[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 179 (Friday, September 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47941-47942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22971]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-606-001]
Western Gas Interstate Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Seaboard Pipeline Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
September 11, 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 Seaboard Pipeline 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\ Western Gas Interstate 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
Western Gas Interstate Company (Western) wants to install a new
delivery point to transport up to 3,000 million British thermal units
per day of natural gas to Seaboard Farms, Inc. in Texas County,
Oklahoma. Western requests Commission authorization, in Docket No.
CP95-606-000, to construct and operate the following facilities needed
to transport those volumes:
construct about 15.5 miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline
from the Buffalo Tap to Seaboard Farms;
install a meter station consisting of a meter, filter,
three regulators, and valves. This site would be a 20-foot by 80-foot-
fenced area following construction; and
remove 7 miles of an existing 4-inch-diameter pipeline
which would be replaced by the proposed 8-inch-diameter pipeline.
The general location of the project facilities and specific
locations for facilities on new sites are 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 NE., 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 require about 136
acres of land. Following construction, about 47 acres would be
maintained as new aboveground facility sites and right-of-way. The
remaining 89 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to
its former 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 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
[[Page 47942]]
of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of
concern.
The EA will discuss impacts (if applicable) 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.\3\
\3\ According to the applicant, the project will not affect any
waters of the United States. We will report any potential impacts,
or their absence, under this heading.
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Vegetation and wildlife.
Land use.
Cultural resources.
Air quality and noise.
Endangered and threatened species.
Public safety.
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
Due to limited information concerning the proposed project, we are
unable to determine which environmental issues should be evaluated in
the EA. Therefore, all of the general headings listed above will be
evaluated.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your
specific 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 your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., NE., Washington,
DC 20426;
Reference Docket No. CP95-606-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Olson, 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 October 11, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Ms. Olson 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 of timely motions to intervene in this
proceeding is October 10, 1995. Parties seeking to file interventions
must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3). You do not
need intervenor status to have your scoping comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-22971 Filed 9-14-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
