Viking Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed VGT Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP96-32-000]

Viking Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed VGT Expansion Project and

Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

December 5, 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 VGT Expansion 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\ Viking Gas Transmission 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

Viking Gas Transmission Company (VGT) wants to expand the capacity

of its facilities in Kittson and Norman Counties, Minnesota, to

transport an additional 19,420 decatherms per day of natural gas. VGT

requests authorization to construct and operate two 24-inch-diameter

pipeline loops, totalling 13.51 miles in length, and appurtenant

facilities.

The general location of the project facilities is 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, 888

First 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 179.3

acres of land, including 81.9 acres of temporary right-of-way.

Following construction, all of the land would be restored and allowed

to revert to its former use. No new permanent right-of-way is required

for the project.

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

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, fisheries, and wetlands

vegetation and wildlife

endangered and threatened species

public safety

land use

cultural resources

air quality and noise

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

We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention

based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the

environmental information provided by VGT.

A total of 155 acres of agricultural land, virtually all

of it is prime farmland soils, would be affected.

One perennial stream (the North Branch, Two Rivers) would

be crossed.

Keep in mind that this is a preliminary list. The list of issues

may be added to, subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and

our analysis.

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, 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, 888 First St., N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426;

Reference Docket No. CP96-32-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Jeff Shenot, EA Project

Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E.,

Room 7L-05, Washington, D.C. 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, D.C. on or before January 10, 1996.

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

Mr. Shenot 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''.

[[Page 63517]]

Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of

case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors.

Likewise, each intevenor 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 has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late

interventions must show good cause, as required by Section

385.214(b)(3), why this time limitation should be waived. Environmental

issues have been viewed as good cause for late intervention,. You do

not need intervenor status to have your scoping comments considered.

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

Mr. Jeff Shenot, EA Project Manager, at (202) 219-0295.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95-30061 Filed 12-8-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M