[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 214 (Friday, November 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66240-66241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28256]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Second Interstate Natural Gas Facility-Planning Seminar

October 27, 2000.
    The Office of Energy Projects will hold the second in a series of 
public meetings around the country for the purposes of exploring and 
enhancing strategies for constructive public participation in the 
earliest stages of natural gas facility planning. This meeting will be 
held in Romeoville, Illinois on Thursday, December 7, 2000. We are 
inviting interstate natural gas companies; Federal, state and local 
agencies; landowners and non-governmental organizations with an 
interest in developing a new way of doing business to join us in this 
effort. We will discuss the facility planning process, not the merits 
of any pending or planned pipeline projects.
    Join us as we continue to explore new strategies being employed by 
the natural gas industry, agencies, and citizens to learn about each 
others' concerns and to engage the public and agencies in participatory 
project design. Interactive discussions with panelists from various 
Federal and state agencies, representatives from natural gas companies, 
and private landowners or citizen representatives who have had relevant 
experiences will be held. There will be substantial opportunity for the 
sharing of experiences and knowledge during both the panel discussions 
and in the interactive ``brainstorming'' session. So, bring your ideas 
with you and prepare to share them. In addition, a summary of the first 
seminar in Albany, NY will be given by the staff of the Commission's 
Office of Energy Projects.
    The objectives of the meetings are:
     Build upon the discussions from the first meeting in 
Albany, NY.
     To explore steps taken to identify the parties directly 
involved with and affected by natural gas facility siting and/or 
permitting, so they can work together and resolve issues.
     To explore the best avenues for involving people and 
agencies toward fostering settlements through creative issue 
resolution.
     To encourage the submission of filings with no or few 
contested issues in order to reduce the Commission's processing time.
    We are building on what was learned at our Albany meeting and 
continuing to work towards developing a toolbox of the best available 
techniques for increasing public involvement in the pre-filing planning 
process. This will help to plan projects with less opposition that can 
achieve faster action from the Commission with less controversy and 
fewer conditions.
    The meeting in Joliet, Illinois will be held at the Sancta Alberta 
Convocation Center at Lewis University, located in Romeoville, 
Illinois. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM and finish at 
4:00 PM. A preliminary agenda and directions to Lewis University are 
enclosed. Also, see attachment 2 regarding the selection of locations 
of future meetings.
    If you plan to attend, please respond by November 22, 2000 via 
facsimile to Pennie Lewis-Partee at 202-208-0353, or you can email our 
team at: [email protected]. Please include in the response the 
names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all attendees from your 
organization. We will send acknowledgment of your request.
    To help us enhance our panel discussions, please consider issues 
and/or questions you would like to have addressed at the meetings and 
email them to us. If you have any questions, you may contact any of the 
staff listed below:

Richard Hoffmann 202/208-0066
Lauren O'Donnell 202/208-0325
Jeff Shenot 202/219-2178
Howard Wheeler 202/208-2299

J. Mark Robinson,
Director, Division of Environmental & Engineering Review, Office of 
Energy Projects.

Appendix 1--Agenda

2nd Interstate Natural Gas Facility Planning Seminar

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Lewis University, Romeoville, 
Illinois, December 7, 2000, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

10:00  Introductions
    Welcome: Mark Robinson, Director, Division of Environmental & 
Engineering Review, Office of Energy Projects, FERC Rich Hoffmann, 
Office of Energy Projects, FERC
10:15  The Pipeline Planning/Approval Process
    Where FERC fits in
    Who's involved and when
10:30  Summary of Comments from the Albany Meeting
10:45  Panel 1. Perspectives on Initial Project Announcement and 
General Route Planning

[Discussion of factors surrounding announcement and general planning 
of the project route/sites & alternatives, types of surveys needed; 
who to tell and when. What are the needs of the various 
stakeholders?]

Howard Heffler, Alliance Pipeline Company
Marian Gibson, Administrator, Village of Channahon, Illinois 
(citizen)
Jim Hartwig, Office of Farmland Protection, Illinois Department of 
Agriculture

[10 minute discussion by each panelist with interactive Q&A session 
with panelists and audience for remainder of Panel]

11:45  Lunch
12:50  Panel 2. Perspectives on Detailed Pipeline Route Planning 
[Discussion of details of how landowners and agencies hear about 
facility locations; where disturbance would occur; aboveground 
facility sites, and alternatives? What timing and mitigation is 
involved? How best to be involved?]
    Brian Smith, Chicago District, U.S. Corps of Engineers?
    John Hopkins, ANR Pipeline Company
    ____________, Citizen/NGO

[10 minute discussion by each panelist with interactive Q&A session 
with panelists and audience for remainder of Panel]

2:00  Discussion by Kearns & West, Inc. on Stakeholder Involvement
2:15  Brainstorming Session * * * OEP Staff will lead an all-
participants discussion of issues regarding:
    Pre-filing Best Management Practices (BMPs) from an Industry 
Perspective

     How best to work with landowners and communities.
    Pre-filing BMPs from an Agency Perspective

     How best to work with applicants and agencies:
     How to coordinate with multiple agencies/jurisdictions.
    Pre-filing BMPs from a Citizen Perspective


[[Page 66241]]


     How best to engage landowners;
     How to get information on the need for a project;
     How to describe workspace/right-of-way requirements.

3:45  Summary of the Day
    DIRECTIONS TO LEWIS UNIVERSITY, Romeoville, IL:
     Lewis University is located on route 53 about 5 miles 
north of Joliet, IL.
     From the North, take I-55 to exit 267 (RT53). Take 
Route 53 south for approx. 8 miles to Lewis University on the right.

Appendix 2--Future Meetings?

    By September of 2001, we will hold subsequent seminars at other 
locations around the country. Locations for the meetings will be 
selected based on the history of past, present and especially future 
pipeline projects where interstae natural gas markets are developing 
or expanding.
    Areas we are considering for meetings include:

Tampa area, Florida--Jan/Feb, 2001
Boston, Massachusetts/Portland, Maine area--Mar/April, 2001
Seattle/Puget Sound Washington--________
    or
Reno/Tahoe, Nevada or Salt Lake City, Utah--________or
Other--________.
    If you care to voice your opinion about these or other areas, 
please follow the instructions for contacting us in the notice.

[FR Doc. 00-28256 Filed 11-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M