35208 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 130 / Friday, July 5, 1996 / Notices

1Northern Border Pipeline Company’s and

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America’s

applications were filed with the Commission under

Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of

the Commission’s regulations.

2The 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, NE,

Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426 or call (202) 208–

1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all

those receiving this notice in the mail.

parties or interceders (as defined in 18

CFR 385.2010) to file documents on

each person whose name is on the

official service list for this proceeding.

See CFR 4.34(b).

The Commission staff will consider

all written comments and may issue a

Scoping Document II (SDII). SDII will

include a revised list of issues, based on

the scoping process.

For further information regarding the

scoping process, please contact Ms. Julie

Bernt, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, Office of Hydropower

Licensing, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, DC 20426 at (202) 219–

2814.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–17072 Filed 7–3–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket Nos. CP95–194–001, and CP96–

027–000 and CP96–027–001, Respectively]

Northern Border Pipeline Company

and Natural Gas Pipeline Company of

America; Notice of Additional Facilities

by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of

America To Be Included in The

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Northern Border Project

and Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

June 28, 1996.

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 the construction and

operation of the facilities proposed in

the Northern Border Project.1 The

original notice was issued February 16,

1996. The purpose of this supplemental

notice is to inform the public of

additional facilities which will be

included in the EIS.

On June 18, 1996, Natural Gas

Pipeline Company of America (Natural)

amended its application to add 9.6

miles of loop in Louisa and Muscatine

Counties, Iowa and to increase the

amount of new compression at

Compressor Station 110 in Henry

County, Illinois from 7,250 horsepower

(hp) to 9,000 hp. This addition is

because Natural no longer proposes to

add compression at Compressor Station

199 in Muscatine County, Iowa. Maps

showing the location of the newly

proposed loop are in appendix 1.

This EIS will be used by the

Commission in its decisionmaking

process to determine whether to

approve the project.2

Land Requirements for Construction

Pipeline

The additional 9.6-mile-long loop

would be built adjacent to Natural’s

existing pipeline, using as much of the

existing right-of-way as possible.

Natural would use a right-of-way

ranging in width from 75 to 100 feet.

Additional temporary work space would

generally be used where the pipeline

crosses roads, streams, and rivers. An

estimated 87.3 acres would be disturbed

during construction. After construction,

the disturbed area would be restored,

and a 25-foot-wide permanent right-ofway in addition to the existing right-ofway would be maintained. Existing land

uses on the remainder of the disturbed

area, as well as most land uses on the

permanent right-of-way, such as

agriculture and open areas, would be

allowed to continue following

construction.

Aboveground Facilities

All construction at Compressor

Station 110 would take place within the

existing fenced station yard.

The EIS Process/Environmental Issues

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. The EIS we are preparing will

give the Commission the information to

do that. 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 EIS 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 EIS. All comments

received are considered during the

preparation of the EIS. We encourage

state and local government

representatives to notify their

constituents of this proposed action and

encourage them to comment on their

areas of concern.

The EIS will discuss impacts that

could occur as a result of the

construction and operation of the

proposed project. We have already

identified a number of issues under

each topic that we think deserve

attention based on a preliminary review

of the proposed facilities and the

environmental information provided by

the applicants. These issues are listed

below. 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.

• Geology and Soils

— Prime and farmland soils.

— Erosion control.

— Topsoil/subsoil mixing.

— Soil compaction.

— Drain tiles and ditches.

— Revegetation of non-agricultural

areas.

• Water Resources

— 7 crossings of waterbodies,

including the Ceder River.

— Effect on groundwater and surface

water supplies.

• Biological Resources

— Effect on wildlife and fisheries

habitat.

— Effect on federally listed

endangered and threatened species.

— Effect on wetland habitat.

• Cultural Resources

— Effect on historic and prehistoric

sites.

— Native American and tribal

concerns.

• Land Use

— Effect on farming.

— Effect on residences and recreation

areas.

— Effect on public lands

• Air Quality and Noise

— Effect on local and regional air

quality and local noise environment as

a result of operation of additional

compression.

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 presented in a Draft EIS

which will be mailed to Federal, state,

and local agencies, public interest

groups, interested individuals, affected

landowners, newspapers, libraries, and

the Commission’s official service list for

these proceedings. 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
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 130 / Friday, July 5, 1996 / Notices 35209

issuing a Final EIS. The Final EIS will

include our response to each comment

received.

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 locations and 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:

• Address your letter to: Lois Cashell,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE,

Washington, DC 20426;

• Reference Docket No. CP95–194–001;

• Send a copy of your letter to: Ms.

