[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 140 (Thursday, July 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42740-42742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17881]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF10-18-000]


Ryckman Creek Resources, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Planned Ryckman Creek Storage Project 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 15, 2010.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA). The EA will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the Ryckman Creek Storage Project 
(Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by Ryckman 
Creek Resources, LLC (Ryckman Creek) in Uinta County, Wyoming. This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to 
determine whether the project is in the public convenience and 
necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process that will 
be used to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
Project. Your input will help the Commission staff and cooperating 
agencies determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please 
note that the scoping period for this Project will close on August 16, 
2010. This is not your only public input opportunity; please refer to 
the Environmental Review Process flow chart in Appendix 1.
    The FERC will be the lead Federal agency for the preparation of the 
EA. The EA will satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and will be used by the FERC to consider the 
environmental impacts that could result if it issues Ryckman Creek 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity under section 7 of the 
Natural Gas Act.
    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is participating as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA to satisfy its 
respective NEPA and planning responsibilities since the Project would 
cross Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Kemmerer Field Office 
in Wyoming. Under sections 17 and 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 
(30 U.S.C. 185(f) and 226(m)), the BLM has the authority to issue 
underground gas storage agreements and right-of-way grants for all 
affected Federal lands. This would be in accordance with title 43 Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 2800, 2880, and 5105.5 subsequent 
2800, 2880, and 3160-11 Manuals, and Handbook 2801-1. As a cooperating 
agency, the BLM would adopt the EA per Title 40 CFR 1506.3 to meet its 
responsibilities under NEPA in considering Ryckman Creek's application 
for a Right-of-Way Grant and Temporary Use Permit for the portion of 
the Project on Federal land, by the Kemmerer Field Office, High Desert 
District; and the issuance of an Underground Gas Storage Agreement by 
the Wyoming State Office, Reservoir Management Group, Casper, Wyoming.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives are asked 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 pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. 
The 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 entitled ``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 the use of 
eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Ryckman Creek plans to convert a partially depleted oil field, 
known as the Ryckman Nugget Unit (Unit), into a natural gas storage 
field offering approximately 25 to 30 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of high 
deliverability working gas capacity in Uinta County, Wyoming. Ryckman 
Creek would also construct and operate about 3.9 miles of 16- to 20-
inch-diameter pipeline header system connecting the existing Canyon 
Creek Compressor Station with the Unit. The Project will provide for 
the injection and withdrawal of natural gas into and out of the Unit 
via interconnects with the existing Kern River, Questar, and 
Overthrust/REX pipelines directly adjacent to the Canyon Creek 
Compressor Station. Combined, these three interconnect pipelines 
provide a total of 1.55 Bcf per day of take-away capacity. Prior to and 
concurrent with the development of the storage field, Ryckman Creek 
proposes to initiate enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations of the 
petroleum reserves remaining in the Unit.
    The Ryckman Creek Storage Project would consist of the following 
facilities, all in Unita County, Wyoming:
     Drill and complete up to five new horizontal injection/
withdrawal (I/W) wells and convert an EOR horizontal withdrawal well, 
to be drilled in the initial EOR phase in 2010, to an I/W well for 
storage operations.
     The Project would require an additional 6,000 to 9,000 
horsepower (hp), for a total of 28,000 to 31,000 hp at the existing 
Canyon Creek Compressor Station. One or two new electric-driven 
compressors would be added and four of the existing compressor units 
would be retrofitted.
     Create a central gas/liquids separation facility (Ryckman 
Plant) where all of the gas pipelines meet. It would contain a small 
electric-driven compressor to compress casing head gas, liquids 
separation equipment, and water and gas handling equipment.
     Construct a 3.9-mile-long high pressure header pipeline 
between the Ryckman Plant at the storage field and the Canyon Creek 
Compressor Station.
     Construct 4 mile(s) of new 8-inch-diameter storage field 
I/W lines.
     Convert one previously re-entered well to an observation 
well.
     Construct ancillary facilities, as necessary to operate 
the Project (e.g., valves, meters, filtration, safety, cleaning and 
inspection equipment).
     Construct temporary laydown and temporary support 
facilities. To the extent feasible, some of these would be located 
within the existing disturbed,

[[Page 42741]]

fenced areas at either the Canyon Creek Compressor Station or on the 
original site of the previous oil and gas production operations on the 
Unit.
     Re-enter/re-complete up to 13 production wells (EOR 
development concurrent with storage operations).
     Re-enter/re-complete up to two saltwater disposal wells, 
one on the Unit and one off-Unit (the first of two saltwater disposal 
wells would be re-completed in 2010 as part of the initial EOR 
development).
     Re-use/construct production well gathering system (EOR 
development concurrent with storage operations).
     Construct a water/hydrocarbon liquids dew point control 
plant and a nitrogen reject unit (NRU) at the existing Canyon Creek 
Compressor Station.
     Certain facilities may need to be abandoned at the Canyon 
Creek Compressor Station.

The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
2.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to 
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
http://www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 177 
acres of land for the pipelines and wells. Following construction, 
about 128 acres would be maintained for permanent operation of the 
project's facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and 
allowed to revert to former uses. Additional land would be required for 
construction and operation of the aboveground facilities, for access 
roads, and additional temporary workspaces.

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 
\2\ 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, 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.
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    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 including migratory birds;
     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 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. 
See Appendix 1 for an overview of the Commission's Pre-Filing 
Environmental Review Process.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
The EA will be placed in the public record and, depending on the 
comments received during the scoping process, may be published and 
distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the EA 
is published for review. 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 beginning on page 6.
    With this notice, 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 notice. 
Currently, the BLM has expressed their intention to participate as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EA to satisfy their NEPA 
responsibilities related to this project.

Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations, we are using this notice to solicit the views 
of the public on the project's potential effects on historic 
properties.\3\ We will document our findings on the impacts on cultural 
resources and summarize the status of consultations under section 106 
of the National Historic Preservation Act in our EA.
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    \3\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations 
are at title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Historic 
properties are defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register for Historic 
Places.
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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, 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 your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before August 16, 
2010.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has expert eFiling 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 at http:www.ferc.gov under the link 
called ``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 that is listed under the ``Documents and Filings'' 
link. 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 the links 
called ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister''. You will be asked to select the 
type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular

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project is considered a ``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You may file a paper copy of your comments at the following 
address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A Washington, DC 20426.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes Federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local newspapers. This list also includes all 
affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations) who 
are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used 
temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within certain 
distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits comments on 
the project. We will update the environmental mailing list as the 
analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related to 
this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
planned project.
    If the EA is published for distribution, copies will be sent to the 
environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would 
prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD 
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please 
return the attached Information Request (appendix 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Ryckman Creek files its application with the Commission, you 
may want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the 
Commission's 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 the 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 the Commission will not accept 
requests for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a 
formal application for the project is filed with the Commission.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, 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., PF10-18-000. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date 
range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at (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, 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. 2010-17881 Filed 7-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P