[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 154 (Thursday, August 11, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-19608]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 11, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP94-681-000., et al.]

 

Northern Natural Gas Company, et al.; Natural Gas Certificate 
Filings

August 4, 1994.
    Take notice that the following filings have been made with the 
Commission:

1. Northern Natural Gas Company

[Docket No. CP94-681-000]

    Take notice that on July 22, 1994, Northern Natural Gas Company 
(Northern), 1111 South 103rd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1000, filed 
in Docket No. CP94-681-000 a request pursuant to Sections 157.205 and 
157.212 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act for 
authorization to construct and operate facilities to implement a new 
delivery point near Blair, Nebraska to accommodate natural gas 
deliveries to Peoples Natural Gas Company (Peoples), under its blanket 
certificate issued in Docket No. CP82-401-000,1 all as more fully 
set forth in the request for authorization on file with the Commission 
and open for public inspection.
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    \1\See, 20 FERC  62,410 (1982).
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    Northern states it has entered into a transportation service 
agreement with Peoples for the firm transportation and delivery of 
natural gas to Peoples at the proposed delivery point of up to 10 Bcf 
annually and 11,500 Mcf per peak day. Northern holds a blanket 
transportation certificate pursuant to Part 284 of the Commission's 
Regulations issued in Docket No. CP86-435-000.2 Peoples has 
requested a new delivery point from Northern so they may serve the new 
Cargill plant near Blair, Nebraska. Northern states that the lateral 
pipeline route will begin at Northern's ``C'' mainline 24-inch takeoff 
in the NW \1/4\ of Section 16, Township 18 North, Range 8 East, Dodge 
County, and continue in an easterly direction approximately 16 miles to 
Northern's town border station (TBS) following within 30 feet to the 
north or south, Northern's existing 6-inch lateral line servicing 
Blair. Northern states that Peoples will construct the entire 24 miles 
of 8-inch pipeline from Northern's ``C'' mainline to the Cargill. 
Northern will own and operate approximately 16 miles of the 8-inch 
lateral pipeline, and Peoples will own and operate 8 miles from 
Northern's TBS to the Cargill plant.
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    \2\See, 37 FERC  61,268 (1986).
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    Northern states that the total volumes to be delivered to the 
customer after the request do not exceed the total volumes authorized 
prior to the request. Northern states that construction of the proposed 
delivery point is not prohibited by its existing tariff and that it has 
sufficient capacity to deliver the requested gas volumes without 
detriment or disadvantage to it's other customers. Northern estimates 
the cost of the proposed facilities at $192,000; which includes the 
meter run, the take-off from the ``C'' mainline and the flange setting.
    Comment date: September 19, 1994, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

2. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation

[Docket No. CP94-692-000]

    Take notice that on August 1, 1994, Transcontinental Gas Pipe line 
Corporation (Transco), Post Office Box 1396, Houston, Texas 77251, 
filed in Docket No. CP94-692-000 an application pursuant to Section 7 
(b) and (c) of the Natural Gas Act for permission and approval to 
abandon approximately 0.86 miles of 30-inch pipeline and for a 
certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing the 
construction and operation of approximately 0.86 miles of 30-inch 
replacement pipeline on its Main Line A across the Neches River in 
Hardin and Jasper Counties, Texas and across the Village Creek in 
Hardin County, Texas, all as more fully set forth in the application 
which is on file with the Commission and open to public inspection.
    Transco proposes to: (1) Construct and operate approximately 4,270 
feet of 30-inch pipeline by horizontal directional drilling under the 
Neches River at its existing pipeline river crossing located 8 miles 
north of Beaumont, Texas and 20 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana 
boundary and construct and operate approximately 512 feet of 
conventionally installed tie-in piping on the banks of the river to 
connect the drilled crossing to Transco's Main Line A; (2) construct 
and operate approximately 260 feet of 30-inch pipeline by conventional 
ditching approximately 25 feet to the north of its existing Village 
Creek crossing of Main Line A located 1.8 miles west of the Neches 
River crossing in Hardin County, Texas with tie-ins to Main Line A on 
each river bank when the replaced portion of Main Line A is removed 
from service; and (3) abandon by removal the portions of Main Line A 
replaced at the Neches River and the Village Creek crossings. Transco 
states that the proposed replacements will restore the long-term 
integrity of its transmission system at the Neches River and the 
Village River crossings and that the capacity will remain at the 
existing 624 MMcf per day.
    Transco states that the abandonment of the portions of the Main 
Line A at the Neches River crossing will be completed in two separate 
projects. Transco proposes to remove approximately 260 feet of the 
existing 30-inch line from the point of tie-in on the west side of the 
river and approximately 80 feet of the existing 30-inch line from the 
point of tie-in on the east side of the river in 1994, at the time of 
the pipeline replacement construction. The abandonment of the remaining 
facilities at the Neches River crossing will be completed in 1995, as a 
separate project, after necessary permits are obtained. Transco 
proposes to remove, in 1994, approximately 240 feet of its Main Line A 
at the Village Creek crossing after the replacement line is constructed 
and tied in. Transco also requests temporary authorization to complete 
the river crossing replacements if permanent authorization is not 
issued by August 19, 1994, for security of gas service during the 
upcoming heating season. The estimated cost of construction is 
$4,694,455 with abandonment cost estimated at $972,000. The cost will 
be initially financed by Transco by funds on hand and short-term loans 
which will be rolled into permanent financing.
    Comment date: August 19, 1994, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph F at the end of this notice.

