[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66860-66862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33270]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP98-49-000]


K N. Wattenberg Transmission Limited Liability Company; Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Front 
Runner Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental 
Issues

December 17, 1997.
    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 by K N Wattenberg Transmission Limited 
Liability Company (KNW) as the Front Runner 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 the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ KNW'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

    KNW proposes to construct, acquire, and operate new and existing 
pipeline facilities to establish a new natural gas transportation 
system along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in north central 
Colorado. KNW would interconnect three segments (about 75 miles) of new 
pipeline with two segments (about 33.5 miles) of existing pipeline, 
providing new capacity for transporting gas between the Rockport ``gas 
hub'' in northern Weld County and natural gas processors, users, and 
transporters in southern Weld and northern Adams County (northern 
Denver). The new pipeline would have the capacity to provide users at 
the southern end with 250 million cubic feet (MMcf) of natural gas per 
day, and gas producers at the southern end with the ability to 
transport 80 MMcf per day to new markets accessible via several 
existing interstate carriers whose facilities converge at Rockport.\2\ 
Specifically, KNW seeks authority to construct and operate:
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    \2\ Pipeline carriers having facilities at Rockport include K N 
Interstate Gas Transmission Company, Colorado Interstate Gas 
Company, Trailblazer Pipeline Company, Williams Natural Gas Company, 
and Wyoming Interstate Company.
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    <bullet> About 45.2 miles of new 24-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending from Rockport (in northern Weld County) south to northern 
Johnstown;

[[Page 66861]]

    <bullet> About 10.6 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending from the Pan Energy-Mark Mewbourne Gas Processing Plant 
westward towards an area northwest of Platteville; and
    <bullet> About 19.3 miles of new 6- and 12-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending eastward from the Erie area in southern Weld County.
    To complete the new system, KNW would also acquire existing 
gathering and related facilities from its affiliate K N Gas Gathering 
Company (KNGG). These facilities, which KNGG no longer needs to meet 
its current level of service requirements in Colorado, include:
    <bullet> About 9.5 miles of 16-inch-diameter unprocessed gas 
pipeline extending from northern Johnstown to an area northwest of 
Platteville; and
    <bullet> About 24 miles of 12-, 10-, and 8-inch-diameter processed 
gas pipeline extending south from the Amoco gas processing plant near 
Platteville to an area southeast of Brighton in northern Adams County. 
(This segment is essentially 21 miles of 12-inch-diameter mainline with 
three short, small-diameter laterals extending to nearby customers.)
    KNW would need to clean and dry the 9.5-mile-long segment of 
unprocessed gas pipeline before converting it to processed gas service. 
KNW also plans to construct/install mainline valves, interconnects, 
metering and valving at gas delivery/receipt points, and pigging 
facilities along the system.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\3\ 
If you are interested in obtaining more detailed maps of a specific 
portion of the project, or procedural information, please write to the 
Secretary of the Commission.
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    \3\ The appendices referred in this notice are not being printed 
in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 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 disturb about 698 
acres of land overall, based on a typical 75-foot-wide pipeline 
construction right-of-way and including extra work spaces needed 
temporarily at waterbody, road, and railroad crossings. Following 
construction, about 458 acres would be maintained as new permanent 
pipeline rights-of-way (typically 50-feet-wide) or aboveground facility 
sites. (This figure excludes existing easements associated with the 
pipeline segments that KNW would acquire from KNGG.) The remaining 240 
acres of land disturbed during construction would be restored and 
allowed to revert to its former uses.

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 
will be 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.
    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
    <bullet> Geology and soils;
    <bullet> Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife;
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species;
    <bullet> Land use;
    <bullet> Cultural resources;
    <bullet> Air quality and noise;
    <bullet> 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 impact on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented 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.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified two issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by KNW. This preliminary list 
may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    <bullet> Eleven federally listed endangered or threatened species 
may occur in the proposed project area.
    <bullet> The proposed facilities would require at least three 
waterbody crossings which would impact associated wetland and riparian 
vegetation which are considered sensitive resources in the project 
area.

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/locations), 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:
    <bullet> Send two copies of your letter to: Lois Cashell, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
    <bullet> Label one copy of your comments for the attention of the 
Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1;
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP98-49-000; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 16, 1998.

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 timely motions to intervene in this proceeding 
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions 
must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3), why this 
time limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed 
as good cause for late intervention.

[[Page 66862]]

    You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-33270 Filed 12-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M