Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Notices 60097 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The 

application and any filed protests, 

motions to intervene or notice of 

interventions, and comments will also 

be available electronically by going to 

the following DOE/FE Web address: 

http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/ 

gasregulation/index.html. In addition, 

any electronic comments filed will also 

be available at: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 

23, 2010. 

John A. Anderson, 

Manager, Natural Gas Regulatory Activities, 

Office of Oil and Gas Global Security and 

Supply, Office of Fossil Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2010–24389 Filed 9–28–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

National Commission on the BP 

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and 

Offshore Drilling 

AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of 

Fossil Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces an 

open meeting of the National 

Commission on the BP Deepwater 

Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling 

(the Commission). The Commission was 

organized pursuant to the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 

463, 86 Stat. 770) (the Act). The Act 

requires that agencies publish these 

notices in the Federal Register. The 

Charter of the Commission can be found 

at: http://www.OilSpillCommission.gov. 

DATES: Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 1 

p.m.–4:45 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The Westin Grand, 2350 M 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037; 

telephone number: (202) 429–0100. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christopher A. Smith, Designated 

Federal Officer, Mail Stop: FE–30, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585; telephone (202) 

586–0716 or facsimile (202) 586–6221; 

e-mail: BPDeepwaterHorizon

Commission@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: The President directed 

that the Commission be established to 

examine the relevant facts and 

circumstances concerning the root cause 

of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, 

fire, and oil spill and to develop options 

to guard against, and mitigate the 

impact of, any oil spills associated with 

offshore drilling in the future. 

The Commission is composed of 

seven members appointed by the 

President to serve as special 

Government employees. The members 

were selected because of their extensive 

scientific, legal, engineering, and 

environmental expertise, and their 

knowledge of issues pertaining to the oil 

and gas industry. Information on the 

Commission can be found at its Web 

site: http:// 

www.OilSpillCommission.gov. 

Purpose of the Meeting: To discuss 

relevant facts and circumstances 

concerning the root causes of the 

Deepwater Horizon explosion, fire, and 

oil spill, and options to guard against, 

and mitigate the impact of, any oil spills 

associated with offshore drilling in the 

future. 

Tentative Agenda: The meeting is 

expected to start on October 13, 2010, at 

1 p.m. Commission discussions are 

expected to begin shortly thereafter and 

will conclude at approximately 4 p.m. 

Public comments can be made 

tentatively from 4:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. 

The final agenda will be available at the 

Commission’s Web site: http:// 

www.OilSpillCommission.gov. 

Public Participation: The meeting is 

open to the public. Seats will be 

available on a first-come, first-serve 

basis. An overflow room will be 

available with a live video feed of the 

meeting. Those not able to attend the 

meeting may view the meeting live on 

the Commission’s Web site: http:// 

www.OilSpillCommission.gov. The 

Designated Federal Officer is 

empowered to conduct the meeting in a 

fashion that will facilitate the orderly 

conduct of business. 

Approximately thirty minutes will be 

reserved for public comments. Time 

allotted per speaker will be three 

minutes. Opportunity for public 

comment will be available on October 

13 tentatively from 4:15 p.m. to 4:45 

p.m. Registration for those wishing to 

request an opportunity to speak opens 

onsite at noon on October 13. 

Speakers will register to speak on a 

first-come, first-serve basis. Members of 

the public wishing to provide oral 

comments are encouraged to provide a 

written copy of their comments for 

collection at the time of onsite 

registration. 

Those individuals who are not able to 

attend the meeting, or who are not able 

to provide oral comments during the 

meeting, are invited to send a written 

statement to Christopher A. Smith, Mail 

Stop FE–30, U.S. Department of Energy, 

1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585, or e-mail: 

BPDeepwaterHorizionCommission@hq.

doe.gov. This notice is being published 

less than 15 days before the date of the 

meeting due to a national emergency. 

Minutes: The minutes of the meeting 

will be available at the Commission’s 

Web site: http:// 

www.OilSpillCommission.gov or by 

contacting Mr. Smith. He may be 

reached at the postal or e-mail addresses 

above. 

Accommodation for the hearing 

impaired: A sign language interpreter 

will be onsite for the duration of the 

meeting. 

Issued in Washington, DC on September 

24, 2010. 

