[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 227 (Monday, November 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68603-68605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19918]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-465-000]


Puget Sound Energy, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Jackson Prairie Storage 
Project Amendment and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

November 15, 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 the Jackson Prairie Storage 
Project Amendment, involving construction and operation of facilities 
by Puget Sound Energy, Inc. (Puget) in Lewis County, Washington. The EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether or not to authorize the project.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping period that will 
be used to gather environmental 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 December 15, 2006.
    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, Native American Tribes, 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. We encourage government representatives to 
notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    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

[[Page 68604]]

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 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

    Puget proposes to modify two existing observation wells, install a 
new 75-horsepower electric-driven compressor, construct about 575 feet 
of new 4- to 6-inch-diameter gathering pipelines, and install other 
appurtenant facilities at its existing Jackson Prairie Storage Facility 
in Lewis County, Washington. Puget seeks authorization of these 
facilities in order to recycle gas that has migrated beyond its current 
certificated storage boundary. This proposal does not include any 
increase in the amount of cushion or working gas currently authorized 
at this facility.\1\
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    \1\ Puget's application in Docket No. CP06-465-000 was filed 
with the Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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    In addition, Puget requests an amendment to its existing 
certificate to revise the total gas level of the storage facility to 
recognize a permanent loss of 0.9 billion cubic feet of cushion gas 
that has occurred during the facility's 40 years of operation. Puget 
further requests amendments to existing certificates, as necessary, to 
confirm the approved status of all current well operations at the 
storage field and to confirm the facilities certificated zone 
boundaries. No environmental disturbance is associated with the revised 
cushion and total gas level amendment.
    The existing Jackson Prairie Storage Field interconnects with 
Northwest Pipeline Corporation's transmission system which provides 
natural gas supplies to markets in the Pacific Northwest. The general 
location of Puget's proposed facilities is shown on the map attached as 
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 (map), are available on the Commission's Web site at 
the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission'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

    Two 4-inch-to 6-inch-diameter pipelines would be constructed in 
accordance with Puget's proposal. One pipeline would be about 500-feet-
long, with about 120 feet of its length on an existing well pad, and 
about 380 feet would be located in a grassy area along an existing 
road. Construction would disturb an area about 7-feet-wide along the 
road, totaling less than 0.1 acre. An additional 75-foot-long 4-inch-to 
6-inch-diameter pipeline would be installed in a well pad located 
within the project area of Puget's existing facilities.
    Modifications to the two observation wells would occur entirely 
within the existing well pads. The new compressor would be installed in 
the existing gas dehydration/compression plant on an existing fenced 
gravel pad.

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 will be 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.
    In the EA, we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project. 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. The EA we 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
     Public safety
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
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.
    Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the 
EA may be published and mailed to Federal, State, and local government 
agencies; public interest groups; Native American tribes; interested 
individuals; affected landowners, newspapers, libraries, and the 
Commission'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 submitted in any Commission Order that is 
issued for the project.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, reasonable alternatives to the proposal (including 
alternative locations and routes), 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 1;
     Reference Docket No. CP06-465-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 15, 2006.
    Please note that the Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 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.

[[Page 68605]]

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.''

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must send one electronic copy (using the 
Commission's e-Filing system) or 14 paper copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must end a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If 
you want 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). Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    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.

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., CP06-465-
000), and follow the instructions. 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 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.htm.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-19918 Filed 11-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P