FERC Staff Issues Favorable Draft Environmental Impact Statement on 
Guardian Pipeline

     The FERC Staff has issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
determining that construction of Guardian Pipeline would have limited
environmental impact and would be an environmentally acceptable
action, based on its proposed and other mitigation measures. The
Draft covers the environmental aspects of constructing and operating
the 149-mile Guardian Pipeline. FERC will take written public
comments on the Draft until August 28th, and will conduct four public
meetings along Guardian's route starting August 14th. It will
address
the comments before issuing a final Environmental Impact Statement on
the project. A final decision on the Guardian Pipeline expected early
next year. The Guardian Pipeline will transport volumes from
interconnections with Alliance, Northern Border, Midwestern Gas
Transmission, and NGPL at the Chicago hub to northern Illinois and
southern Wisconsin markets. The project will consist of a 25,000
horsepower of compression and 141 miles of 36 inch pipeline extending
from Joliet to the Ixonia, WI, with an additional 8.5 miles of 16
inch pipeline extending from the main Guardian line to near Eagle,
WI.
____________________________________________________________