[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 4 (Friday, January 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1114-1115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-300]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-58-000]


Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of Application

December 29, 2000.

    Take notice that on December 22, 2000, Dominion Transmission, Inc. 
(DTI), 445 West Main Street, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26301, tendered 
for filing in Docket No. CP01-58-000, an abbreviated application for a 
blanket certificate pursuant to section 7 of the Natural Gas Act, as 
amended, and the Commission's Rules and Regulations thereunder, 
authorizing the utilization of coiled tubing drilling technology on 
existing storage wells for the purpose of improving deliverability and 
reservoir performance in certain storage reservoirs where DTI has not 
achieved its certificated deliverability. DTI claims that the drilling 
procedure will take place within the existing footprint of the storage 
wells. The blanket authorization would apply to the Bridgeport Field in 
Harrison County, West Virginia; the South Bend Field in Armstrong 
County, Pennsylvania; the Fink-Kennedy-Lost Creek Field in Lewis 
County, Pennsylvania; the Oakford Fifth Sand in Westmoreland County, 
Pennsylvania and the Oakford Murrysville in Westmoreland County, 
Pennsylvania, all as more fully set forth in the application which is 
on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. This filing 
may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.fed.us./online/rims.htm 
(call (202) 208-2222 for assistance).
    According to DTI, it will use coiled tubing drilling technology to 
sidetrack existing storage wells with short (300' to 500') horizontal 
laterals to improve the deliverability and reservoir performance in 
certain storage reservoirs where other more conventional enhancement 
strategies are not effective or do not apply. DTI states that many of 
the wells in the candidate fields for the new technology have been 
historically poor performers and are located in less than optimum 
locations in the reservoir. By drilling horizontal laterals from the 
existing wellbores, DTI would be able to take advantage of pre-existing 
gathering line infrastructure, access roads, and well locations; 
reducing costs as well as eliminating any new environmental 
disturbances. DTI estimates the cost of the technology to be $575,000 
per well to implement. DTI states that the drilling time of 5 to 7 days 
would make very temporary presence of equipment/environmental 
intrusion. DTI claims that the use of this technology will not result 
in the expansion of the active or protective portions of the storage 
reservoir.
    Questions regarding the details of this application should be 
directed to Sean Sleigh, Certificates Manager, Dominion Transmission, 
Inc.; 445 West Main Street, Clarksburg, WV 26301, call (304)-627-3462, 
or fax (304)-627-3305.
    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 January 19, 2001, 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 
proceeding 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 
provided 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

[[Page 1115]]

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.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-300 Filed 1-4-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M