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58990
Federal Register
/Vol. 65, No. 192/Tuesday, October 3, 2000/Notices
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Williams’ application was filed with theCommission on June 21, 2000, under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of theCommission’s regulations.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy RegulatoryCommission
[Docket No. RP00–450–001]
Natural Gas Pipeline Company ofAmerica; Notice of Compliance Filing
September 27, 2000.
Take notice that on September 22,2000, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (Natural) tendered for filing to be part of its FERC Gas Tariff, SixthRevised Volume No. 1, SubstituteSecond Revised Sheet No. 62, to beeffective September 11, 2000.Natural states that the tariff sheet wasfiled in compliance with theCommission’s ‘‘Order Accepting Tariff Sheets Subject to Conditions’’ issuedSeptember 8, 2000, in Docket NO.RP00–450–000 (Order) related torevisions to its General Terms andConditions, Rate Schedules FRSS, FTS,IBS and DSS and the pro forma serviceagreement.Natural requests any waivers of theCommission’s Regulations to the extentnecessary to permit the tariff sheetsubmitted herein to become effectiveSeptember 11, 2000, consistent with theOrder.Natural states that copies of the filinghave been mailed to all parties set outon the Commission’s official service listin Docket No. RP00–450.Any person desiring to protest saidfiling should file a protest with theFederal Energy Regulatory Commission,888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC20426, in accordance with Section385.211 of the Commission’s Rules andRegulations. All such protests must befiled in accordance with Section154.210 of the Commission’sRegulations. Protests will be considered by the Commission in determining theappropriate action to be taken, but willnot serve to make protestants parties tothe proceedings. Copies of this filing areon file with the Commission and areavailable for public inspection in thePublic Reference Room. This filing may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call202–208–2222 for assistance).
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00–25312 Filed 10–2–00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–M
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy RegulatoryCommission
[Project Nos. 2232–381, 2331–014, 2332–021, 2503–048, 2740–041 North and SouthCarolina]
Duke Energy Corporation; Notice ofAvailability of EnvironmentalAssessment
September 27, 2000.
An environmental assessment (EA) isavailable for public review. The EAanalyzes the environmental impacts of approving Duke Energy Corporation’s(Duke) excavation programmaticagreement (PA) for the above fiveprojects located in North and SouthCarolina. These projects include thefollowing 16 reservoirs: Lake James,Rodhiss, Hickory, Lookout Shoals,Norman, Mountain Island, Wylie,Fishing Creek, Great Falls, Rocky Creek,Wateree, Ninety-Nine Islands, GastonShoals, Jocassee, Keowee and BadCreek.In its PA, Duke requests authority togrant permits to excavate up to 2,000cubic yards (cy) of lakebottomsediments without obtaining priorCommission approval. Duke also asksfor authority to grant permits formaintenance excavations involving anyamount of sediment. Maintenanceexcavations are defined in the PA.Applicants would still have to obtain allother necessary local, state and federalpermits and many other restrictionsapply.The EA was written by staff in theOffice of Energy Projects, FederalEnergy Regulatory Commission. In theEA, Commission staff conclude thatapproving the PA and granting Duke therequested authority would notconstitute a major federal actionsignificantly affecting the quality of thehuman environment. Copies of the EAcan be viewed on the web at
www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm.
Call(202) 208–2222 for assistance. Copiesare also available for inspection andreproduction at the Commission’sPublic Reference Room, located at 888First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington,DC 20426, or by calling (202) 208–1371.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00–25331 Filed 10–2–00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–M
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYFederal Energy RegulatoryCommission
[Docket No. CP00–394–000]
William Gas Pipelines Central, Inc.;Notice of Intent To Prepare anEnvironmental Assessment for theProposed Pampa Pipeline (Line G)Abandonment Project, and Request forComments on Environmental Issues
September 27, 2000.
The staff of the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission (FERC orCommission) will prepare anenvironmental assessment (EA) that willdiscuss the environmental impacts of the abandonment of facilities proposedin the Williams Gas Pipelines Central,Inc. (Williams) Pampa Pipeline (Line G),also known as the Wichita-Ottawa line,Abandonment Project in Butler, Chase,and Lyon Counties, Kansas.
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Thesefacilities consist of about 64.3 miles of 16- and 20-inch-diameter pipeline. TheEA will be used by the Commission inits decision-making process todetermine whether the project in thepublic convenience and necessity.If you are a landowner on Williams’existing Line G pipeline and receive thisnotice, you may be contacted by apipeline company representative aboutthe proposed abandonment of facilities.The pipeline company would seek tonegotiate a mutually acceptableagreement in regards to additional workspace for pipe staging areas needed forthe proposed abandonment of facilities.However, if the project is approved bythe Commission, that approval conveyswith it the right of eminent domain.Therefore, if easement negotiations failto produce an agreement, the pipelinecompany could initiate condemnationproceedings in accordance with statelaw.A fact sheet prepared by the FERCentitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural GasFacility On My Land? What Do I NeedTo Know?’’ was attached to the projectnotice Williams provided to landownersalong the Line G route. This fact sheetaddresses a number of typically askedquestions, including the use of eminentdomain and how to participate in theCommission’s proceedings. It isavailable for viewing on the FERCInternet website (www.ferc.fed.us).This Notice of Intent (NOI) is beingsent to landowners of property crossed by Williams’ Line G; Federal, state, and
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58991
Federal Register
/Vol. 65, No. 192/Tuesday, October 3, 2000/Notices
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‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the environmentstaff of the Office of Energy Projects, part of theCommission staff.
