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Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: December 27, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 248)]
[Notices]
[Page 66918-66920]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27de01-103]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[OR-120-5101 ER-H019, 2-0044]
Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) on a proposed natural gas pipeline right-of-way.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Coos Bay
District, directed the preparation of a Draft EIS by Biological
Information Specialists, Inc., a third party contractor on the impacts
of a proposed natural gas pipeline from near Roseburg in Douglas
County, Oregon, to Coos Bay in Coos County, Oregon. BLM received a
right-of-way application under Section 501 of the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act of October 21, 1976, (43 U.S.C. 1737) on May 17,
2000. The proposed pipeline will cross approximately 60 miles of public
and private lands in Coos and Douglas Counties, Oregon. This notice
initiates the public review process on the draft EIS. The public is
invited to review and comment on the range and adequacy of the draft
alternatives and associated environmental effects.
DATES: The comment period will end 60 days after publication of the
Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability of this draft
environmental impact statement in the Federal Register. Comments on the
draft EIS should be received on or before the end of the comment period
at the address listed below.
Public Participation: Public meetings will be held during the
comment period. To ensure local community participation and input,
public meetings will be held in Coos Bay, Oregon and at other locations
if requested. Early participation by all those interested is
[[Page 66919]]
encouraged. At least 15 days public notice will be given for activities
where the public is invited to attend. All individuals, organizations,
agencies, and Tribes with a known interest in this planning effort have
been sent a copy of the document for review. Written comments will be
accepted at the address shown below. For comments to be most helpful,
they should relate to specific concerns or conflicts that are within
the legal responsibilities of the BLM. Specific dates and locations of
meetings and comment deadlines will be announced through the local news
media, newsletters, and the BLM web site (www.or.blm.gov/coosbay 
) and
the Coos County web site (coosproj@att.net).
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Bob Gunther, Project
Coordinator, Coos Bay District, BLM, 1300 Airport Lane, North Bend, OR
97459. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Coos
Bay District Office in North Bend, Oregon and local libraries.
Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the Coos Bay District Office during
regular business hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays, and may be published as part of the Final EIS.
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to
withhold your name or street address from public review or from
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from
organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Gunther, Project Coordinator, at
address above or telephone (541-751-4295), fax: 541-751-4303, or e-mail
comments to the attention of Bob Gunther@or.blm.gov. For Technical
Information contained in the EIS contact Brian Cox, Senior Biologist,
Biological Information Specialists, Inc., P.O. Box 27, Camas Valley,
Oregon 97416, Telephone: (541) 445-2008.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coos County Board of Commissioners has
applied for a right-of-way proposing to contract construction of a 12-
inch natural gas transmission pipeline to be buried within the existing
rights-of-ways of the Pacific Corp. (PP&L) and Bonneville Power
Administration (BPA) electric transmission lines, and within the
existing roadbed of the Coos Bay Wagon Road. The total length of the
pipeline is approximately 60 miles, with approximately 3.0 miles
located on lands administered by the BLM. The proposed pipeline would
connect to the Williams Gas Pipeline at a meter facility southwest of
Roseburg, in or near Section 33 Township 27 South, Range 6 West in
Douglas County and would terminate at Ocean Boulevard in the city of
Coos Bay (Section 27 Township 25 South, Range 13 West).
The natural gas transmission pipeline will deliver gas to
distribution facilities built by Northwest Natural Gas in the Coos Bay
and North Bend communities. Smaller 6-inch or 4-inch laterals will be
built off the mainline to serve the cities of Coquille, Myrtle Point,
and perhaps Bandon at a later date. The location of the laterals has
not been finalized, but is anticipated to follow the location of
existing power line, State highway, or railroad rights-of-way.
Locations of the distribution lines within the city limits are not
known at this time, but are anticipated to be located within existing
road rights-of-way.
The proposed pipeline will fall under the jurisdiction of US
Department of Transportation (DOT), as a gas transmission pipeline. It
will be built and operated to all current specifications in 49 CFR Part
192 (Natural Gas Pipelines) and other relevant sections. The Oregon
Public Utility Commission will administer DOT Pipeline Safety
regulations for this pipeline.
The proposed pipeline will be designed with the appropriate design
safety factors. The mainline is proposed as a welded steel pipeline
with a Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) of 1,000 pounds per
square inch (psi). The finished pipeline will be pressure tested to at
least 150 percent of MAOP, to detect leakage or failure.
All construction is done during daylight hours. Mainline
construction will take about 6 months. Applicant plans to construct in
the relatively dry summer months of April through October.
Pipeline construction will require a working space up to 60 feet
wide. DOT requires a minimum of 30 inches of cover in normal soils, 18
inches in consolidated rock, 36 inches under roads. The pipe will be
installed to a target depth of 48 inches to top of pipe. Some grading
will be required to install the pipe, but shall be substantially
restored to original grade before revegetation. All earth disturbance
operations shall be subject to an erosion control plan to comply with
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.
In sections along electrical transmission lines, the contractor
shall be required to have and follow a plan to continuously ground the
pipe, to protect workers from shock from induced currents.
Coos County plans to contract pipeline operations with an
experienced pipeline operator. The County and its operator are required
under DOT to formulate and use an Operations and Maintenance Plan
specifically for this pipeline. The Operations and Maintenance Plan
includes an Emergency Plan for specific procedures and notifications in
case of an emergency.
Coos County plans to provide cathodic protection against corrosion,
as required by DOT. Magnesium anodes will be placed at regular
intervals along the pipeline, to sacrificially corrode and protect the
coated steel pipe. This method normally mitigates most induced
alternating current (AC). In sections near electrical transmission
lines, supplemental anodes and other measures will be taken as
necessary to minimize induced AC on the pipeline.
Long-term pipeline operation will require 40 feet of space to be
kept clear of larger brush and trees. Access roads to the BPA corridor
will be restored as needed for pipeline construction and access for
Operations and Maintenance.
After the initial pipeline construction period, there is no need to
ever excavate any particular segment of pipe. Annual maintenance
consists of checking depth of pipe in roadways, repairing any soil
erosion, controlling brush, replacing line markers, painting and
operating block valves, conducting leak surveys, and checking the
effectiveness of the corrosion control system.
The BLM considered issues and concerns identified during the
scoping process in the preparation of the draft EIS. The issues
identified include: socioeconomics impacts associated with the proposed
project; soil erosion; water quality; fish, and wildlife; potential
impacts to traditional Native American uses of the area, archaeological
sites. Those individuals, organizations, and agencies with a known
interest in the proposal will be sent a copy of the draft EIS. Persons
wishing to be added to the mailing list for the EIS may do so by
contacting the Coos Co. Pipeline Project Office, 1309 W. Central Blvd.,
Coquille, OR 97423. A final environmental impact
[[Page 66920]]
statement is expected to be available for public review in early 2002.
Richard Conrad,
Acting District Manager.
[FR Doc. 01-31770 Filed 12-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P