[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 24 (Monday, February 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8952-8953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2921]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-69-000]


Petal Gas Storage, L.L.C.; Notice of Application

January 30, 2001.
    On January 23, 2001, Petal Gas Storage, L.L.C. (Petal), 1001 
Louisiana Street, P.O. Box 2511, Houston, Texas 77002, filed in Docket 
No. CP01-69-000 an application pursuant to Section 7 of the Natural Gas 
Act (NGA) and Part 157 of the Commission's Rules and Regulations for a 
certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing Petal to 
construct and operate transportation facilities in Mississippi having a 
capacity of 700,000 Mcf per day, to connect its existing storage 
complex with several interstate pipelines, all as more fully set forth 
in the application which is on file with the Commission and open to 
public inspection. The filing may be viewed at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).
    Specifically, Petal proposes to construct:
    (a) 58.7 miles of new bi-directional 36-inch diameter pipeline 
extending from Petal's existing storage header in Forrest County, 
Mississippi through Jones and Jasper Counties, Mississippi and 
terminating at proposed interconnects with the interstate pipeline 
facilities of Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern Natural) and 
Destin Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Destin) near Enterprise in Clarke 
County, Mississippi;
    (b) a new 9,000 horsepower compressor station consisting of two gas 
driven compressor units near Heidelberg in Jasper County, Mississippi;

[[Page 8953]]

    (c) 0.3 miles of new bi-directional 36-inch diameter pipeline 
extending from the proposed compressor station to a new interconnect 
with the interstate pipeline facilities of Transcontinental Gas Pipe 
Line Corporation (Transco) in Jasper County, Mississippi;
    (d) new metering facilities at the proposed interconnects with 
Southern Natural Destin, and Transco;
    (e) a bi-directional pig launcher/receiver trap adjacent to the 
proposed Destin Meter Station; and
    (f) certain mainline block valves at six locations along the 
proposed pipeline.
    Petal estimates that the proposed facilities will cost about 
$94,343,700.
    Petal also requests that the Commission approve Petal's new firm 
and interruptible gas transportation services as set forth in Petal's 
pro forma Tariff Volume No. 1 filed in Exhibit P of the application, 
revisions to its existing tariff, and for authorization to charge 
negotiated rates for transportation services. Petal states that the pro 
forma tariff sheets (i) add Rate Schedule FTS, Rate Schedule ITS, and a 
Statement of Rates for Transportation Services; (ii) make conforming 
changes to Petal's General Terms and Conditions; (iii) update 
references to Petal to reflect its reorganization as a limited 
liability company; (iv) correct designations of certain tariff sheets 
that have been inappropriately designated as being in ``Revised'' 
Volume No. 1; and (v) conform Petal's tariff with the requirements of 
Order No. 637.
    Petal states that it has entered into a 20-year firm transportation 
precedent agreement with Southern Company Services (Southern Company) 
for the full 700,000 Mcf per day of capacity and requests approval of 
certain deviations in the transportation agreement from its pro forma 
Form of Firm Transportation Service Agreement. Petal states that it 
intends to continue charging market based rates for its existing 
storage services and states that the new facilities and transportation 
services do not affect its market power status.
    Finally, Petal requests that the Commission grant any waivers that 
the Commission may deem necessary to grant the relief and issue the 
certificate and approvals requested in the application including any 
waivers of tariff provisions deemed necessary to permit Southern 
Company, acting as agent for its affiliated operating electric 
utilities to apportion capacity among them.
    Any questions regarding this application should be directed to 
Susan T. Halbach, Senior Counsel, P.O. Box 2511, Houston, Texas 77002.
    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 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. 01-2921 Filed 2-2-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M