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Guardian Pipeline, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Guardian Pipeline Project

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: July 14, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 136)]
[Notices]
[Page 43745-43746]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14jy00-58]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-36-000]


Guardian Pipeline, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Guardian Pipeline
Project

July 10, 2000.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared this draft environmental impact statement
(draft EIS) on natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Guardian
Pipeline, L.L.C. (Guardian) in the above-referenced docket.
    The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of
the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures as
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The draft
EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system
alternatives; route alternatives; and minor route variations.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following facilities in Illinois and
Wisconsin:
     140.2 miles of 36-inch diameter pipeline extending from
Joliet, Illinois to Ixonia, Wisconsin;
     8.5 miles of 16-inch-diameter lateral pipeline in Walworth
and Waukesha Counties, Wisconsin (Eagle Lateral);
     A total of 0.16 mile of 30, 24, and 16-inch-diameter
pipeline to connect the project to existing pipeline systems in Will
County, Illinois;
     One 25,080-horsepower compressor station (Joliet
Compressor Station) in Will County, Illinois;
     Seven new meter stations; and
     Associated pipeline facilities, including eight mainline
valves.
    Wisconsin Gas Company (WGC) also proposes to construct about 35
miles of 30-, 24-, and 16-inch diameter pipeline (WGC Lateral Line
Project) extending eastward from the northern terminus of the Guardian
Pipeline in Wisconsin. WGC's Lateral Line Project is under the
jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW).
Although these facilities are not under the jurisdiction of the FERC,
they are analyzed in this draft EIS. The PSCW is participating in the
EIS process as a cooperating agency, as is the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources (WIDNR). FERC is coordinating the public comment
process on the draft EIS and will share any comments on the WGC Lateral
Line Project with the PSCW and WIDNR.
    The purpose of the Guardian Pipeline Project is to transport up to
750,000 decatherms per day of natural gas from the Chicago Hub to
markets in northern Illinois and Wisconsin. According to Guardian, the
project would:
     Introduce a competitive alternative natural gas pipeline
to markets in northern Illinois and Wisconsin;
     Provide area shippers with access to competing providers
of transportation, storage, and related services at or upstream of the
Chicago Hub; and
     Contribute toward increasing electric reliability in the
upper Midwest by providing additional pipeline capacity to meet the
growth in gas-fired electric generation plants.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure
consideration of your comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is
important that we receive your comments before the date specified
below. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your
comments are received in time and properly recorded:
     Send two copies of your comments to: Secretary, Federal
Regulatory Energy Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington,
DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the
DEER Gas Group 1, PJ 11.1;
     Reference Docket No. CP00-36-000; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before August 28, 2000.
    In addition to written comments, we will hold four public meetings
in the project area to receive comments on the draft EIS. All meetings
will begin at 7 p.m., and are scheduled as follows:

August 14, 2000

Joliet, Illinois, Fireside Resort Hotel, 4200 West Jefferson, (815)
725-0111
DeKalb, Illinois, Northern Illinois University, Holmes Student Center,
Normal & Lucinda Roads, (815) 753-1744

August 15, 2000

Delavan, Wisconsin, Lake Lawn Lodge, 2400 East Geneva St., (800) 338-
5253
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Olympia Conference Center, 1350 Royale Mile
Road, (800) 558-9573

    Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and
present oral comments on the environmental impact described in the
draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings will be prepared.
    After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are
investigated, and modifications are made to the draft EIS, a final EIS
will be published and distributed by the staff. The final EIS will
contain the staff's responses to timely comments filed on the draft
EIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission 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
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).
    Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS.
You must file your request to intervene as specified above. You do not
need intervener status to have your comments considered.
    This draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and
is available for public inspection at: Federal

[[Page 43746]]

Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch,
888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-1371.
    A limited number of copies are available from the Public Reference
and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In addition, copies of
the draft EIS have been mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies,
public interest groups, individuals who have requested the draft EIS,
newspapers, and parties to this proceeding.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Paul McKee in the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (202)
208-1088 or on the FERC Internet website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the
``RIMS''link to information in this docket number. Click on the
``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the RIMS Menu, and follow the
instructions. Or assistance with access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can
be reached at (202) 208-2222.
    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. For assistance with access to CIPS, the CIPS
helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-17816 Filed 7-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M

 
 

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