[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 217 (Friday, November 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63569-63570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22023]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP08-4-000]


Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare An Environmental Assessment for the Proposed South Welda 
Storage Field Expansion Project and Request for Comments On 
Environmental Issues

November 2, 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 proposed South Welda Storage 
Field Expansion Project involving construction and operation of natural 
gas facilities by Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (Southern 
Star) in Anderson County, Kansas. The EA will be used by the Commission 
in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in 
the public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help determine which issues 
need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period 
will close on December 3, 2007. Details on how to submit comments are 
provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    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. 
Southern Star would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. 
However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that approval 
conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement 
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, Southern Star could initiate 
condemnation proceedings in accordance with Kansas state law.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries 
and newspapers. State and local government representatives are asked to 
notify their constituents of this proposed project and to encourage 
them to comment on their areas of concern.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' 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 (www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Southern Star proposes to expand the existing certificated boundary 
and buffer zone of its South Welda Storage Field in Anderson County, 
Kansas by about 560 acres. Southern Star states that the additional 
acreage is necessary to protect the field's integrity (based on 
conclusions that storage gas has moved beyond its existing storage 
boundary) and to establish a buffer zone to protect the field from 
future encroachment by third-party exploration or operators. The 
additional acreage would also prevent possible venting of the storage 
gas by oil operators. Southern Star has identified 11 wells that it 
would either connect to the pressure recovery system, convert to 
pressure observation, or plug. In addition, Southern Star would install 
an additional natural gas compressor (660 horsepower) at its existing 
South Welda Booster Station. This would require an expansion of the 
station of 40 feet by 175 feet.
    Southern Star is also requesting authorization to increase the 
maximum certificated wellhead shut-in pressure from 430 to 433 pounds 
per square inch gauge. This pressure would align with the same shut-in 
pressure requested by Southern Star for the North Welda Storage Field 
in Docket No. CP07-89-000, which is currently under Commission review. 
Certain other recovery and recycling facilities (e.g., small diameter 
pipeline lateral segments, oil/gas separators, and collection tanks) 
will be constructed under Southern Star's existing blanket certificate 
(Docket No. CP82-479-000).
    The certificated South Welda Storage Field currently operates up to 
a maximum storage capacity of 18.3 billion cubic feet. Southern Star 
states that the proposed project and blanket certificate work would not 
change any of the current operational parameters or capabilities of the 
South Welda Storage Field.
    The general location of the proposed storage field expansion is 
shown in Appendix 1. \1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printing in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet website (www.ferc.gov) at the ``eLibrary'' 
link or from the Commission's Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
``Additional Information'' section at the end of this notice. Copies 
of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in 
the mail. Requests for detailed maps of the well locations and other 
proposed facilities should be made directly to Southern Star.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    The boundary of the South Welda Storage Field would be expanded by 
about 560 acres. Construction of the proposed facilities (i.e., well 
sites, separator sites, the compressor unit, temporary workspace, and 
use of existing access roads) would require about 21.9 acres of land. 
Of this acreage, about 20.6 acres would be temporarily impacted and 1.3 
acres would be permanently affected.

The EA Process

    We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take 
into account the environmental impact that could result if it 
authorizes Southern Star's proposal. By this notice, we are also asking 
federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special 
expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate 
with us in the preparation of the EA. Agencies that would like to 
request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided below.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    NEPA also requires the FERC 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, we are requesting 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 EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
     Geology and soils
     groundwater resources
     land use
     cultural resources

[[Page 63570]]

     vegetation and wildlife (including sensitive species)
     air quality and noise
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending 
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be 
published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make 
our recommendations to the Commission.
    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 commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal including alternative berthing 
alignments, 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: 
Kimberley D. Bose, 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. CP08-4-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 3, 2007.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 
Code of Federal Regulations 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. 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.''
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

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 eFiling 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) (see Appendix 2) \3\. Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \3\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    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 or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (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 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 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information. You can also 
request additional information by calling Southern Star at 270-852-
4654.

Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-22023 Filed 11-8-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P