[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 110 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30730-30733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14338]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-176-000, Docket No. CP01-179-000]


Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Georgia Strait 
Crossing Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and 
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

June 1, 2001.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of Georgia Strait Crossing 
Pipeline LP's (GSX-US) proposed Georgia Strait Crossing (GSX) Project 
in Whatcom and San Juan Counties, Washington.\1\ The proposed 
facilities would transport natural gas from existing pipeline systems 
near Sumas, Washington to the United States/Canada border in Boundary 
Pass.\2\ The GSX Project would involve the construction and operation 
of about 47 miles of 20- and 16-inch-diameter pipeline and a new 
10,302-horsepower (hp) compressor station. The FERC will use

[[Page 30731]]

this EIS in its decision making process to determine whether the 
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ GSX-US' applications in Docket Nos. CP01-176-000 and CP01-
179-000 were filed with the Commission under sections 7(c) and 3 of 
the Natural Gas Act respectively.
    \2\ Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline Ltd (GSX-Canada) proposes 
to construct a pipeline to transport the natural gas delivered to 
the Canadian border by GSX-US to Vancouver Island for use in new 
power plants. This proposal is currently under review by the 
National Energy Board in Canada. The location of the Canadian 
facilities is shown in Appendix 1.
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a GSX-US 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?'' should have been 
attached to the project notice GSX-US provided to landowners. This fact 
sheet addresse a number of typically asked questions, including the use 
of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's 
proceedings. The fact sheet is available for viewing on the FERC 
Internet website (www.fer.gov).
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners along GSX-US' 
proposed route; Federal, state, and local government agencies; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Indian tribes that 
might attach religious and cultural significance to historic properties 
in the area of potential effect; local libraries and newspapers; and 
the Commission's list of parties to the proceeding. We \3\ encourage 
government representatives to notify their constituents of this 
proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern. Additionally, with this notice we are asking other Federal, 
state, local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special 
expertise with respect to environmental issues in the project area to 
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may 
choose to participate once they have evaluated GSX-US' proposal 
relative to their responsibilities. Agencies who would like to request 
cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing comments 
described later in this notice.
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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' ``our'' refer to the staff of the FERC's 
Office of Energy Projects.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    The GSX Project would transport 94,000 decatherms per day of 
natural gas from proposed interconnect facilities with the existing 
Westcoast Energy Inc. pipeline at the United States/Canada border and 
Northwest Pipeline Corporation (Northwest) pipeline near Sumas, 
Washington to an interconnect with a pipeline proposed by GSX-Canada in 
Boundary Pass.
    GSX-US' proposed action consists of the construction and operation 
of:
    <bullet> Pipeline interconnect facilities between the proposed GSX 
system and the existing Westcoast Energy Inc. system at the 
international border between the United States and Canada, including a 
receipt point meter station and 500 feet of 20-inch-diameter upstream 
piping located adjacent to Northwest's existing Sumas Compressor 
Station in Whatcom County, Washington (additional metering facilities 
would be installed at the same location to provide for a secondary 
source of gas from the Northwest system);
    <bullet> About 32 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline extending from 
the interconnect facilities at the international border between the 
United States and Canada near Sumas, Washington, across Whatcom County, 
to a new compressor station (Cherry Point Compressor Station) near 
Cherry Point, Washington;
    <bullet> A new compressor station (GSX Cherry Point Compressor 
Station) consisting of one 10,302-hp two-stage compressor package near 
Cherry Point, Washington;
    <bullet> About 1 mile of 16-inch-diameter pipeline extending from 
the GSX Cherry Point Compressor Station to the beginning of the marine 
portion of the pipeline at the edge of the Strait of Georgia; and
    <bullet> About 14 miles of 16-inch-diameter marine pipeline 
extending from the edge of the Strait of Georgia near Cherry Point, 
Washington to the edge of the international border between the United 
States and Canada at a point about midway between the west end of Patos 
Island (Washington) and the east end of Suturna Island (British 
Columbia) in Boundary Pass.
    The general location of the major project facilities is shown in 
appendices 1 and 2.\4\
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    \4\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, 
NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. For 
instructions on connecting to RIMS, refer to the last page of this 
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving 
this notice in the mail.
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    Because the project involves siting, constructing, operating, and 
maintaining pipeline facilities at the international border between the 
United States and Canada, GSX-US requested a Presidential Permit in 
Docket No. CP01-179-000.
    The GSX Project is scheduled to be in service by late October 2003. 
Preliminary construction activities, including work at the GSX Cherry 
Point Compressor Station and the shoreline horizontal directional drill 
segment, are scheduled to take place during the late summer/fall of 
2002. Construction of the majority of the project facilities, including 
the onshore and offshore pipeline segments and the aboveground 
facilities, would be completed during the spring/summer/fall of 2003. 
The approximate duration of construction would be 200 to 250 days for 
the compressor station and 90 to 150 days for the pipeline.

