[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 31, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28398-28399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13192]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-327-000]


Transwestern Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for Transwestern Pipeline Company's Proposed 
Rio Grande River Crossing Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

May 24, 1995
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the 
facilities proposed in the Rio Grande River Crossing Project. This EA 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and 
whether to approve the project.\1\

    \1\ Transwestern Pipeline Company's application was filed with 
the Commission pursuant to Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 
157 of the Commission's Regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Transwestern Pipeline Company (Transwestern) proposes to construct 
and operate approximately 3,200 feet of 30-inch-diameter pipeline under 
the Rio Grande River in Valencia County, New Mexico. The proposed 
pipeline segment would replace one of Transwestern's two 30-inch-
diameter pipelines that originally crossed over the Rio Grande River on 
a steel structure pipeline bridge. On August 20, 1994, an explosion 
ruptured one of these two pipelines and the bridge were replaced under 
Sec. 2.55 of the Commission's Regulations but the second pipeline was 
not replaced at that time.
    The proposed segment would be installed from an existing block 
valve on Transwestern's existing pipeline located about 1,100 feet 
southeast of the Upper San Juan Riverside Drain. It would cross the 
Upper San Juan Riverside Drain, the Rio Grande River, and the Upper 
Sabinal Riverside Drain, and end at another existing block valve 
located about 350 feet northwest of the Upper Sabinal Riverside Drain.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\2\

    \2\ The 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, Room 
3104, 941 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20426, or 
call (202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Transwestern proposes to use an existing 150-foot-wide pipeline 
corridor for construction but may require up to a 250-foot-wide 
construction work space. Based on a 150-foot-wide construction work 
space, about 11 acres of land would be affected by construction.

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 taken into account 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. These impacts may 
include, but are not limited to:
    <bullet> Geology and soils.
    <bullet> Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife.
    <bullet> Endangered and threatened species.
    <bullet> Land use.
    <bullet> Cultural resources.
    <bullet> Public safety.
    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 
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified three issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Transwestern. Keep in mind 
that this is a preliminary list. The list of issues may be added to, 
subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis. 
Issues are:
    <bullet> The proposed project would cross three waterbodies, the 
Upper Sabinal Riverside Drain, the Rio Grande River and the Upper San 
Juan Riverside Drain.
    <bullet> Two federally listed and two state endangered species may 
occur in the proposed project area.
    <bullet> The proposed project would cross the Casa Colorado 
Waterfowl Management Area.

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 [[Page 28399]] the instructions 
below to ensure that your comments are received and properly recorded:
    <bullet> Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street, NE., 
Washington, D.C. 20426.
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-327-000;
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Mary Hertling, EA 
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North 
Capitol Street, NE., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and.
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before July 5, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Hertling at the above address.

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 case-related 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 Sec. 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 scoping comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Ms. Mary Hertling, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0874.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-13192 Filed 5-30-95; 8:45 am]
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