[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10494-10496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2876]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF06-7-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Lights Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues and Notice of Scoping 
Meetings

February 23, 2006.

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of Northern Natural Gas Company's 
(Northern) planned Northern Lights Expansion Project located in Iowa 
and Minnesota. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process 
we will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on 
the project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine which 
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping 
period will close on March 24, 2006.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or presented verbally at 
the public meetings detailed below. Further details on how to submit 
written comments are provided in the public participation section of 
this notice. In lieu of sending written comments, you are invited to 
attend the public scoping meetings that are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 7 p.m.--Riverwood Inn and Conference Center, 
Sunset Room, 10990 95th Street NE., Monticello, MN 55362, 763-441-6833.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006, 7 p.m.--Farmington Middle School East, 
Multi-Purpose Room, 4100 208 Street West, Farmington, MN 55024, 651-
460-1600.
Thursday, March 16, 2006, 7 p.m.--Best Western Holiday Lodge, 2023 7th 
Avenue North, Clear Lake, IA 50428, 641-357-5253.

    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested 
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Northern proposes to expand its natural gas transmission system to 
provide incremental firm service of 350,000-400,000 dekatherms in 
Northern's market area. More specifically, Northern seeks authority to 
construct the following facilities in various counties in Iowa and 
Minnesota:
     Construct approximately 18.8 miles of 36-inch-diameter 
pipeline extension in Hancock, Worth, and Winnebago counties, Iowa 
(Ventura/Owatonna E-Line);
     Abandon and remove approximately 15.0 miles of 16-inch-
diameter pipeline in Hancock, Worth, and Winnebago counties, Iowa (J-
Line);
     Construct approximately 10.0 miles of 30-inch-diameter 
pipeline extension in Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota (Owatonna/
Faribault D-Line);
     Construct approximately 29.2 miles of 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline extension in Dakota and Rice counties, Minnesota (Faribault/
Farmington E-Line);
     Construct approximately 4.3 miles of 4-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop in Anoka County, Minnesota (Elk River/Ham Lake Line);
     Construct approximately 7.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop in Dakota County, Minnesota (Rosemount Loop);
     Construct approximately 1.8 miles of 6-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop in Sherburne County, Minnesota (St. Cloud/Becker Line);
     Replace approximately 3.3 miles of 3-inch-diameter 
pipeline loop with 10-inch-diameter pipeline in Sherburne and Wright 
counties, Minnesota (Elk River/St. Michael Line);
     Modifications at two existing compressor stations in 
Dakota and Rice counties, Minnesota;
     Construction of two town border stations (TBS) in Dakota 
and Waseca counties, Minnesota;
     Rebuild of an existing TBS in Hennepin County, Minnesota; 
and
     Modifications at 19 existing TBS in Anoka, Wright, 
Chisago, Washington, Dakota, Stearns, and Carver counties, Minnesota.
    With the exception of five miles of new greenfield pipeline, 
Northern would install the pipeline looping and extensions adjacent to 
existing pipelines. Location maps depicting Northern's proposed 
facilities are provided in Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Web site (excluding maps) at the ``eLibrary'' link or 
from the Commission's Public Reference Room or call (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the end of this 
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving 
this notice in the mail.

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[[Page 10495]]

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    At this time no formal application has been filed with the FERC. 
For this project, the FERC staff has initiated its NEPA review prior to 
receiving the application. The purpose of our NEPA Pre-Filing Process 
is to involve interested stakeholders early in project planning and to 
identify and resolve issues before an application is filed with the 
FERC.
    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities, 
environmental information provided by Northern, and comments gathered 
from concerned citizens at Northern's open houses. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     Potential impacts on the Mississippi, Vermillion, and 
Cannon rivers;
     Potential impacts to Vermillion River watershed;
     Potential impacts on wetlands;
     Safety concerns of the pipeline;
     Potential impacts on agricultural land and prime farmland; 
and
     Potential impacts on historic resources.

The EA Process

    The FERC will use the EA to consider the environmental impact that 
could result if it issues Northern a Certificate of Public Convenience 
and Necessity.
    This notice formally announces our preparation of the EA and the 
beginning of the process referred to as ``scoping.'' We \2\ are 
soliciting input from the public and interested agencies to help us 
focus the analysis in the EA on the potentially significant 
environmental issues related to the proposed action.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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    Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in an EA 
that will be prepared for the project. Our evaluation will also include 
reasonable alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the 
project, and we will make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid 
impacts on the various resource areas of concern.
    Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the 
EA may be published and mailed to affected landowners; Federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; other 
interested parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the FERC's 
official service list for this proceeding. A 30-day 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.
    We are currently coordinating with other jurisdictional and 
resource management agencies to identify their issues and concerns. 
These agencies include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Iowa 
Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. By this notice, we are asking these and other Federal, 
state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise 
with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in 
the preparation of the EA. Agencies that would like to request 
cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing comments 
provided below.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposals. Your comments should focus on 
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and 
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific 
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please mail your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before March 24, 
2006 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 
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 3, DG2E; and
     Reference Docket No. PF06-7-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and 
the instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's 
Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. Before you 
can file comments you will need to create an account by clicking on 
``Login to File'' and then ``New User Account.'' You will be asked to 
select the type of filing you are making. This filing is considered a 
``Comment on Filing''.
    When Northern submits its application for authorization to 
construct and operate the Northern Lights Project, the Commission will 
publish a Notice of Application in the Federal Register and will 
establish a deadline for interested persons to intervene in the 
proceeding. Because the Commission's Pre-filing Process occurs before 
an application to begin a proceeding is officially filed, petitions to 
intervene during this process are premature and will not be accepted by 
the Commission.

Environmental Mailing List

    If you wish to remain on the environmental mailing list, please 
return the Mailing List Retention Form included in Appendix 2. If you 
do not return this form, you will be taken off our mailing list.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the 
``eLibrary'' link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, 
enter the selected date range and ``Docket Number'' (i.e., PF06-7-000), 
and follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrase 
``Northern Lights'' in the ``Text Search'' field. For assistance with 
access to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY 
(202) 502-8659, or at [email protected]. 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 rule 
makings.
    In addition, the FERC 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's 
calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx 
along with other related information. Finally, Northern has established 
an Internet

[[Page 10496]]

Web site for its project at http://www.northernnaturalgas.com/expansionprojects com/
expansionprojects. The Web site includes a project overview, contact 
information, regulatory overview, and construction procedures.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-2876 Filed 2-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P