Western Gas Interstate Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Seaboard Pipeline Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP95-606-001]

Western Gas Interstate Co.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Seaboard Pipeline Project and

Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

September 11, 1995.

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 construction and operation of

the facilities proposed in the Seaboard Pipeline Project.\1\ This EA

will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to

determine whether an environmental impact statement is necessary and

whether to approve the project.

\1\ Western Gas Interstate Company's application was filed with

the Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157

of the Commission's regulations.

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Summary of the Proposed Project

Western Gas Interstate Company (Western) wants to install a new

delivery point to transport up to 3,000 million British thermal units

per day of natural gas to Seaboard Farms, Inc. in Texas County,

Oklahoma. Western requests Commission authorization, in Docket No.

CP95-606-000, to construct and operate the following facilities needed

to transport those volumes:

construct about 15.5 miles of 8-inch-diameter pipeline

from the Buffalo Tap to Seaboard Farms;

install a meter station consisting of a meter, filter,

three regulators, and valves. This site would be a 20-foot by 80-foot-

fenced area following construction; and

remove 7 miles of an existing 4-inch-diameter pipeline

which would be replaced by the proposed 8-inch-diameter pipeline.

The general location of the project facilities and specific

locations for facilities on new sites are shown in appendix 1.\2\

\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being

printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the

Commission's Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, Room

3104, 941 North Capitol Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call

(202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those

receiving this notice in the mail.

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Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 136

acres of land. Following construction, about 47 acres would be

maintained as new aboveground facility sites and right-of-way. The

remaining 89 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to

its former use.

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

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

[[Page 47942]]

of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of

concern.

The EA will discuss impacts (if applicable) that could occur as a

result of the construction and operation of the proposed project under

these general headings:

Geology and soils.

Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.\3\

\3\ According to the applicant, the project will not affect any

waters of the United States. We will report any potential impacts,

or their absence, under this heading.

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Vegetation and wildlife.

Land use.

Cultural resources.

Air quality and noise.

Endangered and threatened species.

Public safety.

Hazardous waste.

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

recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

Due to limited information concerning the proposed project, we are

unable to determine which environmental issues should be evaluated in

the EA. Therefore, all of the general headings listed above will be

evaluated.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your

specific comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on

the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to

the proposal (including alternative routes), and measures to avoid or

lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more

useful they will be. Please follow the instructions below to ensure

that your comments are received and properly recorded:

Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., NE., Washington,

DC 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP95-606-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project

Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St.,

NE., Room 7312, Washington, DC 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before October 11, 1995.

If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one

from Ms. Olson at the above address.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want

to become an official party to the proceeding or become an

``intervenor''. 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 copies of its

filings to all other parties. 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).

The date for filing of timely motions to intervene in this

proceeding is October 10, 1995. Parties seeking to file interventions

must show good cause, as required by section 385.214(b)(3). You do not

need intervenor status to have your scoping comments considered.

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

Ms. Amy Olson, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1199.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95-22971 Filed 9-14-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M