Northern Natural Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Lights Expansion Project, 65804-65805 [E6-18987]

Download as PDF 65804 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 217 / Thursday, November 9, 2006 / Notices (CFR) 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link and the link to the User’s Guide. Prepare your submission in the same manner as you would if filing on paper and save it to a file on your hard drive. Before you can file comments, you will need to create an account by clicking on ‘‘Login to File’’ and then ‘‘New User Account.’’ You will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. This filing is considered a ‘‘Comment on Filing.’’ The determination of whether to distribute the EA for public comment will be based on the response to this notice. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the EA, please return the Information Request form (Appendix 2). An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are potential right-ofway 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. sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES Site Visit On November 16, 2006, the OEP staff will conduct a site visit of the planned MS HUB Storage Project. We will view the proposed facility locations and pipeline route. Examination will be by automobile and on foot. Representatives of MS HUB will be accompanying the OEP staff. All interested parties may attend. Those planning to attend must provide their own transportation and should meet at 9 a.m. (CST) in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart, 1625 Simpson Highway 49, Magee, Mississippi on November 16, 2006. For additional information, please contact the Commission’s Office of External Affairs at 1–866–208–FERC (3372). Becoming an Intervenor In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want to become an official party to the proceeding, or ‘‘intervenor’’. 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). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission’s decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically submitted using the Commission’s eFiling system at https://www.ferc.gov. Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address indicated VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:26 Nov 08, 2006 Jkt 211001 previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all other intervenors identified on the Commission’s service list for this proceeding. Persons on the service list with e-mail addresses may be served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing. 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 If you wish to remain on our environmental mailing list, please return the Information Request Form included in Appendix 2. If you do not return this form, you will be removed from our mailing list. 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 additional site visits will be posted on the Commission’s calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/ PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 EventsList.aspx along with other related information. Magalie R. Salas, Secretary. [FR Doc. E6–18988 Filed 11–8–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP06–403–000] Northern Natural Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Lights Expansion Project November 3, 2006. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Northern Natural Gas Company, LLC (Northern) in the above-referenced docket. The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of six pipeline loops and extensions (five in Minnesota and one in Iowa), two pipeline replacement segments (both in Minnesota), and a greenfield pipeline in Minnesota. Northern would also abandon and remove a segment of existing pipeline in Minnesota. The project would also require modifications at an existing compressor station and construction and modification at several town border stations (TBSs) (i.e., meter stations) and regulator stations. Northern states that the purpose of the project is to provide an estimated incremental firm service of 374,225 Decatherms per day (Dth/day) in Northern’s market area. The project is designed to optimize the placement of facilities to meet customer growth requirements for a 2-year period while taking into consideration a long-term design that meets customer growth needs thorughout an approximately 20year period, to 2026. The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public inspection at: E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM 09NON1 sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 217 / Thursday, November 9, 2006 / Notices Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502–8371. Copies of the EA have been mailed to federal; state; and local agencies; public interest groups; individuals who have requested the EA; libraries; newspapers; and parties to this proceeding. Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is important that we receive your comments before the date specified below. 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 comments to: Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426; • Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the Gas Branch 3; • Reference Docket No. CP06–403– 000; and • Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before December 4, 2006. 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 http: //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 by clicking on ‘‘Sign-up.’’ Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to make the commenter a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).1 Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission’s decision. 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 comments considered. Additional information about the project is available from the Commission’s Office of External Affairs, at 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC 1 Interventions may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing comments electronically. VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:26 Nov 08, 2006 Jkt 211001 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. Magalie R. Salas, Secretary. [FR Doc. E6–18987 Filed 11–8–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Rockies Western Phase Project November 3, 2006. Rockies Express Pipeline, LLC, Docket No. CP06–354–000; TransColorado Gas Transmission Company, Docket No. CP06– 401–000; Questar Overthrust Pipeline Company, Docket No. CP06–423–000. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Rockies Express Pipeline LLC (Rockies Express), TransColorado Gas Transmission Company (TransColorado), and Questar Overthrust Pipeline Company (Overthrust) in the above-referenced dockets. These individual corporate entities have submitted separate and distinct proposals to the Commission; however, the FERC views the proposed facilities as interconnected projects that are necessary components of a larger, combined natural gas transportation system. As such, all three project proposals have been included in this draft EIS, and are collectively referred to as the Rockies Western Phase Project (or PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 65805 the Project). The Project facilities would be located in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico. The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are federal land management agencies with lands affected by this proposal and are cooperating agencies for the development of the EIS. A cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to potential environmental impacts associated with the proposal, and is involved in the NEPA analysis. The Project would cross federal land under the jurisdiction of the BLM Rawlins, Kemmerer, and Rock Springs Field Offices. Lands administered by the FWS would also be crossed by the Project. Under section 185(f) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the BLM has the authority to issue Right-of-Way Grants for all affected federal lands. The FERC staff has concluded that if the Rockies Western Phase Project is constructed and operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, the mitigation proposed by Rockies Express, TransColorado, and Overthrust, and the staffs’ additional mitigation recommendations, the Project would have limited adverse environmental impact and would be an environmentally acceptable action. As currently proposed, the Rockies Western Phase Project would consist of the construction and operation of approximately 796 miles of natural gas pipeline and a total of 237,320 horsepower of new compression. Following completion of the proposed facilities, the Project would transport up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Specifically, the draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the following natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Rockies Express, TransColorado, and Overthrust: Rockies Express (REX-West Project) • 712.7 miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri; • 5.3 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline (Echo Springs Lateral) in Sweetwater and Carbon Counties, Wyoming; • five new compressor stations (Cheyenne Compressor Station in Weld County, Colorado; Julesburg Compressor Station in Sedgwick County, Colorado; E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM 09NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 217 (Thursday, November 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65804-65805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18987]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP06-403-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company, LLC; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Northern Lights Expansion 
Project

November 3, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Northern Natural Gas 
Company, LLC (Northern) in the above-referenced docket.
    The EA was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of the 
proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not 
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of six pipeline loops and extensions (five 
in Minnesota and one in Iowa), two pipeline replacement segments (both 
in Minnesota), and a greenfield pipeline in Minnesota. Northern would 
also abandon and remove a segment of existing pipeline in Minnesota. 
The project would also require modifications at an existing compressor 
station and construction and modification at several town border 
stations (TBSs) (i.e., meter stations) and regulator stations. Northern 
states that the purpose of the project is to provide an estimated 
incremental firm service of 374,225 Decatherms per day (Dth/day) in 
Northern's market area. The project is designed to optimize the 
placement of facilities to meet customer growth requirements for a 2-
year period while taking into consideration a long-term design that 
meets customer growth needs thorughout an approximately 20-year period, 
to 2026.
    The EA has been placed in the public files of the FERC. A limited 
number of copies of the EA are available for distribution and public 
inspection at:

[[Page 65805]]

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First 
Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    Copies of the EA have been mailed to federal; state; and local 
agencies; public interest groups; individuals who have requested the 
EA; libraries; newspapers; and parties to this proceeding.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. 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 comments to: 
Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Gas Branch 3;
     Reference Docket No. CP06-403-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 4, 2006.
    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 http: //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 by clicking on ``Sign-up.''
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commenter a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 comments considered.
    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.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-18987 Filed 11-8-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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