[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79076-79078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30566]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-34-000]


Questar Overthrust Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Point of Rocks and Rock 
Springs Compression Expansion Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

December 17, 2008.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
identify and address the potential environmental impacts that could 
result from the construction and operation of the Point of Rocks and 
Rock Springs Compression Expansion Project (Compression Expansion 
Project) planned by Questar Overthrust Pipeline Company (Overthrust). 
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 January 23, 2009. Details on how to submit comments are 
provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government agencies; elected officials; Native American 
groups; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. 
State and local government representatives are asked to notify their 
constituents of this planned project and to encourage them to comment 
on their areas of concern.
    As a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted by an 
Overthrust representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the project facilities. The pipeline 
company 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 eminent domain. Therefore, if easement 
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could 
initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with federal or state 
law.
    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 Project

    The planned project consists of construction and operation of a new 
Point of Rocks Compressor Station and expansion of Overthrust's 
existing Rock Springs Compressor Station, all in Sweetwater County, 
Wyoming. Overthrust would install one 16,000-horsepower compressor unit 
at each station. The planned facilities would provide an additional 
320,000 dekatherms per day of capacity from Opal, Wyoming, eastward to 
an interconnect with the Rockies Express Pipeline system at Wamsutter, 
Wyoming.
    The existing Rock Springs Compressor Station is sited on 5.9 acres 
of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Rock 
Springs Field Office. Here, the new compressor unit would be installed 
within an existing compressor building. Construction at the Rock 
Springs Compressor Station would take place entirely within the 
existing fenced station site. The Point of Rocks Compressor Station 
would be located on a 550-foot by 600-foot site, totaling 7.6 acres on 
property owned by the BLM and one private landowner. Anadarko Land 
Corporation owns about 70 percent of the 7.6 acres and the BLM, Rock 
Springs Field Office manages the remaining 30 percent of the planned 
site. About 1,000 feet of an existing 10-foot-wide dirt road would be 
improved in order to provide access to the new compressor station.
    The general location of the planned facilities is shown in appendix 
A.\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 ``Additional Information'' 
section of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps 
of the planned facilities should be made directly to Overthrust.

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[[Page 79077]]

The EA Process

    We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) which requires the Commission 
to take into account the environmental impact that could result if it 
authorizes Overthrust'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 the proposal. 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, 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 project under these general headings:
     Geology and Soils.
     Land Use and Visual Quality.
     Cultural Resources.
     Vegetation and Wildlife (Including Threatened and 
Endangered Species).
     Air Quality and Noise.
     Reliability and Safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the project or 
portions of the project, where necessary, and make recommendations on 
how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resources.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented 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; Native American groups; interested individuals; 
local newspapers and 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. Your comments should focus on 
the potential environmental effects of the proposal, reasonable 
alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. 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 January 23, 2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please 
reference the project docket number 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.''
    (3) You may file your comments with the Commission via mail by 
sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1, PJ-11.1, and
     Reference Docket No. PF08-34-000 on the original and both 
copies.

Environmental Mailing List

    As described above, we may publish and distribute the EA for 
comment. If the EA is published and you are interested in receiving it, 
please return the Environmental Mailing List Form (appendix B). All 
individuals who either return the Environmental Mailing List Form or 
provide written scoping comments will remain on our environmental 
mailing list for this project. If you do not return the Environmental 
Mailing List Form or file comments, you will be taken off the mailing 
list.

Additional Information

    Once Overthrust 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 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, then on ``General Search'' and enter 
the docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF08-34) 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 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, any 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

[[Page 79078]]

additional information by calling Overthrust at 1-800-366-8532.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-30566 Filed 12-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P