[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70670-70671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-3483]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-5-000]


Questar Pipeline Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Southern System Expansion 
Project

November 30, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the

[[Page 70671]]

natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Questar Pipeline Company 
(Questar) in the above-referenced docket.
    The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not 
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the proposed natural gas pipeline and 
appurtenant facilities including:
    1. Installation of about 18.7 miles of new 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline in Carbon County, Utah, including pig launchers and receivers, 
block valves, control headers, cathodic protection systems, and 
associated crossover piping and valves to interconnect the new pipeline 
into existing pipelines, as well as;
     Construction of the Fausett Junction Facilities consisting 
of a 20-inch-diameter pig launcher/receiver, one 24-inch-diameter pig 
receiver, and two control headers;
     Construction of the Prettyman Tap Facilities consisting of 
a tap and valve on Questar's proposed pipeline and associated piping to 
tie into Questar Gas Company's FL 86 Pipeline;
     Construction of one 24-inch-diameter pig launcher, one 24-
inch-diameter pig receiver, and one 24-inch-diameter block valve for 
the new pipeline; and a new filter separator to be constructed on the 
end of the existing slug catcher located within the existing Price Yard 
facility;
     Construction of the new 24-inch-diameter Hayes Wash Block 
Valve for the new pipeline;
     Construction of the Soldier Creek Facilities, consisting 
of one 24-inch-diameter pig launcher and one 24-inch-diameter block 
valve for the new pipeline, and one 20-inch-diameter pig launcher and 
one new 20-inch-diameter pig receiver for Questar's existing ML 40; and
     Cathodic protection facilities for the new pipeline.
    2. Installation of the new 6,200 horsepower (hp) Thistle Creek 
Compressor Station in Utah County, Utah;
    3. Installation of the new 9,400 hp Blind Canyon Compressor 
Station, in Duchesne County, Utah, including a slug catcher, pipeline 
liquid storage tanks, pig launcher and receiver, and tie-in valves;
    4. Modifications to Questar's existing Oak Spring Compressor 
Station in Carbon County, Utah, consisting of restaging centrifugal 
compressor units and the addition of a gas cooler, filter/separator, 
valves, and yard and station piping;
    5. Modifications to Questar's existing Greasewood Compressor 
Station in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, consisting of the installation 
of two parallel, approximately 750-foot-long segments of new buried 
piping;
    6. Retesting of about 23.5 miles of Questar's existing ML 40 
Pipeline between the proposed Blind Canyon Compressor Station and 
Questar's existing Whitmore Park block valve to increase the MAOP of 
this segment by approximately 60 psig to approximately 860 psig
    The purpose of the proposed facilities would be to expand Questar's 
southern pipeline system in order to transport an additional 102,000 
decatherms (dths) per day of natural gas on a firm basis from the 
Uinta/Piceance Basin to gas-consuming markets, including power 
producers, located primarily along the Wasatch Front.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited 
number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public 
inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-
8371.
    Copies of the EA have been mailed to cooperating agencies, state 
agencies, a public interest group and a local newspaper.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. 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 comments to: 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Gas Branch 3, PJ11.3.
     Reference Docket No. CP05-5-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 27, 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 by clicking on ``Sign-up.''
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \1\ 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 comments considered.
    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. The eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings.
    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.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-3483 Filed 12-6-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P