Subject: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
[Federal Register: July 26, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 144)]
[Notices]
[Page 39037-39039]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jy01-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
[FERC Docket Nos. CP01-22-000 and CP01-23-000; CA Clearinghouse No.
2001011020; BLM Reference No. CACA-42662]
North Baja Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Availability/Completion of
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report and Draft Land Use Plan
Amendment for the Proposed North Baja Pipeline Project
July 20, 2001.
The staffs of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission), the California State Lands Commission (CSLC), and the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have prepared this draft environmental
impact statement/report (EIS/EIR) and draft land use plan amendment
(plan amendment) to address natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by
North Baja Pipeline, LLC (NBP).
The draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment was prepared as required
by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the California
Environmental Quality Act, and the Federal Land Management and Policy
Act. Its purpose is to inform the public and the permitting agencies
about the potential adverse and beneficial environmental impacts of the
proposed project and its alternatives, and recommend mitigation
measures that would reduce any significant adverse impacts to the
maximum extent possible and, where feasible, to a less than significant
level. The FERC, the CSLC, and the BLM staffs conclude that approval of
the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating
[[Page 39038]]
measures as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental
impact.
The BLM is participating as a cooperating agency in the preparation
of this document because the project would cross Federal land under the
jurisdiction of the Palm Springs, El Centro, and Yuma Field Offices.
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is also a cooperating agency in the
preparation of this document because lands administered by the BOR
would be crossed by the project. This draft EIS/EIR and draft plan
amendment will be used by the BLM to consider issuance of a right-of-
way grant for the portion of the project on lands managed by the BLM
and the BOR. This draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment will also be
used by the BLM to consider amending the California Desert Conservation
Area (CDCA) Plan (as amended), which would be necessary for pipeline
construction outside of designated utility corridors, as well as
amending the Yuma District Resource Management Plan (Yuma District
Plan), which would be necessary for pipeline construction across the
Milpitas Wash Special Management Area. The BLM proposes to adopt this
draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment per Title 40 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) Part 1506.3 to meet its responsibilities under NEPA
and its planning regulations per Title 43 CFR Part 1610. The BLM
Arizona and California State Directors have approved the draft plan
amendments for their respective planning areas. The BLM will present
its Record of Decision for the North Baja Pipeline Project after the
issuance of the final EIS/EIR and proposed plan amendment.
The draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment addresses the potential
environmental effects of the construction and operation of the
following facilities in Arizona and California:
About 79.9 miles of 36-inch-diameter (11.8 miles) and 30-
inch-diameter (68.1 miles) natural gas pipeline (North Baja pipeline)
extending from an interconnection with El Paso Natural Gas Company (El
Paso) in La Paz County, Arizona, through Riverside and Imperial
Counties, California, to an interconnection at the international border
between the United States and Mexico;
A new compressor station (Ehrenberg Compressor Station)
consisting of three gas-fired centrifugal compressor units for a total
horsepower ranging from 18,810 to 21,600 (with one additional spare
unit) at the El Paso interconnect in La Paz County, Arizona;
Two meter stations, one at the interconnect with El Paso
at the Ehrenberg Compressor Station site (Ehrenberg Meter Station) and
one in Imperial County, California near the interconnect at the
international border (Ogilby Meter Station);
A pig launcher facility at the Ehrenberg Compressor
Station site; a pig receiver facility at the Ogilby Meter Station site;
and a separate pig launcher/receiver facility (Rannells Trap) in
Riverside County, California; and
Seven mainline valves, one each at the Ehrenberg
Compressor Station site, Rannells Trap, and Ogilby Meter Station site,
and another four spaced as required along the proposed pipeline route.
Comment Procedures and Public Meetings
Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS/EIR and draft plan
amendment may do so. Please carefully follow these instructions to
ensure that your comments are received in time and are properly
recorded:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to: David
P. Boergers, Secretary; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; 888 First
St., N.E., Room 1A; Washington, DC 20426
Note: The FERC will provide copies to the BLM for review. The
BLM will prepare any appropriate responses relative to the plan
amendments.
