[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 2, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46252-46253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23138]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-626-000]


Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation; Notice of Application

August 26, 1997.
    Take notice that on July 10, 1997 Texas Eastern Transmission 
Corporation (Texas Eastern), 5400 Westheimer Court, Houston, Texas 
77056-5310, filed in Docket No. CP97-626-000 an abbreviated application 
pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act to increase the 
capacity of its Lebanon Lateral facility. Texas Eastern seeks 
authorization to construct, install, own, operate and maintain certain 
compression facilities at its existing Gas City Compressor Station 
located in Grant County, Indiana (Gas City) and at its existing Glen 
Karn meter station in Darke County, Ohio (Glen Karn), and certain other 
ancillary and appurtenant above-ground facilities. Such additional 
compression will increase Texas Eastern's capacity in the Lebanon 
Lateral by 302,290 Dth/d, up to a new total of 661,510 Dth/d (650 MMcf/
d equivalent).
    Specifically, Texas Eastern proposes to install 8,900 HP of 
compression at Gas City. Texas Eastern will install one reciprocating 
gas engine rated at 3,400 HP and one reciprocating gas engine rated at 
5,500 HP. This additional compression will increase the total 
compression at Gas City from 3,400 HP to 12,300 HP. In addition, to 
accommodate the additional compressor units, Texas Eastern will expand 
the existing Gas City compressor buildings and install associated 
ancillary facilities and piping. All of the proposed facilities at Gas 
City will be located wholly within and on Texas Eastern's existing Gas 
City Compressor Station property.
    Texas Eastern also proposes to install a new 8,170 HP gas turbine-
driven centrifugal compressor at its existing Glen Karn meter station 
site. Currently there are no compression facilities located at the Glen 
Karn station. To house this proposed compressor unit, Texas Eastern 
will construct compressor station buildings and associated ancillary 
facilities and piping. In addition, Texas Eastern proposes to upgrade 
its existing metering stations at Glen Karn and at Lebanon in Warren 
County, Ohio.
    The estimated total capital cost of the proposed facilities is 
approximately $31,291,000. Texas Eastern proposes to commence service 
utilizing the new facilities on or before November 1, 1998.
    Texas Eastern also requests authorization to file a limited NGA 
Section 4 proceeding, after receipt of the authorizations requested and 
prior to the in-service date of the proposed facilities, to revise and 
restate the rates applicable to Texas Eastern's Part 284, open-access 
Rate Schedules LLFT and LLIT. Such revised and restated Rate Schedule 
LLFT rates result in a base Reservation Charge of $3.466 per Dth and 
Usage-1 rate of $0.0023, $0.1163 on a 100% load factor basis. In 
addition, the revised and restated Rate Schedule LLFT base rate will be 
$0.1163. These revised and restated rates represent a 23% reduction, on 
a 100% load factor basis, in the currently effective maximum Rate 
Schedules LLFT and LLIT rates.
    Texas Eastern proposes to revise the existing fuel shrinkage 
percentages applicable to Rate Schedules LLFT and LLIT to recognize the 
fuel associated with the facilities. Texas Eastern has calculated the 
estimated fuel usage of the existing compression at Gas City and the 
proposed facilities based on historical utilization to arrive at an 
estimated annual fuel shrinkage percentage of 0.43%.
    Texas Eastern intends to use all of the additional capacity to be 
made available by the Facilities to lease capacity on a firm basis to 
Spectrum Interstate Pipeline Corporation (``Spectrum''), a wholly owned 
subsidiary of PanEnergy Corporation and affiliate of Texas Eastern. 
Texas Eastern has included in its application, a letter of intent with 
Spectrum whereby Spectrum intends to enter into a lease for the 
increase of capacity of 302,290 Dth/d. Subject to Commission approval, 
Spectrum will be a new interstate pipeline company that will provide 
open-access transportation service. The Spectrum Project will provide 
natural gas transportation from the Chicago area to Northeast markets 
such as New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, New Jersey and other 
markets served by the Duke Energy pipelines.
    Texas Eastern states that, notwithstanding the foregoing, its 
proposal is not contingent upon the Spectrum Project. To the extent 
that all of the capacity, to be made available by the proposed 
facilities, is not leased to Spectrum, Texas Eastern will make such 
capacity available under the terms and conditions of its Rate Schedules 
LLFT and LLIT. To the extent Texas Eastern does not have firm 
contractual arrangements for the capacity to be made available by the 
proposed facilities before construction of such facilities, Texas 
Eastern states that it will be ``at-risk'' for recovery of such costs.
    By supplements dated August 5, and 25, 1997, Texas Eastern 
submitted two service agreements, a precedent agreement and a letter of 
intent. These four documents account for 101,805 Dth/d of the proposed 
capacity.
    Any person desiring to participate in the hearing process or to 
make any protest with reference to said application should on or before 
September 16, 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 385.214 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 
proceedings. 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.
    A person obtaining intervenor status will be placed on the service 
list

[[Page 46253]]

maintained by the Secretary of the Commission and will receive copies 
of all documents filed by the applicant and by every one of the 
intervenors. An intervenor can file for rehearing of any Commission 
order and can petition for court review of any such order. However, an 
intervenor must submit copies of comments or any other filing it makes 
with the Commission to every other intervenor in the proceeding, as 
well as 14 copies with the Commission.
    A person does not have to intervene, however, in order to have 
comments considered. A person, instead, may submit two copies of 
comments to the Secretary of the Commission. Commenters will be placed 
on the Commission's environmental mailing list, will receive copies of 
environmental documents and will be able to participate in meetings 
associated with the Commission's environmental review process. 
Commenters will not be required to serve copies of filed documents on 
all other parties. However, commenters will not receive copies of all 
documents filed by other parties or issued by the Commission and will 
not have the right to seek rehearing or appeal the Commission's final 
order to a federal court.
    The Commission will consider all comments and concerns equally, 
whether filed by commenters or those requesting intervenor status.
    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 
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 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 Texas Eastern to appear or be represented at 
the hearing.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-23138 Filed 8-29-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M