[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 1 (Friday, January 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62-63]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34175]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP98-149-000]


El Paso Natural Gas Company; Notice of Application

December 24, 1997.
    Take notice that on December 19, 1997, El Paso Natural Gas Company 
(El Paso), Post Office Box 1492, El Paso, Texas 79978, filed in Docket 
No. CP98-149-000 an application pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural 
Gas Act for a certificate of public convience and necessity to 
construct and operate the Bondad Expansion Project to alleviate a 
capacity constraint on El Paso's system north of the Blanco plant in 
San Juan County, New Mexico, all as more fully set forth in the 
application which is on file with the Commission and open to public 
inspection.
    El Paso states that it proposes to construct and operate additional 
compression facilities, with appurtenances, at the existing Bondad 
compressor station located on the Ignacio to Blanco Line and Loop Line 
(Line Nos. 1205 and 1218, respectively) (Ignacio Lines), in La Plata 
County, Colorado, in order to restage the three existing Solar Centaur 
centrifugal compressor units and to replace each of the three gas 
turbine engines comprising

[[Page 63]]

10,740 (ISO) horsepower with three gas turbine engines comprising 
15,900 (ISO) horsepower.
    El Paso contends that the Bondad Expansion Project has been 
designed to permit El Paso to transport 116,500 Mcf per day of 
additional quantities of gas from receipt points along the Ignacio 
Lines to an existing point near the existing Blanco plant located in 
San Juan County, New Mexico.
    El Paso estimates the cost of constructing the Bondad Expansion 
Project to be $3.6 million. El Paso proposes to place the proposed 
facilities in service by October 1, 1998.
    It is stated that based on the cost of the proposed compression 
facilities, El Paso has calculated a separate incremental rate 
attributable to the cost of service for the proposed Bondad Expansion 
Project. It is stated that the incremental reservation rate for the 
proposed project, which is referred to as the Bondad Facilities 
Reservation Charge, is $0.67734 per dth, on a monthly basis. El Paso 
proposes the calculated incremental rate (the recourse rate) as the 
tariff rate applicable to firm transportation service on the Bondad 
Expansion Project.
    In addition, it is stated that El Paso has calculated a separate 
incremental fuel charge, referred to as the Bondad Facilities Fuel 
Charge, in which shippers receiving firm service on the Bondad 
Expansion Project will be assessed a proposed incremental fuel charge 
of 0.75 percent of quantities of gas transported.
    El Paso states that in support of the Bondad Expansion Project, it 
has entered into final, firm Transportation Service Agreements (TSAs) 
with Enron Capital & Trade Resources Corp., Elm Ridge Resources, Inc. 
and Conoco, Inc., for the transportation of an additional 116,500 mcf 
per day of gas from any point of receipt on the Bondad System, 
including the Ignacio Receipt Point, to the Blanco Delivery Pont.
    El Paso states that the executed firm TSAs applicable at the Bondad 
Expansion Project are subject to the provisions of Rate Schedule FT-1 
contained in El Paso's Volume No. 1-A, FERC Gas Tariff; however, 
pursuant to Section 4.5 of the Tariff, the executed TSAs each contain a 
separate negotiated rate, rather than the proposed tariff rate, 
applicable to the Bondad Expansion Project. El Paso further states that 
the rate negotiated with each of the three shippers on the Project is a 
Total Daily One-Part Rate per dth.
    Any person desiring to participate in the hearing process or to 
make any protest with reference to said application should on or before 
January 14, 1998, 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. The Commission's rules require that protestors provide 
copies of their protests or the party or parties directly involved. 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 intervene status will be placed on the service 
list 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 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 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 El Paso to appear or be represented at the 
hearing.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-34175 Filed 12-31-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M