Reference Docket No. CP01-22-000;
Label one copy of your comments for the attention of the
Gas Group 1;
Send an additional copy of your letter to the following
individual:
Goodyear K. Walker,
California State Lands Commission, 100 Howe Ave., Suite 100 South
Sacramento, CA 95825
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before October 25, 2001.
Comments, protests and interventions may also be filed
electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the FERC's website under
the ``e-Filing'' link.
In addition to written comments, the FERC, the CSLC, and the BLM
will hold public meetings in the project area to receive comments on
the draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment. All meetings will begin at
7 p.m., and are scheduled as follows:
Dates and Locations
August 22, 2001
Blythe City Council Chamber, 235 North Broadway, Blythe, California
92225, (760) 922-6161
August 23, 2001
Vacation Inn, 2000 Cottonwood Circle, El Centro, California 92243,
(760) 352-9523
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and
present oral comments on the draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment.
Transcripts of the meetings will be prepared.
After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are
investigated, and necessary modifications are made to the draft EIS/EIR
and draft plan amendment, a final EIS/EIR and proposed plan amendment
will be published and distributed. The final EIS/EIR and proposed plan
amendment will contain the FERC, the CSLC, and the BLM staffs'
responses to timely comments received on the draft EIS/EIR and draft
plan amendment.
Comments will be considered by the FERC, the CSLC, and the BLM but
will not serve to make the commenter a party to the proceeding. Any
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion
to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice
and Procedure (Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 385.214).
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS/EIR.
You must file your request to intervene as specified above. You do not
need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
Federal, state, and local agencies; elected officials; Native
American groups; newspapers; public libraries; intervenors to the
FERC's proceeding; and other interested parties who provided scoping
comments, comments on the draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment, or
who previously asked to remain on the mailing list will receive a copy
of the final EIS/EIR and proposed plan amendment. If you are not
described by one of these categories but wish to receive a copy of the
final EIS/EIR and proposed plan amendment, you must write to the
Secretary of the FERC indicating this request. Individuals who do not
indicate their desire to receive the final EIS/EIR and proposed plan
amendment will only receive a Notice of Availability/Notice of
Completion of the final EIS/EIR and proposed plan amendment.
The draft EIS/EIR and draft plan amendment has been placed in the
public files of the FERC and the CSLC and is available for public
inspection at:
Federal Regulatory Energy Commission, Public Reference and Files
Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, DC
20426, (202) 208-1371 and California State Lands Commission, 100 Howe
Avenue, Suite 100 South, Sacramento, CA 95825-8202, (916) 574-1889
[[Page 39039]]
A limited number of copies of the draft EIS/EIR and draft plan
amendment are available from the FERC's Public Reference and Files
Maintenance Branch identified above. Copies may also be obtained from
Goodyear K. Walker, CSLC, at the address above. The draft EIS/EIR and
draft plan amendment is also available for viewing on the FERC, CSLC,
and BLM websites at the Internet addresses below.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Goodyear K. Walker at the CSLC at (916) 574-1893, or on the CSLC
website at http://www.slc.ca.gov, or from the FERC's Office of External
Affairs at (202) 208-1088, or on the FERC website at http://
www.ferc.gov using the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket#'' and follow the
instructions (call (202) 208-2222 for assistance). Access to the texts
of formal documents issued by the Commission with regard to these
dockets, 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.
Information concerning the proposed CDCA and Yuma District Plan
amendments and the involvement of the BLM in the EIS/EIR and plan
amendment process is available from Lynda Kastoll, BLM Project Manager,
at (760) 337-4421, or on the BLM website at http://www.ca.blm.gov/
elcentro/northbaja.
David Boergers,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
[FR Doc. 01-18614 Filed 7-25-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P