[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43578-43580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1621]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF04-13-000]


El Paso Pipeline Group, Western Pipelines; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Piceance Basin 
Expansion Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and 
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Route Inspection

July 14, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the 
El Paso Pipeline Group, Western Pipeline's (El Paso) planned Piceance 
Basin Expansion Project in northwestern Colorado and south-central 
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 decisionmaking process to determine whether or not to 
authorize the project. Please note that the scoping period will close 
on August 16, 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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August 3, 2004, at 7 p.m..........  Moffat County Commissioner's Office--
                                     Shadow Mountain Facility, 1055
                                     County Road 7, Craig, CO.
August 4, 2004, at 7 p.m..........  Meeker Community Center--Fairfield
                                     Center, 200 Main Street, Meeker,
                                     CO.
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 Note that El Paso plans to hold open house meetings to announce its
  project to the public on the same dates and at the same locations as
  the FERC public scoping meetings. The open houses will begin at 6:30
  p.m.

    Public scoping meetings are being held in the two Colorado counties 
where the majority of the planned facilities would be located. Because 
El Paso's planned pipeline would be located along the same route in 
Wyoming as the planned Entrega Pipeline Project (PF04-7-000) for which 
scoping was recently concluded, we are not scheduling an additional 
public meeting in Wyoming. However, this should not discourage the 
submission of written comments regarding the facilities planned for the 
Wyoming portion of El Paso's project.
    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\ urge 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

    El Paso is planning to construct, own, and operate a new 143-mile, 
24-inch-diameter interstate natural gas pipeline that will extend from 
its existing Greasewood Compressor Station near Meeker in the Piceance 
Basin of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, to its existing Wamsutter 
Compressor Station in Sweetwater County near Wamsutter, Wyoming. Here, 
the new pipeline would interconnect with existing pipeline systems 
owned by Wyoming Interstate Company and Colorado Interstate Gas Company 
(CIG). This project could add at least 350,000 decatherms per day of 
new capacity to transport natural gas from the Western Rocky Mountain 
Region to markets in the midwestern and eastern United States.
    The project would include the addition of compression at the 
Greasewood Compressor Station, and construction of other appurtenant 
facilities. The proposed pipeline alignment would follow existing 
pipeline or utility corridors for about 85 percent of its length.
    One of El Paso's customers would need to transport gas between a 
location in the Parachute Valley, Garfield County, Colorado, and the 
Greasewood Compressor Station. Various transport means, including the 
use of both existing and new facilities, are under consideration. 
However, one option would require construction of a new 36-mile-long 
interconnecting pipeline from the area of the existing Roan Cliffs 
Meter Station (north of Parachute) to the Greasewood Compressor 
Station. If constructed, the route of the interconnecting pipeline 
would generally parallel CIG's existing Parachute Creek Lateral 
pipeline. Information on an interconnecting pipeline will be included 
in the analysis presented in the EIS. Construction of

[[Page 43579]]

new interconnecting facilities would be the responsibility of the 
customer.
    A map depicting El Paso's planned pipeline route between the 
Greasewood Compressor Station and the Wamsutter area, and the 
interconnecting pipeline route between the Roan Cliffs Meter Station 
and the Greasewood Compressor Station is provided in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ 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 Room 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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    El Paso plans to place the project in service by June 2006, with 
the majority of pipeline construction completed by the end of 2005. To 
achieve the initial in-service date, El Paso intends to request 
approval to begin construction of the Piceance Basin Expansion 
facilities in August 2005.

Land Requirements

    El Paso's planned pipeline would disturb about 1,750 acres of land 
during construction. Where paralleling another pipeline, the new 
pipeline would typically be located about 50 to 75 feet from the 
existing pipeline. El Paso plans to use a 100-foot-wide right-of-way 
(ROW) during construction, and subsequently maintain a 50-foot-wide 
permanent ROW. The construction ROW would be expanded at special work 
areas (e.g., steep slopes, major stream crossings).
    Construction of the interconnecting pipeline would disturb about 
450 acres during construction, based on a 100-foot-wide construction 
ROW. A 50-foot permanent right-of-way would be requested for this 
pipeline.

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 which come before the Commission, 
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 El 
Paso's planned Piceance Basin Expansion Project. 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 El Paso's planned project 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 El Paso's planned Piceance Basin Expansion Project is in the 
preliminary design stage. At this time, specific routing and other 
details are being finalized and no formal application has been filed 
with the FERC. El Paso expects to file a formal application with the 
FERC in November 2004. Although we have no formal Certificate 
application, we are initiating our environmental review of El Paso'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, 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 
August 16, 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. PF04-13 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 (PF04-13-000) has been established to place 
information filed by El Paso, related documents issued by the 
Commission, and public scoping comments into the public record.\3\ Once 
a formal application is filed, the Commission will:
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    \3\ 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

[[Page 43580]]

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

    Concurrent with the public scoping meetings (August 3 and 4, 2004), 
we will also be conducting an inspection of the route and locations of 
aboveground facilities associated with El Paso'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. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' 
and enter the docket number (i.e., PF04-13-000) 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.
    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.
    El Paso has initiated a Public Participation Plan to provide a 
means of communication for participating stakeholders. A toll-free 
number has been established for communicating with El Paso regarding 
this project (Mr. David R. Anderson, Land Department Manager, 1-877-
598-5263). Also, contacts and information requests can be made by e-
mail directly to El Paso at [email protected]. Finally, El 
Paso plans to establish a Web site for this project by the end of July 
2004. The Web site will include a list of public repositories along the 
planned route where all maps and Federal applications are available for 
inspection, frequently asked questions regarding the planned project, 
and other useful information. El Paso's Web site will be: http://www.elpaso.com.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-1621 Filed 7-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P