[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 234 (Thursday, December 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73927-73929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-28699]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-30-000]


Northwest Pipeline GP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Sundance Trail Expansion 
Project; Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

November 26, 2008.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is in 
the process of preparing an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
environmental impacts of the Sundance Trail Expansion Project (Project) 
involving the construction and operation of new underground natural gas 
pipeline looping\1\ and a modified compressor station proposed by 
Northwest Pipeline GP (Northwest). The Project is under review in 
Docket No. PF08-30-000.
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is a segment of pipeline immediately 
adjacent to an existing pipeline.
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    This Notice of Intent (NOI) explains the scoping process that will 
be used to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
Project. Your input will help determine which issues will be evaluated 
in the EA. Please note that the scoping period for this Project will 
close on December 29, 2008.
    Although a formal application has not been filed, the FERC has 
already initiated its NEPA review under its pre-filing process. A pre-
filing docket number has been assigned to the proposed Project (PF08-
30-000). The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early 
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve 
issues before an application is filed with the FERC.
    This NOI is being sent to Federal, State, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; affected landowners; environmental and 
public interest groups; Indian tribes and regional Native American 
organizations; commentors and other interested parties; and local 
libraries and newspapers. We \2\ encourage government representatives 
to notify their constituents of this proposed Project and encourage 
them to comment on their areas of concern.
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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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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a Northwest representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. Northwest 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the Project is approved by the FERC, that approval conveys with it the 
right of federal eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations 
fail to produce an agreement, and the Project is ultimately approved by 
the FERC, Northwest could initiate condemnation proceedings in 
accordance with Federal law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/citizen-guides.asp). This fact sheet addresses a number of 
typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how 
to participate in FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Northwest has proposed to construct and operate the Project to 
provide 150 Mdth/d of transportation capacity out of the Piceance Basin 
for delivery into the Kern River Gas Transmission Company system where 
it can be transported to Utah, southern Nevada, and southern California 
markets. The Project's pipeline loop would be located in Lincoln 
County, Wyoming, and the compressor station modification would take 
place in Uintah County, Utah.

[[Page 73928]]

    Location maps depicting the proposed facilities are attached to 
this NOI as Appendix 1.\3\
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    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not printed in 
the Federal Register, but they are being provided to all those who 
receive this notice in the mail. Copies of the NOI can be obtained 
from the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link, from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, or by calling (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this 
notice.
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    Specifically, Northwest proposes the following components for the 
Project:
     Construction of 15.5 miles of 30-inch-diameter underground 
natural gas pipeline originating with northwest's mainline at Valve 6-2 
at milepost (MP) 422.2 (MP 0.0 of the Project) and terminating at a 
tie-in at mainline MP 437.7 in Lincoln county Wyoming.
     Abandonment by removal of two obsolete 3,165-horsepower 
(hp) at the existing Vernal compressor Station in Uintah County, Utah, 
and replacing them with one 9,700-hp compressor unit, as well as 
installation of associated gas piping and gas coolers.
     Use of two or three of the following five potential 
construction yard sites:
     Muddy Creek Construction Yard, located within the 
Northwest's existing Muddy Creek Compressor Station, about 6 miles 
south of Opal in Lincoln County, Wyoming;
     Kemmerer Construction Yard, an existing pipe unloading and 
storage area located adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad, about 4 
miles south of Kemmerer, in Lincoln County, Wyoming;
     James Town Construction Yard, an existing industrial site 
located about 4 miles west of Green River, in Sweetwater County, 
Wyoming;
     Granger Construction Yard, an existing industrial site 
located about 0.5 mile northwest of Granger in Sweetwater County, 
Wyoming; and
     Peru Cutoff Construction Yard, an existing industrial site 
located about 7 miles west of Green River in Sweetwater County, 
Wyoming.

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 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.
     Water resources.
     Aquatic resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Threatened and endangered species.
     Land use, recreation, and visual resources.
     Cultural resources.
     Socioeconomics.
     Air quality and noise.
     Reliability and safety.
     Cumulative impacts.
    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.
    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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the 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 December 
29, 2008.
    Comments on the proposed Project should be submitted to the FERC in 
written form. For your convenience, there are three methods which you 
can use to submit your written comments to the Commission. In all 
instances please reference the Project docket number (PF08-30-000) with 
your submission. The three methods are:
    (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 3, 
PJ-11.3.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has 
dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-8258 
or [email protected].
    Once Northwest formally files its application with the Commission, 
you may want to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an official party to 
the proceeding. 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.

[[Page 73929]]

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 whose 
property may be used temporarily for project purposes, who have 
existing easements from the pipeline, or who own homes within distances 
defined in the Commission's regulations of certain aboveground 
facilities.
    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.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the Project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372), or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the ``eLibrary 
link.'' Click on the eLibrary link, select ``General Search'' and enter 
the Project docket number, excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF08-
30) in the ``Docket Number'' field. Be sure you have selected an 
appropriate date range. For assistance with eLibrary, the eLibrary 
helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or by e-
mail at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC Web 
site also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by 
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.
    In addition, the FERC 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    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. E8-28699 Filed 12-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P