Land Requirement for Construction

    Construction of onshore pipeline facilities would affect a total of 
about 410 acres of land in Whatcom County, Washington. Following 
construction, about 200 acres would be retained as permanent right-of-
way. The remaining 210 acres of temporary work space would be restored 
and allowed to revert to former use.
    GSX-US proposes to use a 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way 
unless topography or other conditions require modifications. In 
addition to the 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way, temporary 
extra workspace would be necessary at most improved road and railroad 
crossings, for side hill cuts, areas requiring deeper burial, and 
additional spoil storage areas. A 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way 
would be acquired. About 74 percent of the onshore pipeline route would 
parallel existing pipeline, road, railroad, or powerline rights-of-way.
    GSX-US indicates that construction of its offshore pipeline 
facilities would disturb about 46 acres. Based on a 3-foot-wide 
permanent marine right-of-way, GSX-US estimates that the offshore 
permanent right-of-way would be 5.1 acres.
    The GSX-US receipt point facilities would be constructed on 17.9 
acres of land of which 10.0 acres would be within Northwest's existing 
Sumas Compressor Station site. The GSX Cherry Point Compressor Station 
would be constructed on a 9.6-acre site. Valves and valve access roads 
(outside of the compressor station and interconnect sites) would occupy 
1.6 acres, of which all but 0.3 acre would be within the construction 
area for the pipeline facilities.
    Disturbances related to modifying access roads for pipeline 
construction would affect about 7.2 acres. Pipe storage/contractor yard 
or rail sidings

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would occupy 68.6 acres, of which 41.9 acres have been previously 
disturbed for other uses. Additional temporary work areas for the 
horizontal directional drill at Cherry Point would include 24.3 acres 
of which 8.9 acres would be within the Gulf Road right-of-way.

The EIS 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 solicit and address concerns the public may have about proposals. We 
call this ``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to focus 
the EIS on the important environmental issues. By this Notice of 
Intent, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of issues 
it will address in the EIS. All comments received are considered during 
the preparation of the EIS.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the Draft EIS, 
which will be mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; affected 
landowners and other interested individuals; Indian tribes; newspapers; 
libraries; and the Commission's official service list for this 
proceeding. A 45-day comment period will be allotted for review of the 
Draft EIS. We will consider all comments on the Draft EIS and revise 
the document, as necessary, before issuing a Final EIS. The Final EIS 
will include our response to each comment received on the Draft EIS and 
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to 
determine whether to approve the project.

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 GSX-US. This preliminary list 
of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    <bullet> The area has a history of seismic activity.
    <bullet> A total of 42 perennial or intermittent waterbodies 
(onshore) and the Strait of Georgia would be crossed.
    <bullet> The project would cross commercial and recreational 
fisheries.
    <bullet> The project may affect four federally listed threatened or 
endangered speciies and six species of special concern.
    <bullet> The project may cross areas with significance to Native 
Americans.
    <bullet> Construction would disturb 288 acres of agricultural land, 
66 acres of non-forested open space, 47 acres of woodland, and 7 acres 
of developed land in Whatcom County, Washington.
    <bullet> Construction would interfere with ship navigation, 
commercial fishing, and recreational boating in the Georgia Strait.
    <bullet> The project crosses the Cherry Point State Aquatic 
Reserve.
    <bullet> The GSX Cherry Point Compressor Station would have an 
impact on air quality and the noise environment of the area.

Public Participation, Scoping Meetings, and Site Visit

    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 EIS and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative locations 
and routes), 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 
Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
    <bullet> Refer to Docket No. CP01-176-000;
    <bullet> Label one copy of your comments for the attention of the 
Gas Group 2, PJ-11.2; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before July 5, 2001.
    Comments may also be filed electronically via the internet in lieu 
of paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the 
Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link 
and the link to the User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will 
need to create an account by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then 
``New User Account.''
    Everyone who responds to this notice or comments throughout the EIS 
process will be retained on our mailing list. If you do not want to 
send comments at this time but still want to keep informed and receive 
copies of the Draft and Final EIS, please return the Information 
Request (appendix 4). You must send comments or return the Information 
Request for your name to remain on the mailing list.
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public scoping meetings that the FERC will conduct in 
the project area. The locations and times for these meetings are listed 
below.
    <bullet> Tuesday, June 26, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Lynden High School 
(cafeteria), 1201 Bradley Road, Lynden, Washington 98264, (360) 354-
4401.
    <bullet> Thursday, June 28, 2001, 7:00 p.m.--Senior Services San 
Juan Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250, (360) 
378-9102.
    The public scoping meetings are designed to provide you with more 
detailed information and another opportunity to offer your comments on 
the proposed project. GSX-US representatives will be present at the 
scoping meetings to describe their proposal. Interested groups and 
individuals are encouraged to attend the meetings and to present 
comments on the environmental issues they believe should be addressed 
in the Draft EIS. A transcript of each meeting will be prepared so that 
your comments will be accurately recorded.
    On Wednesday, June 27, 2001, our staff will also be visiting some 
project areas. The meeting location for the site visit will be 
announced at the Lynden scoping meeting. Anyone interested in 
participating in a site visit may contact the Commission's Office of 
External Affairs at (202) 208-1088 for more details and must provide 
their own transportation.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS 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 3).\5\ Only

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intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's 
decision.
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    \5\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding that would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-1008 or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) 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 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 the CIPS helpline can be 
reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-14338 Filed 6-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M