[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 160 (Monday, August 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46455-46456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16246]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP07-207-000]


Colorado Interstate Gas Company; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Public Comment Meeting for the 
Proposed High Plains Expansion Project

August 10, 2007.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Colorado 
Interstate Gas Company's (CIG) under the above-referenced docket. CIG's 
High Plains Expansion Project (Project) would be located in Weld, 
Morgan, and Adams Counties, Colorado.
    The Draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The FERC staff concludes that the 
proposed Project, with the appropriate mitigation measures as 
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.
    The purpose of the Project is to expand CIG's existing pipeline 
system along Colorado's Front Range in order to provide additional 
transportation services to this rapidly growing market. CIG is 
proposing to construct about 163.7 miles of 24-inch and 30-inch-
diameter pipeline in four separate pipeline segments and associated 
ancillary facilities.
    The Draft EIS addresses the potential environmental impacts 
resulting from the construction and operation of the following 
facilities:
     Line 250A: 64.5 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline and 
20.3 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline that would extend from CIG's 
existing Cheyenne Compressor Station to an interconnect point on the 
proposed Line 251A in northeast Adams County;
     Line 251A: 57.9 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline between 
CIG's existing Watkins and Fort Morgan Compressor Stations;
     Line 252A: 14.9 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending westward from a point on the proposed Line 250A about one 
mile north of the existing Hudson Power Plant in the Town of Hudson, 
Colorado, to a new interconnect with Public Service Company of 
Colorado's existing Tri-Town facilities in Weld County, Colorado;
     Line 253A: 6.1 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending westward from the Watkins Compressor Station to CIG's 
existing East Denver measurement facility in Adams County, Colorado;
     Ten new meter stations and 19 new block valves; and
     Twelve pig launcher/receivers.
    The entire project would be capable of transporting about 899,000 
decatherms of gas per day. CIG proposes to begin construction in 
January 2008. It would put each pipeline segment into service as it is 
completed, and the entire Project would be in service by October 2008.
    Any person wishing to comment on the Draft EIS may do so. To ensure 
that your comments are timely and properly recorded so that they may be 
considered in the Final EIS, please carefully follow these 
instructions:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of your comments to the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, DG2E;
     Reference Docket No. CP07-207-000 on the original and both 
copies; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC, on or before October 1, 2007.
    Please note that the Commission strongly encourages electronic 
filing of any comments to this proceeding. Instructions on ``eFiling'' 
comments can be found on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``Documents and Filings'' link and the link to 
the User's Guide. Before you can file comments, you will need to open a 
free account which can be created on-line.
    In lieu of or in addition to sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend a public comment meetings the FERC will conduct in the 
Project area to receive comments on the Draft EIS. FERC staff will be 
in attendance. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 pm (MST) on August 28, 
2007, at the following location: Best Western Hotel, 701 8th Street, 
Greeley, CO 80631, (970) 353-8444.
    The public comment meetings will be posted on the FERC's calendar 
located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx. 
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and present 
oral comments on the Draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings will be 
prepared. This notice is being mailed to parties who are on the mail 
list for the Draft EIS.
    After the comments received are reviewed, any significant new 
issues are investigated, and modifications are made to the Draft EIS, a 
Final EIS will be published and distributed by the FERC staff. The 
Final EIS will contain the staff's responses to timely comments 
received on the Draft EIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Anyone may intervene in this proceeding 
based on this Draft EIS. You must file your request to intervene as 
specified above.\1\ You do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.
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    \1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    The Draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the Draft EIS are available from the 
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, CD copies of the 
Draft EIS have been mailed to affected landowners; various federal, 
state, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; Native American tribes; local libraries and 
newspapers; intervenors; and other individuals that expressed an 
interest in the proposed Project. Hard-copies of the Draft EIS have 
also been mailed to those who requested that format during the scoping 
and comment periods for the proposed Project.
    Additional information about the proposed 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).

[[Page 46456]]

    To access information via the FERC website 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 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 
these documents. To learn more about eSubscription and to sign-up for 
this service please go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-16246 Filed 8-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P