[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12536-12537]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5549]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP00-93-000, CP00-94-000 and CP00-95-000]


Honeoye Storage Corporation; Notice of Application

March 2, 2000.
    Take notice that on February 22, 2000 Honeoye Storage Corporation 
(Honeoye) c/o EHA, One State Street, Suite 1200, Boston, Massachusetts 
02109, filed an application in the above docket, pursuant to sections 
7(b) and 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act as amended (NGA), 15 USC 717f(b) 
and 717f(c), and Parts 157 and 284 of the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission's regulations, seeking:
in CPOO-93-000
    (1) to abandon service to Providence Gas Company (Providence),
    (2) to construct, install, own, operate and maintain certain 
facilities that will permit Honeoye to increase the certificated 
capacity and deliverability of the Honeoye storage field located in 
Ontario County, New York;
in CP00-94-000
    (3) to obtain a blanket certificate of public convenience and 
necessity pursuant to Subpart G of Part 284 of the Commission's 
regulations authorizing Honeoye to provide firm and interruptible 
storage services on a self-implementing basis at market-based rates 
with pregranted abandonment authorization; and
in CP00-95-000
    (4) to obtain a blanket certificate under Subpart F of Part 157 of 
the Commission's regulations authorizing the construction and operation 
of certain facilities and certain certificate amendments and 
abandonment under Section 7 of the NGA;

all as more fully set forth in the application which is on file with 
the Commission and open to public inspection. The application may be 
viewed on the web at www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call (202) 208-
2222 for assistance).
    Honeoye has requested that the Commission make the proposed 
abandonment authorization effective March 31, 2000 and issue the 
proposed authorizations by May 31, 2000 in order to permit Honeoye to 
proceed with construction on or before June 30, 2000.
    Honeoye states that it currently has a certificated obligation to 
provide Providence a Maximum Daily Withdrawal Quantity (MDWQ) of 5,100 
Dth/d and Maximum Quantity Stored (MQS) of 613.2 MDth. Providence has 
notified Honeoye that it wishes to terminate its storage service 
agreement with Honeoye effective March 31, 2000.
    Honeoye states that it proposes to construct, install, own, operate 
and maintain certain additional facilities necessary to increase the 
maximum stabilized pressure of the Honeoye Storage Field from 927 psia 
to 1100 psia, a pressure well below the hydrostatic pressure of the 
field. This increase in pressure will permit Honeoye to increase the 
certificated capacity of the Honeoye Storage Field by 1,812 MDth and 
the certificated deliverability by 15,000 Dth/d. The activities 
necessary to effectuate the proposed expansion are as follows:
    (1) replace the internal components of two of Honeoye's three 
existing compressors to increase maximum allowable operating pressure 
from 915 psia to 1045 psia;

[[Page 12537]]

    (2) pressure test Honeoye's existing field pipeline system to 
increase the certified maximum allowable operating pressure from 915 
psia to 1045 psia;
    (3) pressure test Honeoye's existing mainline pipeline system to 
increase the certified maximum allowable operating pressure from 900 
psia to 1045 psia; and
    (4) add 781,482 Dth of base gas to the Honeoye field, consisting of 
481,482 Dth to replace base gas previously supplied by Providence and 
add 300,000 Dth of new base gas;
    Honeoye proposes that Honeoye, and not its existing Part 157 
customers, will bear the full costs of the exposed expansion. 
Therefore, Honeoye states that its proposed expansion will have no 
impact on the rates or terms of service to Part 157 customers.
    Honeoye requests a blanket certificate pursuant to Subpart G of 
Part 284 of the Commission's regulations authorizing Honeoye to provide 
firm and interruptible services on a self-implementing basis at market-
based rates with pre-granted abandonment. Honeoye proposes to offer 
open access services using (i) the 613.2 MDth of storage capacity and 
5,100 Dth/d of firm deliverability that will become available when the 
Commission grants Honeoye authorization to abandon service to 
Providence, and (ii) the 1,812.8 MDth of storage capacity and 15,000 
Dth/d of firm deliverability that will be created once the construction 
described above is completed.
    Honeoye request that the Commission authorize Honeoye to charge 
market based rates for Part 284 Services. Honeoye's existing storage 
capacity represents less than two percent of the existing storage 
capacity in the New York and Pennsylvania region. Honeoye's storage 
deliverability represents less than one percent of the existing New 
York and Pennsylvania storage deliverability. Therefore, under 
applicable Commission policy, Honeoye states that it cannot withhold or 
restrict services or unduly discriminate with respect to prices or 
terms and conditions.
    Honeoye also requests that with respect to the Open Access Service, 
the Commission waive the requirements of Section 284.8(d) of the 
Commission's Regulations. These regulations require that all storage 
services provided under Section 284 charge reservation fees which 
recover all fixed costs based on the straight fixed-variable rate 
design methodology. Honeoye states that if the Commission approves this 
application for market-based rates, compliance with this Section would 
be unnecessary. Similarly, Honeoye requests partial waiver of Section 
157.14 of the Commission's regulations in order to permit Honeoye to 
omit Exhibits K, N, and O from its Application. Honeoye states these 
exhibits will also be unnecessary if Honeoye's request to charge 
market-based rates is granted.
    Any questions regarding this application should be directed to 
Richard A. Norman, Vice President, Honeoye Storage Corporation, c/o EHA 
One State Street, Suite 1200, Boston, MA 02109 (617) 367-0032.
    Any person desiring to be heard or to make any protest with 
reference to said application should on or before March 23, 2000, 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 in any 
proceeding herein must file a motion to intervene in accordance with 
the Commission's rules.
    A person obtaining intervener status will be placed on the service 
list maintained by the Secretary of the Commission and will receive 
copies of all documents issued by the Commission, filed by the 
applicant, or filed by all other interveners. An intervener can file 
for rehearing of any Commission order and can petition for court review 
of any such order. However, an intervener must serve copies of comments 
or any other filing it makes with the Commission to every other 
intervener in the proceeding, as well as filing an original and 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 such 
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 
intervener status.
    Take further notice that, pursuant to the authority contained in 
and subject to the jurisdiction conferred upon the 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 permission and 
approval for the proposed abandonment 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 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 Honeoye to appear or to be represented at 
the hearing.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-5549 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M