Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 29 / Monday, February 12, 2001 / Notices 9839

1CIG’s application was filed with the

Commission under Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas

Act and Subpart A of Part 157 of the Commission’s

regulations.

2CIG’s Front Range Expansion proposal, filed

with the Commission in Docket No. CP01–1–000 on

October 2, 2000, included construction of the new

6,675-hp Fort Lupton Compressor Station.

including the Commission’s notice

requirements for good cause, for both

Settlement and Release Agreements to

become effective.

Comment date: February 21, 2001, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

35. New England Power Pool

[Docket No. ER01–1146–000]

Take notice that on January 31, 2001,

the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL)

Participants Committee tendered for

filing changes to Market Rules 2,

Appendix 2–A, 6, 9, and 20–I to become

effective as of April 1, 2001.

The Participants Committee states

that copies of these materials were sent

to the New England state governors and

regulatory commissions and the

Participants in NEPOOL.

Comment date: February 21, 2001, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

36. Southern Company Services, Inc.

[Docket No. ER01–1150–000]

Take notice that on January 31, 2001,

Southern Company Services, Inc., as

agent for Georgia Power Company

(Georgia Power), tendered for filing the

Purchased Power Agreement between

Georgia Power and North Carolina

Municipal Power Agency No. 1

(NCMPA1), dated March 17, 2000 (the

Agreement), pursuant to the

Commission’s authorization for Georgia

Power to sell power at market rates

under the Market-Based Rate Tariff,

FERC Electric Tariff, First Revised

Volume No. 4 (Supersedes Original

Volume No. 4). The Agreement provides

the general terms and conditions for

capacity and associated energy sales

from Georgia Power to NCMPA1

commencing on January 1, 2001.

Comment date: February 21, 2001, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph E

at the end of this notice.

Standard Paragraph

E. Any person desiring to be heard or

to protest such filing should file a

motion to intervene or protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC

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 the

comment date. Protests will be

considered by the Commission in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceeding.

Any person wishing to become a party

must file a motion to intervene. Copies

of these filings are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection. This filing may also be

viewed on the Internet at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call

202–208–2222 for assistance).

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–3423 Filed 2–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–45–000]

Colorado Interstate Gas Company;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the

Proposed Valley Line Expansion

Project, Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues, and Notice of

Public Scoping Meetings and Route

Inspection

February 6, 2001.

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 Valley Line Expansion Project,

involving construction and operation of

facilities by Colorado Interstate Gas

Company (CIG) along the eastern slope

of the Rocky Mountain Front Range in

Colorado.1 These facilities would

consist of about 119 miles of 20- and 24-

inch-diameter pipeline in two sections

and 4,450 horsepower (hp) of

compression to be added at the recentlyproposed Fort Lupton Compressor

Station.2 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.

If you are a landowner receiving this

notice, you may be contacted by a

pipeline company representative about

the acquisition of an easement to

construct, operate, and maintain the

proposed facilities. The pipeline

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 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 available for viewing

on the FERC Internet website, http://

www.ferc.fed.us.

Summary of the Proposed Project

CIG wants to expand the capacity of

its existing natural gas transmissions

system along the eastern slope of the

Rocky Mountain Front Range in

Colorado. The primary purpose of the

expansion is to meet additional natural

gas fuel requirements for electric power

generation. Secondarily, this proposal

would provide a limited amount of

additional capacity to local natural gas

distribution systems for meeting

increased demand along the portion of

CIG’s Valley Line between its Watkins

Compressor Station and El Paso County

south of Colorado Springs. The

expansion would enable CIG to

transport an additional 278.8 million

cubic feet of natural gas per day (MMcf/

d) on the portion of its system between

the Cheyenne Hub in northern Weld

County and its Watkins Compressor

Station, and an additional 344.4 MMcf/

d on the portion of the Valley Line

which the new pipeline would parallel.

To support the expansion, CIG seeks

authority to construct and operate:

• About 35.1 miles of 24-inchdiameter looping pipeline between

CIG’s existing Ault Meter Station and

the Fort Lupton Compressor Station, all

in Weld County, Colorado;

• Two new natural gas-fired

reciprocating engine-driven

compressors, totaling 4,450 horsepower

at CIG’s proposed Fort Lupton

Compressor Station in Weld County,

Colorado;

• About 84 miles of 20-inch-diameter

pipeline which would generally parallel

CIG’s existing Valley Line between it’s

Watkins Compressor Station in southern

Adams County east of Denver and a

location adjacent to the existing Nixon

Power Plant in El Paso County south of

Colorado Springs; and

• Appurtenant and ancillary

facilities, including cathodic protection

systems (rectifier/groundbed facilities

and aboveground test stations); pig

9840 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 29 / Monday, February 12, 2001 / Notices

3A pipeline ‘‘pig’’ is a device used to internally

clean or inspect the pipeline. A pig launcher/

receiver is a surface facility where pigs are inserted

or retrieved from the pipeline.

