[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 43 (Monday, March 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11004-11005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-906]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP05-32-000 and CP05-32-001]


Northwest Pipeline Corporation; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Capacity 
Replacement Project

March 1, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission 
or FERC) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on 
the natural gas pipeline facilities and abandonment activities proposed 
by Northwest Pipeline Corporation (Northwest) in the above-referenced 
docket. The Capacity Replacement Project would be located in various 
counties in Washington.
    The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that 
approval of the proposed project with appropriate mitigating measures 
as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is participating as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS because the project 
would require permits pursuant to section 404 of the Clean Water Act 
(33 United States Code (U.S.C.) 1344) and section 10 of the Rivers and 
Harbors Act (33 U.S.C. 403). The COE would adopt the EIS pursuant to 
Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 1506.3 if, after an 
independent review of the document, it concludes that its comments and 
suggestions have been satisfied.
    The Washington State Department of Ecology (WDOE) is participating 
as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS because it has 
been designated the lead agency under the State Environmental Policy 
Act (SEPA) and is responsible for compliance with SEPA procedural 
requirements as well as for compiling and assessing information on the 
environmental aspects of the proposal for all agencies with 
jurisdiction in Washington. NEPA documents may be used to meet SEPA 
requirements if the requirements of the State of Washington 
Administrative Code (WAC) 197-11-610 and 197-11-630 are met. In 
compliance with SEPA requirements, this Notice of Availability includes 
the information required for a SEPA EIS Cover Letter and Fact Sheet. 
When the final EIS is completed, the WDOE would adopt it if an 
independent review of the document confirms that it meets the WDOE's 
environmental review standards.
    The purpose of the Capacity Replacement Project is to replace the 
majority of the delivery capacity of Northwest's existing 268-mile-
long, 26-inch-diameter pipeline between Sumas and Washougal, Washington 
in response to a Corrective Action Order issued by the U.S. Department 
of Transportation. The proposed facilities are designed to provide up 
to 360 thousand dekatherms per day of natural gas transportation 
capacity.
    This draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects 
(beneficial and adverse) of Northwest's proposal to:
     Construct and operate 79.5 miles of new 36-inch-diameter 
pipeline in 4 separate loops \1\ in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, 
Pierce, and Thurston Counties;
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipeline that is usually 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 5 existing compressor stations, one each in 
Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Lewis, and Clark Counties for a total of 
10,760 net horsepower of new compression;
     Install various pig \2\ launchers, pig receivers, and 
mainline valves;
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    \2\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry 
a pipeline and/or to inspect it for damage or corrosion.
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     Abandon the existing 26-inch-diameter pipeline between 
Sumas and Washougal with the exception of a short segment within and 
between the existing Jackson Prairie Meter Station and the Chehalis 
Compressor Station; and
     Use 13 pipe storage and contractor yards on a temporary 
basis to support construction activities.
    Northwest proposes to begin construction in March 2006 \3\ and 
place the facilities in service by November 1, 2006. Abandonment of the 
26-inch-diameter facilities that are currently in service cannot be 
completed until the Capacity Replacement Project is placed in service. 
All abandonment activities would be completed on or before December 31, 
2006.
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    \3\ Northwest has requested that three river crossings be 
authorized to begin in late 2005 if weather permits.
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    The FERC, the COE, and the WDOE have three alternative courses of 
action in considering Northwest's proposal. These options include 
granting authorizations with or without conditions, denying 
authorizations, or postponing action pending further study. In 
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 
implementing NEPA, no agency decision on the proposed action may be 
made until 30 days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes a Notice of Availability of the final EIS in the Federal 
Register. However, the CEQ regulations provide an exception to this 
rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal internal appeal 
process that allows other agencies or the public to make their views 
known. This is the case at the FERC, where any Commission decision on 
the proposed action would be subject to a 30-day rehearing period. 
Therefore, the lead agency decision may be made at the same time that 
notice of the final EIS is published by the EPA, allowing the appeal 
periods to run concurrently.
    After notice of the final EIS is published by the EPA, the COE 
would issue its own Record of Decision (ROD) adopting the EIS. The ROD 
would include the COE's section 404(b)(1) analysis. After issuance of 
the ROD, the COE could issue the section 404 and section 10 permits.
    After the final EIS is issued, the WDOE would adopt it by 
identifying the document and stating why it is being adopted using the 
adoption form in WAC 197-11-965. The adoption form would be circulated 
to agencies with jurisdiction and to persons or organizations that have 
expressed an interest in the proposal. No action may be taken on the 
proposal until 7 days after the statement of adoption form has been 
issued. Once the 7-day waiting period is completed, the WDOE could 
begin issuing permits. Other state and local agencies cannot issue 
permits until the adoption procedure is complete.

