Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Medicine Bow Lateral Project, Request for Comments on Environmental issues and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP99-102-000]

Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Medicine Bow Lateral Project,

Request for Comments on Environmental issues and Notice of Public

Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

January 11, 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 construction and operation of

the facilities, about 143 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and about

7,200 horsepower (hp) of compression, proposed in the Medicine Bow

Lateral Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its

decision-making process to determine whether the environmental impact

statement (EIS) is necessary and whether the project is in the public

convenience and necessity.

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\1\ Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd.'s application was filed

with the Commission on December 3, 1998 under Section 7 of the

Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations.

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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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Additionally, with this notice we are asking Federal agencies with

jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental

issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These

agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated the

proposal relative to their agencies' responsibilities.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Wyoming Interstate Company, Ltd. (WIC) proposes to build new

pipeline and compression facilities to increase the transportation

capacity of its current system in Colorado and Wyoming. The new

facilities would enable WIC to transport an additional 269 million

cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Powder River Basin.

Specifically, WIC seeks Commission authority to construct and operate

the following facilities:

143 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline extending from

WIC's existing mainline in Weld County, Colorado, to Converse County,

Wyoming, where it would interconnect with nonjurisdictional gathering

facilities;

A new compressor station in Converse County, Wyoming,

which would consist of one turbine-driven, centrifugal compressor unit

rated at either 6,937 or 7,200 hp (depending on the exact model finally

chosen);

Two new meter stations in Converse County, Wyoming; and

A new check meter and side valve in Weld County, Colorado,

at the interconnection with WIC's mainline, about 7.5 miles west of

WIC's existing Cheyenne Compressor Station.

The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix

3.

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would require about 1,953

acres of land. Following construction, about 9 acres would be

maintained as new aboveground facility sites, and 867 acres would be

maintained as permanent right-of-way for the pipeline. The remaining

1,077 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its

former use.

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 and whether an EIS is

necessary. 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

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proposed project under these general headings:

Geology and soils

Water resources, fisheries and wetlands

Vegetation and wildlife

Endangered and threatened

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 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 pages 4 and 5 of

this notice.

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 WIC. This preliminary list of

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

Twenty-five perennial streams between 10 and 100 feet

wide, and 59 wetlands would be crossed.

Five federally listed endangered or threatened species may

occur in the proposed project area.

Portions of the Oregon Trail, which is listed as a

National Historic Landmark, would be crossed.

About 5.2 miles of agricultural land would be crossed,

which is mostly hay fields and pasture.

About 25 miles of public land would be crossed, of which

almost 8 miles is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Also, WIC's proposes to interconnect in Converse County with the

nonjurisdictional gathering facilities of Western Gas Resources, Inc.

and Devon Energy Corporation. Although these facilities are not under

the jurisdiction of the FERC, they will be discussed in the EA.

Public Participation and Scoping Meetings

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 (including alternative routes),

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., NE.,

Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;

Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the

Environmental Review and Compliance Branch, PR-11.1.

Reference Docket No. CP99-102-000; and

Mail your comments so that they will be received in

Washington, DC on or before February 12, 1999.

In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite

you to attend the public scoping meetings the FERC will conduct in the

project area. The locations and times for these meetings are listed

below.

Schedule of Public Scoping Meetings for the WIC Medicine Bow Lateral

Project

Tuesday, January 26, 1999, 7:00 pm--Douglas, Wyoming, Best Western

Douglas Inn & Conference Center, 1450 Riverbend Dr., 307-358-9790

Wednesday, January 27, 1999, 7:00 pm--Wheatland, Wyoming, Platte County

Fairgrounds, 4-H Building, 59 Antelope Gap Rd., 307-322-9504

The public meetings are designed to provide you with more detailed

information and another opportunity to offer your comments on the

proposed project. WIC representatives will be present at the scoping

meetings to describe their proposal. Interested groups and individuals

are encouraged to attend the meetings and to present comments on the

environmental issues they believe should be addressed in the EA. A

transcript of each meeting will be made so that your comments will be

accurately recorded.

On January 27, 1999, we will also be conducting a limited site

visit to the project area. The site visit will be an aerial inspection,

by helicopter, of the proposed route and the currently identified

alternative routes. If weather conditions preclude an overflight, we

will attempt to conduct the inspection by automobile (locations to be

determined). Anyone interested in participating in the site visit may

contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs identified at the

end of this notice for more details and must provide their own

transportation.

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 2). 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

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with access to CIPS, the CIPS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-

2474.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99-977 Filed 1-14-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M