[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 12 (Thursday, January 18, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4822-4823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-1420]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Third Interstate Natural Gas Facility-Planning Seminar

January 11, 2001.
    The Office of Energy Projects will hold the third 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 planing. This seminar will be 
held in Tampa, Florida on Thursday, February 15, 2001. We are inviting 
interstate natural gas companies; Federal, state and local agencies; 
landowners and non-governmental organizations with an interest in 
developing new ways 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.
    The staff of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects will give a 
briefing on the results of our first two seminars in Albany, NY and 
Chicago, IL. We will discuss problems that were identified and 
potential solutions that were offered in the seminars.
    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 will be held with panelists 
from various Federal and state agencies, representatives from natural 
gas companies, and private landowners or citizen representatives who 
have had relevant experiences. 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.
    The objectives of the meeting are:
     Build upon the discussions from the first two seminars in 
Albany, NY and Chicago, IL.
     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.
     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.
     Discuss the potential benefits of an interstate natural 
gas pipeline project.

    Note: One of our panels this time will focus on the potential 
benefits of pipelines from each parties' perspective.

    We are building on what was learned at our prior meetings and 
continuing to work toward developing a toolbox of the best available 
techniques for increasing public involvement and developing solutions 
to issues during 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 Tampa, Florida will be held at the Holiday Inn City 
Centre, located in Tampa, Florida. The meeting is scheduled to start at 
9:30 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m. A preliminary agenda and directions to 
the Holiday Inn City Centre are enclosed. Also, see attachment 2 
regarding the selection of locations of future meetings.
    If you plan to attend, please email our team at: 
[email protected] by February 6, 2001. Or, you can respond via 
facsimile to Pennie Lewis-Partee at 202-208-0353. Please include in the 
response the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all attendees 
from your organization. We will send an 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.
    Attachments (2).

Agenda

3rd Interstate Natural Gas Facility Planning Seminar, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Holiday Inn City Centre, Tampa, Florida

February 15, 2001--9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    9:30 a.m.--Introductions
    Welcome: Mark Robinson, Director, Division of Environmental & 
Engineering Review, Office of Energy Projects, FERC, Rich Hoffmann, 
Office of Energy Projects (OEP), FERC
    9:45--The Pipeline Planning/Approval Process--Lauren O'Donnell, 
OEP, What's the role of FERC?
    10:00--Summary of Comments from the Albany and Chicago Meeetings--
Rich Hoffmann
    10:30--Panel 1. Perspectives on Project Announcement, Route 
Planning, and How To Work Together--Howard Wheeler, OEP, Moderator.
    [Discussion of factors re: announcement of the project, planning of 
the route, types of surveys needed; extent of disturbance, and who to 
tell. What are the needs of the various stakeholders?]
    Representative from Duke Energy John Ryan, League of Environmental 
Organizations, Ken Huntington, Florida Department of Environmental 
Protection
    [10-minute discussion by each panelist with interactive Q&A session 
with panelists and audience for remainder of Panel]
    12:00--Lunch
    1:00--Panel 2. What are the Benefits (real and potential) of a 
natural gas project and right-of-way?--Lauren O'Donnell, Moderator
    [Discussion of the various types of benefits of a pipeline project 
to the company, the individual, local area, region and/or state. How to 
identify them, how to advertize them.]
    Pal Mulieri, County Commissioner, Pasco County, FL, John Shafer, 
Enron, Citizen/NGO Representative
    [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.--Ann Gunning
    2:15--Brainstorming Session * * *

[[Page 4823]]

OEP Staff will lend an all-participants discussion of issues regarding:

     How best to involve landowners and communities.
     How best to work with applicants and agencies;
     How to coordinate with multiple agencies/jurisdictions;
     How to get information on the need for a project; and
     How to describe workspace/right-of-way requirements.

    3:55--Summary of the Day
    Directions to: Holiday Inn City Centre [813-223-1351]
     Holiday Inn City Centre is located at 111 West Fortune 
Street, Tampa, FL 33602
     Take Interstate I-275 to exit #25--Ashley Street; Keep 
bearing right (Fortune St. will ``Y'' into Ashley St.--stay right); 
Holiday Inn is on the right side of the street.

Future Meetings?

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

Boston, Massachusetts/Portland, Maine Area.--March/April, 2001
Seattle/Puget Sound Washington--May/June, 2001 and/or
Reno, Nevada or Salt Lake City, Utah--July/August, 2001

    If you care to voice your opinion about these or other areas, 
please follow the instructions for contacting us in the notice.

[FR Doc. 01-1420 Filed 1-17-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M