[Federal Register: April 7, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 67)]
[Notices]
[Page 18788-18790]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07ap08-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[FERC Docket No. PF08-9-000]
Notice of Pre-Filing Environmental Review for the Ruby Pipeline
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meetings; Ruby Pipeline, LLC
March 28, 2008.
On January 31, 2008, the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC or Commission) initiated its pre-filing environmental
review of the Ruby Pipeline Project, planned by Ruby Pipeline, LLC
(Ruby). FERC staff is now beginning to obtain and evaluate information
for the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) that
will assess and disclose the environmental impacts of the project,
which would involve construction and operation of facilities by Ruby in
Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon. These facilities would consist of
about 680 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline, 2 new compressor
stations, and related appurtenant facilities. The EIS will be used by
the Commission in its decision-making process to determine if the
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of a scoping period that will be
used to gather environmental input from the public and agencies during
the early stages of the project. Comments may be submitted either in
written form or verbally. In lieu of or in addition to sending written
comments, you are invited to attend the public scoping meetings
scheduled in the project area. Further instructions on how to submit
written comments and additional details of the public scoping meetings
are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice. The
scoping period will close on April 30, 2008.
WEEK 1
April 15, 2008--Elko, Nevada, Hilton Garden Inn, 3650 East Idaho
St., (775) 777-1200.
[[Page 18789]]
April 16, 2008--Kemmerer, Wyoming, Kemmerer Senior Center, 105 JC
Penney Drive, (307) 877-3806.
April 17, 2008--Brigham City, Utah, Box Elder High School
Auditorium, 380 South 600 West, (435) 734-4840.
WEEK 2
April 22, 2008--Malin, Oregon, Malin Community Hall, 2307 Front
Street, (541) 947-2258.
April 23, 2008--Lakeview, Oregon, Elks Lodge, 323 N. F Street,
(541) 947-2258.
April 24, 2008--Winnemucca, Nevada, Winnemucca Convention Center,
50 W. Winnemucca Blvd., (775) 23-5071.
These meetings are designed to provide state and local agencies,
interested groups, affected landowners, and the general public with an
opportunity to offer comments on the project and on the environmental
issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of
each meeting will be made so that your comments will be accurately
recorded. All meetings are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in each
respective time zone. All public meetings will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Comments collected during scoping will be a valuable part of the
Pre-Filing Process and will help us \1\ determine which issues/impacts
need to be evaluated in the EIS. As more details of the project route
and design become available, additional scoping may be warranted and
the public will be provided with additional opportunities to comment.
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\1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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A ``Pre-Filing Process'' Has Begun
The Commission is initiating its National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) review for the Ruby Pipeline Project prior to receiving Ruby's
formal application. This Pre-Filing Process allows interested
stakeholders to become involved early in the project planning with the
intent of identifying and resolving issues before a formal application
is filed with the FERC. A docket number (PF08-9-000) has been
established to place information filed by Ruby and related documents
issued or received by the Commission into the public record.\2\ Once a
formal application is filed with the FERC, a new docket number will be
established.
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\2\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is participating as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS because the project
would cross federally administered lands in Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and
Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is also participating as a
cooperating agency because the project would cross the Cache and
Fremont-Winema National Forests in Utah and Oregon, respectively. As a
cooperating agency, the BLM intends to adopt the EIS per Title 40 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 1506.3 to meet its
responsibilities under NEPA regarding Ruby's application for a Right-
of-Way Grant and Temporary Use Permit for crossing federally
administered lands, including the Cache and Fremont-Winema National
Forests. The concurrence or non-concurrence of the USFS would be
considered in the BLM's decision as well as impacts on resources and
programs, and the proposed project's conformance with land use plans.
With this notice, we are asking other federal, state, local, and
tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect
to environmental issues in the project area to formally cooperate with
us in the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may choose to
participate once they have evaluated Ruby's proposal relative to their
responsibilities. Agencies which would like to request cooperating
status should follow the instructions for filing comments described
later in this notice. We encourage government representatives to notify
their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
This notice is being sent to potentially affected landowners along
and adjacent to the project route and within 0.5 mile of proposed
compressor station sites; federal, state, and local government
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups;
Native American tribes; local libraries and newspapers; and other
interested parties.
To assist potentially affected landowners, a fact sheet prepared by
the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What
Do I Need To Know?'' addresses a number of typically asked questions,
including the potential use of eminent domain and how to participate in
the Commission's proceedings. It is available for viewing on the FERC
Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
Ruby is proposing to construct a new pipeline system in order to
transport natural gas reserves in the Rocky Mountain region to the
growing markets in the Western United States. Specifically, Ruby is
proposing to construct the following facilities:
Approximately 680 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline
between the Opal Hub in Lincoln County, Wyoming and the Malin Hub in
Klamath County, Oregon;
Two new compressor stations located in Lincoln County,
Wyoming and Elko County, Nevada;
5 metering facilities;
40 mainline block valves; and
10 pig launcher/receivers facilities.\3\
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\3\ A pipeline ``pig'' is a device designed to internally clean
or inspect the pipeline. A pig launcher/receiver is an aboveground
facility where pigs are inserted or retrieved from the pipeline.
