[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 235 (Thursday, December 5, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64517-64519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30922]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP97-102-000, et al.]


Northwest Pipeline Corporation, et al.; Natural Gas Certificate 
Filings

November 27, 1996.
    Take notice that the following filings have been made with the 
Commission:

1. Northwest Pipeline Corporation

[Docket No. CP97-102-000]

    Take notice that on November 18, 1996, Northwest Pipeline 
Corporation (Northwest), 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, 
filed in the above docket a request pursuant to Sections 157.205, 
157.211 and 157.216 of the Regulations (18 CFR Sections 157.205, 
157.211 and 157.216) for authorization to upgrade its Kalama II Meter 
Station in Cowlitz County, Washington, by abandoning certain facilities 
and constructing and operating upgraded replacement facilities to 
accommodate a request by Cascade Natural Gas Corporation (Cascade) for 
additional delivery capacity at the Kalama II delivery point, all as 
more fully set forth in the application which is on file with the 
Commission and open to public inspection.
    Northwest states that the Kalama II Meter Station was originally 
constructed by its predecessor, El Paso Natural Gas Company, under 
certificate authorization received in Docket No. CP69-55. A subsequent 
modification to this station was authorized in Docket No. CP93-752. The 
meter station currently consists of a four-inch tap, two-inch inlet 
piping, one four-inch turbine meter, two one-inch regulations, a relief 
valve and appurtenances. The meter station has a maximum design 
delivery capacity of 3,903 Dth per day at the contractual delivery 
pressure of 400 psig from Northwest's Astoria Lateral into Cascade's 
distribution system.
    Specifically, Northwest proposes to upgrade the Kalama II Meter 
Station by:
     Installing an additional four-inch turbine meter,
     Replacing the two-inch inlet piping with new four-inch 
piping,
     Replacing the two existing one-inch regulators with two-
inch large port Mooney regulators, and
     Replacing the existing relief valve with a three-inch by 
four-inch relief valve and appurtenances.
    Northwest states that as a result of this proposed upgrade, the 
maximum design delivery capacity of the meter station will increase 
from approximately 3,903 Dth per day to approximately 12,057 Dth per 
day at 400 psig.
    Northwest states that the total cost of the proposed meter station 
upgrade is estimated to be approximately $320,800. Pursuant to a 
Facilities Agreement between Northwest and Cascade dated August 1, 
1996, Northwest will construct the upgraded facilities and Cascade will 
reimburse Northwest for the cost of the meter station upgrade.
    Comment date: January 13, 1997, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

2. Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America

[Docket No. CP97-107-000]

    Take notice that on November 19, 1996, Natural Gas Pipeline Company 
of America (Natural), 701 East 22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, 
filed in Docket No. CP97-107-000, an application pursuant to Section 
7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), and Part 157 of the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission's (Commission) regulations, for a certificate of 
public convenience and necessity authorizing Natural to increase the 
certificated maximum daily deliverability at its Cooks Mills Storage 
Field (Cooks Mills) from 80 MMcf per day to 150 MMcf per day, all as 
more fully set forth in the application which is on file with the 
Commission and open to public inspection.
    Natural states that it is not proposing to construct jurisdictional 
facilities to effectuate the increase in deliverability. Moreover, 
Natural states that it is not requesting authority to increase the 
reservoir capacity, storage inventory level, or seasonal working volume 
at Cooks Mills. Natural says that Cooks Mills can operate at a higher 
level than the currently certificated maximum daily deliverability of 
80 MMcf per day as a direct result of a recently completed well 
performance improvement program.
    Comment date: December 18, 1996, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph F at the end of this notice.

Florida Gas Transmission Company

[Docket No. CP97-110-000]

    Take notice that on November 20, 1996, Florida Gas Transmission 
Company (FGT), 1400 Smith Street, P.O. Box 1188, Houston, Texas 77251-
1188, filed in Docket No. CP97-110-000 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 construct and 
operate a new city gate station in Hillsborough County, Florida to 
accommodate delivery of natural gas to Peoples Gas Systems, Inc. 
(Peoples) under FGT's blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP82-
553-000 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.
    FGT proposes to construct and operate a new city gate station in 
Hillsborough County, Florida to serve as an additional point of 
delivery under existing firm and interruptible gas transportation 
service agreements. The proposed new city gate station will consist of 
a 4-inch tap and valve at or near mile post 83.6 on FGT's existing St. 
Petersburg Lateral, minor 4-inch connecting pipe, electronic flow 
measurement equipment and other appurtenant facilities to enable FGT to 
deliver natural gas to Peoples of up to 717 MMBtu per day and 261,705 
MMBtu per year at the subject city gate station. FGT states that 
Peoples would reimburse it for all construction costs which is 
estimated to be $66,000. FGT states that Peoples has elected to 
construct, operate and own the metering and regulation facilities and 
related appurtenant facilities.
    FGT states that the proposed construction and operation of the new 
city gate station will not result in an increase in FGT's contractual 
gas deliveries to Peoples under the existing agreements. Therefore, the 
proposed construction and operation will not impact FGT's peak day 
delivery requirements nor its annual gas deliveries.
    Comment date: January 13, 1997, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

