[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 111-113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-8161]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-29-000; Docket No. CP98-131-006]


Vector Pipeline, LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Vector Compression Expansion Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 22, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the Vector Compression Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of two new compressor 
stations by Vector Pipeline, LP (Vector) in Will County, Illinois and 
Macomb County, Michigan.\1\ The total horsepower (hp) at the compressor 
stations would consist of about 45,000 hp of compression. This EA will 
be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine 
whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Vector's applications in Docket Nos. CP98-131-006 and CP06-
29-000 were filed with the Commission under section 3 of the Natural 
Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations and section 7 
of the Natural Gas Act, respectively.
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. 
The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that 
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if 
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice (Vector) provided to landowners. 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. 
It is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Vector is proposing in Docket No. CP06-29-000 to expand the 
transmission capacity of its existing interstate pipeline system by 
constructing two new compressor stations. Vector seeks authority to 
construct and operate:
     15,000 hp of gas turbine-driven compression at the new 
Joliet Compressor Station in Will County, Illinois; and
     30,000 hp of gas turbine-driven compression at the new 
Romeo Compressor Station in Macomb County, Michigan.
    Vector also proposes in Docket No. CP98-131-006 to amend its 
existing Presidential Permit to transport gas between the United States 
and Canada by increasing the maximum capacity from 1,330 MMcfd to 2,300 
MMcfd through the existing St. Clair River international border 
facilities. No additional border facilities would be constructed.
    Vector indicates that Detroit Edison Company (Detroit Edison) would 
construct a 1,900-foot-long distribution line to provide ``3-phase 
power'' from the ``existing DTE Facility'' to the Romeo Compressor 
Station. Vector indicates that the ``distribution line would be 
constructed adjacent to an existing ITC high voltage electric 
transmission line fee strip to minimize land requirements, potential 
private landowner concerns, and environmental impacts that may be 
associated with Detroit Edison's facilities.'' Vector indicates that 
water services would be provided by ``Washington Township by extending 
the existing water line from the DTE Facility to the Romeo Compressor 
Station site. The water line would be about 1,900 feet in length and 
would be constructed adjacent to the existing ITC high voltage 
transmission line fee strip leading to the Romeo Compressor Station.''
    The location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other 
than Appendix 1 (maps), are avaialble on the Commission's Web site 
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commissions's Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 
502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
last page of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 20.0 
acres and 10.2 acres of land for the Joliet and Romeo Compressor 
Stations, respectively. Following construction, about 4.0 acres and 4.7 
acres would be maintained as new aboveground facility sites for the 
Joliet and Romeo Compressor Stations, respectively.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (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. NEPA also requires us 
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. 
This process is referred to as ``scoping''. The main goal of the 
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important 
environmental issues. By this Notice of Intent, the Commission staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the 
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the 
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify 
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.

[[Page 112]]

    In the EA we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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    \3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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     Geology and soils
     Land use
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     Cultural resources
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Air quality and noise
     Endangered and threatened species
     Hazardous waste
     Public safety
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending 
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be 
published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make 
our recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention 
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the 
environmental information provided by Vector. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Potential noise levels at the noise-sensitive areas due to 
the operation of the compressor stations
     Conversion of about 3 acres of farm land to industrial use 
for the Joliet Compressor Station
     Potential impacts to Federal listed species: Indiana bat 
and prairie leaf clover

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal, and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful 
they will be. 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 letter to: Magalie 
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2.
     Reference Docket No. CP06-29-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 23, 2006.
    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 on-line.
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 2). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding, or ``intervenor''. To 
become an intervenor you must file a motion to intervene according to 
Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 
385.214). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the 
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically 
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov. 
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies 
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address 
indicated previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before 
the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to 
the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted 
after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all 
other intervenors identified on the Commission's service list for this 
proceeding. Persons on the service list with e-mail addresses may be 
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
    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 environmental comments considered.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the 
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities.

Additional Information

    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.html.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/

[[Page 113]]

EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E5-8161 Filed 12-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P