[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 116 (Friday, June 16, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 31712-31714] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-14741] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY [Docket No. CP95-547-000, et al.] Highlands Gathering and Processing Company, et al.; Natural Gas Certificate Filings June 9, 1995. Take notice that the following filings have been made with the Commission: 1. Highlands Gathering and Processing Company [Docket No. CP95-547-000] Take notice that on June 6, 1995, Highlands Gathering and Processing Company (Highlands), Highland Place I, 8085 S Chester Street, Suite 114, Englewood, Colorado 80112, filed a petition in Docket No. CP95-547-000, requesting that the Commission declare that certain West Texas facilities to be acquired by Highlands from Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern) are gathering facilities within the meaning of Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and therefore, exempt from Commission jurisdiction, all as more fully set forth in the petition which is on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. Highlands relates that it currently owns and operates extensive facilities for the gathering, treating, and processing of natural gas in the Permian Production Area of West Texas, and that all of its current operations are exempt from Commission jurisdiction pursuant to NGA Section 1(b). Highlands states that it does not perform any jurisdictional transportation services. It is stated that on April 21, 1995, Highlands, Northern, and Highlands Gas Corp. entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement pursuant to which Highlands will acquire from Northern approximately 127 miles of four inch to sixteen inch pipeline, in addition to seven compression stations, all of which are upstream of Northern's transmission facilities which commence at the El Dorado compressor station. Upon completion of the acquisition of the facilities, Highlands asserts that it will use them in combination with its existing gathering system to gather and process gas and to offer a full range of services on terms dictated by market conditions to producers and gas purchasers. Highlands notes that Northern has filed in Docket No. CP95-543-000, a companion abandonment application pursuant to Section 7(b) of the NGA, for permission to abandon, by sale to Highlands, the subject facilities, with appurtenances, located in Crockett, Schleicher, Sutton, and Val Verde Counties, Texas. Highlands states that the facilities consist of three interconnected pipeline segments: the Hunt-Baggett Segment, the Vinegarone Segment and the Hulldale Segment, which intersect at the El Dorado compression station. Highlands says it intends to operate the segments as an integrated single system for the purpose of gathering. Highlands indicates that the seven compressor stations are rated at between 75 and 2313 horsepower with five of them operating at 195 horsepower or less, and that although certain pipeline segments may realize pressures up to 500 psig, most of the facilities are operated at pressures of 300 psig or less. Highlands submits that the subject facilities described in its petition meet the criteria of ``gathering facilities'' under Section 1(b) of the NGA as interpreted by the Commission using the ``primary function'' test, as set forth in Farmland Industries, Inc., 23 FERC para.61,063 (1983). Highlands asserts that the following facilities, described in more detail in the petition, meet the Commission's standards for gathering: the length and diameter of the pipelines; the El Dorado compressor station considered as the central point in the field where the three pipeline segments converge before discharging gas into Northern's transmission system; the pipelines which transport gas from field gathering systems to the transmission facilities of an interstate pipeline company or to a gas processing plant prior to delivery into such transmission facilities; the size and operating pressure of the facilities; and the amount and use of compression capacity. Comment date: June 30, 1995, in accordance with the first paragraph of Standard Paragraph F at the end of this notice. 2. Overthrust Pipeline Company [Docket No. CP95-545-000] Take notice that on June 5, 1995, Overthrust Pipeline Company [[Page 31713]] (Overthrust), 79 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 filed in Docket No. CP95-545-000 an application pursuant to Section 7(b) of the Natural Gas Act, as amended, and Sections 157.7 and 157.18 of the Commission's Regulations thereunder for permission and approval to abandon natural gas transportation service for Columbia Gas Transportation Corporation (Columbia) and charge and collect from Columbia a negotiated exit fee all as more fully set forth in the application on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. Overthrust proposes to abandon the firm transportation service provided for Columbia pursuant to a October 8, 1982 transportation agreement (the Agreement) which provided for Overthrust to transport and deliver, for Columbia's account, up to a maximum of 55,000 Mcf per day purchased by Columbia from Chevron USA, Inc.'s Carter Creek and Whitney Canyon fields located in the Overthrust Producing Area of Uinta County, Wyoming. Overthrust indicates that the transportation service was provided pursuant to Overthrust's Rate Schedule T. Overthrust, noting that the contract will expire on January 1, 2003, explains that Columbia informed Overthrust that it implemented restructured services under the Commission's Order No. 636 effective October 1, 1993, and that, as a result of the restructuring, Columbia no longer requires the transportation service under the agreement. Overthrust further states that on March 3, 1995, Overthrust and Columbia entered into a Stipulation terminating all contractual obligations established under the Agreement through the payment of a negotiated exit fee by Columbia to Overthrust. Additionally, Overthrust states that it does not propose to abandon any facilities in conjunction with the instant abandonment authorization request nor will there be any abandonment of facilities as a result of the Commission granting the requested abandonment authorization. Comment date: June 30, 1995, in accordance with Standard Paragraph F at the end of this notice. 3. Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company and Trunkline Gas Company [Docket No. CP95-542-000] Take notice that on June 5, 1995, Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company (Panhandle) and Trunkline Gas Company (Trunkline), P.O. Box 1642, Houston, Texas 77251-1642, filed a joint application with the Commission in Docket No. CP95-542-000 pursuant to Section 7(b) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) for permission and approval to abandon an emergency exchange agreement which was authorized in Docket No. CP76- 6,\1\ all as more fully set forth in the application which is open to the public inspection. \1\55 FPC 1041 (1976). Panhandle and Trunkline, by mutual agreement, propose to abandon their emergency exchange services provided under Panhandle's and Trunkline's respective FERC Rate Schedules E-11 and E-18. Panhandle and Trunkline state that no facilities would be abandoned in this proposal, rather the interconnection of Panhandle's 4-inch diameter lateral and Trunkline's 26-inch diameter mainline in Vermilion County, Illinois, would remain in place and available for open-access transportation service. In the event that future emergency service should become necessary, Panhandle and Trunkline state that it would be performed under Part 284, subpart I of the Commission's Regulations. Comment date: June 30, 1995, in accordance with Standard Paragraph F at the end of this notice. 4. K N Interstate Gas Transmission Company [Docket No. CP95-530-000] Take notice that on May 31, 1995, K N Interstate Gas Transmission Company (K N Interstate), P.O. Box 281304, Lakewood, Colorado 80228- 8304, filed in Docket No. CP95-530-000 a request pursuant to Sections 157.205 and 157.212 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205, 157.212) for authorization to install and operate eight new delivery points located on K N Interstate's main transmission system in Adams, Boone, Dawson, Harlan, Howard, Webster and York Counties, Nebraska and Phillips County, Colorado under K N Interstate's blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP83-140-000, et al., pursuant to Section 7 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. K N Interstate states that the proposed delivery points will be added under an existing transportation agreement between K N Interstate and K N Energy, Inc. (K N) and will be used by K N to facilitate the delivery of natural gas to new direct retail customers. Comment date: July 24, 1995, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G at the end of this notice. 5. Viking Gas Transmission Company [Docket No. CP95-539-000] Take notice that on June 2, 1995, Viking Gas Transmission Company (Viking), 1010 Milam Street, P.O. Box 2511, Houston, Texas 77252, filed in Docket No. CP95-539-000 a request pursuant to Sections 157.205 and 157.212 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205, 157.212) for authorization to establish an additional delivery point for firm gas transportation services to the City of Randall, Minnesota, under Viking's blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP82-414-000 pursuant to Section 7 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. Viking states that the Cambridge delivery point will be located in Morrison County, Minnesota, on Viking's system and that the total quantities to be delivered to Randall will not exceed contract quantities. Viking indicates that its has sufficient capacity in its system to accomplish the delivery of gas to the proposed delivery point without detriment to any of its other customers. The City of Randall has agreed to reimburse Viking for the costs of the necessary facilities which consist of a two-inch hot tap, measurement, and data acquisition equipment. Comment date: July 24, 1995, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G at the end of this notice. 6. Mississippi River Transmission Corporation [Docket No. CP95-548-000] Take notice that on June 7, 1995, Mississippi River Transmission Corporation (MRT), 9900 Clayton Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63214, filed in Docket No. CP95-548-000 a request pursuant to Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act, as amended, and Sections 157.205 and 157.216(b) for authorization to abandon a lateral line, sales tap and related facilities and equipment which have been used to serve Owens-Illinois, pursuant to MRT's blanket authorization issued in Docket No. CP82-489- 000, all as more fully described in the request which is on file with the Commission and open for public inspection. MRT also proposes to abandon service to Owens-Illinois. MRT proposes to abandon approximately 750 feet of Line A-8, pipeline in Madison, Illinois which was used to serve Owens-Illinois. MRT states that Owens-Illinois has not taken any service from MRT since the early [[Page 31714]] 1980s, and it no longer requires service at this location. MRT proposes to blind off Line A-8 at the tap valve and remove all the above ground facilities. It is further stated that MRT proposes to abandon in place all the underground pipe. Comment date: July 24, 1995, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G 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 therefor, 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. 95-14741 Filed 6-15-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-P