[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 228 (Monday, November 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70708-70710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30068]


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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 inch-diameter pipeline and 2,825 horsepower (hp) 
of compression. 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\ CIG'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 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:
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> Add 4 injection/withdrawal wells and convert 8 injection/
withdrawal wells to observation wells at the Boehm Storage Field;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> Construct 26.2 miles of 24-inch-diameter 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;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> Construct 27 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline loop and 
appurtenant facilities from CIG's proposed Fort

[[Page 70709]]

Lupton Compressor Station in Weld County, Colorado to CIG's existing 
Watkins Compressor Station in Adams County, Colorado; and
    <bullet> 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-of-way 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-of-way 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.
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    \2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    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> Public safety;
    <bullet> Land use;
    <bullet> Cultural resources;
    <bullet> Air quality and noise;
    <bullet> 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.

<bullet> Geology and Soils
    --Shallow topsoil depth
    --Erosion prone soils
<bullet> Water Resources and Wetlands
    --Crossing 5 perennial and 3 intermittent streams
    --Crossing 13 wetlands
<bullet> 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
<bullet> 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
<bullet> 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:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas/
Hydro Group PJ-11.3.
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP01-001-000.
    <bullet> 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

[[Page 70710]]

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