[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 151 (Monday, August 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45717-45718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4241]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

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


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

August 1, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission 
or FERC) has prepared the final environmental impact statement (EIS) on 
the natural gas pipeline facilities and abandonment activities proposed 
by Northwest Pipeline Corporation (Northwest) in the above-referenced 
dockets. The Capacity Replacement Project would be located in various 
counties in Washington.
    The final 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 Part 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) and the 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) are participating as 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS. The WDOE 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. 
After the final EIS is issued by the FERC, 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.
    The final 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

[[Page 45718]]

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, the WDOE, and the WDFW 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 by the FERC, 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 and 
adoption procedures are complete, state and local agencies can issue 
permits.
    The key environmental issues facing the agency decision makers 
relate to impacts on residential areas, waterbodies, and wetlands. 
These issues are addressed in the final EIS. The final 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 final EIS; Appendix U lists the authors and 
principal contributors to the final EIS.
    The final 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 final EIS is available for viewing on the FERC Internet website 
(http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link (see instructions for 
using eLibrary below). The final EIS is also available for viewing on 
the WDOE's Internet Web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/nwcapacityreplacement.
    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 final 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, commented on 
the draft EIS, asked to remain on the mailing list, or wrote to the 
FERC or one of the cooperating agencies asking to receive a copy of the 
final EIS).
    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 website (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 Sally Toteff at (360) 407-6957. 
Information concerning the involvement of the WDFW is available from 
Gary Sprague at (360) 902-2539.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-4241 Filed 8-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P