[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1971-1972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-637]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-56-000]


Midwestern Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Petition

January 4, 2001.
    Take notice that on December 21, 2000, Midwestern Gas Transmission 
Company (Midwestern), PO Box 2511, Houston, Texas 77252-2511, filed in 
Docket No. CP01-56-000 a Petition for Exemption of Temporary Acts and 
Operations from Certificate Requirements pursuant to Rule 207(a)(5) of 
the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure) 18 CFR 
385.207(a)(5)), and section 7(c)(1)(B) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) 
seeking approval to inactivate, on a temporary basis, a compressor unit 
at its Station 2110 located in Pike County, Indiana, all as more fully 
set forth in this petition which is on file with the Commission and 
open to pubic inspection. The filing may be viewed at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).
    Specifically, Midwestern requests authority to inactivate, for a 
period of 18 to 24 months, one 1,100 horsepower turbine compressor unit 
(Unit 2110-B) at its Station 2110 on its Portland to Joliet Line (2100 
Line), located in Pike County, Indiana. During the time period that the 
unit is idle, Midwestern will decide whether it is appropriate to apply 
for permanent abandonment or, alternatively, to replace the unit 
pursuant to section 2.55(b) of the Commission's regulations.
    Midwestern avers that inactivating Unit 2110-B will not affect any 
current services on its system. In support of its position, Midwestern 
states that when Unit 2110-B is operating its 2100 Line has a 
certificated capacity of 678 MMSCFD and that the inactivation of Unit 
2110-B will reduce the capacity of the 2100 Line by only 4 MMSCFD, 
Midwestern also points out that the average throughput of its system 
over the past two years has been 270

[[Page 1972]]

MMSCFD and that for the past three months the average throughput has 
been 396 MMSCFD.
    Questions regarding the details of this proposed project should be 
directed to David E. Maranville, Counsel, Midwestern Gas Transmission 
Company, PO Box 2511, Houston, Texas 77252-2511, call (713) 420-3525.
    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 25, 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 requires 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 Commissions 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. 01-637 Filed 1-9-01; 8:45 am]
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