Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Paiute Pipeline Expansion II Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket Nos. CP94-29-000, CP94-29-001 and CP94-29-002]

Paiute Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Paiute Pipeline Expansion II

Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

April 1, 1996.

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 Paiute Pipeline Expansion II 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 or not to approve the project. The U.S. Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S.

Forest Service (LTBMU) will be cooperating agencies in the preparation

of the EA.

\1\ Paiute 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

On October 18, 1994, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

(FERC) or Commission) issued a Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Paiute Expansion II Project in

docket No. CP94-29-000. The purpose of the notice was to request

comments on environmental issues.

On March 4, 1996, Paiute Pipeline Company (Paiute) filed an

amendment to its original application in Docket No. CP94-29-002 that

represents a change in the scope of the Expansion II Project. From the

standpoint of the environmental analysis the changes are:

The deletion of four pipeline segments from the project,

reducing the total miles of pipeline construction from 53.8 miles to

19.8 miles:

The deletion of all new compression requirements; and

The changes in pipeline routing of the North Tahoe Loop.

In its present application Paiute wants to expand the capacity of

its facilities in Nevada to transport an additional 12,788 million

cubic feet of gas to Southwest Gas Corporation-Northern Nevada and

Southwest Gas Corporation-Northern California (collectively, known as

Southwest Gas). To accomplish this, Paiute seeks authority to:

Construct and operate the North Tahoe Loop consisting of

11 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline in Washoe County and Carson City,

Nevada;

Construct and operate the Incline Village Loop consisting

of 3.0 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline and 200 feet of 8-inch-

diameter pipeline in Washoe County, Nevada;

Construct and operate the South Tahoe Loop consisting of

5.8 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline in Douglas County, Nevada;

Modify the California Check Meter and Wadsworth Pressure

Limiting Station, both located in Washoe County, Nevada; and

Relocate the South Tahoe Pressure Limiting Station located

in Douglas County, Nevada.

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, Room 2A,

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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In connection with Paiute's proposal, Southwest Gas plans to

construct about 18.5 miles of pipeline ranging from 6 to 12 inches in

diameter along various parts of its existing pipeline system. The

facilities would extend from the interconnection with Paiute's

facilities at the Nevada-California border in Placer County, California

to Truckee, California. Southwest Gas' project is under the

jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and

is subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality

Act (CEQA). The CPUC completed its CEQA review of Southwest Gas'

project and approved the project on April 26, 1995.

We have made a decision to not address the impacts of the

nonjurisdictional facilities planned by Southwest Gas because it would

be

[[Page 15240]]

duplicative of the review conducted by the CPUC and the project has

already been approved. However, we will briefly describe their location

and status in the EA.

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 101.3

acres of land. Following construction, about 79.1 acres would be

maintained as permanent right-of-way, 94 percent of which is Paiute's

existing pipeline right-of-way. Only 4.4 acres would be new permanent

right-of-way. The remaining 22.2 acres would be restored and allowed to

revert to its former use. No land disturbance would be associated with

the modification of either the California Check Meter or the Wadsworth

Pressure Limiting Station.

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 EZ. 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.

Endangered and threatened species.

Water resources and fisheries.

Vegetation and wildlife.

Public safety.

Air quality and noise.

Wetland and riparian habitats.

Land use and visual resources.

Cultural resources.

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. The EA

will then be mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, public

interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners,

newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for

these proceedings. 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 Paiute. Keep in mind that

this is a preliminary list:

Construction within or adjacent to roads could affect

traffic flow and access to businesses and residences. Construction

would occur within or adjacent to U.S. Route 50 for the North Tahoe

Loop; U.S. Route 395, State Route 57, State Route 206 for the South

Tahoe Loop; and Sugarpine Drive, Knotty Pine Drive, Silvertip Drive,

Ponderosa Avenue, and State Route 28 for the Incline Village Loop.

The North Tahoe loop would cross 3.4 miles of land managed

by the BLM, including a 0.7-mile-long crossing of Centennial Park.

The North Tahoe Loop would cross 1.0 mile of Washoe Lake

Nevada State Park.

The North Tahoe Loop would cross 0.4 mile of land managed

by the U.S. Forest Service, Toiyabe National Forest.

Seven perennial streams would be crossed and a total of

0.2 acre of wetland would be affected.

About 56 residences would be within 50 feet of the

proposed construction rights-of-way.

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. You do not need to re-submit comments if you have

already done so. 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 Street NE., Washington, DC

20426;

Reference Docket Nos. CP94-29-000 et al.;

Send a copy of your letter to: Ms. Lauren O'Donnell, EA

Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street

NE., PR-11.1, Washington, DC 20426; and

Mail your comments so they will be received in Washington,

DC on or before May 2, 1996.

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

from Ms. O'Donnell 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 proceedings 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). You do not

need intervenor status to have your scoping comments considered.

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

Ms. Lauren O'Donnell, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-0325.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96-8450 Filed 4-4-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M