Laura Turner, EIS Project Manager,

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE,

Room 7M–02, Washington, DC 20426;

and

• Mail your comments so that they will

be received in Washington, DC on or

before July 29, 1996.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EIS

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 caserelated 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 expires on

June 28, 1996. After that date parties

seeking to file late interventions must

show good cause, as required by section

385.214(b)(3), why the time limitation

should be waived. Environmental issues

have been viewed as good cause for late

interventions. You do not need

intervenor status to have your scoping

comments considered.

Environmental Mailing List

This notice is being sent to

individuals, organizations, and

government entities interested and/or

potentially affected by the proposed

project. It is also being sent to all

potential right-of-way grantors to solicit

focused comments regarding

environmental considerations related to

the proposed project. As details of the

project become established,

representatives of Northern Border and

Natural will directly contact

landowners, communities, and public

agencies concerning any other matters,

including acquisition of permits and

rights-of-way.

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 EISs, please return the

Information Request (appendix 3).

PLEASE NOTE: IF WE HAVE NOT

HEARD FROM YOU, EITHER BY

COMMENT LETTER, RESPONSE TO

ONE OF THE TWO NOI’s, OR

REGISTERING AT THE SCOPING

MEETINGS, YOU WILL BE DROPPED

FROM THE MAILING LIST. If you have

previously provided us with your name

and address you need not send in this

information request.

Additional information about the

proposed project is available from Ms.

Laura Turner, EIS Project Manager, at

(202) 208–0916.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–17134 Filed 7–3–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

Notice of Proposed Power Rate—

Robert D. Willis

AGENCY: Southwestern Power

Administration (Southwestern), DOE.

ACTION: Notice for public review and

comment.

SUMMARY: The Administrator,

Southwestern, has prepared Current and

Revised 1996 Power Repayment Studies

for the Robert D. Willis (Willis) project

which show the need for a decrease in

annual revenues required to meet cost

recovery criteria. The decrease in the

revenues required will result from a

change in the allocation of costs due to

the remote operation of the Whitney

Project from the Sam Rayburn (Rayburn)

Project beginning in FY 1997. The

existing power plant operators’ costs

will be allocated among three projects

rather than just Willis and Rayburn. The

Administrator has also developed a

proposed rate schedule for the isolated

Willis project to recover the required

revenues. The proposed rate for the

Willis project would decrease annual

revenues approximately 9.3 percent

from $294,312 to $266,928 beginning

October 1, 1996.

DATES: A Public Information Forum has

been scheduled for July 16, 1996, in

Tulsa Oklahoma. A Public Comment

Forum will be held July 30, 1996, in

Tulsa, Oklahoma. Written comments are

due on or before (insert 30 days from the

date of Federal Register publication).

Southwestern is conducting a 30 day

public notice and comment period (10

CFR 903.14(d)). This public

participation period is for a minor rate

adjustment which does not require any

comment period to exceed 30 days. In

addition, this project has a single

hydroelectric power customer and that

customer directly impacted has been

informed of the proposed rate decrease.

It is anticipated that any comments from

the customer will be developed well

within the 30 day period.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be submitted to the Administrator,

Southwestern Power Administration,

U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box

1619, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

George C. Grisaffe, Assistant

Administrator, Office of Administration

and Rates, Southwestern Power

Administration, U.S. Department of

Energy, P.O. Box 1619, Tulsa, Oklahoma

74101, (918) 595–6628.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S.

Department of Energy was created by an

Act of the U.S. Congress, Department of

Energy Organization Act, P. L. 95–91,

dated August 4, 1977, and

Southwestern’s power marketing

activities were transferred from the

Department of the Interior to the

Department of Energy, effective October

1, 1977.

Southwestern markets power from 24

multiple-purpose reservoir projects with

power facilities constructed and

operated by the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers. These projects are located in

the States of Arkansas, Missouri,

Oklahoma and Texas. Southwestern’s

marketing area includes these states

plus Kansas and Louisiana. Of the total,

22 projects comprise an Integrated

System and are interconnected through

Southwestern’s transmission system and

exchange agreements with other

utilities. The Sam Rayburn Dam project,

located in eastern Texas, is not

interconnected with Southwestern’s

Integrated System hydraulically,

electrically, or financially. Instead, the

power produced by the Sam Rayburn

Dam project is marketed by

Southwestern as an isolated project

under a contract through which the

customer purchases the entire power

output of the project at the dam. The

Willis project, located on the Neches

River downstream from the Sam

Rayburn Dam, consists of two 4,000

kilowatt hydroelectric generating units.

It, like the Sam Rayburn Dam project, is