[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5917-5918]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2258]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP94-575-000]
El Paso Natural Gas Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed San Juan Triangle Expansion
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
January 25, 1995.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the potential environmental impacts of the construction and
operation of the facilities proposed by El Paso Natural Gas Company (El
Paso) for its San Juan Triangle Expansion Project.\1\ This EA will be
used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine
whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and whether or
not to approve the project.
\1\El Paso's application was filed with the Commission under
section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's
regulations on June 1, 1994.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
El Paso seeks Commission authorization to:
Construct and operate approximately 29.7 miles of 34-inch-
diameter pipeline loop\2\ between El Paso's existing Blanco Plant and
its Gallup Compressor Station, in San Juan County, New Mexico; and
\2\A loop is a segment of pipeline installed adjacent to an
existing pipeline and connected to it on both ends. The loop allows
more gas to be moved through that segment of the pipeline system.
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Install a replacement compressor unit on one of the
turbines at El Paso's existing Gallup Compressor Station, in McKinley
County, New Mexico.
The proposed San Juan Triangle Expansion Project would allow El
Paso to receive additional volumes of natural gas from the San Juan
Basin area and transport up to 300,000 thousand cubic feet per day
through the new loop to its customers. The general location of the
project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\3\
\3\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, Room
3104, 941 North Capitol Street, NE., 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
The proposed loop would be constructed parallel to an existing
pipeline corridor which already contains five other pipelines for
approximately 16.7 miles and two other pipelines for about 13 miles.
The new loop would be installed 30 feet west of the existing El Paso
Blanco Plant to Gallup Station Loop Line, except at locations where
terrain or other factors dictate a wider spacing. The construction
right-of-way would be 100 feet wide, beginning 10 feet west of the
existing loop.
El Paso would acquire an additional 10 to 30 feet of new permanent
right-of-way for the proposed loop, and 50 feet of temporary work space
would be needed west of the new permanent right-of-way. Other temporary
work space would be required adjacent to the planned construction
right-of-way at road and stream crossings. Following construction, the
temporary work space would be allowed to revert to its former land use.
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 on important environmental issues. By this Notice of
Intent, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the
issues we will address in the EA. All comments received are taken into
account during the preparation of the EA. State and local government
representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents of this
proposed action and encourage the to comment on their areas of concern.
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction operation of the proposed project under these general
headings:
Geology and soils
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
Vegetation and wildlife
Endangered and threatened species
Land use
Cultural resources
Air quality and noise
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 resources. [[Page 5918]]
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
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 in the EA, based on a preliminary review of the proposed
facilities and the information provided by El Paso. Keep in mind that
this is a preliminary list. The list of issues will be added to,
subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.
The environmental issues are:
The proposed loop would be within allotted and Tribal
lands administered by the Navajo Nation.
The proposed loop would cross 4 major washes and 18
ephemeral drainages.
The proposed loop would disturb desert shrub and
grasslands.
The proposed loop could impact federally listed threatened
and endangered species.
The proposed loop could impact significant cultural
resources.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your
specific comments on concerns about the project. You should focus on
the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to
the proposal (including alternative 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, 825 North Capitol St., N.E., Washington,
D.C. 20426;
Reference Docket No. CP94-575-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Paul Friedman, EA Project
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,
N.E., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before March 3, 1995.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Paul Friedman, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1108. If the EA is
published for comment and you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you
should request one from Mr. Friedman 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) attached
as appendix 2.
The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions
mut 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. You do not need intervenor status
to have your scoping comments considered.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-2258 Filed 1-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