[[Page 11005]]

    The key environmental issues facing the agency decision makers 
relate to impacts on residential areas, waterbodies, and wetlands. 
These issues are addressed in the draft EIS. The draft EIS also 
evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system alternatives, 
new pipeline corridors, and alternative configurations of Northwest's 
system; route variations and non-standard parallel offsets; abandonment 
alternatives; and construction method alternatives. The permits, 
approvals, and consultations required for the project are listed in 
section 1.5 of the draft EIS; Appendix T lists the authors and 
principal contributors to the draft EIS.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To 
expedite the FERC staff's receipt and consideration of your comments, 
the Commission strongly encourages electronic submission of comments on 
the draft EIS. See Title 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the 
instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the eFiling link and the link to the User's Guide. 
Before you can submit comments, you will need to create a free account 
by clicking on ``Sign-up'' under ``New User.'' You will be asked to 
select the type of submission you are making. This type of submission 
is considered a ``Comment on Filing.'' Your comments must be submitted 
electronically by April 25, 2005.
    If you wish to mail comments, please mail your comments so that 
they will be received in Washington, DC, on or before April 25, 2005 
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;
     Reference Docket Nos. CP05-32-000, -001 on the original 
and both copies; and
     Label one copy of your comments for the attention of the 
Gas Branch 2, DG2E.
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, you are 
invited to attend the public comment meetings the FERC staff will 
conduct in the project area. All meetings will begin at 7 p.m. (PST), 
and are scheduled as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Date                               Location
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Monday, April 11, 2005....................  Hawthorn Inn & Suites, 16710
                                             Smokey Point Blvd.,
                                             Arlington, WA 98223, (360)
                                             657-0500.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005...................  Marriott Redmond Town
                                             Center, 7401 164th Avenue,
                                             NE., Redmond, WA 98052,
                                             (425) 498-4120.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005.................  Prairie Hotel, 700 Prairie
                                             Park Lane, Yelm, WA 98597,
                                             (360) 458-8300.
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    These meetings will be posted on the Commission's calendar located 
at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other 
related information. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged 
to attend and present oral comments on the draft EIS. Transcripts of 
the meetings will be prepared.
    After the comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are 
investigated, and modifications are made to the draft EIS, a final EIS 
will be published and distributed by the FERC staff. The final EIS will 
contain the staff's responses to timely comments received on the draft 
EIS.
    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).
    Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS. 
You must file your request to intervene as specified above.\4\ You do 
not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
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    \4\ 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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    The draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC, the 
COE, and the WDOE and is available for public inspection at:
    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 
First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District Library, 4735 East 
Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA 98134, (206) 764-3728.
    Washington State Department of Ecology, Northwest Regional Office, 
Central File Room, 3190 160th Avenue, SE., Bellevue, WA 98008, (425) 
649-7190 or (425) 649-7239.
    Washington State Department of Ecology, Southwest Regional Office, 
Central File Room, 300 Desmond Drive, Lacey, WA 98503, (360) 407-6365.
    The draft EIS is also available for viewing on the WDOE's Internet 
Web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/nw_capacity_replacement.
    A limited number of copies are available from the FERC's Public 
Reference Room identified above, at no cost to the public. In addition, 
copies of the draft EIS have been mailed to Federal, State, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; Native American tribes; local 
libraries and newspapers; intervenors in the FERC's proceeding; and 
other interested parties (i.e., landowners, miscellaneous individuals, 
and environmental groups who provided scoping comments or asked to 
remain on the mailing list).
    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 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.
    In addition, 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 the eSubscription 
link on the FERC Internet Web site.
    Information concerning the involvement of the COE is available from 
Olivia Romano at (206) 764-6960. Information concerning the involvement 
of the WDOE is available from Tiffany Yelton at (425) 649-4310.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-906 Filed 3-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P