Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 8, 1996 / Notices 20811

Final Environmental Impact Statement

for disposal of reactor plants from U.S.

Navy nuclear-powered cruisers, OHIO

Class submarines and LOS ANGELES

Class submarines. The Department of

Energy has participated as a cooperating

agency and has adopted the

Environmental Impact Statement to

fulfill its environmental review

obligations under NEPA.

Requests for copies of the document

and requests for further information

should be directed to Mr. John Gordon

(Code 1160), Puget Sound Naval

Shipyard, 1400 Farragut Avenue,

Bremerton, Washington 98314–5001,

telephone (360)476–7111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final

Environmental Impact Statement

analyzes the alternative ways for

disposing of decommissioned, defueled,

reactor compartments from U.S. Navy

nuclear-powered cruisers

(BAINBRIDGE, TRUXTUN, LONG

BEACH, CALIFORNIA Class and

VIRGINIA Class) and submarines (LOS

ANGELES Class and OHIO Class). A

disposal method for the defueled reactor

compartments is needed when the cost

of continued operation is not justified

by the ship’s military capability or when

the ships are no longer needed. After a

determination is made that a nuclearpowered ship is no longer needed, the

ship can be: (1) placed in protective

storage for an extended period followed

by permanent disposal or recycling; or

(2) prepared for permanent disposal or

recycling.

The alternatives examined in detail in

the Final Environmental Impact

Statement are the preferred alternative—

land burial of the entire reactor

compartment at the Department of

Energy Low-Level Waste Burial Grounds

at Hanford, Washington; the no action

alternative—protective waterborne

storage for an indefinite period; disposal

and reuse of subdivided portions of the

reactor compartments; and indefinite

storage above ground at Hanford.

Several other alternatives are also

examined in limited detail. These

alternatives include sea disposal; land

disposal of entire reactor compartments

at other sites and permanent above

ground disposal of entire reactor

compartments at Hanford.

Navy reactor plants constructed prior

to the USS LOS ANGELES (SSN

688)(referred to as pre-LOS ANGELES

Class submarines) share many common

design characteristics with reactor

plants from cruisers, OHIO Class

submarines and LOS ANGELES Class

submarines. Pre-LOS ANGELES Class

submarines are currently being disposed

of at the Department of Energy Hanford

Site in Eastern Washington by Puget

Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton

Washington, consistent with the

Secretary of the Navy’s 1984 Record of

Decision on disposal of

decommissioned, defueled Naval

submarine reactor plants. Because of the

negligible environmental impact, land

burial of the reactor compartment at the

Hanford Site is the preferred alternative

for disposal of reactor compartments

from cruisers, OHIO Class submarines

and LOS ANGELES Class submarines.

No new legislation would be required

to implement any of these alternatives.

In all of the alternatives considered in

the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement there would be no spent

nuclear fuel left in the reactor

compartments. All the radioactive

nuclear fuel would be removed before

disposal. Management of the spent

nuclear fuel is addressed in a separate

Department of Energy Environmental

Impact Statement, though there would

be some other radioactive materials left

within the reactor compartments.

Therefore, the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement evaluates disposal of

the reactor compartments after all the

spent nuclear fuel has been removed.

Types of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered

ships that are expected to be

decommissioned more than 20 years in

the future (e.g., aircraft carriers and

SEAWOLF Class submarines) are not

included in this Final Environmental

Impact Statement.

The Navy held public hearings on the

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

in Bremerton, Richland, and Seattle,

Washington; and Portland, Oregon.

Comments from 20 individuals and

agencies were received either in oral or

written statements at the hearings or in

comment letters. These comments and

the Navy responses are included in an

appendix to the Final Environmental

Impact Statement.

The Final Environmental Impact

Statement has been distributed to

various federal, state, and local

government agencies, tribes, elected

officials, and special interest groups.

Requests for copies of the Final

Environmental Impact Statement should

be directed to the address listed above.

In addition, copies of the Final

Environmental Impact Statement are

also available for public inspection in

the following libraries: Kitsap County

Public Library, Main Branch, 1301

Sylvan Way, Bremerton, Washington,

phone (360)377–7601; Public Reading

Room for U.S. Department of Energy,

Richland Operations Office, Washington

State University, Tri-Cities, 100 Sprout

Road, Room 130 West, Richland,

Washington, phone (509)376–8583;

Suzallo Library, University of

Washington, Seattle, Washington, phone

(206)543–9158; Multnomah County

Library, 801 Southwest 10th Avenue

(Due to renovation work, temporarily

relocated to 1407 SW 4th Avenue),

Portland, Oregon, phone (503)248–5234.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

John Gordon as noted above.

Dated April 24, 1996.

M.A. Waters,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison

Officer.

[FR Doc. 96–11193 Filed 5–7–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. ES96–23–000]

Boston Edison Company; Notice of

Application

May 2, 1996.

Take notice that on April 26, 1996,

Boston Edison Company filed an

application, under § 204 of the Federal

Power Act, seeking authorization to

issue short-term debt, from time to time,

in an aggregate principal amount not to

exceed $350 million, outstanding at any

one time, on or before December 31,

1998, with final maturities no later than

December 31, 1999.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

first Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426 in accordance with Rules 211 and

214 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211

and 385.214). All such motions or

protests should be filed on or before

May 28, 1996. Protests will be

considered by the Commission in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken, but will not serve to make the

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies

of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–11427 Filed 5–7–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M
20812 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 8, 1996 / Notices

[Docket No. CP87–39–004]

Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc.;

Notice of Amendment

May 2, 1996.

Take notice that on April 29, 1996,

Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc.

