[Federal Register: August 4, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 148)]
[Notices]
[Page 38611-38613]
[DOCID:fr04au09-39]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF09-10-000]

Northwest Pipeline GP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and Land and Resource Management Plan
Amendment for the Planned Blue Bridge Pipeline Project and Request for
Comments On Environmental Issues

July 28, 2009.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that
will discuss the environmental impacts of the planned Blue Bridge
Pipeline Project involving construction and operation of facilities by
Northwest Pipeline GP (Northwest) in Benton, Klickitat, Skamania, and
Clark Counties, Washington. This EIS will be used by the Commission in
its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process that will
be used to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the
project. Your input will help the Commission staff and cooperating
agencies determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EIS. Please
note that the scoping period for this project will close on August 30,
2009.
    Comments may be submitted in writing or verbally. Details on how to
submit written comments are provided in the ``Public Participation''
section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to sending written
comments, you are invited to attend the two public scoping meetings to
verbally comment on the project. The dates and locations of the
meetings are listed below and will be posted on the Commission's
calendar at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx. All meetings
are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

August 11, 2009--Goldendale, WA

Goldendale Grange 49
228 E. Darland Street
Goldendale, WA 98620

August 12, 2009--Stevenson, WA

Skamania Lodge
1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way
Stevenson, WA 98648
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state,
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers.
    The FERC is the lead federal agency for the preparation of the EIS.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is participating as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS because the project
would cross federally-administered lands in Washington. The U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) is participating as a cooperating agency because the
project would cross the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Columbia
River Gorge National Scenic Area, and the Pacific Crest Trail in
Washington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is also
participating as a cooperating agency.
    The BLM has authority under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30
U.S.C. 185) for granting a right-of-way over all federal lands involved
in the planned project. As a cooperating agency, the BLM intends to
adopt the EIS per Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part
1506.3, to meet its NEPA responsibilities for Northwest's application
for a Right-of-Way Grant and Temporary Use Permit for the crossing of
federally administered lands, including BLM lands, the Gifford Pinchot
National Forest, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the
Pacific Crest Trail, and the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge. The
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS). The concurrence or non-concurrence of the USFS
and FWS would be considered in the BLM's decision, as well as impacts
on resources and programs and the project's conformance with land use
plans.
    As planned, the Blue Bridge Pipeline project does not follow a
designated

utility corridor through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. If Blue
Bridge's planned route were authorized, the Gifford Pinchot National
Forest, Forest Plan would need to be amended. The USFS will use the EIS
to consider amending the Forest Plan to allow pipeline construction
outside of designated utility corridors.
    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 planned facilities.
The 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 prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses
a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project

    Northwest plans to construct and operate a new pipeline to
transport natural gas from the Stanfield market hub located near
Stanfield, Oregon, to major markets in the Pacific Northwest along the
Interstate 5 corridor, including the Olympia and Seattle, Washington,
areas. All of the planned project facilities would be located in
Washington. The planned Blue Bridge project would transport up to
239,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas. According to Northwest, its
project would allow its customers to meet forecasted growing demand for
natural gas, diversify supply alternatives, and increase reliability.
    The planned Blue Bridge Project would consist of the following
facilities:
     Approximately 119.2 miles of 30-inch diameter pipeline
loop along the Columbia River Gorge in Benton, Klickitat, and Skamania
Counties, Washington; \1\ and
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    \1\ A pipeline loop is constructed parallel to an existing
pipeline to increase capacity.
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     Install 15,015 horsepower of additional compression at two
existing compressor stations near Plymouth (Benton County) and
Washougal (Clark County).
    The general 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 of appendices are available
on the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, or call<PHONE_NUMBER>. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail.
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    Note that the planned location of the project has been modified
since the original Northwest filing and project description dated June
1, 2009. On July 27, 2009, Northwest filed supplemental information
indicating that about 34 miles of planned pipeline route had been
removed from the project, including portions of the planned route in
Klickitat, Skamania, and Clark Counties, Washington. Additionally,
Northwest indicated that all previously planned project activities in
Lewis County, Washington, have been eliminated.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned facilities would affect about 1,733
acres of land for aboveground facilities, temporary extra work areas,
uncleared storage areas, and the pipeline based on a planned
construction right-of-way that typically would be 75-foot-wide.
Northwest would retain approximately 949 acres permanently during
operations as permanent right-of-way. The remaining acreage that was
used for construction, but not needed as permanent right-of-way, would
be restored and/or allowed to revert to former uses. About 74 percent
of the planned pipeline route would parallel existing pipeline,
utility, or road rights-of-way.