Carol A. Matthews, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2010–24390 Filed 9–28–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP10–486–000] 

Colorado Interstate Gas Company; 

Notice of Intent To Prepare An 

Environmental Assessment for the 

Proposed Spruce Hill Air Blending 

Project and Request for Comments on 

Environmental Issues 

September 21, 2010. 

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 Spruce Hill Air Blending Project 

involving construction and operation of 

facilities by Colorado Interstate Gas 

Company (CIG) in Douglas County, 

Colorado. This EA will be used by the 

Commission in its decision-making 

process to determine whether the 

project is in the public convenience and 

necessity. 

This notice announces the opening of 

the scoping process the Commission 

will use to gather input from the public 

and interested agencies on the project. 

Your input will help the Commission 

staff determine what issues need to be 

evaluated in the EA. Please note that the 

scoping period will close on October 21, 

2010. 

This notice is being sent to the 

Commission’s current environmental 

mailing list for this project. State and 

local government representatives are 

asked to notify their constituents of this 

proposed project and encourage them to 

comment on their areas of concern. 

If you are a landowner receiving this 

notice, you may be contacted by a 

pipeline company representative about 


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60098 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Notices 

1The appendices referenced in this notice are not 

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies of 

appendices were sent to all those receiving this 

notice in the mail and are available at http:// 

www.ferc.gov using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or 

from the Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call 

(202) 502–8371. For instructions on connecting to 

eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. 

2 ‘‘We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the environmental 

staff of the Commission’s Office of Energy Projects. 

3The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s 

regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal 

Regulations, Part 800. Historic properties are 

defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or 

historic district, site, building, structure, or object 

included in or eligible for inclusion in the National 

Register for Historic Places. 

the acquisition of an easement to 

construct, operate, and maintain the 

proposed facilities. The 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 

where compensation would be 

determined 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?’’ was attached to the project 

notice CIG provided to landowners. 

This fact sheet addresses a number of 

typically-asked questions, including the 

use of eminent domain and how to 

participate in the Commission’s 

proceedings. It is also available for 

viewing on the FERC Web site (http:// 

www.ferc.gov). 

Summary of the Proposed Project 

CIG proposes to construct and operate 

a new air blending station in Douglas 

County, Colorado. The Spruce Hill Air 

Blending Project would increase CIG’s 

firm natural gas transportation capacity 

to 50,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/day) 

to meet contractual agreements with 

Black Hills Utility Holdings, Inc. (Black 

Hill) as a result of Black Hill’s 

anticipated demand growth. According 

to CIG, its project would reduce the 

input factor of the gas to a level that 

conforms to the gas quality 

specifications in CIG’s Tariff for its 

existing Valley Line, to which the 

blended gas would be discharged. 

The Spruce Hill Air Blending Project 

would consist of the following: 

• An air blending compressor station 

(the Spruce Hill Air Blending Station) 

containing a 215–, a 390–, and a 500– 

horsepower air compressor; 

• A back-pressure regulator; 

• Air blending controls and 

instrumentation; 

• A gas heater; 

• Auxiliary facilities and piping; 

• Modifications to the existing Spruce 

Hill Meter Station; 

• An interconnection at the air 

blending station between the existing 

Spruce Hill Meter Station and CIG’s 

existing Line No. 212A; and 

• A powerline connection within 

CIG’s 35-acre parcel. 

The general location of the project 

facilities is shown in Appendix 1.1

Land Requirements for Construction 

Construction of the proposed facilities 

would disturb about 5.5 acres of land for 

the air blending station and its auxiliary 

facilities. Following construction, about 

3.3 acres would be maintained for 

permanent operation of the project’s 

facilities; the remaining acreage would 

be restored and allowed to revert to 

former uses. All construction would 

occur within a 35-acre land parcel 

owned by CIG. 

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 2 to 

discover and address concerns the 

public may have about proposals. This 

process is referred to as ‘‘scoping’’. The 

main goal of the scoping process is to 

focus the analysis in the EA on the 

important environmental issues. By this 

notice, the Commission requests public 

comments on the scope of the issues to 

address in the EA. All comments 

received will be considered during the 

preparation of the EA. 

In the EA we will discuss impacts that 

could occur as a result of the 

construction and operation of the 

proposed project under these general 

headings: 

• Geology and soils; 

• Land use; 

• Water resources, fisheries, and 

wetlands; 

• Cultural resources; 

• Vegetation and wildlife; 

• Air quality and noise; 

• Endangered and threatened species; 

and 

• Public safety. 

