[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28687-28690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14199]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP09-035-000]


Palomar Gas Transmission, LLC; Supplemental Notice Requesting 
Comments on the Maupin Bridge and Warmspring Reservation Alternatives 
and on a Potential Amendment to the Land and Resource Management Plan 
for the Crooked River National Grassland for the Proposed Palomar Gas 
Transmission Project, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings

DATE: June 10, 2009.
    As previously noticed on October 29, 2007 and July 18, 2008, the 
staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) 
is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) that will discuss 
the environmental impacts of the Palomar Gas Transmission Project that 
could result from the construction and operation of a new underground 
natural gas pipeline proposed by the Palomar Gas Transmission, LLC 
(Palomar). This notice explains the additional scoping process that 
will be used to gather input from the public and interested agencies on 
two route alternatives to be evaluated for crossing the Deschutes 
River.
    During our evaluation of Palomar's proposed Project, the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) requested that Palomar provide a Visual Resource 
Management Analysis of the current proposed Deschutes River crossing, a 
Congressionally designated Wild and Scenic River with one of its 
Outstanding Remarkable Values being scenic. Based on Palomar's 
analysis, the BLM has indicated the need for FERC to consider 
alternatives which avoid crossing the Deschutes River in a visually 
sensitive area. In addition, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm 
Springs have requested that the FERC consider a pipeline route that 
crosses their reservation.
    This Supplemental Notice announces the opening of a limited scoping 
period the Commission will use to gather input from the public and 
interested agencies, specifically for the two proposed route 
alternatives. One would traverse land in the City of Maupin and the 
second would cross areas near Madras and the land belonging to the 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs areas. With this Notice, we \1\ 
are specifically requesting comments on these route alternatives, 
referred to as the Maupin Bridge Alternative and the Warm Springs 
Reservation Alternative. Your input will help determine which issues 
need to be evaluated in the EIS. Please note that this scoping period 
will close on July 13, 2009. This is not your only public input 
opportunity; please refer to the Environmental Review Process flow 
chart in Appendix 1.
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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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    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further 
instructions on how to submit comments and additional details of the 
public scoping meetings are provided in the public participation 
section of this notice. In lieu of, or in addition to, sending written 
comments, you are invited to attend public scoping meetings that have 
been scheduled for June 29, 2009 in Maupin, Oregon, and June 30, 2009 
in Madras, Oregon. Details on the meetings are as follows:

Monday, June 29, 2009 at 7 p.m. (PST), South Wasco County High School, 
699 4th Street, Maupin, Oregon.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 7 p.m. (P.S.T.), Madras High School, 390 SE 
10th Street, Madras, Oregon.

    The FERC is the lead federal agency in the preparation of the EIS, 
and is preparing the EIS to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Commission will use the EIS in its 
decision-making processes to determine whether or not to authorize the 
Project.
    This Notice is being sent to landowners affected by the current 
proposed route and alternative routes; federal, state, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested parties; 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 Palomar representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed Project facilities. 
Depending on the alternative selected as the certificated route, 
Palomar would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. 
However, if the Project is approved by

[[Page 28688]]

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 state law.
    A number of fact sheets prepared by the FERC, including An 
Interstate Natural Gas Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know? and 
Guide to Electronic Information at FERC, are available for viewing on 
the FERC Internet Web site (www.ferc.gov), using the ``For Citizens'' 
link. These fact sheets address a number of typically asked questions, 
including how to participate in the Commission's proceedings and how to 
access information on FERC-regulated projects in your area.

