
Visual Resources:
--Assessment of land use and visual compatibility of the proposed 
facilities with Federal and tribal land owners, including the BLM and 
the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation.
     Air and Noise Quality:
--Effects on local air quality and noise environment from construction 
and operation of proposed facilities.
     Reliability and Safety:
--Assessment of hazards associated with the abandonment of the Lovelock 
LNG plant.
     Alternatives:
--Assessment of the no action alternative, system alternatives, and 
alternative facility locations.

[[Page 39462]]

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative facility 
locations), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please 
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are 
received in time and properly recorded:
     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;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3;
     Reference Docket No. CP04-343-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before July 30, 2004.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include 
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our 
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission 
strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions 
or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the 
instructions on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under 
the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can 
file comments you will need to create a free account which can be 
created on-line.
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our environmental mailing list, please return the Information 
Request (appendix 3). If you do not return the Information Request, you 
will be taken off the mailing list.

Site Visit

    We will also be conducting a site visit to the proposed location of 
Paiute's Wadsworth Compressor Station, on Monday, July 12, 2004. Anyone 
interested in participating in the site visit should meet at the 
parking lot for the Best Western Airport Plaza, 1981 Terminal Way, 
Reno, Nevada 89502, at 12 p.m. (noon) on July 12, 2004. Participants 
must provide their own transportation. For additional information, 
please contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 
502-8004.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must provide 14 copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If 
you want to become an intervenor you must file a motion to intervene 
according to rule 214 of the Commission's rules of practice and 
procedure (18 CFR 385.214) (see appendix 2).\5\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \5\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

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 (http://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, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-1443 Filed 6-29-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P