[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 188 (Friday, September 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55194-55196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19189]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-459-000]


Transwestern Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final General Conformity 
Determination for the Proposed Phoenix Expansion Project

September 21, 2007.
    The environmental staffs of the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission or FERC); the U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM); the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Forest Service (FS); the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of 
Pipeline Safety (OPS); the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs (BIA); and the Navajo Nation, collectively referred to 
as the Agency Staffs, have prepared the final environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to address Transwestern Pipeline Company, LLC's 
(Transwestern) proposed expansion of its natural gas pipeline system. A 
Final General Conformity Determination was also prepared by the FERC to 
assess the potential air quality impacts associated with construction 
and operation of the proposed Phoenix Expansion Project and is included 
as Appendix Q of the final EIS.
    The final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Agency Staffs have 
concluded that if the project is constructed and operated in accordance 
with applicable laws and regulations, Transwestern's proposed 
mitigation, and the Agency Staffs' additional mitigation measures, it 
would have limited adverse environmental impact.
    The FERC is the lead federal agency and will use the final EIS to 
consider the environmental impacts that could result if it issues 
Transwestern a Certificate of Public Convenience and

[[Page 55195]]

Necessity under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
    The BLM and the FS are federal land management agencies affected by 
Transwestern's proposal and have elected to act as cooperating agencies 
in preparing the final EIS. The BLM will use the document to meet its 
NEPA responsibilities in considering Transwestern's application for a 
Right-of-Way Grant and obtain Temporary Use Permits for the portion of 
the project on federal lands under section 185(f) of the Mineral 
Leasing Act of 1920. The BLM would issue the Right-of-Way Grant and 
Temporary Use Permits for the crossing of BLM-managed lands and the 
Kaibab and Prescott National Forests, which are managed by the FS, and 
for crossing lands managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). The BLM would consider the concurrence or 
non-concurrence of the FS and BOR, as well as FERC approval or denial, 
in making its decision whether to issue the Right-of-Way Grant and 
Temporary Use Permits. The BLM's decision would be documented in a 
Record of Decision.
    The OPS is participating as a cooperating agency in preparing the 
final EIS because it is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, 
and environmentally sound operation of the nation's transportation 
system and for providing oversight for oil and natural gas pipelines. 
The OPS' authority is found under the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act 
of 1968 (49 U.S.C. 1671 et seq.) and the Hazardous Liquids Pipeline 
Safety Act of 1979 (49 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.).
    The BIA and the Navajo Nation have also elected to act as 
cooperating agencies in preparing the final EIS because the proposed 
project would be near tribal lands in Arizona and would cross two 
classes of Navajo Nation lands in New Mexico: Tribal lands and allotted 
lands. Tribal lands are owned in fee by the Navajo Nation, and access 
to these lands would be acquired through direct negotiation between 
Transwestern and officials of the Navajo Nation Tribal Headquarters in 
Window Rock, Arizona. Allotted lands are held in trust by the United 
States government and managed by the BIA for the benefit of individual 
allottees.
    The Phoenix Expansion Project is designed to transport up to 500 
million cubic feet per day of natural gas to the Phoenix area, which is 
one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. The project 
would not only help to satisfy the increasing demand for electricity 
and natural gas, but would also increase competition in the regional 
energy market, thereby working to stabilize costs to the consumer.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities proposed by 
Transwestern:
     24.6 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop \1\ (the 
San Juan Lateral Loops A and B) extending along the existing San Juan 
Lateral in San Juan and McKinley Counties, New Mexico;
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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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     259.3 miles of new 42- and 36-inch-diameter lateral \2\ 
pipeline (the Phoenix Lateral), consisting of 95.7 miles of 42-inch-
diameter pipeline extending from milepost (MP) 0.0 in Yavapai County, 
Arizona to MP 95.2 in Maricopa County, Arizona, and 163.6 miles of 36-
inch-diameter pipeline extending from MP 95.2 in Maricopa County, 
Arizona to MP 255.1 in Pinal County, Arizona;
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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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     1.4 miles of new 24-, 20-, 16-, and 6-inch-diameter 
lateral pipeline (the customer laterals) connecting the Phoenix Lateral 
to meter stations that are not located immediately adjacent to the 
Phoenix Lateral right-of-way;
     Minor piping and pressure control modifications at the 
existing Bloomfield Compressor Station in San Juan County, New Mexico 
and at the existing Seligman Compressor Station No. 1 in Mohave County, 
Arizona;
     Installation of the Ash Fork Facility at MP 0.0 of the 
Phoenix Lateral in Yavapai County, Arizona including 2 filter 
separators, odorant injection facilities, and telecommunications 
equipment; and
     Installation of 4 taps, 31 valves, 11 meter stations, 6 
pig \3\ launchers, and 3 pig receivers.
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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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    Transwestern would also acquire an undivided interest in the 
existing East Valley Lateral consisting of 36.7 miles of 24-inch-
diameter lateral pipeline in Pinal and Maricopa Counties, Arizona.
    The final EIS, including the Final General Conformity 
Determination, has been placed in the public files of the FERC and is 
available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Regulatory 
Energy Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First St., NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-1371.
    A limited number of copies 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. The final EIS, including the Final General Conformity 
Determination, is also available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web 
site at http://www.ferc.gov. In addition, copies of the document 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, including the Final 
General Conformity Determination, can be viewed at the following 
libraries in the project area:

Ash Fork Public Library, 518 Lewis Avenue, Ash Fork, AZ 86320
Avondale-Goodyear Public Library, 328 West Western Avenue, Avondale, AZ 
85323
Black Canyon City Community Library, 34701 South Old Black Canyon Hwy, 
Black Canyon, AZ 85324
Buckeye Public Library, 310 North 6th Street, Buckeye, AZ 85032
Casa Grande Public Library, 449 North Dry Lake, Casa Grande, AZ 85222
Chino Valley Public Library, 1020 West Palomino Road, Chino Valley, AZ 
86323
Coolidge Public Library, 160 West Central Avenue, Coolidge, AZ 85228
Flagstaff Public Library, 300 West Aspen, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Fredonia Public Library, 118 North Main Street, Fredonia, AZ 86022
Mayer Public Library, 10004 Wicks Street, Mayer, AZ 86333
Arizona State Library, 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007
North Central Regional Library, 17811 North 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 
85032
Yavapai County Library District, 172 East Merritt Street, Suite E, 
Prescott, AZ 86301
Prescott Public Library, 215 East Goodwin, Prescott, AZ 86303
Prescott Valley Public Library, 7501 East Civic Circle, Prescott 
Valley, AZ 86314
Williams Public Library, 113 South First Street, Williams, AZ 86046
Bloomfield Public Library, 333 South First Street, Bloomfield, NM 87413
Farmington Public Library, 2101 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, NM 
87401-6420
Octavia Fellin Public Library, 115 West Hill, Gallup, NM 87301

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC

[[Page 55196]]

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 Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission 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 cooperating agencies 
in the EIS process may be obtained from:

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
    Mark Mackiewicz, (435) 636-3616
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
    Prescott National Forest, Vicki Clay, (928) 443-8013
    Kaibab National Forest, Tom Mutz, (928) 635-5661
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Pipeline Safety
    Ross Reineke, (720) 963-3182
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
    Navajo Area Office, Harrilene Yazzi, (505) 863-8286
    Phoenix Area Office, Amy Heuslein, (602) 379-6750
Navajo Nation
    Ron Maldonado, (928) 871-7139

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-19189 Filed 9-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P