ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Austin Storage Field Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP99-138-000]

ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Austin Storage Field Project

and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

March 8, 1999.

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or

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

discuss the environmental impacts of ANR Pipeline Company's (ANR)

proposed Austin Storage Field Project. The project would involve the

injection of approximately 2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of nitrogen into

the existing Austin Storage Field in Mecosta and Newaygo Counties,

Michigan, to function as base gas.\1\ The nitrogen injection would

allow ANR to recover approximately 2 Bcf of the natural gas currently

serving as base gas. ANR would install skid-mounted facilities to

generate the nitrogen and then use compressor facilities for storage

field injections.

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\1\ ANR'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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This project would also involve a delineation of the Austin Storage

Field boundary (including the fringe area protective acreage) which may

have changed over past 57 years of operation. This EA will be used by

the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the

project is in the public convenience and necessity. The application and

other supplemental filings in this docket are available for viewing on

the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.fed.us). Click on the ``RIMS''

link, select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the

instructions.

Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides

access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such

as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website,

click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the CIPS menu, and

follow the instructions.

If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted

by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an

easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.

The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable

agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that

approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if

easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline

company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with

state law. A fact sheet addressing a number of typically asked

questions, including the use of eminent domain, is attached to this

notice as 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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Summary of the Proposed Project

ANR proposes to inject approximately 2 Bcf of nitrogen into its

existing Austin Storage Field in Mecosta and Newaygo Counties,

Michigan, to function as base gas. This project would entail:

The placement of a 500 horsepower (hp) natural gas fueled

engine/compressor package approximately 750

[[Page 12165]]

feet east of ANR's Woolfolk Compressor Station for the withdrawal of

the natural gas; and

The clearing and regrading of a previously disturbed 200-

foot-square area adjacent to gas well #124 in the Austin Storage Field

for the placement of a nitrogen generator, three 700 hp air

compressors, and a 500 hp compressor for nitrogen injection.

All equipment would be temporary (skid-mounted) and would be

installed at an existing well location or along existing pipeline

right-of-way. The location of the project facilities is shown in

Appendix 2.

Land Requirements for Construction

The proposed activities would be performed within a 0.92 acre area

of the existing right-of-way.

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 the proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of

concern.

The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of

activities associated with 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.

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 make

our recommendations to the Commission.

To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the

instructions in the public participation section beginning on page 4 of

this notice.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

We have already identified several issues that we think deserved

attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and

the environmental information provided by ANR. This preliminary list of

issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.

Air and noise impacts associated with the temporary use of

air and gas compressors.

Delineation of the storage field's existing boundary

dimensions.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by providing us with your specific

comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your

concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.

You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the

proposal, alternatives tot he proposal (including alternative

locations), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The

more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please

carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are

received in time and properly recorded:

Send two copies of your letter to: David P. Boergers,

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

Room 1A Washington, DC 20426;

Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the

Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.2;

Reference Docket No. CP99-138-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before April 7, 1999.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want

to become an official party to the proceeding known as an

``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process.

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 14 copies of its filings to the

Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all

other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. 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 3). Only intervenors have the

right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.

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. Environmental issues have been viewed

as good cause for late intervention. You do not need intervenor status

to have your environmental comments considered.

Additional information about the proposed project is available from

Mr. Paul McKee of the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202)

208-1088 or on the FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS''

link to information in this docket number. For assistance with access

to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222. Access to

the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission with regard to

this docket, such as orders and notices, is also available on the FERC

website using the ``CIPS'' link. For assistance with access to CIPS,

the CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99-6024 Filed 3-10-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M