[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 57 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15625-15626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7152]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP00-117-000 and CP00-117-001]


Southern Natural Gas Company; South Georgia Natural Gas Company; 
Notice of Joint Application

March 17, 2000.
    Take notice that on March 10, 2000, Southern Natural Gas Company 
(Southern), Post Office Box 2563, Birmingham, Alabama 35202-2563 and 
South Georgia Natural Gas Company (South Georgia) Post Office Box 2563, 
Birmingham, Alabama 35202-2563, filed in Docket No. CP00-117-000 a 
joint application pursuant to Sections 7(c) and 7(b) of the Natural Gas 
Act (NGA) and part 157 of the Commission's regulations, for a 
certificate of public convenience and necessity for Southern to acquire 
facilities and authorization for South Georgia to abandon facilities 
all as more fully set forth in the application which is on file with 
the Commission and open to public inspection.\1\ The filing may be 
viewed at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call 202-208-2222 for 
assistance).
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    \1\ This application is also incorporated in the Offer of 
Settlement filed by Southern pursuant to Rule 602 of the 
Commission's regulations (Sec. 385.602) in Docket No. RP99-496-004. 
The portion of the Offer of Settlement relating to the transfer of 
South Georgia's facilities to Southern has been docketed as CP00-
117-001. Pursuant to Rule 602(d)(2) Southern states that it has 
notified all parties in the rate proceeding as all other persons 
required by Rule 602(d)(1) that Comments and Reply Comments on the 
Offer of Settlement are due to be filed by March 28, 2000, and Reply 
Comments are due to be filed by April 7, 2000.
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    Any questions regarding the application should be directed to 
Patrick Pope, General Counsel, Southern Natural Gas Company, Post 
Office Box 35202-2563, Birmingham, Alabama 35202-2563 or call (205) 
325-7126.
    Southern requests a certificate of public convenience and necessity 
pursuant to Section 7(c) of the NGA authorizing it to acquire the 
facilities of South Georgia, and South Georgia requests approval under 
Section 7(b) of the NGA to abandon all of its jurisdictional 
transmission facilities, operations, and certain services not subject 
to pre-granted abandonment. Southern and South Georgia state that the 
acquisition will be accomplished by a merger between Southern and South 
Georgia which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern. Further, they 
state that Southern will acquire South Georgia's assets at the original 
cost with the same accumulated depreciation and accumulated deferred 
income taxes as are currently reflected in South Georgia's books.
    Southern avers that it will contact with the existing South Georgia 
customers to provide the same quality and type of service as South 
Georgia provides today, but under the terms and conditions of 
Southern's FERC Gas Tariff, as revised pursuant to this application and 
the Offer of Settlement. To implement the service, Southern and South 
Georgia seek: (1) Authorization for South Georgia to terminate Volumes 
I and II of its FERC Gas Tariff; (2) Authorization for Southern to 
revise its CSS-1, CSS-2, and STS Rate Schedules to incorporate the 
South Georgia ST-1 and ST-2 Rate Schedules into its First Revised 
Volume No. 2A of its FERC Gas Tariff; (3) Cancellation of South 
Georgia's Order No. 234 Blanket Certificate; and (4) Authorization for 
Southern to implement the changes to its tariff necessary to implement 
the terms of the certificate requested herein.
    Southern and South Georgia state that the acquisition is part of an 
overall Offer of Settlement filed concurrently in Docket No. RP99-496-
004 to resolve all outstanding issues in Southern's pending Section 4 
rate proceeding and they request that the certificate application be 
processed concurrently with the Offer of Settlement. Southern and South 
Georgia request that the authorization requested herein take effect on 
August 1, 2000 and be conditioned upon the approval of the Offer of 
Settlement. If the settlement is not approved on terms acceptable to 
the parties thereto, Southern and South Georgia state that they will 
withdraw the certificate application.
    Any person desiring to participate in the hearing process or to 
make any protest with reference to said application should on or before 
March 28, 2000, 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 NGA 
(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 to 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.
    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 NGA 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.

[[Page 15626]]

    Under the procedure provided for, unless otherwise advised, it will 
be unnecessary for Southern or South Georgia to appear or be 
represented at the hearing.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-7152 Filed 3-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M