Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 213 / Monday, November 5, 2007 / Notices

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What actually matters in this document.

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Persons unable to file electronically

should submit an original and 14 copies

of the intervention or protest to the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First St. NE., Washington, DC

20426.

The filings in the above proceedings

are accessible in the Commission’s

eLibrary system by clicking on the

appropriate link in the above list. They

are also available for review in the

Commission’s Public Reference Room in

Washington, DC. There is an

eSubscription link on the Web site that

enables subscribers to receive e-mail

notification when a document is added

to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance

with any FERC Online service, please email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or

call (866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY,

call (202) 502–8659.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Jr.,

Acting Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. E7–21650 Filed 11–2–07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

A copy of the EA is attached to a

Commission order titled ‘‘Order

Amending License,’’ issued October 29,

2007, and is available for review in the

Commission’s Public Reference Room.

A copy of the EA may also be viewed

on the Commission’s Web site at

http://www.ferc.gov using the

‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket

number (P–2233) in the docket number

field to access the document. For

assistance, contact FERC Online

Support at

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY,

(202) 502–8659.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E7–21660 Filed 11–2–07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. PF07–13–000]

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Project No. 2233–066 Oregon]

Portland General Electric Company;

Notice of Availability of Environmental

Assessment

ycherry on PRODPC74 with NOTICES

October 29, 2007.

An environmental assessment (EA) is

available for public review. The EA was

prepared for an application filed by

Portland General Electric Company

(licensee) on December 29, 2006, and

supplemented on February 26, 2007,

requesting Commission approval of an

amendment of license to increase the

height of temporary flashboards on the

concrete dam along the crest of

Willamette Falls from 2.0 feet to 3.5 feet,

in addition to other modifications, at the

Willamette Falls Hydroelectric Project.

The project is located on the Willamette

River near the cities of West Linn and

Oregon City in Clackamas County,

Oregon. The project does not occupy

any federal lands.

The EA evaluates the environmental

impacts that would result from

approving the licensee’s proposed

increase in flashboard height and

installation of temporary adult lamprey

passage structures. The EA finds that

approval of the amendment application,

combined with Commission

modifications, would not constitute a

major federal action significantly

affecting the quality of the human

environment.

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Palomar Gas Transmission, LLC;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Palomar Gas

Transmission Project; Request for

Comments on Environmental Issues

and Notice of Public Meetings

October 29, 2007.

The Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission (FERC or Commission) is

in the process of preparing an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

on the environmental impacts of the

Palomar Gas Transmission Project

involving the construction and

operation of a new underground natural

gas pipeline proposed by Palomar Gas

Transmission, LLC (PGT). This Notice of

Intent (NOI) explains the scoping

process that will be used to gather input

from the public and interested agencies

on the project. Your input will help

determine which issues will be

evaluated in the EIS. Please note that

the scoping period for this project will

close on November 28, 2007.

Comments on the project may be

submitted in written form or verbally. In

lieu of or in addition to sending written

comments, we1 also invite you to attend

the public scoping meetings that have

been scheduled in the project area. The

meetings are scheduled for Monday,

November 12 in Maupin, Oregon;

Tuesday, November 13 in Molalla,

Oregon; Wednesday, November 14 in

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

environmental staff of the FERC’s Office of Energy

Projects.

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McMinnvile, Oregon; and Thursday,

November 15 in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Further details on how to submit

comments and additional details of the

public scoping meetings are provided in

the Public Participation section of this

notice.

The FERC will be the lead federal

agency in the preparation of an EIS that

will satisfy the requirements of the

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) and will be used by the FERC

to consider the environmental impacts

that could result if the Commission

issues PGT a Certificate of Public

Convenience and Necessity under

section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.

This NOI is being sent to Federal,

State, and local government agencies;

elected officials; affected landowners;

environmental and public interest

groups; Indian tribes and regional

Native American organizations;

commentors and other interested

parties; and local libraries and

newspapers. We encourage government

representatives to notify their

constituents of this planned 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 PGT

representative about the acquisition of

an easement to construct, operate, and

maintain the proposed facilities. The

pipeline would seek to negotiate a

mutually acceptable agreement.

However, if the project is approved by

the FERC, 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?’’ is available for viewing on

the FERC Internet Web site (http://

www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/citizenguides.asp). This fact sheet addresses a

number of typically asked questions,

including the use of eminent domain

and how to participate in FERC’s

proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project

PGT has announced its proposal to

construct and operate a new natural gas

pipeline and associated structures with

a bi-directional flow capacity of 1.4

billion cubic feet per day. The project

would be located in northwest Oregon

and consist of a 211-mile-long, 36-inchdiameter pipeline running from near

Shaniko, Wasco County, Oregon to near

Wauna, Clatsop County, Oregon. The

pipeline would travel across Wasco,

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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 213 / Monday, November 5, 2007 / Notices

Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill,

Washington, Columbia, and Clatsop

Counties in Oregon. The pipeline would

connect the existing Gas Transmission

Northwest Corporation (GTN) mainline

pipeline system in central Oregon to the

Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW

Natural) distribution system near

Molalla in Clackamas County. The

pipeline is also proposed to extend to

other potential interconnections with

NW Natural’s system and to an

interconnection with NorthernStar

Energy LLC’s proposed Bradwood

Landing pipeline near Wauna in Clatsop

County, Oregon. The proposed project

would also include a 3.8-mile-long, 36inch-diameter lateral pipeline 2 near

Molalla, Clackamas County, Oregon, to

connect the Palomar Project mainline to

an existing NW Natural city gate.

