70708 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 228 / Monday, November 27, 2000 / Notices

1CIG’s application was filed with the

Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act

and Part 157 of the Commission’s regulations.

Service Agreement No. 99 effective as of

September 12, 2000.

Copies of the filing have been

provided to the Public Utilities

Commission of Ohio, the Pennsylvania

Public Utility Commission, the

Maryland Public Service Commission,

the Virginia State Corporation

Commission, the West Virginia Public

Service Commission, and all parties of

record.

Comment date: December 4, 2000, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

34. Western Resources, Inc.

[Docket No. ER01–444–000]

Take notice that on November 13,

2000, Western Resources, Inc. (WR),

tendered for filing an agreement

between WR and Kansas Electric Power

Cooperative (KEPCo). This agreement

includes (i) an Order No. 614 compliant

version of the Service Agreement

between WR and KEPCo and, (ii) a

statement of intent to refund the time

value of money pursuant to § 35.19(a) of

the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission’s regulations. WR states

that the purpose of this agreement is to

permit KEPCo to take service under WR’

Market Based Power Sales Tariff on file

with the Commission.

This agreement is proposed to be

effective October 1, 2000.

Copies of the filing were served upon

KEPCo and the Kansas Corporation

Commission.

Comment date: December 4, 2000, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

35. Duke Power

[Docket No. ER01–450–000]

Take notice that on November 13,

2000, Duke Power (Duke), a division of

Duke Energy Corporation, tendered for

filing a Service Agreement with

Oglethorpe Power Corporation for

power sales at market-based rates.

Duke requests that the proposed

Service Agreement be permitted to

become effective on October 30, 2000.

Duke states that this filing is in

accordance with Part 35 of the

Commission’s Regulations and a copy

has been served on the North Carolina

Utilities Commission.

Comment date: December 4, 2000, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

Standard Paragraphs

E. Any person desiring to be heard or

to protest such filing should file a

motion to intervene or protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426, in accordance with Rules 211

and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211

and 385.214). All such motions or

protests should be filed on or before the

comment date. Protests will be

considered by the Commission in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies

of these filings are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection. This filing may also be

viewed on the Internet at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/ online/rims.htm (call

202–208–2222 for assistance).

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–30083 Filed 11–24–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–1–000]

Colorado Interstate Gas Company;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the

Proposed Fort Morgan Storage Field

Expansion Project and Request for

Comments on Environmental Issues

November 20, 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 Fort Morgan Storage Field Project

involving construction and operation of

facilities by Colorado Interstate Gas

Company (CIG) in Weld, Adams and

Morgan Counties, Colorado and Morton

County Kansas.1 These facilities would

consist of about 53.2 miles of 24 inchdiameter pipeline and 2,825 horsepower

(hp) of compression. This EA will be

used by the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine whether

the project is in the public convenience

and necessity.

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 CIG 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

CIG proposes to construct, operate,

and abandon facilities in Colorado and

Kansas to increase the maximum daily

storage withdrawal quantity and

increase capacity on its transmission

system. CIG seeks authority to:

• Drill one injection well/withdrawal

well and convert one observation well

to a salt water disposal well at the Fort

Morgan Storage Field and upgrade two

segments of the Fort Morgan Storage

Field gathering system from an MAOP

of 1,800 and 2,000 to an MAOP of 2,160

psig;

• Increase Fort Morgan Storage Field

allowed maximum storage gas in place

from 14,322 MMcf to 14,858 MMcf, and

increase the average shut-in reservoir

bottom hole pressure to a maximum of

2,390 psia;

• Add 4 injection/withdrawal wells

and convert 8 injection/withdrawal

wells to observation wells at the Boehm

Storage Field;

• Install a 600 horsepower

compressor along with hydrogen sulfide

treatment and appurtenant facilities at

the Boehm Storage Field to remove

Keyes Sands Reservoir base gas. The

compressor would be used until the

pressure in the Keyes Sand Reservoir is

too low to be effectively utilized. CIG

would then abandon the compressor

and the Keyes Sands Reservoir;

• Construct 26.2 miles of 24-inchdiameter pipeline loop adjacent to CIG’s

existing pipeline which would run

between CIG’s existing Cheyenne

Compressor Station and Ault Meter

Station in Weld County, Colorado;

• Construct new Fort Lupton

Compressor Station consisting of three

natural gas-fired reciprocating engines

each rated at 2,225 horsepower and

appurtenant facilities in Weld County,

Colorado;

• Construct 27 miles of 24-inchdiameter pipeline loop and appurtenant

facilities from CIG’s proposed Fort

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 228 / Monday, November 27, 2000 / Notices 70709

2 ‘‘We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the

environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects

(OEP).

Lupton Compressor Station in Weld

County, Colorado to CIG’s existing

Watkins Compressor Station in Adams

County, Colorado; and

• Install miscellaneous facilities

within the Watkins Compressor Station

that include yard piping, pipe valves,

fittings, controls and regulation and

measurement equipment.

CIG states that these facilities would

increase its storage pool deliverability

from 775 MMcf to 877 MMcf per day

and increase capacity from the

Cheyenne Compressor Station.

The general location of the project

facilities is shown in appendix 1.

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of CIG’s proposed

facilities would require about 780 acres

of land. Following construction, about

413 acres would remain as permanent

right-of-way. The remaining 367 acres of

land would be restored and allowed to

revert to its former use.

The nominal construction right-ofway for the Ault to Cheyenne Loop (5C

North) would be 85 feet wide, with 50

feet retained as permanent right-of-way.

