# Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1998 Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A97-2773 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** February 5, 1997 - **Citation:** 62 FR 5390 ## Text DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY [Docket No. CP96-647-000] Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 1998 Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues January 30, 1997. 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 1998 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\ Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership's application was filed with the Commission under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of the Proposed Project Great Lakes Gas Transmission Limited Partnership (Great Lakes) requests authority to construct and operate the following: 1. Three 36-inch-diameter loops totalling about 71.5 miles of pipeline: a. Loop 1--about 22.0 miles long, extending from St. Vincent Compressor Station at milepost (MP) 0.7 to MP 22.7 in Kittson County, Minnesota; b. Loop 2--about 26.7 miles long, extending from MP 132.5 to MP 159.2 in Clearwater, Beltrami, and Hubbard Counties, Minnesota; and c. Loop 3--about 22.8 miles long, extending from MP 283.5 to MP 306.3 in Carlton County, Minnesota and Douglas County, Wisconsin; 2. Two 7,400 horsepower compressor units and appurtenant facilities at the St. Vincent Compressor Station and Farwell Compressor Station in Kittson County, Minnesota and Clare County, Michigan, respectively; 3. A replacement aerodynamic assembly at the Thief River Falls Compressor Station in Marshall County, Minnesota; and 4. Minor permanent above ground ancillary facilities; a. three crossover assemblies at the new loop ends at MPs 22.7, 159.2, and 306.3 in Kittson and Hubbard Counties, Minnesota, and Douglas County, Wisconsin, respectively; b. the expansion of four existing mainline valve sites at MPs 16.3, 150.0, 283.5, and 299.3 in Kittson, Beltrami, and Carlton Counties, Minnesota, and Douglas County, Wisconsin, respectively; and c. removal of the existing end-of-loop valve and crossover assembly by MP 132.5 in Clearwater County, Minnesota. The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\ If you are interested in obtaining detailed maps of a specific portion of the project, please write to the Secretary of the Commission at the address on page 4 of this notice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Land Requirements for Construction Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 867 acres of land. Following construction, about 222 acres would be maintained as new permanent right-of-way. The remaining 645 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to their former use. Construction Timing Great Lakes proposes to construct loopline facilities in two phases: a 1997/1998 winter phase and a 1998 summer phase. Loop 2 would be constructed during the 1997/1998 winter phase beginning November 15, 1997, and would be completed by March 1, 1998. Therefore, wetlands would be frozen during the crossings. Loops 1 and 3 would be constructed during the 1998 summer phase beginning July 1, 1998, with an in-service date November 1, 1998. The compressor station additions and modifications would be installed during the period of March 1, 1998, and November 1, 1998. [[Page 5391]] 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 the 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 several issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by Great Lakes. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. Effect on three federally listed endangered or threatened species, Bald eagle, Piping plower, and Timber wolf, and state special concern species. Eleven perennial waterbodies would be crossed and three of them are coldwater fisheries (two are trout stocking fisheries). Four waterbodies would be crossed that are over 100 feet wide (South Branch Two Rivers, Mississippi River, Schoolcraft River, and Nemadji River). Effect on Mississippi Headwaters State Forest land. Effect on residences that are potentially within 50 feet of the proposed construction work area. Several prehistoric and historic archaeological sites may be affected by the project (only 30 percent of the cultural resources surveys have been completed to date). Public Participation You can make a different 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, DC 20426. Reference Docket No. CP96-647-000. Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before March 3, 1997. If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, please write to the Secretary of the Commission at the address on page 4 of this notice. 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 timely motions to intervene in this proceeding has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions must show good cause, as required by Sec. 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. Lois D. Cashell, Secretary. [FR Doc. 97-2773 Filed 2-4-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A97-2773. Public record. Not legal advice.