[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 3584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1542]


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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 Draft Supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for a TransColorado Gas Transmission 
Project; Colorado and New Mexico

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

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Supplement to The Final 
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 Draft Supplement 
(Supplement) to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the 
TransColorado Gas Transmission (TransColorado) project on federal lands 
in Colorado and New Mexico. TransColorado 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 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. This 
Supplement will also address the impacts of the construction and use 
minor realignments and alternative temporary work areas in unspecified 
locations. These unspecified temporary work areas and minor 
realignments will be 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 original right-of-way (ROW) grant and Record of 
Decision (ROD).
    Please focus comments on the proposed actions and alternatives in 
the Supplement to the FEIS.

DATES: The 60-day public comment period for the Draft Supplement runs 
from January 23, 1998 until March 9, 1998.
    Written comments on the Draft Supplement must be submitted or 
postmarked no later than March 9, 1998. Written comments may also be 
presented at the public meetings to be held on February 17, 1998, at 
7:00 p.m. in the Double Tree Inn, 501 Camino del Rio in Durango, 
Colorado; on February 18, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ponderosa 
Restaurant, 108 South 8th in Dolores, Colorado; and on February 19, 
1998 at 7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn, 755 Horizon Drive in Grand 
Junction, Colorado.

ADDRESSES: Any comments on this document should be sent to Bill 
Bottomly, TransColorado Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 
Montrose District Office, 2465 South Townsend Avenue, Montrose, CO 
81401. The Draft Supplement to the FEIS and the FEIS are available for 
public review at the above address, and at the following offices of the 
BLM and USFS: the Grand Junction District Office, the Montrose District 
Office, the Grand Mesa/Uncompahgre/Gunnison National Forest Office, the 
San Juan National Forest/San Juan Resource Area office, and the 
Farmington District Office.
    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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After preparing a Draft and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement in 1992, 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, 1997, 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 Supplement to the 
FEIS process. 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.

    Signed: January 14, 1998.
Jamie E. Connell,
Associate District Manager, Montrose District, BLM.
Robert L. Storch,
Forest Supervisor, Grand Mesa/Uncompahgre/Gunnison National Forests.
[FR Doc. 98-1542 Filed 1-22-98; 8:45 am]
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