About 75.5 percent of the route of the

loop would abut or overlap existing

easements. The loop would deviate

away from existing rights-of-way in

multiple segments, totaling 6.44 miles,

because of the Pawnee National

Grassland Center or to avoid existing

facilities.

The nominal construction right-ofway for the Watkins to Fort Lupton

Loop (5C South) would be 85 feet wide

(75 feet through wetland areas), with 50

feet retained as permanent right-of-way.

About 97.8 percent of the route of the

loop would abut or overlap existing

easements. The loop would deviate

away from existing rights-of-way in

multiple segments, totaling 0.69 miles,

because of archaeological sites, or to

avoid existing facilities.

Construction of the new Fort Lupton

Compressor Station would disturb about

11 acres, of which 10 acres would be

required for operation of the facility and

1 acre for the access road. The proposed

Boehm Storage Field Enhancement

would consist of a 400 square foot

dehydration plant which would affect

approximately 6.7 acres within the

Cimarron National Grassland with 3.67

acres required for the facility.

Additional minor land disturbances

would be associated with pig launching

facilities and valves. These disturbances

would be limited to existing meter

stations, compressor stations, or within

the proposed permanent right-of-way.

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 2 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.

The EA will discuss impacts that

could occur as a result of the

construction and operation of the

proposed project under these general

headings:

• Geology and soils;

• Water resources, fisheries, and

wetlands;

• Vegetation and wildlife;

• Endangered and threatened species;

• Public safety;

• Land use;

• Cultural resources;

• Air quality and noise;

• Hazardous waste.

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 beginning on page 6.

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

CIG. This preliminary list of issues may

be changed based on your comments

and our analysis.

• Geology and Soils

—Shallow topsoil depth

—Erosion prone soils

• Water Resources and Wetlands

—Crossing 5 perennial and 3

intermittent streams

—Crossing 13 wetlands

• Threatened and Endangered Species

—Potential impacts on 6 federally

listed species, including the Bald

eagle, Preble’s meadow jumping

mouse, Ute ladies’-tresses,

Whooping crane, Least tern, and

Piping plover

• Land Use

—Impacts on about 9 miles of public

lands

—Impacts on about 25 miles of

rangeland

—Impacts on about 23 miles of

agricultural land

• Air and Noise Quality

—Impacts on local air quality and

noise environment as a result of the

new Fort Lupton Compressor

Station

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:

• Send an original and two copies of

your letter to: David P. Boergers,

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/Hydro Group PJ–

11.3.

• Reference Docket No. CP01–001–

000.

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before December 21, 2000. Comments

and protests may be filed electronically

70710 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 228 / Monday, November 27, 2000 / Notices

1Maritimes’ and Algonquin’s applications were

filed with the Commission under Section 7 of the

Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission’s

regulations.

2The appendices references 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, 688 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 those receiving this

notice in the mail.

via the internet in lieu of paper. See, 18

CFR 385.2001(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 starting 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. 00–30068 Filed 11–24–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket Nos. CP01–4–000, CP01–5–000,

CP01–8–000]

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline L.L.C.,

et al.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Maritimes Phase III/

Hubline Project and Request for

Comments on Environmental Issues

November 20, 2000.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

that will discuss the environmental

impacts of the Maritimes Phase III/

HubLine Project involving construction

and operation of facilities by Maritimes

& Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. (Maritimes)

in Essex and Middlesex Counties,

Massachusetts and Algoniquin Gas

Transmission Company (Algonquin) in

primarily offshore Essex, Suffolk,

Plymouth, and Norfolk Counties,

Massachusetts.1 There would be minor

onshore facilities in Suffolk and Norfolk

Counties. The project facilities would

consist of about 25 miles of 30- and 24-

inch-diameter onshore pipeline and

about 35 miles of 24- and 16-inchdiameter offshore pipeline. This EIS

will be used by the Commission in its

decision-making process to determine

whether the project is in the public

convenience and necessity.

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 to 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 Maritimes and Algonquin

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

Maritimes wants to extend its

mainline system from a point near

Methuen, Massachusetts, to an

interconnection with Algonquin’s

proposed HubLine facilities in Beverly,

Massachusetts. Maritimes’ proposed

Phase III facilities would have an initial

capacity to deliver approximately

360,000 million British thermal units

per day of natural gas. Algonquin wants

to interconnect with the proposed

Maritimes system in Beverly,

Massachusetts, by constructing the

proposed HubLine facilities from

Beverly to an interconnect with its

existing I–9 pipeline system at the Sithe

Fore River Power Plant in Weymouth,

Massachusetts. Maritimes seeks

authority to construct and operate:

• Approximately 23.8 miles of 30-

inch-daimeter pipeline and 1.0 mile of

24-inch-diameter pipeline; and

• Appurtenant facilities to include

three mainline valves, one tap valve,

two cathodic protection ground beds,

and two meter stations.

Algonquin seeks authority to

construct and operate:

• Approximately 29.4 miles of 24-

inch-diameter offshore mainline

pipeline;

• Approximately 5.4 miles of 16-inchdiameter offshore lateral pipeline to the

existing Massachusetts Water Resources

Authority (MWRA) Waste Water

Treatment facility on Deer Island; and

• One new meter station on Deer

Island, and a block valve and receiver

and regulator facilities near the

interconnect with the existing I–9

pipeline.

Texas Eastern Transmission

Corporation (Texas Eastern) proposes to

acquire capacity on the HubLine

facilities. Texas Eastern does not

propose any related facilities.

The general location of the project

facilities is shown in appendix 1.2 If you

are interested in obtaining detailed

maps of a specific portion of the project,

send in your request using the form in

appendix 3.