[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 62 (Thursday, April 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16450-16451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7301]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP10-14-000]
Kern River Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Availability of
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Apex
Expansion Project
March 26, 2010.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Apex Expansion Project proposed by Kern River Gas Transmission
Company (Kern River) in the above-referenced docket. Kern River
requests authorization to expand its natural gas pipeline system in
Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, to transport an additional 266 million cubic
feet per day of natural gas from existing receipt points in
southwestern Wyoming, to existing delivery connections in southern
Nevada.
The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Apex Expansion 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, these impacts
would be reduced to less-than-significant levels with the
implementation of Kern River's proposed mitigation and the additional
measures we recommend in the draft EIS.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Forest Service (USFS), and
the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) participated as cooperating
agencies 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 cooperating agencies will adopt and use the EIS to
consider the issuance of right-of-way grants on federally administered
lands. While the conclusions and recommendations presented in the draft
EIS were developed with input from the cooperating agencies, the
agencies will present their own conclusions and recommendations in
their respective Records of Decision for the project.
The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
Approximately 28 miles of 36-inch-diameter natural gas
pipeline loop \1\ extending southwest in Utah from Morgan County,
through Davis to Salt Lake County;
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\1\ A loop is a segment of pipe that is usually installed
adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends.
The loop allows more gas to be moved through the system.
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One new 30,000 horsepower compressor station (known as the
Milford Compressor Station) in Beaver County, Utah;
Modifications to four existing compressor stations to add
additional compression: The Coyote Creek Compressor Station located in
Uinta County, Wyoming; the Elberta Compressor Station located in Utah
County, Utah; the Fillmore Compressor Station located in Millard
County, Utah;
[[Page 16451]]
and the Dry Lake Compressor Station located in Clark County, Nevada;
Six mainline valves; and
Three pig \2\ launcher and two pig receiver facilities.
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\2\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry
a pipeline and/or to inspect it for damage or corrosion.
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The draft 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 draft EIS have been mailed to federal, state, and
local government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; local
newspapers and libraries in the project area; intervenors to the FERC's
proceeding; and potentially affected landowners and other interested
individuals and groups. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to
those specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version.
Route Variations Recommended by FERC in the Draft EIS
Some landowners are receiving the draft EIS because their property
has been identified as potentially being affected by the Mueller Park
or Salt Lake III Route Variations recommended by FERC staff to avoid or
lessen environmental impacts along Kern River's proposed pipeline
route. Refer to sections 3.5.6 and 3.5.7 of the draft EIS for
discussions of the Mueller Park and Salt Lake III Route Variations,
respectively. The Commission staff wants to ensure that all potentially
affected landowners have the opportunity to participate in the
environmental review process. Therefore, staff is soliciting comments
to assist with the environmental analysis of these route variations,
which will be presented in the final EIS.
Comment Procedures and Public Meetings
Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure
consideration of your comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is
important that the Commission receive your comments before May 17,
2010.
For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the
project docket number (CP10-14-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has dedicated
eFiling expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or
[email protected]. Please carefully follow these instructions so that
your comments are properly recorded.
(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's 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 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;''
(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.
(4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the
Commission invites you to attend one of the public comment meetings its
staff will conduct in the project area to receive comments on the draft
EIS. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and
present oral comments on the draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings
will be prepared. All meetings will begin at 7 p.m., and are scheduled
as follows:
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Date Location
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010................ Millcreek Junior High School,
245 East 1000 South,
Bountiful, UT 84010
801-402-6200
Wednesday, April 28, 2010.............. Morgan County Courthouse
Auditorium, 48 West Young
Street, Morgan, UT 84050, 801-
845-4027
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Although your comments will be considered by the Commission, simply
filing comments will not serve to make the commenter a party to the
proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must
file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR part 385.214).\3\ Only
intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's
decision.
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\3\ 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 comments considered.
Questions?
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., CP10-14-000). 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; 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 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. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-7301 Filed 3-31-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P