[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 140 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39228-39229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19159]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-636-000]


Western Gas Resources, Inc.; Notice of Petition For Declaratory 
Order

July 16, 1997.
    Take notice that on July 14, 1997, Western Gas Resources, Inc. 
(Western), 12200 N. Pecos Street, Denver, Colorado 80234, filed in 
Docket No. CP97-636-000 a petition for an order declaring that 
Western's acquisition of the Yellowstone Line, comprised of 10.7 miles 
of 12-inch pipeline, and related facilities from Williams Natural Gas 
Company (WNG), its conveyance of such facilities to Westana Gathering 
Company (Westana), and Westana's subsequent acquisition, ownership and 
operation of the facilities, will be exempt from the Commission's 
jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act.
    Western states that the Yellowstone Line originates just across the 
Oklahoma/Kansas border in Comanche County, Kansas, and extends south 
into Woods County, Oklahoma to its

[[Page 39229]]

terminus at an interconnection with WNG's 26-inch west-to-east 
transmission line designated as the ``Straight Line''. Western states 
that there are currently only three active receipt points on the 
Yellowstone Line, all located in Woods County, Oklahoma. Western 
contends that of the three receipt points, two are used to connect one 
well each, with each well delivering an average of 50 Mcf per day. 
Western further contends that the third receipt point connects 
Westana's Finley Gathering System, which is comprised of 12 to 14 miles 
of 3-inch and 6-inch gathering lines, which deliver 3,300 Mcf per day 
of production from nine wells attached to the Finley System into the 
Yellowstone Line.
    Western states that it has agreed to purchase the Yellowstone Line 
and related appurtenant facilities from WNG following WNG's abandonment 
of such facilities in related Docket No. CP97-620-000. Western further 
states that, thereafter, Western will convey the Yellowstone Line and 
related facilities to Westana so that such facilities can be integrated 
into and operated as a part of Westana's existing gathering and 
processing operations in the same general region, thereby providing 
users of the line with access to additional markets, lower pressure 
service and opportunities for liquids recovery not currently available.
    Western states that to ensure uninterrupted continuity of service 
for gas currently attached to the Yellowstone Line, Westana will move 
metering facilities at the line's current receipt points to the line's 
point of interconnect with WNG's Straight transmission line. In 
addition, Western states that Westana will install three quarters of a 
mile of gathering line extending south/southwest from the present 
terminus of the Yellowstone Line to a point of interconnection with 
Westana's existing Teagarden Gathering System in Woods County, 
Oklahoma. Once completed, Western states that the Yellowstone Line and 
Western's Finley Gathering System attached to the Yellowstone Line, 
will effectively become part of the Teagarden System, a complex of 
small diameter field gathering lines located behind the Chaney Dell 
Processing Plant. Western states that once the line is attached to 
Westana's Teagarden System, Westana will lower line pressures to 100-
150 psig, thereby obviating the need for most producer-supplied 
wellhead compression and enabling noncompressed wells to flow at much 
higher rates of production.
    Western maintains that attaching the Yellowstone Line to the 
Teagarden System will provide an opportunity for liquids recovery from 
the unprocessed gas stream currently flowing into WNG. Western states 
that the Teagarden System is located behind, and delivers into, the 
Chaney Dell Processing Plant which will operate to extract salable 
liquid hydrocarbons from the Yellowstone Line production and deliver 
processed residue gas at the plant tailgate in Major County, Oklahoma. 
In addition, Western maintains that attachment of the Yellowstone line 
to the Teagarden System will provide Yellowstone shippers with access 
to new markets, as the Chaney Dell Plant is currently connected to the 
pipeline systems of Enogex, Inc. and Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line 
Company.
    Western states in its petition that it seeks a declaration from the 
Commission that the Yellowstone line and related facilities that it 
will acquire from WNG, Western's conveyance of such facilities to 
Westana and Westana's subsequent ownership and operation of such 
facilities in conjunction with its existing Oklahoma gathering and 
processing operations will be exempt from the Commission's jurisdiction 
pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act. Western explains that 
the facilities meet the primary function test because the Yellowstone 
Line is 10.7 miles of 12-inch pipeline extending from a point less than 
one-half mile north of the Oklahoma/Kansas state border, south to an 
interconnection with WNG's 26-inch Straight transmission line; the 
Yellowstone Line does not feed into a natural gas processing plant or a 
large field compression station, but, rather, directly into WNG's 26-
inch transmission line, essentially functioning in conjunction with the 
Finley system to attach gas from various points of wellhead production 
to the WNG mainline system; the Yellowstone Line facilities operate at 
pressures ranging from 650 psig to 700 psig, delivering compressed 
wellhead production directly into WNG's 26-inch Straight transmission 
line; and there are three active receipt points, two connecting 
individual wells directly into the line and the third attaching the 6-
inch ``spine'' of Westana's Finley Gathering System.
    Any person desiring to be heard or to make any protest with 
reference to said petition should on or before August 6, 1997, file 
with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 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 or 
385.214). 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.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-19159 Filed 7-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M