[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 246 (Thursday, December 21, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 80306-80307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32383]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 260

[Docket No. RM01-1-000; Order No.621]


Natural Gas Service Interruption Reporting Procedures

Issued December 14, 2000.

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is 
amending its rules regarding reports by natural gas pipeline companies 
on service interruptions to reflect changes in the Commission's 
internal structure. This revision changes only the official to whom 
such reports are made.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This final rule is effective January 22, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wilbur Miller, Office of the General 
Counsel, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208-0953.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Natural Gas Service Interruption Reporting Procedures

    Before Commissioners: James J. Hoecker, Chairman; William L. 
Massey, Linda Breathitt, and Curt Hebert, Jr.

I. Introduction

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is amending 
18 CFR Part 260 to change the official to whom natural gas pipeline 
companies must submit reports on service interruptions. This change is 
necessitated by changes in the Commission's internal organization and 
will avoid confusion on the part of companies filing such reports.

II. Background

    Currently, 18 CFR 260.9(b) and (c) require natural gas pipeline 
companies to submit reports on service interruptions to the Director, 
Division of Environmental and Engineering Review, Office of Pipeline 
Regulation. As a result of internal reorganization, however, the Office 
of Pipeline Regulation no longer exists. The relevant responsibilties 
now are handled by the Director, Division of Pipeline Certificates, 
Office of Energy Projects.

III. Discussion

    This revision changes the title of the official to whom reports are 
made.
    The Commission is issuing this rulemaking as a final rule, without 
a period for public comment. Under 5 U.S.C. 553(b), notice and comment 
procedures are unnecessary for rulemakings that concern only matters of 
agency practice and procedure. This rulemaking fits that description.

IV. Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) requires agencies to prepare 
certain statements, descriptions and analyses of rules that will have a 
significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.\1\ The 
Commission is not required to make such analyses if a rule would not 
have such an effect. The Commission certifies that this rule will not 
have such an impact on small entities.
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    \1\ 5 U.S.C. 601-612.
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V. Environmental Statement

    Commission regulations require that an environmental assessment or 
an environmental impact statement be prepared for any Commission action 
that may have a significant adverse effect on the human environment.\2\ 
The Commission has categorically excluded certain actions from this 
requirement as not having a significant effect on the human 
environment. Among these are rules that are clarifying, corrective, or 
procedural, or that do not substantively change the effect of the 
regulations being amended.\3\ This rule is procedural in nature and 
therefore falls under this exception; consequently, no environmental 
consideration is necessary.
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    \2\ Order No. 486, Regulations Implementing National 
Environmental Policy Act, 52 FR 47897 (Dec. 17, 1987), FERC Stats. & 
Regs., Regulations Preambles 1986-1990 30,783 (1987).
    \3\ 18 CFR 380.4(a)(2)(ii).
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VI. Information Collection Statement

    The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulations require OMB 
to approve certain information collection requirements imposed by 
agency rule.\4\ Respondents subject to the filing requirements of this 
Rule will not be penalized for failing to respond to these collections 
of information unless the collections of information display a valid 
OMB control number. This final rule does not contain any information 
collection subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.\5\
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    \4\ 5 CFR 1320.12.
    \5\ U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
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VII. Document Availability

    In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to

[[Page 80307]]

view and/or print the contents of this document via the Internet 
through FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.fed.us) and in FERC's Public 
Reference Room during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern time) at 888 First Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. 
From FERC's Home Page on the Internet, this information is available in 
both the Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS) and the Records and 
Information Management System (RIMS).
     CIPS provides access to the texts of formal documents 
issued by the Commission since November 14, 1994.
     CIPS can be accessed using the CIPS link or the Energy 
Information Online icon. The full text of this document is available on 
CIPS in ASCII and WordPerfect 8.0 format for viewing, printing, and/or 
downloading.
     RIMS contains images 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 from FERC's Home Page using 
the RIMS link or the Energy Information Online icon. Descriptions of 
documents back to November 16, 1981, are also available from RIMS-on-
the-Web; requests for copies of these and other older documents should 
be submitted to the Public Reference Room.
    User assistance is available for RIMS, CIPS, and the Website during 
normal business hours from our Help line at (202) 208-2222 (E-Mail to 
[email protected]) or the Public Reference at (202) 208-1371 (E-
Mail to [email protected]). During normal business 
hours, documents can also be viewed and/or printed in FERC's Public 
Reference Room, where RIMS, CIPS, and the FERC Website are available. 
User assistance is also available.

VIII. Effective Date and Congressional Notification

    This regulation becomes effective January 22, 2001. The Commission 
has concluded that this rule is not a ``major rule'' as defined in 
section 251 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
of 1996. The provisions of 5 U.S.C. 801, regarding Congressional review 
of rulemakings, do not apply to this rulemaking because it concerns 
agency procedure and practice and will not substantially affect the 
rights and obligations of non-agency parties. 5 U.S.C. 804(3)(C).

List of Subjects in 18 CFR Part 260

    Administrative practice and procedure, Electric power, Penalties, 
Pipelines, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    By the Commission.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
    In consideration of the foregoing, the Commission amends Part 260, 
Chapter I, Title 18, Code of Federal Regulations, as follows:

PART 260--APPROVED FORMS, NATURAL GAS ACT

    1. The authority citation for Part 260 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 717-717w, 3301-3432; 42 U.S.C. 7101-7352.
    2. Sections 260.9(b) and (c) are revised to read as follows:


Sec. 260.9  Report by natural gas pipeline companies on service 
interruptions occurring on the pipeline system.

* * * * *
    (b) Natural gas pipeline companies must report such interruptions 
to service by any electronic means, including facsimile transmission or 
telegraph, to the Director, Division of Pipeline Certificates, Office 
of Energy Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20426 (FAX: (202) 208-2853), at the earliest feasible time following 
such interruption to service, and must state briefly:
    (1) The location of the interruption,
    (2) The time of the interruption,
    (3) The customers affected by the interruption, and
    (4) Emergency actions taken to maintain service.
    (c) If so directed by the Commission or the Director, Division of 
Pipeline Certificates, the company must provide any supplemental 
information so as to provide a full report of the circumstances 
surrounding the occurrence.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 00-32383 Filed 12-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P