3560 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Notices

1Algonquin Gas Transmission Company’s

application was filed with the Commission under

Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of

the Commission’s regulations.

2The appendices referenced in this notice are not

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies are

available from the Commission’s Public Reference

and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street,

N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or call (202) 208–

1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all

those receiving this notice in the mail.

(62 FR 67070, December 23, 1997), with

a comment period ending on January 16,

1998. On January 13, 1998, Central

Maine Power Company (CMP) filed a

motion requesting a 30-day extension of

the review period because of

unexpected emergency conditions CMP

is presently experiencing due to

unusually harsh weather.

Upon consideration, notice is hereby

given that an extension of time for CMP

and all interested parties to review the

DEA is granted. Comments on the DEA

shall be filed on or before February 17,

1998.

David P. Boergers,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–1585 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP98–100–000]

Algonquin Gas Transmission

Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare

an Environmental Assessment for the

Proposed ANP Bellingham Lateral

Project and Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

January 16, 1998.

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 construction and operation of the

facilities, about 1.1 miles of 14-inchdiameter pipeline, a new meter station

and appurtenant facilities, proposed in

the ANP Bellingham Lateral Project.1

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.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Algonquin Gas Transmission

Company (Algonquin) proposes to

expand the capacity of its facilities in

Massachusetts to transport an additional

110,000 dekatherms per day of natural

gas to the planned American National

Power Bellingham Power Company

(ANP) plant. Algonquin seeks authority

to construct and operate:

• 1.1 miles of 14-inch-diameter

pipeline in the town of Bellingham,

Massachusetts;

• A new meter station at the planned

ANP power plant in Bellingham; and

• A tap and valving in Bellingham.

ANP would construct a 580 megawatt

power plant in the town of Bellingham.

ANP would construct about 200 feet of

nonjurisdictional pipeline to connect

the meter station with the power plant

and appurtenant facilities.

The location of the project facilities is

shown in appendix 1.2 If you are

interested in obtaining procedural

information, please write to the

Secretary of the Commission.

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities

would require about 9.43 acres of land.

Following construction, about 4.12 acres

would be maintained as permanent

pipeline right-of-way. The remaining

5.31 acres of land would be restored and

allowed to revert to its former use.

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 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;

• Land use;

• Cultural resources;

• Air quality and noise;

• Endangered and threatened species;

• Public safety; and

• 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.

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

Algonquin. This preliminary list of

issues may be changed based on your

comments and our analysis.

• Potential effect on the Charles River

during crossing by directional drilling.

• Potential effect on two water supply

wells close to the proposed lateral.

• Potential effect on two

archeological sites.

Also, we have made a preliminary

decision to not address the impacts of

the nonjurisdictional facilities. We will

briefly describe their location and status

in the EA.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by sending

a letter addressing your specific

comments or concerns about the project.

You should focus on the potential

environmental effects of the proposal,

alternatives to the proposal (including

alternative routes), and measures to

avoid or lessen environmental impact.

The more specific your comments, the

more useful they will be. Please follow

the instructions below to ensure that

your comments are received and

properly recorded:

• Send two copies of your letter to:

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room

1A, Washington, DC 20426;

• Label one copy of the comments for

the attention of the Environmental

Review and Compliance Branch, PR–

11.2;

• Reference Docket No. CP98–100–

000; and
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Notices 3561

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before February 17, 1998.

If you are interested in obtaining

procedural information please write to

the Secretary of the Commission.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA

scoping process, you may want to

become an official party to the

proceeding or become an ‘‘intervenor.’’

Among other things, intervenors have

the right to receive copies of caserelated Commission documents and

filings by other intervenors. Likewise,

each intervenor must provide copies of

its filings to all other parties. 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).

The date for filing timely motions to

intervene in this proceeding has passed.

Therefore, parties now seeking to file

late interventions must show good

cause, as required by section

385.214(b)(3), why this time limitation

should be waived. Environmental issues

have been viewed as good cause for late

intervention.

You do not need intervenor status to

have your comments considered.

