[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 116 (Monday, June 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33484-33486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11647]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[ FERC Docket Nos. CP06-61-000, -001, -002 and CP01-23-003; CA State 
Clearinghouse No. 2006081127; BLM Reference No. CACA-42662]


The California State Lands Commission, and the Bureau of Land 
Management; North Baja Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Availability/Completion 
of the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report and Proposed Land 
Use Plan Amendment for the Proposed North Baja Pipeline Expansion 
Project

June 8, 2007.
    The environmental staffs of the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (FERC or Commission), the California State Lands Commission 
(CSLC), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (collectively referred 
to as the Agency Staffs) have prepared the final environmental impact 
statement/environmental impact report and proposed land use plan 
amendment (final EIS/EIR/plan amendment) to address North Baja 
Pipeline, LLC's (North Baja) proposed expansion of its natural gas 
pipeline system.
    The final EIS/EIR/plan amendment was prepared as required by the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the California Environmental 
Quality Act, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. The 
purpose of the document is to inform the public and the permitting 
agencies about the potential adverse and beneficial environmental 
impacts of the proposed North Baja Pipeline Expansion Project (Project 
or proposed Project) and its alternatives, and recommend mitigation 
measures that would reduce the significant adverse impacts to the 
maximum extent possible, and, where feasible, to a less than 
significant level. The Agency Staffs have concluded that if the Project 
is constructed and operated in accordance with applicable laws and 
regulations, North Baja's proposed mitigation, and the Agency Staffs' 
additional mitigation measures, it would be an environmentally 
acceptable action.
    The FERC is the lead Federal agency and will use the document to 
consider the environmental impacts that could result if it issues North 
Baja a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and a 
Presidential Permit amendment under sections 7 and 3, respectively, of 
the Natural Gas Act. The CSLC is the lead State agency and will use the 
document to consider North Baja's application to amend its existing 
right-

[[Page 33485]]

of-way lease across the State's Sovereign and School Lands in 
conjunction with the environmental impacts that could result from any 
part of the Project in California.
    The BLM is participating as a cooperating agency in the preparation 
of the document because the Project would cross Federal land under the 
jurisdiction of the Palm Springs-South Coast, El Centro, and Yuma Field 
Offices. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is also a cooperating agency 
in the preparation of the document because lands administered by the 
BOR would be crossed by the Project. Under section 185(f) of the 
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the BLM has the authority to issue Right-
of-Way Grants for all affected Federal lands. The final EIS/EIR/plan 
amendment will be used by the BLM to consider whether to amend North 
Baja's existing Right-of-Way Grant and issue Temporary Use Permits for 
the installation of approximately 67.4 miles of pipeline and ancillary 
facilities across Federal lands managed by the BLM, the BOR, and the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The final EIS/EIR/plan amendment 
will also be used by the BLM to consider amending the California Desert 
Conservation Area Plan (as amended), which would be necessary for 
pipeline construction outside of designated utility corridors, as well 
as amending the Yuma District Resource Management Plan, which would be 
necessary for pipeline construction across the Milpitas Wash Special 
Management Area.
    The BLM proposes to adopt the final EIS/EIR/plan amendment per 
Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sec.  1506.3 to meet its 
responsibilities under NEPA and its planning regulations per Title 43 
CFR Part 1610. The BLM will present separate Records of Decision for 
the Right-of-Way Grant and the plan amendments for the North Baja 
Pipeline Expansion Project after the issuance of the final EIS/EIR/plan 
amendment. The concurrence or non-concurrence of the BOR and the FWS 
would be considered in the BLM's decision.
    The existing North Baja system is currently certificated by the 
FERC to transport 512,500 dekatherms per day (Dthd) (500 million 
standard cubic feet per day [MMscfd]) of natural gas in a southbound 
direction. Once completed, the expanded system would be capable of 
transporting up to 2,932,000 Dthd (2,753 MMscfd) of natural gas from 
planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and vaporization terminals 
located on the Baja California coast in Mexico in a northbound 
direction for delivery to customers in California and Arizona. In 
addition to the new volumes from the LNG terminals, North Baja would 
continue to offer southbound gas transportation service for several 
existing shippers.
    The final EIS/EIR/plan amendment addresses the potential 
environmental effects of the construction and operation of the 
following facilities proposed by North Baja:
     Up to 79.8 miles of pipeline loop \1\ (B-Line) adjacent to 
North Baja's existing pipeline (A-Line) consisting of 11.7 miles of 42-
inch-diameter pipeline extending from the existing Ehrenberg Compressor 
Station at milepost (MP) 0.0 in La Paz County, Arizona to the existing 
Rannells Trap at MP 11.7 in Riverside County, California, and 68.1 
miles of 48-inch-diameter pipeline extending from Rannells Trap to an 
interconnection at the U.S.-Mexico border at MP 79.8 in Imperial 
County, California;
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipeline that is usually installed 
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. 
The loop allows more gas to be moved through the system.
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     2.1 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline lateral \2\ 
(Arrowhead Extension) extending from the proposed B-Line at MP 7.4 to 
Southern California Gas Company's (SoCalGas) existing Blythe Compressor 
Station in Riverside County;
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    \2\ A lateral pipeline typically takes gas from the main system 
to deliver it to a customer, local distribution system, or another 
interstate transmission system.
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     45.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline lateral (Imperial 
Irrigation District [IID] Lateral) extending from MP 74.5 of the B-Line 
near the existing Ogilby Meter Station to the existing IID El Centro 
Generating Station in Imperial County;
     Modifications at the existing Ehrenberg Compressor Station 
in LaPaz County and the existing Ogilby Meter Station in Imperial 
County to allow northbound flow of natural gas;
     Metering modifications inside the existing El Paso Natural 
Gas Company (El Paso) Meter Station at the Ehrenberg Compressor Station 
site to allow LNG-source gas to be delivered into the El Paso system;
     One meter station (Blythe-Arrowhead Meter Station) at 
SoCalGas' existing Blythe Compressor Station in Riverside County to 
measure gas delivery from the North Baja system to SoCalGas;
     One meter station (El Centro Meter Station) at the IID's 
existing El Centro Generating Station in Imperial County to measure gas 
delivery from the North Baja system to the IID;
     Two taps and crossover piping where the Arrowhead 
Extension would connect with the existing A-Line and proposed B-Line in 
Riverside County;
     One tap where the IID Lateral would connect with the 
proposed B-Line in Imperial County;
     Four pig \3\ launchers;
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    \3\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry 
a pipeline and/or to inspect it for damage or corrosion.
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     Five pig receivers;
     Nine remote manual valves with automatic shutdown 
capability on the B-Line, adjacent to the existing A-Line valve sites; 
and
     Four remote manual valves with automatic shutdown 
capability on the IID Lateral.
    The final EIS/EIR/plan amendment has been placed in the public 
files of the FERC and the CSLC and is available for public inspection 
at:

