[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 22 (Friday, February 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5043-5044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1663]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP07-27-000]


Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Tuscarora 2008 Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 25, 2007.
    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 Tuscarora 2008 Expansion 
project, involving construction and operation of a compressor station 
and appurtenances by Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company (Tuscarora).
    Tuscarora proposes to construct a new natural gas-fired compressor 
station referred to as the Likely Compressor Station which would 
consist of a single 5,731 horsepower gas turbine compressor package and 
appurtenances in Modoc County, California. Tuscarora would also install 
isolation and side valves on its mainline and a total of about 1,800 
feet of suction and discharge pipeline to connect the compressor 
station to the mainline. The general location of the project is shown 
on the map attached as Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendix referenced in this notice is not being printed 
in the Federal Register. Copies of the appendix (map) are available 
from the Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. Copies of the appendix 
will be sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail.
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    The proposed project would permit the firm transportation of an 
additional 40,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas to markets in 
northern Nevada. Specifically, the project would enable Sierra Pacific 
Power Company to fuel its 514-megawatt Tracy Combined Cycle Power Plant 
which is currently under construction.
    The Likely Compressor Station would be located on a 21-acre parcel 
of land owned by Tuscarora east of its mainline right-of-way. The 
station would permanently occupy a 3.5-acre fenced and graveled area 
which would be surrounded by a mix of undeveloped and agricultural 
land. The closest town, Likely, is located about 3.5 miles away and the 
closest residence is located about 3,500 feet south of the site. One 
parcel of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management is located 
within 0.25 mile northeast of the compressor station site.

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.
    The Commission's staff will prepare an EA that will describe the 
potential environmental impacts that could result from construction and 
operation of the proposed project under the general headings:
     Water resources, wetlands, and waterbodies.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Threatened and endangered species.
     Cultural resources.
     Geology and soils.
     Land use and residences.
     Air quality and noise.
     Reliability and 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. 
The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. 
Generally, comments are submitted regarding the potential environmental 
effects, reasonable alternatives and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impact.
    This notice and request for environmental comments is being sent to 
affected landowners; federal, state and local government 
representatives and agencies; environmental and public interest groups; 
other interested parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and 
newspapers. We encourage government representatives to notify their 
constituents of this notice and to encourage their comments concerning 
this proposed project.
    To ensure that your comments are properly recorded, please mail 
them to our office on or before February 25, 2007. When filing comments 
please:
     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; DG2E; and Reference Docket No. CP07-27-000 on the original 
and both copies.
    Please note that the Commission strongly encourages the electronic 
filing (``eFiling'') of comments, interventions or protests to this 
proceeding. Instructions on how to ``eFile'' comments can be found on 
the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``Documents 
and Filings'' link.

[[Page 5044]]

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 send 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.

Environmental Mailing List

    This notice has been sent to all known 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 (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).
    To access information via the FERC Web site click on the 
``eLibrary'' link then 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. The ``eLibrary'' link 
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. For assistance 
with ``eLibrary'', please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or call toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for 
TTY, contact (202)502-8659.
    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.
    Public meetings and/or site visits along with other Project related 
information will be posted on the Commission's calendar located at 
http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-1663 Filed 2-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P