[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 73 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20287-20288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7951]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-2-000]


MarkWest Pioneer, LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Arkoma Connector Pipeline 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 9, 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 Arkoma Connector Pipeline 
Project (Project) which involves the construction and operation of 
natural gas pipeline facilities in Coal, Atoka, and Bryan Counties, 
Oklahoma, proposed by MarkWest Pioneer, LLC (MarkWest).
    On January 18, 2008 the FERC issued a ``Notice of Intent to Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Arkoma Connector Pipeline 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues'' (NOI). The 
NOI was published in the Federal Register and was also mailed to 
interested parties, including federal, state and local officials, 
agency representatives, Native American groups; local libraries and 
newspapers; and property owners affected by the proposed facilities. 
This Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) discloses that on March 21, 
2008, Markwest filed draft Resource Reports that identified the 
addition of various facilities to the Project, including a new 
compressor station, and substantially modified the proposed pipeline 
route at various locations. This NOI is being issued because the 
facility additions and proposed pipeline modifications were not 
identified in the original NOI, and landowners potentially affected by 
those facilities were therefore not included on the environmental 
mailing list for that correspondence. Please note that the scoping 
period for this NOI will close on May 12, 2008.
    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. 
MarkWest 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, MarkWest could initiate 
condemnation proceedings in accordance with State law.
    This notice is being sent to previously unidentified 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

    MarkWest seeks authorization to construct new pipeline facilities 
in Coal, Atoka, and Bryan Counties, Oklahoma. As originally defined, 
the Arkoma Connector Pipeline Project would have consisted of about 50 
miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline, the 10,000-horsepower (hp) Arkoma 
Connector Compressor Station and associated facilities at milepost (MP) 
0.0, and two meter stations. The pipeline project would have been 
designed to deliver a peak day capacity of 300,000 to 350,000 
decatherms (Dth) of natural gas from producers in the Arkoma Basin area 
of southeastern Oklahoma to the Midcontinent Express Pipeline (MEP) 
that is currently proposed under Docket No. CP08-6-000.
    This notice:
     Updates the name of the compressor station at MP 0.0 to 
the Origin Compressor Station, and its compression capacity of the from 
10,000-hp to 14,200-hp;
     Identifies the addition of the 5,300-hp Mid-Line 
Compressor Station at MP 24.2 as the preferred site (with two 
alternative sites at MP 22.4 and MP 27.3;
     Identifies an increase in peak day deliverability to 
625,000 Dth;
     Identifies Gulf Crossing Pipeline that is currently 
proposed under Docket No. CP07-398-000 as a second delivery point in 
addition to MEP;
     Reduces the number of interconnect meter stations from two 
to one;
     Identifies two contractor/pipe yards at MP 0.0 and MP 
38.0; and
     Identifies several pipeline route modifications, primarily 
in the vicinity of MPs 9.0, 13.9 to 18.0, 23.2 to 26.5, 27.2 to 30.0, 
and 33.0.
    The locations of the facility additions and pipeline route 
modifications are 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 of all appendices are 
available on the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link or 
from the Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary refer to the last page of this notice. Copies 
of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in 
the mail. Requests for detailed maps of the proposed facilities 
should be made directly to MarkWest.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed project would affect a total of about 
632 acres. Following construction, about 319 acres would be allowed to 
revert to its previous conditions. Disturbance associated with 
aboveground facilities would impact about 16 acres of land. The two 
compressor stations would each require about 8 and 7 acres, 
respectively, and the interconnect meter station would require about 1 
acre of disturbance during and after construction. MarkWest would seek 
a 90-foot-wide construction right-of-way for the pipeline, and would 
maintain a 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way for operation of the 
pipeline.

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 MarkWest's proposal. With 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

[[Page 20288]]

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.
    In the EA we 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
     Land use
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     Cultural resources
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Air quality and noise
     Endangered and threatened species
     Hazardous waste
     Public safety
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to 
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By filing comments, 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: 
Kimberly 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 3.
     Reference Docket No. PF08-2-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before May 12, 2008.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See Title 
18 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the 
instructions on the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to ``Documents and Filings'' and 
``eFiling.'' eFiling is a file attachment process and requires that you 
prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if filing on 
paper, and save it to a file on your hard drive. New eFiling users must 
first create an account by clicking on ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister.'' 
You will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. This 
filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.'' In addition, there is a 
``Quick Comment'' option available, which is an easy method for 
interested persons to submit text only comments on a project. The 
Quick-Comment User Guide can be viewed at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling/quick-comment-guide.pdf. Quick Comment does not require 
a FERC eRegistration account; however, you will be asked to provide a 
valid e-mail address. All comments submitted under either eFiling or 
the Quick Comment option are placed in the public record for the 
specified docket or project number(s).
    We might 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.

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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-7951 Filed 4-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P