4CIG proposes to install these appurtenant and

ancillary facilities under section 2.55(a) of the

Commission’s regulations.

5The appendices referenced in this notice are not

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies are

available on the Commission’s website at the

‘‘RIMS’’ link or from the Commission’s Public

Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First

Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)

208–1371. For instructions on connecting to RIMS

refer to the last page of this notice. Copies of the

appendices were sent to all those receiving this

notice in the mail.

6 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the

environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects

(OEP).

launchers and/or receivers; 3 mainline

block valve assemblies; and a side tap

and valve assembly. Additionally,

equipment related to the new

compressors at the Fort Lupton

Compressor Station would include a gas

cooler; jacket water coolers; inlet,

exhaust and vent silencers; a

compressor building; miscellaneous

pipe valves and fittings; and station

yard lighting.4

The general location of the project

facilities is shown in appendix 1.5

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction would disturb about

1,303 acres of land, consisting of that

associated with pipeline construction

(1,125 acres), material/equipment

staging areas (37 acres), extra work areas

(80 acres), and rail sidings/pipe storage

yards (61 acres). Following

construction, about 722 acres would be

maintained as new pipeline right-ofway. The remaining acreage would be

restored and allowed to revert to its

former use. Disturbance would also

occur within the 11-acre Fort Lupton

Compressor Station during installation

of the two new compressors. However,

this area is already dedicated to natural

gas facilities, and no expansion of the

station is proposed.

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 6 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:

• geology and soils

• water resources

• vegetation and wildlife

• threatened and endangered species

• land use

• air quality and noise

• cultural resources

• public safety

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 make

our recommendations to the

Commission.

To ensure your comments are

considered, please carefully follow the

instructions in the public participation

section beginning on page 5.

Currently Identified Environmental

Issues

We have already identified the

following issue that we think deserves

attention, based on a preliminary review

of the proposed facilities and the

environmental information provided by

CIG. This preliminary issue list may be

changed based on your comments and

our analysis.

• Routing of the pipeline through

developed areas in west Greeley,

Colorado.

• Limiting impact on woody riparian

and forested areas.

• Six federally listed threatened or

endangered species may occur in the

project area, as well as four other

species that are either proposed or

candidates for federal listing.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by

providing us with your specific

comments or concerns about the project.

By becoming a commentor, your

concerns will be addressed in the EA

and considered by the Commission. You

should focus on the potential

environmental effects of the proposal,

alternatives to the proposal (especially

alternative routes in areas of

environmental resource conflict), and

measures to avoid or lessen

environmental impact. The more

specific your comments, the more useful

they will be. Please carefully follow

these instructions to ensure that your

comments are received in time and

properly recorded:

• Send an original and two copies of

your letter to: David P. Boergers,

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,

Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

• Label one copy of the comments for

the attention of Gas 1, PJ–11.1.

• Reference Docket No. CP01–45–

000.

• Mail your comments so that they

will be received in Washington, DC on

or before March 8, 2001.

Comments may also be filed

electronically via the Internet in lieu of

paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii)

and the instructions on the

Commission’s web site at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm under

the link to the User’s Guide. Before you

can file comments you will need to

create an account which can be created

by clicking on ‘‘Login to File’’ and then

‘‘New User Account.’’

If you do not want to send comments

at this time but still want to remain on

our mailing list, please return the

Information Request (appendix 3). If you

do not return the Information Request

(appendix 3), your name will be taken

off the mailing list.

In addition to asking for written

comments, we invite you to attend any

of the public scoping meetings that we

will conduct in the project area. The

purpose of the scoping meetings is to

provide state and local agencies,

interested groups, landowners, and the

general public with an opportunity to

learn more about the project and

another chance to present us with

environmental issues or concerns they

believe should be addressed in the EA.

CIG representatives will be present at

the meetings to describe the proposed

project, both in general and for the

specific area where each meeting is

held, and to answer project-related

questions.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 29 / Monday, February 12, 2001 / Notices 9841

The locations and times for these

meetings are listed below. Priority will

be given to commenters who represent

groups, and a transcript of each meeing

will be made so that your comments

will be accurately recorded.

Date and time Location

Tuesday, ........

February 27,

2001.

Pikes Peak Community College, Rampart Campus—

Room W101, 11195 Highway 83, Colorado Springs,

Colorado.

Wednesday,

February 28,

2001.

Pioneer Elementary School

Cafeteria, 10881 Riva

Ridge Drive, Parker, Colorado.

Thursday,

March 1,

2001.

Aims Community College,

Corporate Education Center—Room 129A, 5590

11th Street, Greeley, Colorado.