The EIS 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.
This process is referred to as ``scoping''. The main goal of the
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. All comments
received will be considered during the preparation of the EIS.
    In the EIS the FERC staff will discuss impacts that could occur as
a result of the construction and operation of the planned project under
these general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     Land use;
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     Cultural resources;
     Vegetation and wildlife;
     Air quality and noise;
     Endangered and threatened species; and
     Public safety.
    The FERC staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the
planned project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on
how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has
already initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's Pre-filing
Process. The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage early
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve
issues before an application is filed with the FERC. As part of our
pre-filing review, the FERC staff has begun to contact some federal and
state agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and
the preparation of the EIS.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the
EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to those on our environmental mailing
list (see discussion of how to remain on our mailing list on page 7). A
90-day comment period will be allotted for review of the draft EIS. The
FERC staff will consider all timely comments and revise the document,
as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. To ensure your comments are
considered, please carefully follow the instructions in the public
participation section below.
    With this notice, the FERC is formally asking agencies with
jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental
issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EIS.
These agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated the
proposal relative to their responsibilities. Agencies that would like
to request cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for
filing comments provided under the Public Participation section of this
notice. Currently, the BLM, USFS, and the COE have expressed their
intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of
the EIS to satisfy their NEPA responsibilities related to this project.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The FERC staff has already identified several issues that we think
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the planned
facilities and the environmental information provided by Northwest.
This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments
and our analysis.
     Geohazards, including areas with high landslide potential;
     Sensitive waterbody crossings and wetlands;
     Fisheries and wildlife;
     Endangered and rare species, including the northern
spotted owl and several salmonid species;
     Crossing of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
and associated viewsheds;
     Crossing of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest;
     Crossing of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge;
     Crossing of the Pacific Crest Trail;
     Impacts to forested areas, including late successional
reserve/old growth areas;
     Cultural resources, including areas of interest to Native
American Tribes;
     Pipeline safety and reliability; and
     Residential areas.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send in your comments
so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before August 30,
2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods in which you can use
to submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please
reference the project docket number [PF09-10-000] with your submission.
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
eFiling staff available to assist you at<PHONE_NUMBER> or
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's internet Web site
at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick
Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only
comments on a project;
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature, which is located on the Commission's Internet Web site at
http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling
involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if
filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard
drive. You will attach that file to your submission. New eFiling users
must first create an account by clicking on ``Sign up'' or
``eRegister.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you are
making. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on
a Filing''; or
    (3) You may file your comments with the Commission via mail by
sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 3,
PJ-11.3.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the planned project. This includes all landowners who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within certain distances of
aboveground facilities (as defined in the Commission's regulations).
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request
(appendix 2). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be
taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Northwest files its application with the Commission, you may
want to become an ``intervenor'', which is an official party to the
proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are
able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts if
they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor
formally participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site.
Please note that you may not request intervenor status at this time.
You must wait until a formal application for the project is filed with
the Commission.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the
FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number,
excluding the last three digits, in the Docket Number field. Be sure
you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please
contact FERC Online Support at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or toll free
at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact<PHONE_NUMBER>. The eLibrary
link also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to
the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/
EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-18551 Filed 8-3-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P