[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 9 (Monday, January 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2240-2241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-395]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF07-11-000]


North Baja Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Yuma Lateral Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 4, 2008.
    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 Yuma Lateral Project 
involving construction and operation of natural gas facilities by North 
Baja Pipeline, LLC (North Baja) in Yuma County, Arizona. 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 February 4, 2008. 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. 
North Baja 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, North Baja could initiate 
condemnation proceedings in accordance with 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 (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    The Yuma Lateral Project would involve construction of 
approximately 3.3 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline from the 
international border at the Colorado River to the Yucca Power Plant, 
also in Yuma County, Arizona. An additional 3.1 miles would be 
constructed in Mexico. A meter station would be constructed at the 
Yucca Power Plant along with a pig receiver. The majority of the Yuma 
Lateral would be constructed on public lands, primarily a Bureau of 
Reclamation (BOR) canal right-of-way (ROW). The majority of the 
proposed pipeline ROW route is co-located immediately adjacent to an 
existing railroad ROW.
    The purpose of the proposed project is to provide the Yucca Power 
Plant with access to existing and future power generation needs. Gas 
would be shipped from Sempra's Gasoducto Bajanorte pipeline through a 
new 3.1-mile-long lateral in Mexico to the international border, from 
which 81,250 Dth/day of gas would be shipped via the Yuma Lateral to 
supply the Yucca Power Plant.
    The general location of the proposed project is shown in Appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet Web site (http://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 North Baja.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed project would affect a total of about 
29.5 acres during construction. Following construction, about 21.0 
acres would be allowed to revert to its previous conditions. 
Disturbance associated with aboveground facilities would permanently 
impact 0.5 acre of land.
    North Baja proposes a typical construction ROW for the proposed 
pipeline of between 52 and 80 feet, which is 32 to 60 feet of temporary 
workspace and 20 feet of permanent ROW.

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 North Baja'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

[[Page 2241]]

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
     wetlands and waterbodies
     land use
     cultural resources
     vegetation and wildlife (including sensitive species)
     air and noise quality
    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.
    Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has 
already initiated its NEPA review under its Pre-filing Process. The 
purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an 
application is filed with the FERC. Once a formal application is filed 
with the FERC, a new docket number will be established.

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, reasonable alternatives to the proposal including alternative 
locations and routes, 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. PF07-11-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 4, 2008.
    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 2). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
    Once North Baja formally files its application with the Commission, 
you may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor.'' Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and 
are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts 
if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor 
formally participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the 
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's web site. 
Please note that you may not request intervenor status at this time. 
You must wait until a formal application is filed with the Commission.

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 (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 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-395 Filed 1-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P