[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 211 (Tuesday, October 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64941-64943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27849]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-10-000]


Williams Gas Pipelines Central, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Welda/Ottawa Compression 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

October 25, 2000.
    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 Welda/Ottawa Compression 
Project involving construction, operation, and abandonment of 
facilities proposed by Williams Gas Pipelines Central, Inc. (Williams) 
in Anderson and Franklin Counties, Kansas.\1\ Williams proposes to 
install 6,107 horsepower (hp) of compression and abandon 7,000 hp of 
compression. This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether the

[[Page 64942]]

project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Williams' 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 should have been 
contacted by Williams if you reside within \1/2\ mile of the compressor 
stations. Also, you may be contacted by a pipeline company 
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct an 
access road near the north property line of the Welda compressor 
Station. 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 Williams 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 website 
(www.ferc.fed.us).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Williams proposes to:
    <bullet> Abandon by removal seven 1,000-hp Cooper Type 22 
compressors at its Ottawa Compressor Station in Franklin County, 
Kansas; and
    <bullet> Install one 6,107-hp Solar Centaur 50 turbine and 
appurtenant facilities at its Welda Compressor Station in Anderson 
County, Kansas in replacement of the compressors proposed to be 
abandoned at its Ottawa Compressor Station.
    The system modifications would increase operating efficiency and 
reliability on this segment of Williams' pipeline system. Williams 
indicates that due to their obsolescence, abandonment of the 
compressors would enable Williams to eliminate maintenance and parts 
procurement problems associated with these compressors. Replacement of 
this compression at the Welda Compressor Station with a new 6,107-hp 
turbine would enable Williams to operate its Ottawa-Welda 20-inch-
diameter pipeline at the existing designed and certificated maximum 
allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of 690 pounds per square inch gauge 
during periods of peak withdrawal from the Welda Storage Complex.
    Williams indicates that pursuant to 18 Code of Federal Regulation 
(CFR) 2.55(a) of the Commission's regulations, it would also construct 
station piping, headers and other appurtenant facilities to tie the 
three existing turbines into the five existing reciprocating 
compressors at the Welda Compressor Station in order to utilize these 
reciprocating compressors as second stage compression during periods of 
peak withdrawal. This would provide Williams the flexibility of 
operating the Ottawa-Welda 20-inch-diameter pipeline at the existing 
certificated MAOP. Williams is identifying the modification in the 
application for informational purposes.
    The location of the proposed 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 are available on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. For instructions 
on connecting to RIMS refer to the last page of this notice. Copies 
of the appendices were sent to all these receiving this notice in 
the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    The only additional land required for this project is about 0.21 
acre of land required to construct a new access road on the north side 
of the Welda Compressor Station. All other proposed construction work 
would take place within the 17-acre Welda Compressor Station requiring 
a disturbance of about 3.89 acres and within the 73-acre Ottawa 
Compressor Station requiring a disturbance of about 2.53 acres.

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 
\3\ 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 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.
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    \3\ ``Us'', ``we'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    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.
    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> Land use
    <bullet> Cultural resources
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife
    <bullet> Air quality and noise
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species
    <bullet> Public safety
    This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis. 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.

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, 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:

[[Page 64943]]

    <bullet> Send an original and two copies of your letter to: David 
P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    <bullet> Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Gas Group 2, PJ-11.2.
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP01-10-000.
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before November 24, 2000. Beginning November 1, 
2000, comments and protests may be filed electronically via the 
internet in lieu of paper. See, 18 CFR 385.200(a)(1)(iii) and the 
instructions on the Commission's web site at http://www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.

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 provide 14 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). 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 environmental comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-0004 or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS'' link to information 
in this docket number. Click on the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' 
from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with 
access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222.
    Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and 
follow the instructions. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS 
helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-27849 Filed 10-31-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M