(Granite State), 300 Friberg Parkway,

Westborough, Massachusetts 01581,

filed an application with the

Commission, pursuant to Section 7(c) of

the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the

Commission’s regulations, requesting an

extension of its limited-term certificate

to operate an interstate pipeline facility

leased from Portland Pipe Line

Corporation (Portland) from March 31,

1997 to April 30, 1998, with pregranted

abandonment as of the latter date,

consistent with a recently negotiated

agreement between Granite State and

Portland to extend the lease of the

pipeline facility, all as more fully set

forth in the application which is on file

with the Commission and open to

public inspection.

According to Granite State, it has

leased from Portland an 18-inch

pipeline extending approximately 166

miles from a connection with its

pipeline near Portland, Maine, to the

U.S.-Canadian border in the Township

of North Troy, Vermont, opposite

Highwater, Quebec. The pipeline was

originally built and operated as a crude

oil pipeline; Granite State converted the

pipeline for natural gas service in 1987

and currently operates the pipeline

pursuant to an amended lease with

Portland and a limited-term certificate

issued by the Commission expiring

March 31, 1997 (69 FERC ¶ 61,186).

Granite State further says that it has

negotiated an agreement with Portland

to extend the lease for 13 months, from

March 31, 1997 to April 30, 1998.

According to Granite State, no new

facilities are required in connection

with the extension of the limited-term

certificate, and no new services utilizing

the leased pipeline are proposed.

Granite State further requests that, in

extending the limited-term certificate,

the Commission confirm the ruling it

has previously made that the leasing

arrangement will not subject Portland to

jurisdiction under the Natural Gas Act

and that the revenues received by

Portland under the lease will not be

considered in determining its rates for

oil transportation service.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

make any protest with reference to said

application should on or before May 23,

1996, file with the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20426, a motion to intervene or a

protest in accordance with the

requirements of the Commission’s Rules

of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR

385.214 or 385.211) and the Regulations

under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR

157.10). All protests filed with the

Commission will be considered by it in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken on the request for a permanent

certificate but will not serve to make the

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

to the proceeding or to participate as a

party in any hearing therein must file a

motion to intervene in accordance with

the Commission’s Rules.

Take further notice that, pursuant to

the authority contained in and subject to

jurisdiction conferred upon the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission by

Sections 7 and 15 of the Natural Gas Act

and the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure, a hearing will be held

without further notice before the

Commission or its designee on the

application if no motion to intervene is

filed within the time requested herein,

if the Commission on its own review of

the matter finds that a grant of the

certificate is required by the public

convenience and necessity. If a motion

for leave to intervene is timely filed, or

if the Commission on its own believes

that a formal hearing is required, further

notice of such hearing will be duly

given.

Under the procedure herein provided

for, unless otherwise advised, it will be

unnecessary for Granite State to appear

or be represented at the hearing.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–11425 Filed 5–7–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. CP96–358–000]

MidAmerican Energy Company v.

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of

America; Notice of Complaint

May 2, 1996.

Take notice that on April 26, 1996,

MidAmerican Energy Company

(MidAmerican), P.O. Box 778, Sioux

City, Iowa 51102, filed with the

Commission in Docket CP96–358–000 a

complaint against Natural Gas Pipeline

Company of America (Natural), 701 East

Lombard Street, Lombard, Illinois

60148–5072. MidAmerican states that

its complaint is based on Natural’s

violation of Section 4 of the Natural Gas

Act (NGA) and the Commission’s orders

thereunder in refusing to return

approximately $5,000,000 worth of base

(cushion) gas previously supplied by

MidAmerican to support Rate Schedule

LS–3 firm storage service (LS–3), all as

more fully set forth in the complaint

which is on file with the Commission

and open to public inspection.

MidAmerican states that Natural

terminated such LS–3 service for its

own use in order to replace it with new

open access storage service, Delivered

Storage Service (DSS), which

MidAmerican converted to and under

which Natural is obligated to provide all

cushion gas volumes. MidAmerican

asserts that Natural is required to return

MidAmerican’s LS–3 cushion gas

volumes, and that its failure to do so

violates the NGA, Natural’s tariff sheets

governing the transition from LS–3 to

DSS service, and the certificate order

authorizing LS–3 to DSS service, and

the certificate order authorizing LS–3

service. MidAmerican asserts that

Natural is claiming that it is entitled to

retain a ‘‘non-recoverable’’ amount

equal to approximately 75% of that

cushion gas total, and MidAmerican

maintains that it is entitled to the return

of the entire amount of that cushion gas.

MidAmerican alleges that Natural is

thereby misappropriating the cushion

gas supplied by MidAmerican for

Natural’s own use to support its new

DSS service using the same storage field

which supported LS–3 service, and is

creating a discriminatory and anticompetitive economic barrier to its

open-access storage service because

MidAmerican in effect bears an entry

fee of $5,000,000 which other DSS

customers do not bear.

MidAmerican requests that the

Commission issue an order directing

that Natural immediately return all

cushion gas previously provided by

MidAmerican to Natural pursuant to

Natural’s LS–3 storage service, and that

if the Commission does not issue such

an order, that the Commission issue an

order requiring Natural to show cause

why it is not in violation of the Natural

Gas Act, Commission orders, and the

express terms of its tariff for its failure

to return such cushion gas to

MidAmerican.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

make a protest with reference to

MidAmerican’s complaint should file

with the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20426, a motion to

intervene or protest in accordance with

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 or 385.214).

All such motions, together with the

answer of Respondents to the complaint

and motions, should be filed on or

before May 23, 1996. Any person

desiring to become a party must file a

motion to intervene. Copies of this filing