[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8782-8783]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2835]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-67-000]


Southwest Gas Storage Company; Notice of Application

January 29, 2001.
    On January 17, 2001, Southwest Gas Storage Company (Southwest), 
P.O. Box 4967, Houston, Texas 77210-4967, filed in Docket No. CP01-67-
000 an application pursuant to sections 7(b) and 7(c) of the Natural 
Gas Act (NGA) and subpart A of Part 157 of the Commission's Rules and 
Regulations for a certificate of public convenience and necessity 
authorizing Southwest to abandon by removal and replace certain 
pipeline facilities, and to recomplete five existing injection/
withdrawal wells in the Howell Storage Field in Livingston County, 
Michigan, all as more fully set forth in the application which is open 
to the public for inspection. This filing may be viewed on the web at 
http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm. (call 202-208-2222 for 
assistance).
    Specifically, Southwest proposes to re-enter five existing wells 
and drill a horizontal lateral wellbore extension from each well and to 
replace existing 4-inch storage lines with 8-inch lines in two Phases. 
Southwest asserts that the completion of the wellbore extensions will 
improve the ratio of working gas to base gas, with working gas 
increasing by approximately 1.25 Bcf and the amount of base gas 
decreasing by a corresponding amount. Southwest further states the 
reworking of the wells will yield higher maximum withdrawal and maximum 
injection rates toward the beginning of withdrawal season, with the 
maximum withdrawal rate increasing from 360 MMcf/d to 410 MMcf/d and 
the maximum injection rate increasing from 120 MMcf/d to 150 MMcf/d, 
thus allowing Southwest to improve operation of the Howell Storage 
Field.
    Southwest estimates the cost of Phase I, which involves the re-
entering of two of the five existing wells, excluding the segment of 
pipe to be abandoned by removal, at approximately $1,683,500, while the 
estimated cost of Phase II, which involves the re-entering of the 
remaining three wells, is approximately $2,222,100. Southwest states 
that the cost of abandonment of the existing 4-inch storage lines is 
approximately $11,000.
    Any questions regarding this application should be directed to 
William W. Grygar, Vice President of Rates and Regulatory Affairs, 5444 
Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77056-5306 at (713) 989-7000.
    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 February 20, 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

[[Page 8783]]

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 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. 01-2835 Filed 2-1-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M