Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Overland Pass Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline in Wyoming, Colorado, and Kansas, 14942-14943 [E6-4245]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 57 (Friday, March 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14942-14943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4245]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-030-06-5101-ER-K087; WYW-166510]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Overland Pass Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline in Wyoming, Colorado, 
and Kansas

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and notice of public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102 (2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 and in response to a Right-of-Way (ROW) application 
filed by Williams Field Services Company (Williams), the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), Rawlins Field Office, announces its intention to 
prepare an EIS and conduct public scoping meetings. Williams proposes 
to construct an approximately 750-mile long, 20-inch diameter natural 
gas liquids (NGL) pipeline originating at existing facilities in Opal, 
Wyoming, and ending at existing NGL processing facilities in Conway, 
Kansas. Of the 750 miles, approximately 78 miles of the pipeline would 
not be located near existing pipelines.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can 
best use public input if comments and resource information are 
submitted within 45 days of publication of this notice. To provide the 
public an opportunity to review the proposal and project information, 
the BLM expects to hold at least four meetings.
    The meetings will be conducted in an ``open house'' format in the 
evening with the BLM and project proponents available to explain 
project details and gather information from interested individuals or 
groups. BLM is proposing to host open houses in the following 
communities: Cheyenne and Rock Springs, Wyoming; Greeley, Colorado; and 
Hays, Kansas. The BLM will announce the exact dates, times, and 
locations for these meetings at least 15 days prior to the event. 
Announcements will be made by news release to the media, individual 
letter mailings, and posting on the BLM's Web site listed below, if it 
is available.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments or resource information to 
the Bureau of Land Management, Montrose Field Office, Tom Hurshman, 
Overland Pass Pipeline Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 2465 
South Townsend, Montrose, CO 81401. Comments or resource information 
may also be submitted by facsimile to (970) 240-5367. Electronic mail 
may be sent to: tom_hurshman@co.blm.gov. Please write ``Overland Pass 
Pipeline Project'' in the subject line.
    Documents pertinent to the ROW application may be examined at:
     Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, P.O. Box 
2407, 1300 N. Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301. Telephone (307) 
328-4200; or
     Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, Public 
Room, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82003. Telephone (307) 775-
6256.
    Your response is important and will be considered in the 
environmental analysis process. If you do respond, we will keep you 
informed of the decision resulting from this analysis. Please note that 
public comments and information submitted regarding this project, 
including the names, e-mail addresses, and street addresses of 
respondents, will be available for public review and disclosure at the 
Montrose and Rawlins Field Offices during regular business hours (7:45 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday (except holidays). Individual 
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your 
name, e-mail address, or street address from public review or from 
disclosure under the Freedom of

[[Page 14943]]

Information Act, you must state this plainly at the beginning of your 
written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed 
by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Hurshman, Bureau of Land 
Management Project Manager, 2465 South Townsend, Montrose, CO 81401. 
Mr. Hurshman may also be reached at (970) 240-5345, or by sending an 
electronic message to: tom_hurshman@co.blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Williams has submitted an application for 
ROW grants across Federal lands to locate a 20-inch diameter pipeline 
that would be used to transport natural gas liquids from an existing 
facility in Opal, Wyoming, to an existing processing facility in 
Conway, Kansas, a length of approximately 750 miles. This proposed 
Overland Pass Pipeline route would traverse approximately 143.3 miles 
of federally-administered land in Wyoming and Colorado. In Wyoming, 
approximately 101.7 miles of the proposed pipeline location would cross 
public lands administered by three BLM Field Offices: Kemmerer, Rock 
Springs, and Rawlins. In addition, the proposed pipeline location 
crosses the following two units of the National Forest System 
administered by the United States Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture. The proposed pipeline location includes approximately 1.2 
miles of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in Wyoming, and 
39.7 miles of the Pawnee National Grassland north of Greeley, Colorado. 
No Federal lands in Kansas would be affected by this proposal.
    The proposed route would generally follow the I-80 corridor through 
southern Wyoming, mainly along the Southern Star pipeline route. The 
proposed route proceeds in a southeasterly direction and enters 
Colorado in Weld County. From the Colorado border, the route would 
continue southeasterly into Kansas where it would continue eastward, 
paralleling the Southern Star Pipeline near Bushton, Kansas. Near 
Bushton, it would then parallel an existing BP Amoco pipeline to 
Williams' processing facilities in Mitchell and Conway, Kansas. At 
Conway, the transported natural gas liquids will be processed and 
distributed through the existing transportation infrastructure to 
consumer markets in the Midwest and Texas Gulf Coast.
    Through public scoping, the BLM expects to identify various issues, 
potential impacts and mitigation measures, and alternatives to the 
proposed action. At present, the BLM has identified the following 
issues and concerns: Impacts to threatened, endangered, and sensitive 
species and their habitat; adverse impacts to visual resources; 
potential impacts to big game and other wildlife; land use conflicts; 
effect of the project on local and regional socioeconomic conditions; 
increased potential for introduction and spread of noxious weeds; and 
the ability to efficiently reclaim lands disturbed by pipeline 
construction or location.
    The BLM will analyze the proposed action and no action 
alternatives, as well as other possible alternatives to the proposed 
pipeline and access routes. Your comments concerning the pipeline 
project as proposed and feasible alternative locations, possible 
mitigation measures, and any other information relevant to proposed 
action are encouraged. Any persons wishing to be added to a mailing 
list of interested parties can call or write to BLM, as described in 
this notice. Additional informational meetings may be conducted 
throughout the process to keep the public informed of the progress of 
the EIS.

Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. E6-4245 Filed 3-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P