99-19654. Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1999 Zone EF Expansion and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 147 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41925-41926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19654]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP99-532-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1999 Zone EF Expansion and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 27, 1999.
    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 1999 Zone EF Expansion 
involving modification of the Farmington Compressor Station by Northern 
Natural Gas Company (Northern Natural) in Dakota County, Minnesota.\1\ 
This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process 
to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and 
necessity.
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    \1\ Northern Natural'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

    Northern Natural proposes to increase its mainline capacity in Zone 
EF upstream of Farmington, Minnesota by uprating an electric motor 
driven reciprocating compressor at the Farmington Compressor Station 
from the current certificated 1,250 rated brake-horsepower (bhp) to 
2,250 bhp. The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\
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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, NE, Washington, DC 20426, or call [phone]. 
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this 
notice in the mail.
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    The uprating involves modifying the unit controls of the compressor 
and would involve no construction or ground disturbance. All activities 
would be confined within the existing fenced-in station yard.

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. 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 make 
our recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative 
locations), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please 
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are 
received in time and properly recorded:
     Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1;
     Reference Docket No. CP99-532-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before August 26, 1999.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filing by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must provide 14 copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. 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 3). Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    You do not need intervenor status to have your environmental 
comments considered. Additional information about the proposed project 
is available from Mr. Paul McKee of the Commission's Office of External 
Affairs at [phone] or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) 
using the ``RIMS'' link to information in this docket number. Click on 
the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow 
the instructions. For assistance with access to RIMS the RIMS helpline 
can be reached at [phone].
    Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and 
follow the instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the

[[Page 41926]]

CIPS helpline can be reached at [phone].
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-19654 Filed 7-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M