ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Michigan Leg South Looping Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. CP96-641-000]

ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Michigan Leg South Looping

Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

July 30, 1996.

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 Michigan Leg South Looping 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.

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\1\ ANR Pipeline 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

ANR Pipeline Company (ANR) proposes to loop its existing Michigan

Leg South System with 11.9 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline in two

segments. The two segments consist of 1.6 miles of loop in Will County,

Illinois, and 10.3 miles of loop in Porter County, Indiana. The project

also includes the addition of one aftercooling bay at the existing St.

John Compressor Station in Lake County, Indiana, and the relocation of

an existing pig launcher from milepost (MP) 885.02 to MP 874.72 in

Porter County, Indiana, and a pig receiver from MP 848.31 to MP 849.91

in Will County, Illinois. The general location of the project

facilities are shown in appendix 1.\2\

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\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, N.E., Washington, D.C. 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 disturb about 186.3

acres of land. About 35.8 acres of the 186.3 acres is existing pipeline

right-of-way. About 50.1 acres would be new permanent right-of-way for

the loop, and about 100.4 acres of the construction right-of-way and

extra workspaces would be allowed to revert to its prior use after

construction.

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.

Land use.

Cultural resources.

Air quality and noise.

Public safety.

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

[[Page 40636]]

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 several issues that we think deserve

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by ANR. Keep in mind that this

is a preliminary list:

Thirteen residences are within 25 feet of the construction

right-of-way.

The sports facilities on the property of the Liberty

School and Liberty Middle School are crossed.

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

20426;

Reference Docket No. CP96-641-000;

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

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

11.1, Washington, D.C. 20426; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, D.C. on or before August 30, 1996.

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 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). 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. 96-19773 Filed 8-2-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M