We will also evaluate reasonable 

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 the EA. The 

EA will be placed in the public record 

and, depending on the comments 

received during the scoping process, 

may be published and distributed to the 

public. A comment period will be 

allotted if the EA is published for 

review. We will consider all comments 

on the EA before we make our 

recommendations to the Commission. 

To ensure your comments are 

considered, please carefully follow the 

instructions in the Public Participation 

section below. 

With this notice, we are asking 

agencies with jurisdiction and/or 

special expertise with respect to 

environmental issues to formally 

cooperate with us in the preparation of 

the EA. These agencies may choose to 

participate once they have evaluated the 

proposal relative to their 

responsibilities. Agencies that would 

like to request cooperating agency status 

should follow the instructions for filing 

comments provided under the Public 

Participation section of this notice. 

Consultations Under Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

In accordance with the Advisory 

Council on Historic Preservation’s 

implementing regulations for section 

106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act, we are using this 

notice to initiate consultation with the 

Colorado State Historic Preservation 

Office, and to solicit their views and 

those of other government agencies, 

interested Indian tribes, and the public 

on the project’s potential effects on 

historic properties.3 We will define the 

project-specific Area of Potential Effects 

(APE) in consultation with the SHPO as 

the project is further developed. On 

natural gas facility projects, the APE at 

a minimum encompasses all areas 

subject to ground disturbance (examples 

include construction right-of-way, 

contractor/pipe storage yards, 

compressor stations, and access roads). 

Our EA for this project will document 

our findings on the impacts on historic 

properties and summarize the status of 

consultations under section 106. 

Public Participation 

You can make a difference by 

providing us with your specific 

comments or concerns about the project. 

Your comments should focus on the 

potential environmental effects, 

reasonable alternatives, and measures to 

avoid or lessen environmental impacts. 

The more specific your comments, the 

more useful they will be. To ensure that 

your comments are timely and properly 

recorded, please send your comments so 

that they will be received in 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Notices 60099 

Washington, DC on or before October 

21, 2010. 

For your convenience, there are three 

methods which you can use to submit 

your comments to the Commission. In 

all instances please reference the project 

docket number (CP10–486–000) with 

your submission. The Commission 

encourages electronic filing of 

comments and has expert eFiling staff 

available to assist you at (202) 502–8258 

or efiling@ferc.gov. 

(1) You may file your comments 

electronically by using the eComment 

feature, which is located on the 

Commission’s Web site at http:// 

www.ferc.gov under the link to 

Documents and Filings. An eComment 

is an easy method for interested persons 

to submit brief, text-only comments on 

a project; 

(2) You may file your comments 

electronically by using the eFiling 

feature, which is located on the 

Commission’s Web site at http:// 

www.ferc.gov under the link to 

Documents and Filings. With eFiling 

you can provide comments in a variety 

of formats by attaching them as a file 

with your submission. New eFiling 

users must first create an account by 

clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ You will be 

asked to select the type of filing you are 

making. A comment on a particular 

project is considered a ‘‘Comment on a 

Filing’’; or 

(3) You may file a paper copy of your 

comments at the following address: 

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, 

DC 20426. 

Environmental Mailing List 

The environmental mailing list 

includes federal, state, and local 

government representatives and 

agencies; elected officials; 

environmental and public interest 

groups; Native American Tribes; other 

interested parties; and local libraries 

and newspapers. This list also includes 

all affected landowners (as defined in 

the Commission’s regulations) who are 

potential right-of-way grantors, whose 

property may be used temporarily for 

project purposes, or who own homes 

within certain distances of aboveground 

facilities, and anyone who submits 

comments on the project. We will 

update the environmental mailing list as 

the analysis proceeds to ensure that we 

send the information related to this 

environmental review to all individuals, 

organizations, and government entities 

interested in and/or potentially affected 

by the proposed project. 

If the EA is published for distribution, 

copies will be sent to the environmental 

mailing list for public review and 

comment. If you would prefer to receive 

a paper copy of the document instead 

of the CD version or would like to 

remove your name from the mailing 

list, please return the attached 

Information Request (Appendix 2). 

Becoming an Intervenor 

In addition to involvement in the EA 

scoping process, you may want to 

become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an 

official party to the Commission’s 

proceeding. Intervenors play a more 

formal role in the process and are able 

to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be 

heard by the courts if they choose to 

appeal the Commission’s final ruling. 