Route Inspection

On February 27–March 2, 2001, we

will also be conducting an inspection of

the proposed routes and locations of

facilities associated with CIG’s proposal.

This inspection may include both aerial

and ground components. Anyone

interested in participating in the

inspection activities may contact the

FERC’s Office of External Affairs

(identified at the end of this notice) for

more details and must provide their

own transportation.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA

scoping process, you may want to

become an official party to the

proceeding known as an ‘‘intervenor’’.

Intervenors play a more formal role in

the process. 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 14 copies of its filings to

the Secretary of the Commission and

must send a copy of its filings to all

other parties on the Commission’s

service list for this proceeding. 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). Only

intervenors have the right to seek

rehearing of the Commission’s decision.

Affected landowners and parties with

environmental concerns may be granted

intervenor status upon showing good

cause by stating that they have a clear

and direct interest in this proceeding

which would not be adequately

represented by any other parties. You do

not need intervenor status to have your

environmental comments considered.

Additional information about the

proposed project is available from the

Commission’s Office of External Affairs

at (202) 208–1088 or on the FERC

website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the

‘‘RIMS’’ link to information in this

docket number. Click on the ‘‘RIMS’’

link, select ‘‘Docket #’’ from the RIMS

Menu, and follow the instructions. For

assistance with access to RIMS, the

RIMS helpline can be reached at (202)

208–2222.

Similarly, the ‘‘CIPS’’ link on the

FERC Internet website provides access

to the texts of formal documents issued

by the Commission, such as orders,

notices, and rulemakings. From the

FERC Internet website, click on the

‘‘CIPS’’ link, select ‘‘Docket #’’ from the

CIPS menu, and follow the instructions.

For assistance with access to CIPS, the

CIPS helpline can be reached at (202)

208–2474.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary

[FR Doc. 01–3435 Filed 2–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Notice of Amendment of Licenses and

Soliciting Comments, Motions To

Intervene, and Protests

February 6, 2001.

Take notice that the following

application has been filed with the

Commission and is available for public

inspection:

a. Application Type: Amendment of

License.

b. Project No.: 2530–022.

c. Date Filed: September 14, 1998,

supplemented October 17, 2000.

d. Applicant: FPL Energy Maine

Hydro LLC.

e. Name and Location of Project: The

Hiram Project is located on the Saco

River, in Cumberland and Oxford

Counties, Maine. The project does not

occupy federal or tribal lands.

f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r) and Section

4.202(a) of the Commission’s

regulations.

g. Applicant Contact: F. Allen Wiley,

P.E., FPL Energy Maine Hydro LLC, 150

Main Street, Lewiston, ME 04240, (207)

771–3534.

h. FERC Contact: Any questions on

this notice should be addressed to

Heather Campbell at (202) 219–3097 or

Peter McGovern at (202) 219–2867.

i. Deadline for filing comments and or

motions: March 2, 2001.

All documents (original and eight

copies) should be filed with: David P.

Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, NE., Washington DC 20426.

Comments and protests may be filed

electronically via the internet in lieu of

paper. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii)

and the instructions on the

Commission’s web site at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.

Please include the noted project

numbers on any comments or motions

filed.

j. Description of Proposal: The

Applicant requests an amendment to

extend the expiration date of the license

from November 30, 2022 to November

30, 2032 stating that it wishes to

coordinate the expiration date of the

Hiram license with the new expiration

dates of its new licenses for the Skelton

and Bonny Eagle projects that expire in

2038. In addition, the Applicant

references significant new investment

and environmental improvements in the

project vicinity resulting from the

Instream Flow Agreement for

Hydroelectric Projects on the Saco River

dated April 30, 1997. On October 17,

2000, the licensee filed supplemental

information about the economic costs of

implementing the flow agreement,

including the impact on project

generation.

k. Locations of the application: A

copy of the application is available for

inspection and reproduction at the

Commission’s Public Reference Room,

located at 888 First Street, NE, Room

2A, Washington, DC 20426, or by calling

(202) 208–1371. The application may be

viewed on the web at www.ferc.fed.us/

online/rims.htm (Call (202) 208–2222

for assistance). A copy is also available

for inspection and reproduction at the

address in item g above.

l. Individuals desiring to be included

on the Commission’s mailing list should

so indicate by writing to the Secretary

of the Commission.

m. Comments, Protests, or Motions to

Intervene: Anyone may submit

comments, a protest, or a motion to

intervene in accordance with the

requirements of Rules of Practice and

Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214.

In determining the appropriate action to

take, the Commission will consider all

protests or other comments filed, but

only those who file a motion to

intervene in accordance with the

Commission’s Rules may become a

party to the proceeding. Any comments,

protests, or motions to intervene must

be received on or before the specified

comment date for the particular

application.