[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 61 (Thursday, March 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16466-16467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-7765]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-178-000]


Williams Natural Gas Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Wilson County Replacement 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 24, 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 Wilson County Replacement 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\Williams Natural Gas Company'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

    Williams Natural Gas Company (Williams) wants to replace about 
2,200 feet of 8-inch lateral pipeline with about 2,270 feet of 2-inch 
and 6-inch lateral pipeline in Wilson County, Kansas. The replacement 
would continue to provide service to the Neodesha, Kansas area. 
Williams requests Commission authorization to construct and operate the 
following facilities needed to continue service:
    <bullet> abandon in place 1,300 feet of 8-inch lateral pipeline;
    <bullet> abandon by removal 900 feet of 8-inch lateral pipeline;
    <bullet> construct 2,144 feet of 6-inch lateral pipeline; and
    <bullet> construct 130 feet of 2-inch lateral pipeline.
    The general location of the project facilities and specific 
locations for facilities on new sites are 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.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

    Construction for the proposed facilities would require about 3.45 
acres of land. Following construction, about 2.3 acres would be 
maintained as permanent right-of-way. The remaining 1.3 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:
    <bullet> geology and soils
    <bullet> water resources, fisheries, and wetlands\3\

    \3\According to the applicant, the project will not affect any 
waters of the United States. We will report any potential impacts, 
or their absence, under this heading.
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    <bullet> vegetation and wlidlife
    <bullet> endangered and threatened species
    <bullet> public safety
    <bullet> land use
    <bullet> cultural resources
    <bullet> air quality and noise
    <bullet> 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 
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    One issue that has arisen based on a preliminary review of the 
proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by 
Williams concerns the location of a residential area near the proposed 
pipeline. The proposed right-of-way has been routed to avoid impact to 
residences, however several new landowners would be affected by the 
location of the new pipeline right-of-way in Neodosha, Kansas.

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, 
[[Page 16467]] 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, 825 North Capitol St., NE., Washington, 
DC 20426.
    <bullet> Reference Docket No. CP95-130-000.
    <bullet> Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project 
Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., 
NE., Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and
    <bullet> Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before May 1, 1995.
    If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one 
from Ms. Olson 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 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 
Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-7765 Filed 3-29-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M