[Federal Register: February 16, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 31)]
[Notices]
[Page 7931-7933]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16fe05-36]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP05-45-000]
TransColorado Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent to
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed North Expansion
Project And Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
February 9, 2005.
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 North Expansion Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by TransColorado Gas
Transmission Company (TransColorado) in Rio Blanco County and Mesa
County, Colorado.\1\ These facilities would consist of about 2,200 feet
of 24-inch diameter pipeline, 4,670 horsepower (hp) ISO-rated of
compression, and meter replacements. This EA will be used by the
Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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\1\ TransColorado's application was filed with the Commission
under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the
Commission's regulations.
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The FERC will be the lead federal agency for the preparation of the
EA. The document will satisfy the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The U.S. Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) has also agreed to participate as a cooperating agency in the
preparation of the EA to satisfy its NEPA responsibilities. It is the
goal of the FERC and the BLM to avoid duplication of effort and prepare
a single EA that can be used to satisfy their NEPA responsibilities.
Summary of the Proposed Project
TransColorado proposes to:
Construct and operate a new Greasewood Compressor Station,
in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, comprised of two 1,000 hp compressor
units and one 2,061 hp compressor unit;
Construct about 2,200 feet of 24-inch diameter pipeline
and one 12-inch bidirectional turbine meter on the discharge side of
the proposed Greasewood Compressor Station; and
Replace two existing 10-inch orifice meters with two new
12-inch turbine meters at the Raccoon Hollow Meter Station in Mesa
County, Colorado.
Also, TransColorado indicates it would construct and operate, under
[[Page 7932]]
Section 2.55(a), the following ancillary facilities at the proposed
Greasewood Compressor Station site: one emergency power generator, a
station supervisory control system, and a motor control center
building.
In support of its application TransColorado indicates that the
proposed facility would enable it to deliver up to 300,000 decatherms
per day of gas to the Greasewood Hub. TransColorado states that the
proposed project would significantly enhance market access for
developing natural gas supplies in the Piceance Basin.
The general location of the project facilities is shown 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 website 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
Additional Information section 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 the proposed facilities would require about 15.0
acres of land. Following construction, about 5.8 acres would be
maintained as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 9.2 acres
of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use. All
of these facilities to be constructed at the Greasewood Compressor
Station are located on federal land managed by the BLM. The facilities
to be modified at the Raccoon Hollow Meter Station are located on
private land. All disturbed areas not required for operation at the
compressor station and new meter site would be properly reclaimed,
including spreading of any salvaged topsoil and reseeding using BLM-
approved seed mix.
The EA Process
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, the
Commission staff requests public comments on the scope of the issues to
address in the EA. All comments received are considered during the
preparation of the EA. State and local government representatives are
encouraged to notify their constituents of this proposed action and
encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
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 Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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Geology and soils
Land use
Cultural resources
Vegetation and wildlife
Air quality and noise
Endangered and threatened species
Hazardous waste
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 the 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 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.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified air and noise impacts as issues that we
think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed
facilities and the environmental information provided by TransColorado.
This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments
and our analysis.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the
proposal, alternatives to the proposal, and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that
your comments are received in time and properly recorded:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 2.
Reference Docket No. CP05-45-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before March 11, 2005.
Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission
strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions
or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under
the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can
file comments you will need to create a free account which can be
created on-line.
We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA 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) (see Appendix 2).\4\ Only
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intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's
decision.
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\4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be
granted 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.
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, 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
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 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, 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.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-645 Filed 2-15-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P