[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3890-3891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1828]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP97-93-000]
Viking Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Viking 1997 Expansion Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
January 21, 1997.
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 construction and operation of
the facilities, about 29.4 miles of 24-inch diameter loop, 23,500
horsepower (hp) of compression, and a meter station, proposed in the
Viking 1997 Expansion Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the
Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine whether an
environmental impact statement is necessary and whether to approve the
project.
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\1\ Viking Gas Transmission Company'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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Summary of the Proposed Project
Viking Gas Transmission Company (Viking) wants to expand the
capacity of its facilities in Minnesota to transport an additional
61,300 dekatherms per day of natural gas to various customers including
a municipal utility, a local distribution company, marketers, and other
end users. Viking seeks authority to construct and operate the
following facilities in Minnesota:
9.1 miles of loop in Kittson County;
11.9 miles of loop in Polk County;
7.1 miles of loop in Norman and Clay Counties;
The Perham Meter Station in Otter Tail County;
Piping and valves at various existing facilities;
Crossover assemblies at the end of each new loop;
4,700 horsepower (hp) of compression at each of the
following existing compressor stations:
--Angus Compressor Station in Polk County;
--Ada Compressor Station in Norman County;
--Frazee Compressor Station in Otter Tail County;
--Staples Compressor Station in Todd County; and
--Milaca Compressor Station in Mille Lacs County
The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\
If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific portion
of the project, or procedural information, contact the Project Manager
identified at the end of this notice.
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the
Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888
First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or call (202) 208-1371.
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 loops would require about 355 acres of land,
including about 302 acres of existing right-of-way. No new permanent
right-of-way would be required for this proposal. All construction at
the compression stations would take place within the existing fenced
yard. The new Perham Meter Station would require about 0.3 acre of
land. Following construction, all areas would be restored and allowed
to revert to their former use, except for the Perham Meter Station.
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
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals.
We call this ``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 requests public comments on the
scope of the issues it will 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.
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general
headings:
Geology and soils.
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
Vegetation and wildlife.
Endangered and threatened species.
Public safety.
Land use.
Cultural resources.
Air quality and noise.
Hazardous waste.
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, official 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
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by Viking. This preliminary list
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
A total of 345.3 acres of agricultural land, of which 341
acres contains prime farmland soils, would be disturbed by
construction.
The impact of noise on residences near the five compressor
stations.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your
specific
[[Page 3891]]
comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on the
potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to the
proposal (including alternative locations/routes), and measures to
avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments,
the more useful they will be. Please follow the instructions below to
ensure that your comments are received and properly recorded:
Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Washington, DC
20426;
Reference Docket No. CP97-93-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Laura Turner, Project
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., PR-
11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before February 24, 1997.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one from
Ms. Turner at the above address.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding or become an
``intervenor''. Among other things, intervenors have the right to
receive copies of case-related Commission documents and filings by
other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor must provide copies of its
filings to all other parties. 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).
The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions
must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3), why this
time limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed
as good cause for late intervention.
Docket No. CP97-93-000
You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments
considered.
Additional procedural information about the proposed project is
available from Ms. Laura Turner, Project Manager, at (202) 208-0916.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-1828 Filed 1-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