An intervenor formally participates in 

the proceeding by filing a request to 

intervene. Instructions for becoming an 

intervenor are included in the User’s 

Guide under the ‘‘e-Filing’’ link on the 

Commission’s Web site. 

Additional Information 

Additional information about the 

project is available from the 

Commission’s Office of External Affairs, 

at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web 

site at http://www.ferc.gov using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the eLibrary 

link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and enter 

the docket number, excluding the last 

three digits, in the Docket Number field 

(i.e., CP10–486). Be sure you have 

selected an appropriate date range. For 

assistance, please contact FERC Online 

Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 

or toll free at (866) 208–3676, or for 

TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The 

eLibrary link also provides access to the 

texts of formal documents issued by the 

Commission, such as orders, notices, 

and rulemakings. 

In addition, the Commission now 

offers a free service called eSubscription 

which allows you to keep track of all 

formal issuances and submittals in 

specific dockets. This can reduce the 

amount of time you spend researching 

proceedings by automatically providing 

you with notification of these filings, 

document summaries, and direct links 

to the documents. Go to http:// 

www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm. 

Finally, public meetings or site visits 

will be posted on the Commission’s 

calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/ 

EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along 

with other related information. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 


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60102 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2010 / Notices 

[FR Doc. 2010–24233 Filed 9–28–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–C 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Western Area Power Administration 

South Dakota PrairieWinds Project 

(DOE/EIS–0418) 

AGENCY: Western Area Power 

Administration, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of Record of Decision 

and Floodplain Statement of Findings. 

SUMMARY: The Western Area Power 

Administration (Western) received two 

requests from Basin Electric Power 

Cooperative (Basin Electric); one to 

interconnect their proposed South 

Dakota PrairieWinds Project (Proposed 

Project) and one to interconnect the 

South Dakota Wind Partners, LLC’s 

(Wind Partners’) proposed development 

to Western’s transmission system. The 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS), also received a 

request from Basin Electric for financial 

assistance for the Proposed Project. RUS 

is a joint lead agency in the 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

process. 

The Proposed Project includes a 

151.5-megawatt (MW) nameplate 

capacity wind-powered energy 

generation facility that would feature 

101 wind turbine generators; 6,000 

square-foot operations and maintenance 

building and fence perimeter; 64 miles 

of underground communication system 

and electrical collector lines (within the 

same trench); 34.5-kilovolt (kV) to 230- 

kV collector substation and microwave 

tower; 11 mile-long overhead 230-kV 

transmission line; temporary 

equipment/material storage or lay-down 

areas; temporary batch plant; temporary 

crane walks; and 81 miles of new and/ 

or upgraded service roads to access the 

facilities. Wind Partners’ proposed 

development would include the 

installation of an additional seven 

turbines within the Crow Lake 

Alternative and use a portion of the 

other facilities described for the 

Proposed Project. Through an agreement 

between Basin Electric and Wind 

Partners, Basin Electric would 

construct, operate, and maintain the 

Wind Partners’ proposed development. 

Western considered the 

interconnection requests under the 

provisions of its Open Access 

Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff), 

along with the information in the EIS 

and all comments received, and has 

made the decision to allow both of 

Basin Electric’s requests to interconnect 

at Western’s existing Wessington 

Springs Substation. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Please contact Ms. Liana Reilly, 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) Document Manager, Western 

Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 

281213, Lakewood, CO 80228; 

telephone (800) 336–7288 or e-mail 

sdprairiewinds@wapa.gov for additional 

information concerning the Proposed 

Project and Wind Partners’ proposed 

development. 

For general information on the 

Department of Energy’s (DOE) NEPA 

review process, please contact Ms. Carol 

M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 

Policy and Compliance, GC–54, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585; telephone (800) 

472–2756. 

For information on RUS financing, 

contact Mr. Dennis Rankin, Project 

Manager, Engineering and 

Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities 

Service, Utilities Program, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Mail Stop 

1571, Washington, DC 20250–1571, 

telephone (202) 720–1953 or e-mail 

dennis.rankin@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is 

a Federal agency within the DOE that 

markets and transmits wholesale 

electrical power through an integrated 

17,000-mile, high-voltage transmission 

system across 15 western states. 


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