[Federal Register: June 30, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 125)]
[Notices]
[Page 37811-37813]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30jn05-76]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP05-364-000]
ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Wisconsin 2006 Expansion
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
June 22, 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 Wisconsin 2006 Expansion
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by ANR
Pipeline Company (ANR) in Rock, Outagamie, Marinette, Dane, Marathon,
and Columbia Counties, Wisconsin.\1\ ANR's project purpose is to create
about 168,241 decatherms per day of incremental firm capacity on its
pipeline system to accommodate growth in demand from all market
segments in Wisconsin. In general these facilities would consist of
about 6.86 miles of various diameter pipeline, addition of compression
at 2 compressor stations, and minor upgrades at 5 existing meter
stations. 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\ ANR'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 ANR 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 (http://www.ferc.gov
).
Summary of the Proposed Project
ANR proposes to install a total of 6.86 miles of looping \2\
pipeline, add a compressor unit at an existing compressor station,
construct a new compressor station, and perform minor upgrade work at 5
existing meter stations in Wisconsin. Specifically, the project
includes:
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\2\ A loop is a segment of pipeline installed adjacent to an
existing pipeline and which connects to the existing pipeline at
both ends of the loop. The loop allows more gas to be moved through
the system.
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Little Chute Loop (Outagamie County)--About 3.08 miles of
16-inch outside diameter (OD) pipeline, looping the existing 6-inch OD
pipeline;
Madison Lateral Loop (Rock County)--About 3.78 miles of
30-inch OD pipeline, looping the existing 10-inch and 12-inch OD
pipelines;
Janesville Compressor Station Upgrade (Rock County)--A new
2,370 horsepower (hp) reciprocating compressor unit and associated
equipment to be installed at an existing compressor station site;
Goodman Compressor Station (Marinette County)--A new
20,620 hp compressor station comprised of two 10,310 hp units to be
built at an existing meter station site; and
Meter Station Upgrades (Dane, Marathon, and Columbia
Counties)--Minor equipment modifications at 5 existing meter stations
(McFarland, Sun Prairie, and Stoughton Meter Stations in Dane County;
North Wausau Meter Station in Marathon County; and Randolph Meter
Station in Columbia County).
The general locations of the project facilities are shown in
Appendix 1.\3\
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\3\ 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 website at
the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference
Room, 888 First Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 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 144.68
acres of land. Following construction, about 58.82 acres would be
maintained as new aboveground facility sites. The remaining 85.86 acres
of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use.
[[Page 37812]]
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 \4\ 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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\4\ ``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 wet lands
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.
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 ANR. This preliminary list of
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
Project-related impact on:
Visual aesthetics from the proposed Goodman Compressor
Station;
Outagamie County Landfill's operations;
Karst geologic features;
School and recreation activities at Appleton Senior High
School North; and
Air quality and noise.
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 and considered by the Commission.
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative locations
and/or routes), 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. CP05-364-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before July 22, 2006.
Please note that 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 on-line.
We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). 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 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 eFiling 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).\5\ Only intervenors have
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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\5\ 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.
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 (http://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
[[Page 37813]]
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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx
along with other related information.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-3411 Filed 6-29-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P