3. National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation

[Docket No. CP94-693-000]

    Take notice that on August 1, 1994, National Fuel Gas Supply 
Corporation (National Fuel), 10 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, New York 
14203, filed in Docket No. CP94-693-000 a request pursuant to Sections 
157.205 and 157.212 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural 
Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205 and 157.212) for authorization to construct and 
operate a new point of delivery to provide service to an existing 
customer, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation (Distribution), 
under National Fuel's blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP83-4-
000, pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, all as more fully 
set forth in the request that is on file with the Commission and open 
to public inspection.
    National Fuel states that the new delivery point will be located in 
the town of Grand Island, Erie County, New York, at the same station at 
which National Fuel will interconnect with the facilities of Empire 
State Pipeline, an intrastate pipeline, and will be used to provide 
service to Distribution, and to Distribution's present and future 
transportation customers. Additionally, National Fuel states that the 
total volumes to be delivered are estimated to be no more than 
3,200,000 Dth annually and will have no impact on National Fuel's total 
peak day and annual deliveries, but will make it more likely that 
National Fuel will be able to make the deliveries at the points and in 
the quantities desired by Distribution and its customers. National Fuel 
estimates that the total cost of constructing the delivery point is 
$1,525,000.
    National Fuel notes that it has previously applied for approval 
under Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act for the acquisition and 
construction of certain facilities, including construction of the Grand 
Island delivery point, and received conditional approval by order 
issued June 1, 1994, in Docket Nos. CP94-112-000 and CP88-94-008 (67 
FERC  61,270 (1994)). National Fuel states that it has been unable to 
commence acquisition and construction because National Fuel cannot 
satisfy all the conditions included in the June 1 order. National Fuel 
contends that it urgently needs to commence construction of the Grand 
Island station in September, in order to have the station in operation 
by November 1. National Fuel asserts that the new station is necessary 
to relieve some of the load which currently must be satisfied from gas 
fed into the eastern end of Line U because Line U operates at its 
absolute peak capacity on a cold day.
    Comment date: September 19, 1994, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

4. Distrigas of Massachusetts Corporation

[Docket No. CP94-694-000]