Involvement of Other Agencies

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, the BLM, the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
have agreed to participate as cooperating agencies in the preparation 
of the EIS to satisfy their respective NEPA responsibilities. In 
addition, the BLM is coordinating with other Deschutes River management 
partners as required by Congress in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 
including the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and the State of 
Oregon.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Palomar has announced its proposal to construct and operate a new 
natural gas pipeline and associated structures with a bi-directional 
flow capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet per day. The Project would be 
located in northwest Oregon and consist of a 216.9- mile-long, 36-inch-
diameter pipeline running from near Shaniko, Wasco County, Oregon to 
the proposed Bradwood Landing Terminal in Clatsop County, Oregon. The 
pipeline would cross Wasco, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, 
Columbia, and Clatsop Counties in Oregon. The pipeline would connect 
the existing Gas Transmission Northwest Corporation (GTN) mainline 
pipeline system in central Oregon to the Northwest Natural Gas Company 
(NW Natural) distribution system near Molalla in Clackamas County. The 
pipeline is also proposed to extend to other potential interconnections 
with NW Natural's system and to an interconnection with NorthernStar 
Energy LLC's proposed Bradwood Landing pipeline in Clatsop County, 
Oregon. The proposed Project would also include a 3.8-mile-long, 24-
inch-diameter lateral pipeline \2\ near Molalla, Clackamas County, 
Oregon, to connect the Palomar Project mainline to an existing NW 
Natural city gate. Certain associated aboveground facilities are also 
proposed, i.e., mainline valves spaced at intervals along the pipeline 
as defined by U.S. Department of Transportation regulations per the 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 49 Part 192, at least three meter 
stations, and pig launcher and receiver facilities.
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    \2\ A lateral pipeline typically takes gas from the main system 
to deliver it to a customer, local distribution system, or another 
interstate transmission system.
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    More specifically, Palomar proposes the following primary Project 
components:
     A 216.9-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter underground natural 
gas mainline consisting of two segments:
     The Cascades Segment: a 111.2-miles of mainline from 
TransCanada's GTN pipeline system northwest of Madras in Wasco County 
to a location southwest of Molalla in Clackamas County; and a 3.8-mile, 
36-inch diameter accessory lateral pipeline, the Molalla Lateral, which 
would connect the main pipeline to NW Natural's distribution system;
     The Willamette Segment: a 105.7-mile segment commencing at 
the Molalla Lateral interconnect and terminating at the proposed 
connection to the proposed Bradwood Landing Terminal in Clatsop County; 
there is potential for additional interconnections with NW Natural 
along this route;
     One meter station, seven mainline valves, and one pig 
launcher/receiver on the Cascade Segment; one pig launcher/receiver and 
two mainline valves on the Molalla Lateral; and one meter station, 
seven mainline valves, and one pig launcher/receiver on the Willamette 
Section;
     Temporary pipe storage and contractor yards at various 
locations along the pipeline for office trailers, parking, and pipe and 
equipment storage during construction; and
     Temporary construction roadways and short permanent roads 
from existing roads to meter station sites and other aboveground 
facilities.
    Palomar is evaluating an alternative pipeline route that would 
include an overhead crossing of the Deschutes River adjacent to the 
highway bridge in the City of Maupin, referred to as the Maupin Bridge 
Alternative. This alternative is approximately 23 miles long, or 1.3 
miles shorter than the corresponding segment of the current proposed 
route, and would begin at a point on the GTN pipeline that is 
approximately 13 miles southwest of the current starting point near 
Shaniko Junction. The Maupin Bridge Alternative would be co-located 
with Highway 197 for approximately 17.2 miles. No compressor stations 
would be required for this alternative.
    Palomar is also evaluating an alternative pipeline route that would 
be built across the Warm Springs Reservation, referred to as the Warm 
Springs Reservation Alternative. This alternative is approximately 60.9 
miles long, or 9 miles shorter than the corresponding current proposed 
route segment, and would begin at an existing meter station on the GTN 
pipeline near the City of Madras, Oregon, approximately 20 miles 
southwest of the current starting point near Shaniko Junction. The Warm 
Springs Reservation Alternative would be co-located with existing BPA 
powerlines for approximately 11.2 miles. A compressor station would be 
required if this alternative is selected.
    A map depicting the proposed Palomar pipeline is attached to this 
Notice as Appendix 2. A map depicting the two alternative segments and 
the corresponding current proposed route segment is attached as 
Appendix 3.\3\
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    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies can be obtained from the 
Commission's Web site (excluding maps) 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. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail.
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The EIS Process

    NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental 
impacts that could result 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 scoping is 
to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important environmental issues. 
With this Supplemental Notice, the Commission staff is requesting 
public comments on the scope of the issues to be addressed in the EIS, 
and specifically for comments on the Maupin Bridge Alternative and Warm 
Springs Reservation Alternative. All comments received will be 
considered during preparation of the EIS.
    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project 
under these general headings:
     Geology and Soils;

[[Page 28689]]

     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.
    In the EIS, we will also evaluate possible alternatives to the 
proposed Project or portions of the Project (including the Maupin 
Bridge Alternative and the Warm Springs Reservation Alternative), and 
make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on affected 
resources.
    The draft EIS will analyze and disclose the environmental effects 
of the proposed pipeline route and alternatives. The draft EIS will be 
mailed to those on our environmental mailing list (see discussion of 
how to remain on our mailing list on page 7). Typically the draft EIS 
is issued for a 45-day comment period; however, due to the Forest 
Service and BLM Plan Amendments, a 90-day comment period will be 
allotted for review of the draft EIS. We will consider all timely 
comments on the draft EIS and revise the document, as necessary, before 
issuing a final EIS. To ensure that your comments are considered, 
please follow the instructions in the Public Participation section of 
this Notice.

Forest Service Plan Amendments

    The EIS will examine the proposed action and alternatives that 
require administrative or other actions by other Federal agencies. The 
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has identified the 
possible need to amend the existing Land and Resource Management Plan 
for the Crooked River National Grassland. The Northern variation of the 
Warm Springs Reservation Alternative (see Appendix 3) is not within a 
designated utility corridor. If this route were selected, an amendment 
designating this route across the National Grassland as a utility 
corridor in the management plan may be necessary. The Southern 
variation of the Warm Springs Reservation Alternative (see Appendix 3) 
follows an existing designated utility corridor in the management plan 
and amendments may not be necessary if this route were selected.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the Maupin Bridge Alternative and Warm 
Springs Reservation Alternative. Your comments should focus on the 
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures 
to avoid or lessen the environmental impact of the Maupin Bridge 
Alternative and Warm Springs Reservation Alternative. The more specific 
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send in you comments 
so that they will be received in Washington DC on or before July 13, 
2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference 
Project Docket No. CP09-035-000 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 your comments for the attention of OEP/
DG2E/Gas Branch, PJ-11.2.
     Reference Docket No. CP09-035-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    The public scoping meetings (dates, times, and locations listed 
above) are designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on 
the proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged 
to attend the meetings and to present comments on the environmental 
issues that they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript 
of the meetings will be generated so that your comments can be 
accurately recorded.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS 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. Further instructions for 
becoming an intervenor are included in the User's Guide under the ``e-
filing'' link on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).
    The Notice of Application for this proposed project issued on 
December 29, 2008 identified the date for the filing of interventions 
as January 30, 2009. 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.

Environmental Mailing List

    Everyone who provides comments on this Supplemental Notice will be 
retained on the mailing list. If you do not want to send comments at 
this time but still want to stay informed and receive copies of the 
draft and final EISs, you must return the Mailing List Retention Form 
(Appendix 4). Also, indicate on the form your preference for receiving 
a paper version of the EIS in lieu of an electronic version of the EIS 
on CD-ROM. If you have previously submitted comments or returned a 
Mailing List Retention Form you are already on our mailing list and do 
not

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need to resubmit comments or a Mailing List Retention Form.

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, click on ``General Search,'' and 
enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket 
Number field (i.e., CP09-35). 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 on the FERC Internet 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.
    Finally, Palomar has established a Web site for this Project at 
http://www.palomargas.com/project.html. The Web site includes a Project 
overview, timeline, safety and environmental information, and answers 
to frequently asked questions. You can also request additional 
information by emailing Palomar directly at [email protected] or 
writing to: Palomar Gas Transmission, 1400 SW. Fifth Avenue, Suite 900, 
Portland, Oregon 97225.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-14199 Filed 6-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P