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The appendices referenced in this notice are not being printed in the
Federal Register.
Copies areavailable on the Commission’s website at the‘‘RIMS’’ link or from the Commission’s PublicReference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 FirstStreet, NE, Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, or call(202) 208–1371. For instructions on connecting toRIMS to the last page of this notice. Copies of theappendices were sent to all those receiving thisnotice in the mail.
local agencies; elected officials;environmental and public interestgroups; Indian tribes that might attachreligious and cultural significance tohistoric properties in the area of potential effects; local libraries andnewspapers; and the Commission’s listof parties to the proceeding. State andlocal government representatives areencouraged to notify their constituentsof this proposed action and encouragethem to comment on their areas of concern.Additionally, with this NOI we
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areasking those Federal, state, local, andtribal agencies with jurisdiction and/orspecial expertise with respect toenvironmental issues to cooperate withus in the preparation of the EA. Theseagencies may choose to participate oncethey have evaluated Williams’ proposalrelative to their agencies’responsibilities. Agencies who wouldlike to request cooperating status shouldfollow the instructions for filingcomments described below.
Summary of the Proposed Project
In an ongoing effort to eliminate old,high maintenance pipelines on itssystem, Williams is proposing toabandon by sale for reclaim anotherportion of the Pampa 20-inch pipelineextending from El Dorado, Kansas toNeosho Rapids, Kansas (Line G). Overthe years, the Pampa line has been thesource of thousands of leaks and highmaintenance costs, primarily at thecouplings. In view of the age of the lineand the construction techniques used, itis anticipated that Williams would haveongoing problem with this pipeline.Accordingly, Williams has determinedthat the best course of action is tocontinue to abandon the Pampa linewhen opportunity arises.Williams proposes to abandon by saleabout 64.3 miles of its Line G, consistingof 59.4 miles of 20-inch-diameterpipeline and 4.9 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline. The purchaserwould, in turn, reclaim about 57.1 milesof pipeline (4.5 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline and 52.6 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline) for salvage andwould abandon in place about 7.2 milesof pipeline (0.4 mile of 16-inch-diameterpipeline and 6.8 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline).The pipeline would be abandoned inplace at road and railroad crossings, allwaterbody and wetland crossings, andany other environmentally sensitivelocations (
e.g.,
residences), unless thepipe is exposed and is causing a safetyhazard.Due to a few landowners requestingthat the pipeline be abandoned in placeon their property, Williams is now inthe process of evaluating the amount of pipe that might be reclaimed versuswhat might be abandoned in place andcontacting a possible purchaser toestimate a market value. Should theresults indicate that the benefits of reclaiming the pipeline are negligible oroutweighed by abandoning the pipe inplace, then Williams shall reconsiderthe current application.The general location of Williams’proposed facilities is shown on the mapattached as appendix 2.
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Land Requirements for Abandonment by Removal
The current permanent right-of-waywidth is 66 feet. Removal of theproposed facilities would require about462 acres of land, of which 5.2 acreswould be used for additional workspace needed for temporary storage of the reclaimed pipe until it can be loadedonto trucks and removed from the area.Upon completion of the removal projectthe current permanent right-of-way andadditional work space no longer berequired and the land would be restoredand would revert back to the landownerand its former use.
The EA Process
The National Environmental PolicyAct (NEPA) requires the Commission totake into account the environmentalimpacts that could result from an actionwhenever it considers the issuance of aCertificate of Public Convenience andNecessity. NEPA also requires us todiscover and address concerns thepublic may have about proposals. Wecall this ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of thescoping process is to focus the analysisin the EA on the importantenvironmental issues. By this NOI, theCommission requests public commentson the scope of the issues it will addressin the EA. All comments received areconsidered during the preparation of theEA.Our independent analysis of theissues will be in the EA. Depending onthe comments received during thescoping process, the EA may bepublished and mailed to Federal, state,and local agencies, elected officials,affected landowners, regional publicinterest groups, Indian tribes, localnewspapers and libraries, and theCommission’s official service list forthis proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA ispublished. We will consider allcomments on the EA before we makeour recommendations to theCommission.
Currently Identified EnvironmentalIssues
The EA will discuss impacts thatcould occur as a result of abandonmentof the proposed project. Landownersrequesting that the pipeline on theirproperty be abandoned in place has been identified as an issue that we thinkdeserves attention based on apreliminary review of the proposedfacilities and the environmentalinformation provided by Williams.
Public Participation
You can make a difference byproviding us with your specificcomments or concerns about the project.By becoming a commentor yourconcerns will be addressed in the EAand considered by the Commission. Youshould focus on the potentialenvironmental effects of the proposal,alternatives to the proposal, andmeasures to avoid or lessenenvironmental impact. The morespecific your comments, the more usefulthey will be. Please carefully followthese instructions to ensure that yourcomments are received in time andproperly recorded:
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Send original and two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers,Secretary, Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission, 888 First St., NE., Room1A, Washington, DC 20426;
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Label one copy of the comments forthe attention of Environmental GasGroup 1, PJ–11.1;
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Reference Docket No. CP00–394–000; and
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Mail yor comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before October 30, 2000.[If you do not want to send commentsat this time but still want to remain onour mailing list, please return theInformation Request (appendix 3). If youdo not return the Information Request,you will be removed from theenvironmental mailing list.]
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EAscoping process, you may want to become an official party to theproceeding known as an ‘‘intervenor.’’Intervenors play a more formal role in
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