[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 3584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1542]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
[CO-030-5101-00-YCKD; COC-51280]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplement to the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for a TransColorado Gas Transmission
Project; Colorado and New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, and
Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Supplement to The Final
Environmental Impact Statement TransColorado Gas Transmission Project;
Colorado and New Mexico.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as lead agency, and in cooperation
with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has prepared a Draft Supplement
(Supplement) to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the
TransColorado Gas Transmission (TransColorado) project on federal lands
in Colorado and New Mexico. TransColorado is the proponent. Lands
managed by the BLM in the Montrose, Craig, and Grand Junction Districts
in Colorado, and the Farmington District in New Mexico, and the USFS in
the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests, Colorado, are crossed by
the TransColorado pipeline project. The Supplement addresses the
environmental impacts of the construction, operation, maintenance, and
ultimate abandonment of known proposed route changes and minor
realignments (less than 100 ft.) of the approved pipeline and right-of-
way (ROW) grant COC-51280, and the impacts of the proposed construction
and use of known additional temporary work areas adjacent to the
approved ROW or, proposed ROW route changes or minor realignments. This
Supplement will also address the impacts of the construction and use
minor realignments and alternative temporary work areas in unspecified
locations. These unspecified temporary work areas and minor
realignments will be addressed to accommodate conditions that might be
encountered during construction. Also addressed in the Supplement are
proposed modifications to several environmental protection measures
contained in the original right-of-way (ROW) grant and Record of
Decision (ROD).
Please focus comments on the proposed actions and alternatives in
the Supplement to the FEIS.
DATES: The 60-day public comment period for the Draft Supplement runs
from January 23, 1998 until March 9, 1998.
Written comments on the Draft Supplement must be submitted or
postmarked no later than March 9, 1998. Written comments may also be
presented at the public meetings to be held on February 17, 1998, at
7:00 p.m. in the Double Tree Inn, 501 Camino del Rio in Durango,
Colorado; on February 18, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ponderosa
Restaurant, 108 South 8th in Dolores, Colorado; and on February 19,
1998 at 7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn, 755 Horizon Drive in Grand
Junction, Colorado.
ADDRESSES: Any comments on this document should be sent to Bill
Bottomly, TransColorado Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management,
Montrose District Office, 2465 South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO
81401. The Draft Supplement to the FEIS and the FEIS are available for
public review at the above address, and at the following offices of the
BLM and USFS: the Grand Junction District Office, the Montrose District
Office, the Grand Mesa/Uncompahgre/Gunnison National Forest Office, the
San Juan National Forest/San Juan Resource Area office, and the
Farmington District Office.
Public reading copies are available at the federal depository
libraries in Colorado and New Mexico and public libraries within San
Juan County, New Mexico, and La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, San Miguel,
Montrose, Delta, Mesa, Garfield and Rio Blanco Counties, Colorado.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Bottomly (970) 240-5337, Ilyse
Auringer (970) 385-1341, or Steve Hemphill (970) 874-6633.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After preparing a Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statement in 1992, the BLM and the USFS signed
Records of Decision on December 1, 1992 and issued a ROW grant and
adjacent Temporary Use Permit (TUP) for subsequent construction,
operation and maintenance of the 292 mile-long TransColorado Gas
Transmission pipeline from Meeker, Colorado to Bloomfield, New Mexico.
Under the authority of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 185),
as amended by the Act of November 16, 1973 (37 Stat. 567), BLM issued a
50 foot-wide ROW grant on December 4, 1997, accompanied by a 25 foot-
wide TUP, excepting 1.7 miles near Grand Junction, Colorado. The FERC
issued TransColorado a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
on June 3, 1994. TransColorado completed the 22.5 mile Phase I of the
project in December, 1996. The proponent is now prepared to construct
the remainder of the pipeline during 1998.
Public participation has occurred throughout the Supplement to the
FEIS process. The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare this Supplement to
the FEIS was published in the Federal Register on November 21, 1997.
``Open House'' forums were held from October 21 through December 10,
1997 at Norwood, Durango, Delta, Rangely, Dolores, and Grand Junction,
Colorado. Field trips to locations on the San Juan National Forest were
offered on November 15 and 22, 1997.
Signed: January 14, 1998.
Jamie E. Connell,
Associate District Manager, Montrose District, BLM.
Robert L. Storch,
Forest Supervisor, Grand Mesa/Uncompahgre/Gunnison National Forests.
[FR Doc. 98-1542 Filed 1-22-98; 8:45 am]
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