[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 126 (Monday, June 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36859-36861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14691]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP08-403-000]


Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Piceance Compression 
Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

June 20, 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 Wyoming Interstate Company, 
Ltd. (WIC) involving construction and operation of facilities by WIC in 
Rio Blanco County and Moffat County, Colorado.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we will 
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine which 
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping 
period will close on July 21, 2008.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested 
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
    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. 
The pipeline company 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, the pipeline 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice BBS provided to landowners. This fact sheet 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

    The proposed project would involve modifications of the Greasewood 
Compressor Station (Greasewood CS) and the construction of a new 
compressor station called the Snake River Compressor Station (Snake 
River CS) as described below.

Greasewood CS

    WIC proposes to uprate the existing compressor unit and install a 
new compressor unit at the Greasewood CS located at milepost (MP) 141.7 
on Line 233 A in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. All construction activity 
would be

[[Page 36860]]

confined to the previously disturbed land within the existing 10-acre 
industrial site. The uprate and modifications would include the 
following:
     Uprate its existing Solar Centaur 40 Turbine at the WIC 
Greesewood CS. The uprate requires the replacement of the existing 
control panel and software changes that would re-set control points on 
the unit. The uprate would increase available horsepower (hp) for the 
station from the existing 1,650 site hp to 2,832 site hp;
     Install an additional compressor unit within the existing 
station yard. The new unit would consist of a Solar Centaur 40 S 
Turbine capable of generating a maximum of 2,832 site hp. Subsequent to 
the uprate and the installation of the new unit, the Greasewood CS 
would have a total of 5,6654 site hp;
     Construct an extension of the compressor building 
approximately 25 feet to accommodate the new compressor;
     A new inlet separator installed in parallel with the 
existing separator;
     A new discharge gas cooler installed in parallel with the 
existing gas cooler; and
     24-inch-diameter suction and discharge headers and valves.

Snake River CS

    The new Snake River CS would be located at approximately MP 54.2 
near the midpoint of the Piceance Lateral in Moffat County, Colorado. 
The new compressor station would include the following facilities:
     Two gas fired Solar Taurus 70 units with a total output of 
13,664 site hp, including all ancillary equipment such as exhaust 
stacks, air intake, lobe oil cooler, etc.;
     A new line separator;
     A new discharge gas cooler;
     An auxiliary building that would house electrical motor 
controls, control panels, generators, instrument air systems, battery 
systems, etc. This building would be approximately 30 feet by 120 feet 
in size;
     Two generators would be installed for both primary and 
backup electric generation requirements. Each generator would be 
approximately 400 kilovolts-ampers (Kva);
     24-inch-diameter suction and discharge headers and valves; 
and
     40 feet self supporting (no guy wires) microwave tower and 
accompanying 10 feet by 12 feet prefabricated building.
    In addition, WIC would also modify the regulator runs at the 
existing WIC's existing Wamsutter Compressor Station located in 
Sweetwater County, Wyoming under section 2.55(a) of the Commission's 
regulations. WIC would also reimburse Colorado Interstate Gas Company 
who would replace the existing 40-foot Lookout Mountain communication 
tower located in Moffat County Colorado to accommodate an additional 
microwave dish under section 2.55(a) of the regulations. The 
communication site is located on lands administered by the Bureau of 
Land Management.
    The location of the project facilities 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 of all appendices, other 
than Appendix 1 (maps), 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.
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Nonjurisdictional Facilities

    There are no non-jurisdictional facilities associated with this 
project.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 30.2 
acres of land Following construction, about 6.1 acres of land would be 
maintained as new aboveground facility sites and pipeline right-of-way. 
The remaining 24.1 acres of land would be restored within new Snake 
River CS property or revert to its former use within the existing 
Greasewood CS and Wamsutter Compressor Station property. The Lookout 
Mountain Communication Tower would be constructed within the footprint 
of an existing communication tower yard.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
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, the Commission staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the 
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the 
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify 
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    In the EA we \2\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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     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 possible 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.
    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.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Texas Eastern. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Cultural resources may be affected by the project.
     The project may have air emissions and noise impacts.
     The Snake River CS and Greaswood CS may have visual 
impacts.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Piceance Compression Expansion

[[Page 36861]]

Project. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental 
effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful 
they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly 
recorded, please send in your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before July 21, 2008.
    For your convenience, there are three methods in which you can use 
to submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the project docket number CP08-403-000 with your submission. 
The docket number can be found on the front of this notice. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has dedicated 
eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-8258 or 
[email protected].
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick 
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site 
at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick 
Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only 
comments on a project;
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling 
involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard 
drive. You will attach that file as your submission. 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. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on 
a Filing;'' or
    (3) You may file your comments via mail to the Commission by 
sending 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 2, 
PJ11.2.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the 
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities. By this 
notice we are also asking governmental agencies, especially those in 
Appendix 2, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies 
for the preparation of the EA.
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our mailing list, 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). Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    The Notice of Application for this proposed project issued on May 
29, 2008 identified the date for the filing of interventions as June 
19, 2008. However, affected landowners and parties with environmental 
concerns may be granted late 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.

Availability of 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.
    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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-14691 Filed 6-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P