[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63697-63698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30207]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-375-000]


Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership; Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Security 
Loop I Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 6, 1995.
    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 proposed in the Security Loop I Project.\1\ 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\ Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership's 
application was filed with the Commission under Section 7 of the 
Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership (Great Lakes) 
requests Commission authorization, in Docket No. CP95-375-000, to 
construct and operate one segment of approximately 13.8 miles of 36-
inch-diameter mainline loop in Charlevoix and Otsego Counties, 
Michigan. Great lakes wants to complete the looping of a portion of its 
973-mile-long mainline. In addition, Great Lakes proposes to modify the 
existing piping at the Boyne Falls Compressor Station to accommodate 
the new loop. No additional compression is proposed. The proposed 
project would provide increased system reliability and flexibility for 
Great Lakes' customers, and would facilitate maintenance on the Great 
lakes system.
    The general location of the proposed facilities is shown in 
appendix 1. Detailed project maps are shown in appendix 2 \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, 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    The proposed loop would be built adjacent and parallel to the 
existing right-of-way. Great Lakes intends to use a 100-foot-wide 
construction right-of-way for most of the project. About 50 feet of the 
planned 100-foot width would be on existing right-of-way. Consequently, 
about 50 feet of new clearing would be required. Following 
construction, about 25 feet of the construction right-of-way would be 
allowed to revert to its former land use.
    A 55-foot-wide construction right-of-way would be used for the 2.65 
miles of state forest land. About 15 feet of the 55-foot width would be 
on existing right-of-way. Of the 40 feet of new clearing that would be 
required, about 20 feet would be allowed to revert to forest use.
    Additional working space would be required adjacent to the planned 
construction right-of-way at road and other utility line crossings, 
wetland crossings, in areas of steep side slopes, and at the beginning 
and end of the proposed loop.

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:
    <bullet> Soils.
    <bullet> Wetlands.
    <bullet> Land use.
    <bullet> Vegetation and wildlife.
    We do not believe that the proposed project will have any impacts 
on geology, water resources, endangered and threatened species, 
cultural resources, air quality and noise, and hazardous waste.
    We will 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 several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Great Lakes. Keep in mind 
that this is a preliminary list. The list of issues may be added to, 
subtract from, or changed based on your comments and our analysis. 
Issues are:
    <bullet> One wetland would be crossed.
    <bullet> A 100-foot-wide construction right-of-way is proposed.
    <bullet> About 9.6 miles of the proposed pipeline right-of-way 
would cross forestland, resulting in the clearing of about 54.6 acres 
of forest.
    <bullet> Approximately 11 percent of the proposed right-of-way 
would cross sandy soils within are considered highly 

[[Page 63698]]
erodible soils by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
    <bullet> A total of 18.3 acres of public lands, including the 
Mackinaw State Forest, would be disturbed by the proposed construction 
right-of-way.
    <bullet> Two residences are within 50 feet of the proposed 
construction right-of-way. In addition, a garage and a storage building 
are within 50 feet of the proposed construction right-of-way.
    <bullet> The proposed construction right-of-way would cross 1.8 
miles of Woodland Heights Estates, a proposed residential development.

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:
    <bullet> Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 
20426;
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-375-000;
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeff Gerber, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission--PR 11.2, 888 First 
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, D.C. on or before January 5, 1996.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Mr. Gerber at the above address.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In additional 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 3).
    The date for filing of 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 scoping comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
Mr. Jeff Gerber, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1121.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-30207 Filed 12-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M