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A map depicting the general location of project facilities is shown
in Figure 1.\4\ Ruby has identified a preferred project route, which is
shown on the map as a dark solid line. Ruby had originally considered a
more northern route coming out of Wyoming, as shown on the map as a
dotted red line. Although no longer preferred by Ruby, we are currently
including the northern route in our evaluation as a route alternative.
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\4\ Figure 1 (general project map) is not being printed in the
Federal Register. Copies are available on the Commission's Internet
Web site (www.ferc.gov) at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room at (202) 502-8371. For
instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the Additional
Information section at the end of this notice. The project map was
sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail. Requests for
detailed maps of the proposed facilities should be made directly to
Ruby by calling 1-877-598-5263 (toll free) or 719-520-4450.
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The project, if completed, would have a capacity for transporting
approximately 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Ruby
anticipates filing its formal application with the FERC in January 2009
and would request approval such that the proposed facilities are put
into service in the first quarter of 2011. By this schedule,
construction of the Ruby Pipeline Project would begin in the first or
second quarter of 2010.
Land Requirements for Construction
Ruby would use a nominal 115-foot-wide construction right-of-way
for the project. Additional work area would be required at certain
feature crossings (e.g., waterbodies, wetlands, roads, and railroads),
staging areas, pipe yards, contractor's yards, and widening of certain
access roads.
Based on preliminary information, we estimate that construction of
the
[[Page 18790]]
proposed facilities would disturb about 12,000 acres of land. Of the
12,000 acres, about 8,000 acres would be temporarily disturbed and
about 4,000 acres would be permanently maintained for operation of the
pipeline within a 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way and as
aboveground facility sites. Following construction, all temporary
workspaces would be restored and allowed to revert to former use. About
60 percent of the proposed route would cross federally administered
land managed by the BLM or USFS.
The EIS Process
The FERC will be the lead federal agency for the preparation of the
EIS. As noted above, the BLM and USFS will be cooperating agencies.
NEPA requires the FERC 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 under Section 7 of
the Natural Gas Act. NEPA also requires us to identify and address
concerns the public may have about proposals. This is the ``scoping''
process referred to earlier. The main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EIS on important environmental issues and
reasonable alternatives. By this Notice, we are requesting agency and
public comments on the scope on the issues to be addressed in the EIS.
All comments received will be considered during the preparation of the
EIS.
We have already started to meet with Ruby personnel, agencies, and
other interested stakeholders to discuss the project and identify
issues/impacts and concerns. Between February 19 and March 18, 2008,
representatives of FERC staff participated in public open houses
sponsored by Ruby in the project area. FERC staff explained the NEPA
environmental review process to interested stakeholders and noted
comments related to the project.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in a draft
EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to federal, state, and local
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public
interest groups; Native American tribes; affected landowners; other
interested parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the FERC's
official service list for this proceeding. A 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.
Public Participation
You are encouraged to become involved in this process and provide
your specific comments or concerns about Ruby's planned 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.
If you wish to mail comments, please carefully follow these
instructions:
Send 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 your comments for the attention of Gas
1, DG2E; and
Reference Docket No. PF08-9-000 on the original and both
copies.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC, on or before April 30, 2008.
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Internet
Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to ``Documents and
Filings'' and ``eFiling.'' eFiling is a file attachment process and
requires that you prepare your submission in the same manner as you
would if filing on paper, and save it to a file on your computer's hard
drive. 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. This filing is considered a ``Comment on
Filing.'' In addition, there is a ``Quick Comment'' option available,
which is an easy method for interested persons to submit text only
comments on a Project. The Quick-Comment User Guide can be viewed at
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling/quick-comment-guide.pdf. Quick Comment
does not require a FERC eRegistration account; however, you will be
asked to provide a valid e-mail address. All comments submitted under
either eFiling or the Quick Comment option are placed in the public
record for the specified docket or Project number(s). Comments
submitted electronically must be submitted by April 30, 2008.
Availability of Additional Information
Additional information about the Project is available from the
FERC'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
(i.e., PF08-9). 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 on the FERC Internet Web site
also provides access to the text of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
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 the eSubscription
link on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp). Information concerning the involvement of the BLM
in the EIS process may be obtained from Mark Mackiewicz, PMP, National
Project Manager, at (435) 636-3616. Information concerning the
involvement of the USFS may be obtained from Catherine Callaghan at the
Fremont-Winema National Forest at (541) 947-2151, and David Ream (801)
236-3400 at the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-7104 Filed 4-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P