[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 79 (Friday, April 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20420-20421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11007]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service
[CO-030-5101-00-YCKD; COC-51280]


Notice of Availability of the Final Supplement to the 1992 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for a TransColorado Gas Transmission 
Project; Colorado and New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, USDI, and Forest Service, Department 
of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final supplement to the Final 1992 
Environmental Impact Statement TransColorado Gas Transmission Project; 
Colorado and New Mexico.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as lead agency, and in cooperation 
with the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) has prepared a Final Supplement 
(Supplement) to the 1992 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 
for the TransColorado Gas Transmission (TransColorado) Project on 
federal lands in Colorado and New Mexico. TransColorado Gas 
Transmission Company is the proponent.
    Lands managed by the BLM in the Montrose, Craig, and Grand Junction 
Districts in Colorado, and the Farmington District in New Mexico, and

[[Page 20421]]

the USFS in the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests, Colorado, 
are crossed by the TransColorado pipeline project. The Supplement 
addresses the environmental impacts of the construction, operation, 
maintenance, and ultimate abandonment of known proposed route changes 
and minor realignments (less than 100 ft.) of the approved pipeline and 
right-of-way (ROW) grant COC-51280, and the impacts of the proposed 
construction and use of known additional temporary work areas adjacent 
to the approved ROW or proposed ROW route changes or minor 
realignments. The Supplement also addresses the impacts of the 
construction of minor realignments and the construction and use of 
relocated or additional temporary work areas, in unspecified locations. 
These unspecified temporary work areas and minor realignments are 
addressed to accommodate conditions that might be encountered during 
construction. Also addressed in the Supplement are proposed 
modifications to several environmental protection measures contained in 
the 1992 Right of Way (ROW) grant and Record of Decision (ROD).
    The Supplement, and the 1992 TransColorado FEIS are available for 
public review at the following BLM and USFS offices: BLM Grand Junction 
District, BLM Montrose District (Montrose District Office, 2465 S. 
Townsend Avenue, Montrose, Colorado 81401), Montrose District, Grand 
Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (2250 Highway 50, 
Delta, Colorado 81416), San Juan National Forest and BLM San Juan 
Resource Area (Federal Building, Room 102, 701 Camino Del Rio, Durango, 
Colorado 81301), and BLM Farmington District (1235 N. LaPlata Hwy., 
Suite A, Farmington, New Mexico 87401). Public reading copies are 
available at the federal depository libraries in Colorado and New 
Mexico and public libraries within San Juan County, New Mexico, and La 
Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, San Miguel, Montrose, Delta, Mesa, Garfield 
and Rio Blanco Counties, Colorado, and at TransColorado Offices in Salt 
Lake City and Montrose, CO.

DATES: The Final Supplement to the 1992 Final EIS will be available to 
the public for 30-days starting April 24, 1998. After the 30-day 
availability period, one Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued for 
all federal lands.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Bottomly (970) 240-5337, Ilyse 
Auringer (970) 385-1341, or Steve Hemphill (970) 874-6633.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After preparing Draft and Final 
Environmental Impact Statements, the BLM and the USFS signed Records of 
Decision on December 1, 1992 and issued a ROW grant and adjacent 
Temporary Use Permit (TUP) for subsequent construction, operation and 
maintenance of the 292 mile-long TransColorado Gas Transmission 
pipeline from Meeker, Colorado to Bloomfield, New Mexico. Under the 
authority of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 185), as 
amended by the Act of November 16, 1973 (37 Stat. 567), BLM issued a 50 
foot-wide ROW grant on December 4, 1992, accompanied by a 25 foot-wide 
TUP, excepting 1.7 miles near Grand Junction, Colorado. The FERC issued 
TransColorado a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity on June 
3, 1994. TransColorado completed the 22.5 mile Phase I of the project 
in December, 1996. The proponent is now prepared to construct the 
remainder of the pipeline during 1998.
    Public participation has occurred throughout the preparation of the 
Supplement. The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare this Supplement to 
the FEIS was published in the Federal Register on November 21, 1997. 
``Open House'' forums were held from October 21 through December 10, 
1997 at Norwood, Durango, Delta, Rangely, Dolores, and Grand Junction, 
Colorado. Field trips to locations on the San Juan National Forest were 
offered on November 15 and 22, 1997. The Draft Supplement was published 
on January 23, 1998, and was available for public comments for a 60-day 
period that closed on March 18, 1998. The BLM and USFS received 52 
written comment letters and several oral comments at the public 
meetings held on February 17, 18, and 19, 1998 in Durango, Dolores, and 
Grand Junction, Colorado, respectively.

    Dated: April 14, 1998.
Mark W. Stiles,
District Manager, Montrose District, Bureau of Land Management.

    Dated: April 14, 1998.
Dale E. Trenda,
Range, Fire, and Timber Staff Officer, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and 
Gunnison National Forests, Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 98-11007 Filed 4-23-98; 8:45 am]
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