Certain associated aboveground

facilities are also proposed, i.e.,

mainline valves spaced at intervals

along the pipeline as defined by U.S.

Department of Transportation

regulations per the Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR) 49 Part 192, at least

three meter stations, and pig launcher

and receiver facilities. At this time, PGT

does not anticipate that compression

will be required for this project.

More specifically, PGT proposes the

following primary project components:

b A 211-mile-long, 36-inch diameter

underground natural gas mainline

consisting of two segments:

b Segment 1: a 108.5-miles of

mainline from TransCanada’s GTN

pipeline system northwest of Madras in

Wasco County to a location southwest of

Molalla in Clackamas County; and a 3.8mile, 36-inch diameter accessory lateral

pipeline, the Molalla Lateral, which will

connect the main pipeline to NW

Natural’s distribution system;

b Segment 2: a 102.5-mile segment

commencing at the Molalla Lateral

interconnect and terminating at the

proposed connection to the Bradwood

Landing pipeline near Wauna, Clatsop

County; there is potential for additional

interconnections with NW Natural along

this route;

b two meter stations, eight mainline

valves, and two pig launchers/receivers

on Segment I; one pig launcher/receiver

on the Molalla Lateral; and one meter

station, eight mainline valves, and one

pig launcher/receiver on section II;

b temporary pipe storage and

contractor yards at various locations

along the pipeline for office trailers,

parking, and pipe and equipment

storage during construction; and

2 A lateral pipeline typically takes gas from the

main system to deliver it to a customer, local

distribution system, or another interstate

transmission system.

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b temporary construction roadways

and short permanent roads from existing

roads to meter station sites and other

aboveground facilities.

A location map depicting PGT’s

proposed facilities is attached to this

NOI as Appendix 1.3

The EIS Process

NEPA requires the Commission to

take into account the environmental

impacts that could result from an action

when it considers whether or not a

natural gas pipeline should be

approved. FERC will use the EIS to

consider the environmental impacts that

could result if it issues project

authorizations to PGT under sections 3

and 7 of the Natural Gas Act. NEPA also

requires us to discover and address

concerns the public may have about

proposals. This process is referred to as

‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of scoping is

to focus the analysis in the EIS on the

important environmental issues. With

this NOI, the Commission staff is

requesting public comments on the

scope of the issues to be addressed in

the EIS. All comments received will be

considered during preparation of the

EIS.

In the EIS we will discuss impacts

that could occur as a result of the

construction, operation, and

maintenance of the proposed project

under these general headings:

• Geology and soils.

• Water resources.

• Aquatic resources.

• Vegetation and wildlife.

• Threatened and endangered

species.

• Land use, recreation, and visual

resources.

• Cultural resources.

• Socioeconomics.

• Air quality and noise.

• Reliability and safety.

• Cumulative impacts.

In the EIS, 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 affected

resources.

Our independent analysis of the

issues will be included in a draft EIS.

The draft EIS will be mailed to federal,

state, and local government agencies;

elected officials; affected landowners;

3 The appendices referenced in this notice are not

being printed in the Federal Register. Copies can

be obtained from the Commission’s Web site

(excluding maps) at the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link, from the

Commission’s Public Reference Room, or by calling

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

eLibrary, refer to the end of this notice. Copies of

the appendices were sent to all those receiving this

notice in the mail.

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environmental and public interest

groups; Indian tribes and regional

Native American organizations;

commentors; other interested parties;

local libraries and newspapers; and

FERC’s official service list for this

proceeding. There will be at minimum

a 45 day comment period allotted for

review of the draft EIS. We will consider

all comments on the draft EIS and revise

the document, if necessary, before

issuing a final EIS. We will consider all

comments on the final EIS before we

make our recommendations to the

Commission. To ensure that your

comments are considered, please follow

the instructions in the Public

Participation section of this NOI.

Although no formal application has

been filed, FERC has already initiated

its NEPA review under its pre-filing

process. The purpose of the pre-filing

process is to encourage early

involvement of interested stakeholders

and to identify and resolve issues before

an application is filed with FERC.

With this NOI, we are asking Federal,

State, and local agencies with

jurisdiction and/or special expertise

with respect to environmental issues to

formally cooperate with us in the

preparation of the EIS. These agencies

may choose to participate once they

have evaluated the proposal relative to

their responsibilities. Additional

agencies that would like to request

cooperating agency status should follow

the instructions for filing comments

provided under the Public Participation

section of this NOI.

The EIS will examine the proposed

action and alternatives that require

administrative or other actions by other

Federal agencies. The U.S. Department

of Agriculture Forest Service has

identified the possible need to amend

the existing Mt. Hood National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plans.

The U.S. Department of Interior Bureau

of Land Management has identified the

possible need to amend the existing

Resource Management Plans of the

Salem and Prineville Districts.

Currently Identified Environmental

Issues

We have already identified issues that

we think deserve attention based on our

previous experience with similar

projects in the region. This preliminary

list of issues, which is presented below,

may be revised based on your comments

and our continuing analyses specific to

the Palomar Gas Transmission Project.

• Potential for disturbance to

residents along pipeline construction

route, including noise and aesthetics;

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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 213 / Monday, November 5, 2007 / Notices

• Potential for geological hazards,

including seismic activity, to have

impacts on the pipeline;