    Take notice that on August 1, 1994, Distrigas of Massachusetts 
Corporation (DOMAC), 200 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, 
filed in Docket No. CP94-694-000, an abbreviated application pursuant 
to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, for a certificate of public 
convenience and necessity authorizing DOMAC to install additional air 
stabilization equipment at DOMAC's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal 
in Everett, Massachusetts. DOMAC also requests, pursuant to Section 
157.17 of the Regulations of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission), a temporary certificate authorizing the installation and 
use, on a temporary basis, of leased air injection equipment, pending 
the installation and operation of the requested permanent equipment, 
all as more fully set forth in the application which is on file with 
the Commission and open to public inspection.
    DOMAC states that it anticipates in the near future it will receive 
additional cargoes of higher Btu LNG that will require air 
stabilization capability in excess of DOMAC's current installed 
capacity.3 In addition, DOMAC states that it needs to be able to 
accept LNG of varying thermal contents at any time of the year, whether 
supplied through the long-term contracts of SONATRACH, Distrigas 
Corporation's Algerian supplier, or short-term or spot transactions 
with other suppliers in the international marketplace. DOMAC states 
that the new facilities will consist of one integrated unit of two 
electric driven compressors and will be constructed wholly within 
DOMAC's existing Everett facility and placed on a concrete pad within a 
weather enclosure. DOMAC requests approval on an expedited basis so 
that the permanent facilities can be installed and operational by 
January 1, 1995.
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    \3\ A 1990 Operating Agreement requires that DOMAC air stabilize 
any regasified LNG with a heating value in excess of 1,090 Btus per 
standard cubic foot prior to delivery to Algonquin Gas Transmission 
Company (Algonquin). DOMAC's existing equipment is capable of air 
stabilizing high Btu LNG (up to 1125 Btu per standard cubic foot) 
into Algonquin at an average throughput of 45,000 MMBtu per day.
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    DOMAC states that it will likely require additional air 
stabilization capacity for one or more cargoes in the fall of 1994, 
before a permanent certificate can be issued and the permanent 
equipment can be installed and become operational. DOMAC proposes to 
lease and install by September 1, 1994, temporary air stabilization 
equipment to permit DOMAC to air stabilize regasified LNG before 
delivering it into the J-System of Algonquin at the high throughput 
rates expected for that time period. DOMAC states that the leased 
temporary air stabilization equipment will consist of one integrated 
unit of two truck-mounted diesel powered compressors. DOMAC requests 
that a temporary certificate be issued on or before August 20, 1994, to 
permit DOMAC to install this leased equipment by September 1, 1994, and 
to operate the leased equipment pending the Commission's determination 
concerning the permanent authorization and until such time as the new 
permanent equipment is operational.
    DOMAC states that the estimated cost of the temporary leased air 
stabilization facilities will be approximately $295,000, assuming a 
four-month period of operation, and the cost of the permanent air 
stabilization facilities will be approximately $1,280,000. DOMAC 
further states that it will finance the facilities by using funds on 
hand and it will be fully at risk for the cost of these proposed 
facilities. DOMAC also states that any financial risk associated with 
the additional facilities will be borne by DOMAC alone, and not its 
customers.
    Comment date: August 14, 1994, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph F at the end of this notice.

Standard Paragraphs

    F. Any person desiring to be heard or to make any protest with 
reference to said application should on or before the comment date, 
file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 
20426, a motion to intervene or a protest in accordance with the 
requirements of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 
CFR 385.214 or 385.211) and the Regulations under the Natural Gas Act 
(18 CFR 157.10). All protests filed with the Commission will be 
considered by it in determining the appropriate action to be taken but 
will not serve to make the protestants parties to the proceeding. Any 
person wishing to become a party to a proceeding or to participate as a 
party in any hearing therein must file a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the Commission's Rules.
    Take further notice that, pursuant to the authority contained in 
and subject to the jurisdiction conferred upon the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission by Sections 7 and 15 of the Natural Gas Act and 
the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, a hearing will be 
held without further notice before the Commission or its designee on 
this application if no motion to intervene is filed within the time 
required herein, if the Commission on its own review of the matter 
finds that a grant of the certificate and/or permission and approval 
for the proposed abandonment are required by the public convenience and 
necessity. If a motion for leave to intervene is timely filed, or if 
the Commission on its own motion believes that a formal hearing is 
required, further notice of such hearing will be duly given.
    Under the procedure herein provided for, unless otherwise advised, 
it will be unnecessary for applicant to appear or be represented at the 
hearing.
    G. Any person or the Commission's staff may, within 45 days after 
issuance of the instant notice by the Commission, file pursuant to Rule 
214 of the Commission's Procedural Rules (18 CFR 385.214) a motion to 
intervene or notice of intervention and pursuant to Section 157.205 of 
the Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205) a protest to 
the request. If no protest is filed within the time allowed therefore, 
the proposed activity shall be deemed to be authorized effective the 
day after the time allowed for filing a protest. If a protest is filed 
and not withdrawn within 30 days after the time allowed for filing a 
protest, the instant request shall be treated as an application for 
authorization pursuant to Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-19608 Filed 8-10-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P