4. Florida Gas Transmission Company

[Docket No. CP97-112-000]

    Take notice that on November 21, 1996, Florida Gas Transmission 
Company (FGT), 1400 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002, filed in the 
above docket, a request pursuant to Sections 157.205 and 157.216 of the 
Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act for authorization to 
abandon and sell a measurement facility, all as more fully set forth in 
the request that is on file with the Commission and open to public 
inspection.
    Specifically, FGT proposes to abandon and transfer by sale to City 
Gas Company of Florida, a Division of NUI Corporation (City Gas) the 
Goulds measurement facility which is located on the 4-inch Homestead 
Lateral in Dade County, Florida. Upon receiving the authority requested 
herein, FGT indicates that it will sell the Goulds measurement facility 
concurrently with the Homestead Lateral to City Gas. FGT states that it 
received an order

[[Page 64518]]

authorizing the abandonment and sale of the Homestead Lateral on 
October 21, 1996 in Docket No. CP96-221-000.
    FGT states that this proposed activity is not prohibited by its 
existing tariff and that it has sufficient capacity to continue all 
services without detriment or disadvantage to its other customers.
    Comment date: January 13, 1997, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

5. Florida Gas Transmission Company

[Docket No. CP97-113-000]

    Take notice that on November 21, 1996, Florida Gas Transmission 
Company (FGT), P.O. Box 1188, Houston, Texas 77251-1188, filed in 
Docket No. CP97-113-000 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 construct and operate a 
delivery point located in Dade County, Florida, for City Gas Company of 
Florida, a Division of NUI Corporation (City Gas), under FGT's blanket 
certificate issued in Docket No. CP82-553-000, 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.
    FGT proposes to construct, operate, and own the new Cutler Ridge 
Meter Station to be used as a transportation delivery point by FGT to 
City Gas, located at the interconnection of their existing Turkey Point 
Lateral and the 4-inch Homestead Lateral in Dade County, Florida.
    FGT advises the proposed new Cutler Ridge Delivery Point will 
include a rotary meter, approximately 150 feet of 4-inch connecting 
line, and other related minor facilities. FGT estimates the cost for 
the construction of the proposed delivery point to be $130,000, 
including Federal income tax gross-up. FGT states City Gas will 
reimburse them for all costs directly and indirectly incurred by FGT.
    FGT states the present gas quantities delivered at the old Cutler 
Ridge Delivery Point are 7,096 MMBtu daily and 2,288,501 MMBtu 
annually, and the proposed gas quantities delivered at the new Cutler 
Ridge Delivery Point to be the same. FGT advises the end use of the gas 
deliveries will be primarily industrial.
    Comment date: January 13, 1997, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

6. CNG Transmission Corporation

[Docket No. CP97-114-000]

    Take notice that on November 21, 1996, CNG Transmission Corporation 
(CNG), 445 West Main Street, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26301, filed in 
Docket No. CP97-114-000 a request pursuant to Sections 157.205 and 
157.211 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 
CFR 157.205, 157.211) for authorization to construct a new Measuring 
and Regulation (M&R) station and appurtenant facilities in Wetzel 
County, West Virginia, under CNG's blanket certificate issued in Docket 
No. CP82-537-000 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.
    CNG states that these facilities will serve as a new point of 
interconnection with Eastern States Oil & Gas Inc. (Eastern). CNG 
states that an M&R station must be constructed near Pine Grove, Wetzel 
County, West Virginia so CNG can deliver Eastern's gas supplies. The 
auxiliary installations will be a meter, regulator, various valves and 
piping. The facility will be an interconnection with CNG's TL-413 line. 
Eastern has agreed to reimburse CNG for its costs and that CNG will be 
the owner of the M&R station. CNG states it will maintain and operate 
the M&R station and that the maximum daily design capacity will be 500 
Mcf.
    Comment date: January 13, 1997, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

7. Colorado Interstate Gas Company

[Docket No. CP97-117-000]

    Take notice that on November 21, 1996, Colorado Interstate Gas 
Company (CIG), Post Office Box 1087, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80944, 
filed in Docket No. CP97-117-000, a petition to amend the 
authorizations issued on November 17, 1959, October 14, 1969 and June 
19, 1973, in Docket Nos. G-19452, CP96-333 and CP73-174, respectively, 
pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and Part 157 of 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) regulations to 
change the Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) of approximately 
34.1 miles of the Trinidad Lateral located in Otero and Las Animas 
Counties, Colorado, all as more fully set forth in the petition on file 
with the Commission and open to public inspection.
    Specifically, CIG seeks to increase the MAOP of 34.1 miles of the 
8-inch looped Trinidad Lateral from 820 psig to 1067 psig. CIG states 
that the proposed change in MAOP will increase the operational capacity 
of this portion of the Trinidad Lateral from approximately 26,000 Mcf/d 
to approximately 43,000 Mcf/d. CIG says that this increase in capacity 
would be used to transport potential gas supplies from the Raton Basin 
Area.
    CIG states that the regulators at the delivery points are currently 
being evaluated to determine if any change to these above ground 
facilities will be required. CIG proposes to make any regulator change 
if any is required pursuant to Section 2.55 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    Comment date: January 13, 1997, in accordance with Standard 
Paragraph G at the end of this notice.

