# Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 1, 2006 / Notices

> Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more.

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/agency%3Aferc%3A7711b4c15a8d44b5

## Record

- **Collection:** Agency decision
- **Document type:** Agency decision

## Text

10494

Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 1, 2006 / Notices

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Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on Wednesday, March 1, 2006.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of
Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211
and § 385.214) on or before 5 p.m.
Eastern time on the specified comment
date. It is not necessary to separately
intervene again in a subdocket related to
a compliance filing if you have
previously intervened in the same
docket. 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. Anyone filing a motion
to intervene or protest must serve a copy
of that document on the Applicant. In
reference to filings initiating a new
proceeding, interventions or protests
submitted on or before the comment
deadline need not be served on persons
other than the Applicant.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the
FERC Online links at http://
www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic
service, persons with Internet access
who will eFile a document and/or be
listed as a contact for an intervenor
must create and validate an
eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling
link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
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 dockets(s). For
assistance with any FERC Online
service, please e-mail
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–2862 Filed 2–28–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

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Summary of the Proposed Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. PF06–7–000]

Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed Northern
Lights Project, Request for Comments
on Environmental Issues and Notice of
Scoping Meetings
February 23, 2006.

The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
Northern Natural Gas Company’s
(Northern) planned Northern Lights
Expansion Project located in Iowa and
Minnesota. This notice announces the
opening of the scoping process we will
use to gather input from the public and
interested agencies on the project. Your
input will help the Commission staff
determine which issues need to be
evaluated in the EA. Please note that the
scoping period will close on March 24,
2006.
Comments may be submitted in
written form or presented verbally at the
public meetings detailed below. Further
details on how to submit written
comments are provided in the public
participation section of this notice. In
lieu of sending written comments, you
are invited to attend the public scoping
meetings that are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 7 p.m.—
Riverwood Inn and Conference
Center, Sunset Room, 10990 95th
Street NE., Monticello, MN 55362,
763–441–6833.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006, 7 p.m.—
Farmington Middle School East,
Multi-Purpose Room, 4100 208 Street
West, Farmington, MN 55024, 651–
460–1600.
Thursday, March 16, 2006, 7 p.m.—Best
Western Holiday Lodge, 2023 7th
Avenue North, Clear Lake, IA 50428,
641–357–5253.
This notice is being sent to affected
landowners; Federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; environmental and public
interest groups; Native American tribes;
other interested parties in this
proceeding; 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.

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Northern proposes to expand its
natural gas transmission system to
provide incremental firm service of
350,000–400,000 dekatherms in
Northern’s market area. More
specifically, Northern seeks authority to
construct the following facilities in
various counties in Iowa and Minnesota:
• Construct approximately 18.8 miles
of 36-inch-diameter pipeline extension
in Hancock, Worth, and Winnebago
counties, Iowa (Ventura/Owatonna E–
Line);
• Abandon and remove
approximately 15.0 miles of 16-inchdiameter pipeline in Hancock, Worth,
and Winnebago counties, Iowa (J–Line);
• Construct approximately 10.0 miles
of 30-inch-diameter pipeline extension
in Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota
(Owatonna/Faribault D–Line);
• Construct approximately 29.2 miles
of 24-inch-diameter pipeline extension
in Dakota and Rice counties, Minnesota
(Faribault/Farmington E–Line);
• Construct approximately 4.3 miles
of 4-inch-diameter pipeline loop in
Anoka County, Minnesota (Elk River/
Ham Lake Line);
• Construct approximately 7.6 miles
of 24-inch-diameter pipeline loop in
Dakota County, Minnesota (Rosemount
Loop);
• Construct approximately 1.8 miles
of 6-inch-diameter pipeline loop in
Sherburne County, Minnesota (St.
Cloud/Becker Line);
• Replace approximately 3.3 miles of
3-inch-diameter pipeline loop with 10inch-diameter pipeline in Sherburne
and Wright counties, Minnesota (Elk
River/St. Michael Line);
• Modifications at two existing
compressor stations in Dakota and Rice
counties, Minnesota;
• Construction of two town border
stations (TBS) in Dakota and Waseca
counties, Minnesota;
• Rebuild of an existing TBS in
Hennepin County, Minnesota; and
• Modifications at 19 existing TBS in
Anoka, Wright, Chisago, Washington,
Dakota, Stearns, and Carver counties,
Minnesota.
With the exception of five miles of
new greenfield pipeline, Northern
would install the pipeline looping and
extensions adjacent to existing
pipelines. Location maps depicting
Northern’s proposed facilities are
provided in Appendix 1.1
1 The appendices referenced in this notice are not
being printed in the Federal Register. Copies are
available on the Commission’s Web site (excluding
maps) at the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link or from the
Commission’s Public Reference Room or call (202)
502–8371. For instructions on connecting to

