[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 73 (Friday, April 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17849-17851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8808]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF09-6-000]


Questar Overthrust Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Loop Expansion Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 10, 2009.
    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 Loop Expansion Project 
(project) planned by Questar Overthrust Pipeline Company (Overthrust). 
The project consists of about 43 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline 
within Uinta and Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming. 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 used to 
gather input from the public and interested agencies on the project. 
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues need to 
be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period will close 
on May 11, 2009.
    This Notice of Intent (NOI) 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; and local libraries and newspapers. We \1\ 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    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 planned 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, ``An Interstate Natural Gas 
Facility on My Land? What Do I Need to Know?'' is available for viewing 
on the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses a 
number of typically-asked questions, including those focusing on the 
use of eminent domain and how to participate in the FERC's proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

    The planned Loop Expansion Project would consist of the following 
facilities:
     About 43 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline in Uinta and 
Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming;
     A bypass valve assembly tie-in at the Rock Springs 
Compressor Station in Rock Springs, Wyoming;
     A new crossover valve assembly at milepost (MP) 43.3; and
     Two 36-inch-diameter block valves at MPs 18.6 and 38.5.
    The Loop Expansion Project would allow Overthrust to provide up to 
800,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas westbound to Kern River Gas 
Transmission Company and to El Paso Corporation's proposed Ruby 
Pipeline.
    A general location map of Overthrust's planned facilities is 
provided in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ 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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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of Overthrust's planned facilities would disturb about 
833 acres of land including aboveground facilities and the pipeline. 
Overthrust would utilize existing public roads to access the work 
areas. Following construction, about 262.3 acres would be maintained 
for permanent operation of the project's facilities while the remaining 
acreage would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses. About 
90 percent (39.1 miles) of the planned pipeline would be collocated 
with existing pipeline, utility, or road ROWs.

[[Page 17850]]

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 NOI, the Commission 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. State and 
local government representatives are encouraged to notify their 
constituents of this planned 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 planned 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; and
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned 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, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's Pre-filing Process. 
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. As part of our Pre-filing Process 
review, we have begun to contact some Federal and State agencies to 
discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of 
the EA.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during scoping, the EA may be 
published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies; public 
interest groups; interested individuals; affected landowners; and local 
newspapers and libraries. 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.
    With this NOI, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or 
special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally 
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may 
choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to 
their responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating 
agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments 
provided under the Public Participation section of this NOI. The 
Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
already requested cooperating-agency status and will be assisting us in 
the scoping, analysis, and preparation of the EA. The EA will be used 
by both the FERC and the BLM to satisfy our NEPA requirements and 
support our respective decisions.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Loop Expansion 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 May 11, 2009.
    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 PF09-6-000 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 to 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 Street, NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 1, 
PJ11.1.

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 planned 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.
    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 2). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be 
taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Overthrust 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 ``eFiling'' 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.

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)

[[Page 17851]]

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.
    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.
    Finally, Overthrust has established an Internet Web site for its 
project at http://www.overthrustexpansion.com. The site includes a 
project overview, contact information, regulatory overview, and 
construction procedures. Overthrust will continue to update its Web 
site with information about the project. You can also request 
additional information by calling Overthrust at 1-800-366-8532.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-8808 Filed 4-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P