[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77612-77613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31571]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-43-000]


Equitrans, L.P.; Notice of Application

December 6, 2000.
    The notice that on December 1, 2000, Equitrans, L.P. (Equitrans). 
100 Allegheny Center Mall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, filed in Docket 
No. CP01-43-000 an abbreviated application pursuant to Section 7 of the 
Natural Gas

[[Page 77613]]

Act (NGA) and the Commission's Rules and Regulations for a limited term 
certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing Equitrans 
to install and operate one 1,340 horsepower leased compressor unit and 
related facilities for a limited period beginning January 1, 2001, and 
ending April 1, 2001, in order to provide an additional 12,000 Mcf per 
day to be transported between Sleepy Hollow Compressing Station (Sleepy 
Hollow) and the Pennview Compressing Station (Pennview), all as more 
fully set forth in the application which is on file with the Commission 
and open to public inspection. The filing may be viewed at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).
    Equitrans states that Sleepy Hollow falls within Texas Eastern Zone 
M-2. Pennview is in Texas Eastern's Zone 
M-3. Although the distance is only approximately 24 miles, this is an 
area of constrained capacity. The ability to take gas from Texas 
Eastern just west of Sleepy Hollow and redeliver that gas east of 
Pennview will help alleviate a capacity bottleneck this winter. 
Equitrans further states that the capacity to be created by this 
application is fully subscribed, and that the revenue to be received by 
Equitrans is significantly more than the cost of installing the 
temporary compression, and therefore Equitrans' existing customers will 
not subsidize the proposed service, consistent with the Commission's 
policy statement. Equitrans also avers that if approval is granted for 
the proposed increase in capacity, the operating pressure of Equitrans' 
H-156 line will, under no circumstances, exceed the established maximum 
allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of 1150 psig. for the existing 
pipeline. Sufficient overpressure protection has been installed in 
accordance with 49 CFR Part 192 in order to maintain the integrity of 
the pipeline system.
    There are two ways to become involved in the Commission's review of 
this project. First, any person wishing to obtain legal status by 
becoming a party to the proceedings for this project should, on or 
before December 18, 2000, file with the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 first Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, a motion to 
intervene 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). A person obtaining party 
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 all other parties. A party must submit 14 copies of 
filings made with the Commission and must mail a copy to the applicant 
and to every other party in the proceeding. Only parties to the 
proceedings can ask for court review of Commission orders in the 
proceeding.
    However, a person does not have to intervene in order to have 
comments considered. The second way to participate is by filing with 
the Secretary of the Commission, as soon as possible, an original and 
two copies of comments in support of or in opposition to this project. 
The Commission will consider these comments in determining the 
appropriate action to be taken, but the filing of a comment alone will 
not serve to make the filer a party to the proceeding. The Commission's 
rules require that persons filing comments in opposition to the project 
provide copies of their protests only to the party or parties directly 
involved in the protest.
    Persons who wish to comment only on the environmental review of 
this project should submit an original and two copies of their comments 
to the Secretary of the Commission. Environmental commenters will be 
placed on the Commission's environmental mailing list, will receive 
copies of the environmental documents, and will be notified of meetings 
associated with the Commission's environmental review process. 
Environmental commenters will not be required to serve copies of filed 
documents on all other parties. However, the non-party commenters will 
not receive copies of all documents filed by other parties or issued by 
the Commission (except for the mailing of environmental documents 
issued by the Commission) and will not have the right to seek court 
review of the Commission's final order.
    The Commission may issue a preliminary determination on non-
environmental issues prior to the completion of its review of the 
environmental aspects of the project. This preliminary determination 
typically considers such issues as the need for the project and its 
economic effect on existing customers of the applicant, on other 
pipelines in the area, and on landowners and communities. For example, 
the Commission considers the extent to which the applicant may need to 
exercise eminent domain to obtain rights-of-way for the proposed 
project and balances that against the non-environmental benefits to be 
provide by the project. Therefore, if a person has comments on 
community and landowner impacts from this proposal it is important 
either to file comments or to intervene as early in the process as 
possible.
    Comments and protests may be filed electronically via the internet 
in lieu of paper. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions 
on the Commission's web site at http://www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.
    If the Commission decides to set the application for a formal 
hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, the Commission will issue 
another notice describing that process. At the end of the Commission's 
review process a final Commission order approving or denying a 
certificate will be issued.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-31571 Filed 12-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M