Federal Regulatory Energy Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First 
St., NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-1371.
California State Lands Commission, 100 Howe Avenue, Suite 100 South, 
Sacramento, CA 95825, (916) 574-1938.

    The final EIS/EIR/plan amendment is also available for viewing on 
the FERC and CSLC Web sites at the Internet addresses below:
http://www.ferc.gov
http://www.slc.ca.gov.

    A limited number of copies of the final EIS/EIR/plan amendment are 
available from the FERC's Public Reference Room identified above. These 
copies may be requested in hard copy or as .pdf files on a CD that can 
be read by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. In addition, copies of the 
final EIS/EIR/plan amendment have been mailed to Federal, State, and 
local government agencies; elected officials; Native American tribes; 
affected landowners; local libraries and newspapers; intervenors to the 
FERC's proceeding; and other interested parties. Hard copies of the 
final EIS/EIR/plan amendment can be viewed at the following libraries 
in the Project area:

Yuma County Library District, 350 3rd Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85364.
Palo Verde Valley Library, 125 W. Chanslorway, Blythe, CA 92225.
El Centro Public Library, 539 State Street, El Centro, CA 92243.
Hemet Public Library, 510 E. Florida Avenue, Hemet, CA 92543.
Imperial Public Library, 200 W. 9th Street, Imperial, CA 92251.
City of Rancho Mirage Public Library, 42-520 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho 
Mirage, CA 92270.
Glen Avon Library, 9244 Galena Street, Riverside, CA 92509.

[[Page 33486]]

Palo Verde District Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rollins Hills 
Estates, CA 90274.

    Additional information about the Project is available from the 
FERC'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 on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the FERC, 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 the eSubscription 
link on the FERC Internet Web site.
    Information concerning the involvement of the CSLC in the EIS/EIR 
process may be obtained from Tom Filler, Project Manager, at (916) 574-
1938, or on the CSLC Internet website at http://www.slc.ca.gov.
    Information concerning the proposed land use plan amendment and the 
involvement of the BLM in the EIS/EIR and plan amendment process may be 
obtained from Lynda Kastoll, Project Manager, at (760) 337-4421. The 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of the Notice of 
Availability/Completion of the final EIS/EIR/plan amendment in the 
Federal Register initiates a 30-day protest period on the plan 
amendment. Instructions for filing a protest can be found in section 
1.7.7 of the final EIS/EIR/plan amendment.
    The CSLC is expected to consider certification of the final EIS/
EIR/plan amendment and act on North Baja's application at a regularly 
scheduled meeting in mid-2007. Interested parties will be notified of 
the date, time, and location of the meeting. If you have any questions 
regarding the CSLC hearing, or wish to testify, please contact Tom 
Filler at the number above.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-11647 Filed 6-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P