KN Interstate Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Casper-Douglas Pipeline Loop and Spur Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP95-113-000]

KN Interstate Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To

Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Casper-Douglas

Pipeline Loop and Spur Project and Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

March 6, 1995.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will

discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation of

facilities proposed in the Casper-Douglas Pipeline Loop and Spur

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\KN Interstate 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

KN Interstate Gas Transmission Company (KN) presently owns and

operates a natural gas processing plant in Casper, Wyoming (Casper

Plant) constructed in 1965. Because of the dated technology used to

remove heavy hydrocarbons from the gas, the Casper Plant is outmoded

and environmentally inefficient to operate. The plant requires large

volumes of fuel gas, and freon, as a refrigerant. Because the

production of freon has ceased and the existing supply of freon at the

plant is finite, KN proposes to close the Casper Plant.

KN wants to reconfigure its main natural gas transmission system in

order to transfer natural gas processing operations from the Casper

Plant to another existing processing plant near Douglas, Wyoming

(Douglas Plant). KN requests Commission authorization, in Docket No.

CP95-113-000, to construct and operate the following facilities needed

to transfer the processing operations:

43.9 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline loop (Casper-

Douglas Pipeline Loop) in Natrona and Converse Counties, Wyoming;\2\

\2\A loop is a segment of pipeline that is installed adjacent to

an existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. The loop

allows more gas to be moved through the pipeline system at the

location in which the loop is installed.

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8.0 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline (Douglas Spur)

in Converse County, Wyoming; and

2,000 horsepower (hp) of new compression at KN's existing

Guernsey Compressor Station in Platte County, Wyoming.

The general location of the project facilities and route maps are

shown in appendix 1.\3\

\3\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

The Casper-Douglas Pipeline Loop would be installed within newly

acquired, 100-foot-wide construction rights-of-way generally parallel

to the right-of-way for an existing 12-inch pipeline. A 66-foot-wide

permanent right-of-way centered on the new pipeline would be used for

long-term maintenance activities. About 532 acres of land would be

disturbed if all 100 feet of construction right-of-way along the

pipeline route is used. The permanent right-of-way would consist of

about 351 acres of land.

The Douglas Spur would be installed within newly acquired, 100-

foot-wide construction rights-of-way. A 66-foot-wide permanent right-

of-way centered on the new pipeline would be used for long-term

maintenance activities. Two temporary staging areas, about 250 by 300

feet, one on each side of the river, would be required for the crossing

of the North Platte River and associated wetlands. A total of about 100

acres of land would be disturbed if all 100 feet of construction right-

of-way along the pipeline route is used. The permanent right-of-way

would consist of about 64 acres of land.

Private roads/lanes and the existing rights-of-way would be used

for access to the pipeline during construction and removal. These roads

may require repair and upgrading to support increased traffic.

The additional 2,000-hp compressor unit would be installed at KN's

existing Guernsey Compressor Station. The compressor unit would be

placed on an existing foundation adjacent to the current compressor. No

new land for construction will be required.

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

[[Page 13146]] 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 a number of issues that we think deserve

attention, based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by KN. 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. The currently

identified issues are:

The construction of new pipeline could affect seven

separate wetlands.

The project could cross habitat of the piping plover,

least tern, bald eagle, whooping crane, peregrine falcon, black-footed

ferret, pallid sturgeon (all federally listed endangered species), and

the mountain plover (a category 2 candidate species).

Construction of a 2,000-hp compressor at the Guernsey

Compressor Station may increase ambient noise levels in the vicinity of

the compressor station.

About 2.5 miles of the pipeline are proposed to cross the

Old Fort Fetterman Reservation, a historic site established in 1867.

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., N.E., Washington,

D.C. 20426;

Reference Docket No. CP95-113-000;

Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. Bob Kopka, EA Project

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

N.E., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and

Mail your comments so they will be received in Washington

D.C. on or before April 7, 1995.

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

from Mr. Kopka 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 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 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. In certain cases, 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. Bob Kopka, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0282.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95-5881 Filed 3-9-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M