[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 160 (Friday, August 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48697-48698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4518]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-54-000]


Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.; Notice of Availability of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Piceance Basin 
Expansion Project

August 12, 2005.
    The environmental staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC or Commission) has prepared a final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on the interstate natural gas pipeline transmission 
facilities proposed by Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd. (WIC) in the 
above-referenced docket.
    The final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. Its purpose is to inform the 
Commission, the public, and other permitting agencies about the 
potential adverse and beneficial environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed Piceance Basin Expansion Project (Piceance Project) and 
its alternatives, and to recommend practical, reasonable, and 
appropriate mitigation measures which would avoid or reduce any 
significant adverse impacts to the maximum extent practicable and, 
where feasible, to less than significant levels. The final EIS 
concludes that the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating 
measures as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental 
impact.
    The Piceance Project involves the construction and operation of a 
new interstate natural gas pipeline system that would extend between 
the existing Colorado Interstate Gas Company (CIG) Greasewood 
Compressor Station in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, and the existing CIG 
Wamsutter Compressor Station in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.\1\ The 
final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities in Colorado and 
Wyoming:
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    \1\ Both WIC and CIG are affiliates owned by El Paso 
Corporation.
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     About 141.8 miles of 24-inch-diameter new pipeline with 
89.9 miles located in Colorado (Rio Blanco and

[[Page 48698]]

Moffat Counties) and 51.9 miles located in Wyoming (Sweetwater County);
     Additional compression to be installed at the existing CIG 
Greasewood Compressor Station in Colorado;
     Four meter stations at interconnections with other 
pipeline systems (two associated with the CIG Greasewood Compressor 
Station, two at the CIG Wamsutter Compressor Station);
     Three pigging facilities (one associated with each 
compressor station and a new facility at milepost 54.0 near County Road 
4 in Moffat County, Colorado);
     Nine mainline valves (one valve at each of the two 
existing compressor stations and seven valves along the pipeline ROW); 
and
     Other associated facilities, such as access roads and 
communication towers.
    The proposed project would be capable of transporting up to 350,000 
dekatherms of natural gas per day (Dthd) from the CIG Greasewood 
Compressor Station to interconnections at Wamsutter, Wyoming with the 
CIG and WIC interstate transmission pipeline systems that serve markets 
east and west of Wamsutter.
    The final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC 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.
    A limited number of copies are available from the FERC's Public 
Reference Room identified above. In addition, copies of the final EIS 
have been mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies; public interest 
groups; individuals and affected landowners; libraries; newspapers; and 
parties to this proceeding.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, no 
agency decision on a proposed action may be made until 30 days after 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes a notice of 
availability of the final EIS. However, the CEQ regulations provide an 
exception to this rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal 
internal appeal process which allows other agencies or the public to 
make their views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made 
at the same time the notice of the final EIS is published, allowing 
both periods to run concurrently. The Commission decision for this 
proposed action is subject to a 30-day rehearing period.
    Additional information about the proposed 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 (CP05-54) 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.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-4518 Filed 8-18-05; 8:45 am]
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