The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Wednesday gave environmental clearance to ANR Pipeline’s Eastleg expansion project that would supply natural gas to fuel new power generation capacity in Wisconsin.

“Approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment,” agency staff concluded in its environmental assessment of the Eastleg pipeline expansion [CP04-51].

Wisconsin Electric Power Co. and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. have entered into binding agreements with ANR for all of the 143,000 MMBtu/d of firm transportation capacity to be created by the project.

ANR’s targeted in-service date for Eastleg is Nov. 1, 2005. The El Paso-owned pipeline has asked the Commission to issue a preliminary determination on non-environmental issues by June 15 of this year, and a certificate by Oct. 1.

The project calls for ANR to build 4.7 miles of 30-inch diameter pipeline to replace a 14-inch diameter segment in Washington County, WI, and 3.5 miles of eight-inch diameter pipeline looping in Brown County, as well as to modify its existing Mountain Compressor Station in Oconto County.

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