[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 358-359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-31319]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP09-161-000]


Bison Pipeline, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Bison Pipeline Project

December 29, 2009.

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Bison Pipeline Project proposed by Bison Pipeline, L.L.C. 
(Bison) in the above-referenced docket. Bison requests authorization to 
construct and operate pipeline facilities to deliver approximately 477 
million cubic feet per day of natural gas from the Powder River Basin 
in northeast Wyoming, through southeastern Montana and southwestern 
North Dakota, to the Northern Border pipeline system. Through the 
existing Northern Border pipeline, the natural gas would be shipped to 
markets in the Midwestern United States (primarily Iowa, Minnesota, 
Wisconsin, and Illinois).
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Bison Pipeline Project in accordance 
with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed project 
would have some adverse environmental impact; however, we believe that 
environmental impacts would be reduced to less-than-significant levels 
if the proposed Project is constructed and operated in accordance with 
applicable laws and regulations, Bison's proposed mitigation, and 
additional measures recommended in the EIS.
    The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) participated as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the 
EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise 
with respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and 
participate in the NEPA analysis. The BLM would present their own 
conclusions and recommendations

[[Page 359]]

in their Record of Decision, and would adopt this EIS per 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) 1506.3 if, after an independent review of the 
document, they conclude that their permitting requirements have been 
satisfied.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
     Approximately 301.2 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas 
transmission pipeline;
     One new compressor station totaling 4,700 horsepower of 
compression: the Hettinger Compressor Station located in Hettinger 
County, North Dakota;
     Two new meter stations;
     Nineteen mainline valves; and
     Three pig \1\ launcher and pig receiver facilities.
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    \1\ A ``pig'' is a mechanical device used to clean or inspect 
the pipeline.
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    Dependent upon Commission approval, Bison proposes to complete 
construction and begin operating the proposed Project in November 2010.
    The final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. A limited number of copies are available for distribution 
and public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public 
Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, 
(202) 502-8371.
    Copies of the EIS have been mailed to federal, state, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; Native American tribes and 
regional organizations; local libraries and newspapers; parties to this 
proceeding; and other interested parties. Hard copy versions of the EIS 
were mailed to those specifically requesting them; all others received 
a CD-ROM version.

Questions?

    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 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., CP09-161). 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; 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-31319 Filed 1-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P