[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55254-55255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26784]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP95-700-000]
Williams Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Springfield Loop Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
October 24, 1995.
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 proposed in the Springfield Loop 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 to approve the project.
\1\ Williams Natural Gas 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
Williams Natural Gas Company (Williams) wants to extend its
Springfield loop line by constructing about 28.2 miles of 20-inch-
diameter pipeline in Newton, Lawrence, and Christian Counties,
Missouri.
Williams' wants to complete construction of this project prior to
November 1, 1996.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\2\
\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, Room
3104, 941 North Capitol Street, NW., Washington, DC 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 proposed facilities would disturb about 342
acres of land. Most of the proposed 100-foot-wide pipeline construction
right-of-way (ROW) would overlap the ROW of Williams' existing 16-inch-
diameter pipeline ROW by 41 feet as the new pipeline would be installed
with a 25-foot offset from the existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline.
However, in order to avoid housing, landforms, and development,
Williams would construct 13 segments totalling about 2.8 miles with an
offset from the existing 16-inch-diameter pipeline that is greater than
25 feet. About 216 acres of undisturbed land and 126 acres of
previously disturbed land would be affected by construction of this
project.
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, 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 issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the
environmental information provided by Williams:
The proposed project would require a 100-foot-wide ROW.
The proposed project would cross one perennial stream that
is greater than 100 feet in width.
The Springfield Loop Project may affect about 12 wetlands
in the project area.
Keep in mind that these are preliminary issues. Issues may be
added, subtracted, or changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing you
specific
[[Page 55255]]
comments or 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 you letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., NE. Washington, DC
20426;
Reference Docket No. CP95-700-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Jennifer Goggin, EA
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North
Capitol St., NE, Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before November 24, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Goggin 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 has passed. Parties
seeking to file later 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 later
intervention. You do not need intervenor status to have your scoping
comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Ms. Jennifer Goggin, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-2226.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-26784 Filed 10-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
