[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6025-6026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2290]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP09-43-000]


Heavenly Valley, L.P.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Powderbowl Pipeline Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 28, 2009.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the potential environmental impacts of a pipeline project 
proposed by Heavenly Valley, L.P. (Heavenly Valley). The Powderbowl 
Pipeline Project involves the construction of a 1.86-mile-long, 4-inch-
diameter natural gas pipeline in Douglas County, Nevada and El Dorado 
County, California. 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 27, 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 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. We anticipate that the U.S. 
Forest Service (USFS) will participate as a cooperating agency in the 
preparation of the EA.
    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 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

    Heavenly Valley proposes to construct 1.86 miles of 4-inch-diameter 
natural gas pipeline to service the future Powderbowl Lodge (planned 
for construction in 2009). The pipeline would begin at an existing 
Southwest Gas Corporation meter station in Douglas County, Nevada and 
terminate approximately 1.86 miles southwest at the Powderbowl Lodge 
site in El Dorado County, California. The pipeline would parallel an 
existing access road and utility corridor. Existing access roads would 
be used for pipeline construction. The project is located entirely 
within the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort, on land owned by the USFS and 
leased to Heavenly Valley under a 40 year Ski Area Special Use Permit 
issued in 1997. Construction of the project would temporarily impact 
approximately 7.9 acres. Upon completion of the project, 2.3 acres 
would be maintained as permanent easement.
    In addition, Heavenly Valley seeks approval to continue operation 
of a 4,500-foot-long, 2- and 3-inch diameter pipeline installed in 2000 
by the previous resort owner to provide natural gas to resort 
facilities\1\. This existing

[[Page 6026]]

pipeline, referred to as the Gondala/Mid-Station Pipeline, is also 
located entirely within the Heavenly Valley property. No ground 
disturbance or new environmental impacts would occur from continued 
operation of this pipeline.
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    \1\ Heavenly Valley stated that the prior resort owners believed 
the pipeline could be constructed as a ``house'' line or ``plant'' 
line not subject to FERC jurisdiction. Heavenly Valley was alerted 
to the fact that the existing pipeline may be subject to FERC 
jurisdiction when it initiated discussions with Southwest Gas to 
obtain increased service for the Powderbowl Pipeline.
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    A map showing the general location of the proposed project is 
included as appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendix referenced in this notice is not being printed 
in the Federal Register. Copies of the appendix 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 by calling (202) 502-8371. For instructions 
on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the ``Additional Information'' 
section of this notice. Copies of the appendix were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps 
of the proposed facilities should be made directly to Heavenly 
Valley.
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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 (NOI), the Commission 
staff requests 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\3\ 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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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     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 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 the 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 Heavenly Valley's Powderbowl Pipeline 
Project. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental 
effects of the proposal, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid 
or lessen the 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 February 27, 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 (CP09-43-000) with your submission. 
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 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.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, 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.

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, then on ``General Search'' and enter 
the docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP09-43) 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, 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-2290 Filed 2-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P