[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 215 (Friday, November 6, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59916-59917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29590]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Parts 4, 153, 157, and 375

[Docket No. RM98-16-000]


Collaborative Procedures for Energy Facilities Applications; 
Notice of Technical Conferences

October 30, 1998.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Technical Conferences.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) intends 
to hold staff technical conferences to discuss the proposed pre-filing 
collaborative process.

DATES: Conference will be held at 9:00 a.m. on November 10, 1998, in 
Houston, Texas and at 9:00 a.m. on November 18, 1998, in Chicago, 
Illinois.

ADDRESSES: Conference locations are as follows:

Houston Airport Marriott, 18700 Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, Texas
Chicago Marriott Downtown, 540 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas Russo, Office of Pipeline Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 219-
2792
Berne Mosley, Office of Pipeline Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-
2256
Gordon Wagner, Office of the General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 219-
0122
Merrill Hathaway, Office of the General Counsel, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, 
(202) 208-0825

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In addition to publishing the full text of 
this document in the Federal Register, the Commission also provides all 
interested persons an opportunity to inspect or copy the contents of 
this document during normal business hours in the Public Reference Room 
at 888 First Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washhington, D.C. 20426.
    The Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS) provides access to 
the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission. CIPS can be 
accessed via

[[Page 59917]]

Internet through FERC's Homepage (http://www.ferc.fed.us) using the 
CIPS Link or the Energy Information Online icon. The full text of this 
document will be available on CIPS in ASCII and WordPerfect 6.1 format. 
CIPS is also available through the Commission's electronic bulletin 
board service at no charge to the user and may be accessed using a 
personal computer with a modem by dialing 202-208-1397, if dialing 
locally, or 1-800-856-3920, if dialing long distance. To access CIPS, 
set your communications software to 19200, 14400, 12000, 9600, 7200, 
4800, 2400, or 1200 bps, full duplex, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop 
bit. User assistance is available at 202-208-2474 or by E-mail to 
[email protected].
    This document is also available through the Commission's Records 
and Information Management System (RIMS), an electronic storage and 
retrieval system of documents submitted to and issued by the Commission 
after November 16, 1981. Documents from November 1995 to the present 
can be viewed and printed. RIMS is available in the Public Reference 
Room or remotely via Internet through FERC's Homepage using the RIMS 
link or the Energy Information Online icon. User assistance is 
available at 202-208-2222, or by E-mail to [email protected].
    Finally, the complete text on diskette in WordPerfect format may be 
purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, RVJ International, 
Inc. RVJ International, Inc., is located in the Public Reference Room 
at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is proposing 
to expand its procedural regulations governing the authorization of 
natural gas facilities and services, and is considering revising its 
procedural regulations governing applications for licenses for 
hydroelectric projects.\1\ The proposed regulations are intended to 
offer prospective applicants seeking to construct, operate or abandon 
natural gas facilities or services the option, in appropriate 
circumstances and prior to filing an application, of using a 
collaborative process to resolve significant issues. In addition, a 
significant portion of the environmental review process could be 
completed as part of the pre-filing collaborative process. This pre-
filing collaborative process is comparable to the process the 
Commission recently adopted with respect to applications for 
hydroelectric licenses, amendments and exemptions and, like those 
regulations, is optional and is designed to be adaptable to the facts 
and circumstances of the particular case. The proposed regulations 
would not delete or replace any existing regulations. Finally, the 
Commission is considering whether the existing collaborative process 
for hydroelectric license and exemption applications, as well as the 
proposed collaborative process for natural gas facilities and services, 
should be made mandatory.
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    \1\ See 84 FERC para. 61,346 (September 30, 1998).
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    Staff technical conferences will be held to provide an overview of 
the proposed pre-filing collaborative process and to respond to 
questions. Conferences will be held at 9:00 a.m. on November 10, 1998, 
at the Houston Airport Marriott, 18700 Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, 
Texas, and on November 18, 1998, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown, 540 
North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. These conferences are 
designed as workshops in which Commission staff will present 
information and respond to questions concerning the proposed 
collaborative process as an aid to assist participants in developing 
comments in response to and as requested in the September 30, 1998 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Accordingly, there will be no transcript 
and statements made in the context of the workshops will not become 
part of the record in this proceeding. All parties--particularly those 
with experience with collaborative processes, whether at this agency or 
in another context--are invited to attend.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-29590 Filed 11-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M