Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bluff Creek/Tomah Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 8796-8797 [E5-733]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8796-8797]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-733]



[[Page 8796]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-49-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Bluff Creek/Tomah Expansion 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 15, 2005.
    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 Bluff Creek/Tomah Expansion 
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Northern 
Natural Gas Company (Northern) in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, and 
Fillmore County, Minnesota.\1\ These facilities would consist of adding 
approximately 3.2 miles of 30-inch diameter pipeline at the Bluff Creek 
Interconnect, located at the terminus of Northern's East Leg pipeline 
system and increasing the horsepower (HP) at Northern's existing 
Chatfield compressor station. 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'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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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. 
The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that 
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if 
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice Northern provided to landowners. This fact sheet 
addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the use of 
eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. 
It is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (https://
www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Northern proposes to construct and operate approximately 3.2 miles 
of 30-inch diameter pipeline in Lafayette County, Wisconsin at the 
Bluff Creek Interconnect terminus of Northern's East Leg pipeline 
system; and increase the horsepower (hp) at its existing Chatfield 
compressor station (CS) located in Fillmore County, Minnesota.
    Northern also plans to install auxiliary above ground facilities 
(crossover with a shutoff valve, blow-down valve, and pipe and 
fittings) adjacent to the pipeline construction right-of-way at the end 
of the pipeline.
    Northern's Chatfield CS upgrade would consist of replacing the 
existing 1,750 hp motor with a 2,500 HP compressor. The new compressor 
and various auxiliary equipment (lube oil pump, pulsation bottles, 
instrumentation controls) would be housed in a new building, 
approximately 50 feet by 40 feet, with acoustical walls and ceiling for 
noise attenuation. A new control building, approximately 25 feet by 12 
feet, would also be installed to contain all electrical distribution, 
control functions, and office space. An additional 250 feet of pipe 
will be installed within the compressor station yard. The existing 
control building, containing the electrical distribution and controls 
for the existing compressor would remain in-place. The new compressor, 
auxiliary equipment, and control building would be located within 
Northern's existing Chatfield CS yard.
    The work may require up to two pipe yards for pipe storage, staging 
areas and contractor yards during construction. The primary pipe yard 
site would be located at the beginning of the proposed pipeline 
extension in Lafayette County, Wisconsin. The other pipe yard site is 
an alternate and would be located within an existing river barge off-
loading terminal on the Mississippi River in Jo Daviess County, 
Illinois.
    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 of all appendices, other 
than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site 
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 
502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the 
last page of this notice. 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 92.7 
acres of land (including 42 acres for the alternative pipe yard). 
Following construction, about 18.9 acres would be maintained as 
operational right-of-way or facility site. The remaining 73.8 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. 
This process is referred to as ``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 staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to 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.
    In the EA we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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     Geology and soils.
     Land use.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Cultural resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Air quality and noise.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Hazardous waste.
     Public safety.
    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.

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    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section below.

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 Northern. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     The Galena River, a Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory 
Water, would be crossed by the pipeline.
     Three residences are located within 2,000 feet of the 
compressor upgrade location.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA/EIS and considered by the 
Commission. You should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, alternatives to the proposal 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 an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie 
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2.
     Reference Docket No. CP05-49-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 17, 2005.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include 
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our 
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission 
strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions 
or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the 
instructions on the Commission's Web site at https://www.ferc.gov under 
the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can 
file comments you will need to create a free account which can be 
created on-line.
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 4). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA/EIS 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 filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must send one electronic copy (using the 
Commission's e-Filing system) or 14 paper 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 2).\4\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the 
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities. By this 
notice we are also asking governmental agencies, especially those in 
Appendix 3, to express their interest in becoming cooperating agencies 
for the preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. 
Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the 
docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number 
field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202)502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-733 Filed 2-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P