David P. Boergers,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–1588 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5952–2]

Agency Information Collection

Activities Up for Renewal;

Identification, Listing and Rulemaking

Petitions Information Collection

Request

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this notice announces that

EPA is planning to submit the following

continuing Information Collection

Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

Identification, Listing and Rulemaking

Petitions ICR Number 1189.05. Before

submitting the ICR to OMB for review

and approval, EPA is soliciting

comments on specific aspects of the

proposed information collection as

described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before March 24, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an

original and two copies of their

comments referencing docket number

F–98–ILIP–FFFFF to: RCRA Docket

Information Center, Office of Solid

Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency Headquarters (EPA,

HQ), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC

20460. Hand deliveries of comments

should be made to the Arlington, VA,

address below. Comments may also be

submitted electronically through the

Internet to: rcradocket@epamail.epa.gov.

Comments in electronic format should

also be identified by the docket number

F–98–ILIP–FFFFF. All electronic

comments must be submitted as an

ASCII file avoiding the use of special

characters and any form of encryption.

Commenters should not submit

electronically any confidential business

information (CBI). An original and two

copies of CBI must be submitted under

separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document

Control Officer, Office of Solid Waste

(5305W), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20460.

Public comments and supporting

materials are available for viewing in

the RCRA Information Center (RIC),

located at Crystal Gateway I, First Floor,

1235 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, VA. The RIC is open from 9

a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday,

excluding federal holidays. To review

docket materials, it is recommended

that the public make an appointment by

calling (703) 603–9230. The public may

copy a maximum of 100 pages from any

regulatory docket at no charge.

Additional copies cost $0.15/page. The

index and some supporting materials

are available electronically.

The ICR is available on the Internet.

Follow these instructions to access the

information electronically:

WWW: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

osw/hazwaste.htm#id

FTP: ftp.epa.gov

Login: anonymous

Password: your Internet address

Files are located in /pub/epaoswer

The official record for this action will

be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA

will transfer all comments received

electronically into paper form and place

them in the official record, which will

also include all comments submitted

directly in writing.

EPA responses to comments, whether

the comments are written or electronic,

will be in a notice in the ‘‘Federal

Register.’’ EPA will not immediately

reply to commenters electronically other

than to seek clarification of electronic

comments that may be garbled in

transmission or during conversion to

paper form, as discussed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information, contact the RCRA

Hotline at (800) 424–9346 or TDD (800)

553–7672 (hearing impaired). In the

Washington, DC, metropolitan area, call

(703) 412–9810 or TDD (703) 412–3323.

For more detailed information on

specific aspects of this rulemaking,

contact Jim Kent, Office of Solid Waste

5304W, U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20460, 703–308–0461,

Kent.Jim@EPAMail.EPA.Gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are rulemaking

petitioners under 40 CFR 260.20(b),

260.21 and 260.22; owners or operators

of enclosed flame combustion devices

requesting a variance under 40 CFR

260.30–33; generating facilities seeking

a hazardous waste exclusion for certain

types of wastes under 40 CFR 261.3 and

261.4; and generators and treatment,

storage and disposal facilities requesting

exemptions from listing as F037 and

F038 wastes under 40 CFR

261.31(b)(2)(ii).

Title: Identification, Listing, and

Rulemaking Petitions ICR Number

1189.05, expires June 30, 1998.

Abstract: Under 40 CFR 260.20(b), all

rulemaking petitioners must submit

basic information with their

demonstrations, including name,

address, and statement of interest in the

proposed action. Under section 260.21,

all petitioners for equivalent testing or

analytical methods must include

specific information in their petitions

and demonstrate to the satisfaction of

the Administrator that the proposed

method is equal to or superior to the

corresponding method in terms of its

sensitivity, accuracy, and

reproducibility. Under section 260.22,

petitions to amend part 261 to exclude

a waste produced at a particular facility

(more simply, to delist a waste) must

meet extensive informational

requirements. When a petition is

submitted, the Agency reviews

materials, deliberates, publishes its

tentative decision in the Federal

Register, and requests public comment.

EPA also may hold informal public

hearings (if requested by an interested

person or at the discretion of the

Administrator) to hear oral comments

on its tentative decision. After

evaluating all comments, EPA publishes

its final decision in the Federal

Register.

40 CFR 260.30, 260.31, and 260.33

comprise the standards, criteria, and

procedures for variances from