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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 1, 2006 / Notices
Currently Identified Environmental
Issues
At this time no formal application has
been filed with the FERC. For this
project, the FERC staff has initiated its
NEPA review prior to receiving the
application. The purpose of our NEPA
Pre-Filing Process is to involve
interested stakeholders early in project
planning and to identify and resolve
issues before an application is filed with
the FERC.
We have already identified several
issues that we think deserve attention
based on a preliminary review of the
proposed facilities, environmental
information provided by Northern, and
comments gathered from concerned
citizens at Northern’s open houses. This
preliminary list of issues may be
changed based on your comments and
our analysis.
• Potential impacts on the
Mississippi, Vermillion, and Cannon
rivers;
• Potential impacts to Vermillion
River watershed;
• Potential impacts on wetlands;
• Safety concerns of the pipeline;
• Potential impacts on agricultural
land and prime farmland; and
• Potential impacts on historic
resources.

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The EA Process
The FERC will use the EA to consider
the environmental impact that could
result if it issues Northern a Certificate
of Public Convenience and Necessity.
This notice formally announces our
preparation of the EA and the beginning
of the process referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’
We 2 are soliciting input from the public
and interested agencies to help us focus
the analysis in the EA on the potentially
significant environmental issues related
to the proposed action.
Our independent analysis of the
issues will be included in an EA that
will be prepared for the project. Our
evaluation will also include reasonable
alternatives to the proposed project or
portions of the project, and we will
make recommendations on how to
lessen or avoid impacts on the various
resource areas of concern.
Depending on the comments received
during the scoping process, the EA may
be published and mailed to affected
landowners; Federal, state, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
eLibrary refer to the end of this notice. Copies of
the appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail.
2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects.

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groups; Native American tribes; other
interested parties; local libraries and
newspapers; and the FERC’s official
service list for this proceeding. A 30-day
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.
We are currently coordinating with
other jurisdictional and resource
management agencies to identify their
issues and concerns. These agencies
include the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service,
Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources, Iowa Department of Natural
Resources, and the U.S. Department of
Transportation. By this notice, we are
asking these and other 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 EA. Agencies that would like to
request cooperating status should follow
the instructions for filing comments
provided below.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by
providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the
proposals. Your comments should focus
on the potential environmental effects,
reasonable alternatives, and measures to
avoid or lessen environmental impact.
The more specific your comments, the
more useful they will be. To ensure that
your comments are timely and properly
recorded, please mail your comments so
that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before March 24,
2006 and carefully follow these
instructions:
• Send an original and two copies of
your letter to: Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First St., NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426;
• Label one copy of the comments for
the attention of Gas Branch 3, DG2E;
and
• Reference Docket No. PF06–7–000
on the original and both copies.
Please note that the Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments. See 18 Code of Federal
Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission’s
Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov
under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link and the link to
the User’s Guide. Prepare your
submission in the same manner as you
would if filing on paper and save it to
a file on your hard drive. Before you can
file comments you will need to create an

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10495

account by clicking on ‘‘Login to File’’
and then ‘‘New User Account.’’ You will
be asked to select the type of filing you
are making. This filing is considered a
‘‘Comment on Filing’’.
When Northern submits its
application for authorization to
construct and operate the Northern
Lights Project, the Commission will
publish a Notice of Application in the
Federal Register and will establish a
deadline for interested persons to
intervene in the proceeding. Because the
Commission’s Pre-filing Process occurs
before an application to begin a
proceeding is officially filed, petitions
to intervene during this process are
premature and will not be accepted by
the Commission.
Environmental Mailing List
If you wish to remain on the
environmental mailing list, please
return the Mailing List Retention Form
included in Appendix 2. If you do not
return this form, you will be taken off
our mailing list.
Availability of Additional Information
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs
at 1–866–208 FERC (3372) or on the
FERC Internet Web site (http://
www.ferc.gov). Using the ‘‘eLibrary’’
link, select ‘‘General Search’’ from the
eLibrary menu, enter the selected date
range and ‘‘Docket Number’’ (i.e., PF06–
7–000), and follow the instructions.
Searches may also be done using the
phrase ‘‘Northern Lights’’ in the ‘‘Text
Search’’ field. For assistance with access
to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached
at 1–866–208–3676, TTY (202) 502–
8659, or at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The
eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web
site also provides access to the texts of
formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices,
and rule makings.
In addition, the FERC now offers a
free service called eSubscription that
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. To register for this service,
go to http://www.ferc.gov/
esubscribenow.htm.
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. Finally,
Northern has established an Internet

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10496

Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 1, 2006 / Notices

Web site for its project at http://www.
northernnaturalgas.com/
expansionprojects. The Web site
includes a project overview, contact
information, regulatory overview, and
construction procedures.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6–2876 Filed 2–28–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Notice of Application Accepted for
Filing and Soliciting Motions To
Intervene, Protests, and Comments

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February 22, 2006.

Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application has been filed
with the Commission and is available
for public inspection:
a. Type of Application: Preliminary
Permit.
b. Project No.: 12648–000.
c. Date filed: January 27, 2006.
d. Applicant: Gerard M. Lutticken.
e. Name of Project: Sugar Pine Creek
Project.
f. Location: The project would be
located on the Sugar Pine Creek, in El
Dorado County, California. The project
would be located upstream of the
licensed Upper American River Project
No. 2101. None of the proposed project
facilities affect this licensed project.
However the proposed project’s
transmission line may cross the project
boundary of Project No. 2101. The
project would use approximately 7 acres
of Federal land within the El Dorado
National Forest.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r)
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Gerard M.
Lutticken, 730 Bluegrass Drive,
Petaluma, CA 94954, Phone (707) 765–
9671.
i. FERC Contact: Robert Bell, (202)
502–6062.
j. Deadline for filing comments,
protests, and motions to intervene: 60
days from the issuance date of this
notice.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure require all intervenors
filing documents with the Commission
to serve a copy of that document on
each person in the official service list
for the project. Further, if an intervenor
files comments or documents with the
Commission relating to the merits of an
issue that may affect the responsibilities
of a particular resource agency, they

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must also serve a copy of the document
on that resource agency.
k. Description of Project: The
proposed project would consist of: (1) A
proposed 50-foot-long, 6-foot-high
concrete masonry gravity diversion
structure, (2) a proposed impoundment
have a surface area of 1 acre with
negligible storage and a normal water
surface elevation at 4,040 feet mean sea
level, (3) a proposed 2,500-foot-long, 12inch-diameter steel penstock, (4) a
proposed powerhouse containing one
generating unit with an installed
capacity of 750 kilowatts, (5) a proposed
3,000-foot-long, 13.8 kilovolt
transmission line, and (6) appurtenant
facilities. The project would have an
annual generation of 1.72 gigawatt
hours, which would be sold to a local
utility.
l. Locations of Applications: A copy of
the application is available for
inspection and reproduction at the
Commission in the Public Reference
Room, located at 888 First Street NE.,
Room 2A, Washington DC 20426, or by
calling (202) 502–8371. This filing may
also be viewed on the Commission’s
Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using
the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the docket number field to access the
document. For assistance, call toll-free
1–866–208–3676 or e-mail
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. For TTY,
call (202) 502–8659. A copy is also
available for inspection and
reproduction at the address in item h.
above.
m. Individuals desiring to be included
on the Commission’s mailing list should
so indicate by writing to the Secretary
of the Commission.
n. Competing Preliminary Permit—
Anyone desiring to file a competing
application for preliminary permit for a
proposed project must submit the
competing application itself, or a notice
of intent to file such an application, to
the Commission on or before the
specified comment date for the
particular application (see 18 CFR 4.36).
Submission of a timely notice of intent
allows an interested person to file the
competing preliminary permit
application no later than 30 days after
the specified comment date for the
particular application. A competing
preliminary permit application must
conform with 18 CFR 4.30(b) and 4.36.
o. Competing Development
Application—Any qualified
development applicant desiring to file a
competing development application
must submit to the Commission, on or
before a specified comment date for the
particular application, either a
competing development application or a

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notice of intent to file such an
application. Submission of a timely
notice of intent to file a development
application allows an interested person
to file the competing application no
later than 120 days after the specified
comment date for the particular
application. A competing license
application must conform with 18 CFR
4.30(b) and 4.36.
p. Notice of Intent—A notice of intent
must specify the exact name, business
address, and telephone number of the
prospective applicant, and must include
an unequivocal statement of intent to
submit, if such an application may be
filed, either a preliminary permit
application or a development
application (specify which type of
application). A notice of intent must be
served on the applicant(s) named in this
public notice.
q. Proposed Scope of Studies Under
Permit—A preliminary permit, if issued,
does not authorize construction. The
term of the proposed preliminary permit
would be 36 months. The work
proposed under the preliminary permit
would include economic analysis,
preparation of preliminary engineering
plans, and a study of environmental
impacts. Based on the results of these
studies, the Applicant would decide
whether to proceed with the preparation
of a development application to
construct and operate the project.
r. 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.
Comments, protests and interventions
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 under ‘‘efiling’’ link. The Commission strongly
encourages electronic filing.
s. Filing and Service of Responsive
Documents—Any filings must bear in
all capital letters the title
‘‘COMMENTS’’, ‘‘COMPETING
APPLICATION’’,
‘‘RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TERMS
AND CONDITIONS’’, ‘‘PROTEST’’, OR
‘‘MOTION TO INTERVENE’’, as
applicable, and the Project Number of

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/agency%3Aferc%3A7711b4c15a8d44b5. Public record. Not legal advice.