ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare in Environmental Assessment for the Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP99-241-000]

ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare in

Environmental Assessment for the Project and Request for Comments on

Environmental Issues

April 1, 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 the Wisconsin Expansion Project

Construction and operation of facilities by ANR Pipeline Company (ANR)

in Kendall and McHenry Counties, Illinois and Waupaca and Rock

Counties, Wisconsin.\1\ These facilities would consist of about 3.11

miles of 16-inch and 42-inch-diameter pipeline, and 23,000 horsepower

(hp) of compression. This EA will be used by the Commission in its

decisionmaking process to determine whether the projects 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.

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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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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 any

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

The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable

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

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

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\

Summary of the Proposed Project

ANR want to install certain additional loop pipeline and expand the

capacity of its facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin to increase its

transmission capacity by up to 194 million Decatherms per day of

natural gas between the ANR Joliet Hub and its Wisconsin market area.

ANR seeks authority to construct and operate:

About 3.0 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline loop at its

Michigan Leg South System in Kendall County, Illinois;

Two 10,000-horsepower (ph) compressor units at its

existing Woodstock Compressor Station in McHenry County, Illinois;

One 1,500-hp compressor unit at its existing Weyauwega

Compressor Station in Waupaca County, Wisconsin;

About 0.11 mile of 16-inch-diameter pipeline from the

Weyauwega Compressor Station to ANR's Marinette Junction tap site on

its existing 24-inch-diameter mainline in Waupaca County, Wisconsin;

and

One 1,500-hp compressor unit at its existing Janesville

Compressor Station in Rock County, Wisconsin and minor related

facilities.

The location of the project facilities is 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 Requirement for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 57.4

acres of land. Following construction, about 42.9 acres would be

maintained as permanent right-of-way. The remaining 14.5 acres of land

would be restored and allowed to revert to its former use. All

construction at ANR's Woodstock Compressor Station in McHenry County,

Illinois and its Janesville Compressor Station in Rock County,

Wisconsin would occur within each locations' 20-acre site.

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

[[Page 16958]]

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 constitutents 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

Air quality and noise

Land use

Endangered and threatened species

Public safety

Cultural resources

We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project

or portions of the projects, 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 on page 4 of this

notice.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

We have already identified several issues that we think deserve

attention based on the 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.

Two federally listed endangered or threatened species may

occur in the proposed project area.

Noise levels around the compressor stations would

increase.

Effects of construction and operation of the proposed

facilities on near-by residences.

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 to the proposal, 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 20416;

Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the

Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1;

Reference Docket No. CP99-241-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before May 3, 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 filing 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.

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. 99-8521 Filed 4-6-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M