8. Indicated Land Owners v. Riverside Pipeline Company, L.P.

[Docket No. CP97-118-000]

    Take notice that on November 19, 1996, the Indicated Land Owners 
1 filed a ``Motion to Intervene Out-Of-Time and Protest'' in 
Riverside Pipeline Company, L.P.'s (Riverside) proceeding in Docket No. 
CP96-152-000. In their pleading, the Indicated Land Owners ask the 
Commission to issue an order to show cause why Riverside's proposed 
KPOC 700 Line Expansion under section 311 of the Natural Gas Policy Act 
(NGPA) in Docket No. CP96-746-000 should not be subject to Section 7(c) 
of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). The Commission is treating this pleading 
as a complaint under the NGPA and Section 5 of the NGA, in the above-
captioned new docket.
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    \1\ The Indicated Land Owners are Harry J. Lloyd, Loch Lloyd, 
Inc., Bill Southerland and JoAnn Farb.
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    On August 26, 1996, Riverside and Kansas Pipeline Partnership filed 
in Docket No. CP96-746-000 a section 284.11 Notice of Construction for 
its KPOC 700 Line, also known as its Linchpin 2 Project.2 
Riverside indicates that it intends to construct these facilities as 
non-jurisdictional natural gas facilities to be used exclusively for 
NGPA Section 311(a)(1) transportation.
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    \2\ This certificate application was filed as a result of the 
Commission's order in Docket No. RP95-212-000, which found that 
KansOk Partnership and Kansas Pipeline Partnership operated as a 
single interstate pipeline system. See KansOk Partnership, et al., 
73 FERC para. 61,160 (1995).
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    Indicated Land Owners note that the cost of the proposed NGPA 
section 311 expansion is estimated to be at least $36.5 million. The 
Indicated Land Owners contend that the cost of the expansion is 
substantial and cannot be accomplished without reflecting the cost of 
the facilities in Riverside's rate base. The Indicated Land Owners

[[Page 64519]]

complain that, nonetheless, Riverside is professing that these 
facilities will be used exclusively for NGPA Section 311 transportation 
and that the costs of these facilities will not be added to Riverside's 
jurisdictional rate base.
    Indicated Land Owners state that although the Commission has 
conducted programmatic environmental assessments from time to time with 
respect to its automatic authorization of NGPA Section 311 
transportation, those assessments were based on the assumption that the 
facilities involved would be relatively small and would not create 
major environmental impacts. Indicated Land Owners contend that such 
environmental assessments did not contemplate an interstate pipeline's 
attempting deliberately to evade jurisdiction by linking substantial 
segments held by intrastate pipeline affiliates with nominal segments 
held by an interstate pipeline at the state line. Nor did the 
assessments contemplate an interstate pipeline's attempting to evade 
environmental consideration of the ``no action'' alternative by using a 
two step process of first constructing a NGPA Section 311-only pipeline 
and then subsequently seeking to convert it to NGA Section 7(c) status 
after the facility becomes a fait accompli.
    Indicated Land Owners complain that Riverside is attempting to 
circumvent the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) by its jurisdictional maneuvers. They argue that if the 
Commission delays its environmental review until after Riverside seeks 
to convert the proposed KPOC 700 Line to a NGA Section 7(c) pipeline, 
important NEPA requirements, such as consideration of the ``no action'' 
alternative and possible alternative routing, will be evaded.
    Indicated Land Owners complain that Riverside is seeking state 
condemnation of the proposed right-of-way for the KPOC 700 Line, and is 
erroneously asserting that because the transportation is authorized 
under NGPA Section 311, federal law preempts a state law inquiry into 
the public need for the facilities. Indicated Land Owners allege that, 
as a result, Riverside is attempting to create a jurisdictional gap 
where it will be able to secure condemnation under state law, without a 
prior determination of public necessity for the facilities under either 
state or federal law.
    Indicated Land Owners ask the Commission to issue a show cause 
order as to why Riverside's proposed KPOC 700 Line should not be 
subject to NGA Section 7(c). Alternatively, Indicated Land Owners ask 
the Commission to conduct a full environmental assessment of the 
proposed expansion, including a consideration of the ``no action'' 
alternative.
    Comment date: December 27, 1996, in accordance with the first 
paragraph of Standard Paragraph F at the end of this notice. Answers to 
the complaint shall also be due on or before December 27, 1996.

Standard Paragraphs

    F. Any person desiring to be heard or make any protest with 
reference to said filing should on or before the comment date file with 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., 
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 385.211 and 385.214) 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 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 filing 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 is 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 the applicant to appear or be represented at 
the hearing.
    G. Any person or the Commission's staff may, within 45 days after 
the 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.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-30922 Filed 12-4-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P