[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 25, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38656-38657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18485]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-401-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Application

July 19, 2001.
    Take notice that on July 13, 2001, Northern Natural Gas Company 
(Northern), P.O. Box 3330, Omaha, Nebraska 68103-0330, filed in Docket 
No. CP01-401-000, an application pursuant to Section 7(b) of the 
Natural Gas Act (NGA) for permission and approval to abandon, by sale 
to Wisconsin Gas Company (Wisconsin Gas), pipeline and related 
facilities, located in Walworth and Waukesha Counties, Wisconsin, and 
to abandon certain services rendered thereby, all as more fully set 
forth in the application which is on file with the Commission and open 
to public inspection. Copies of this filing are on file with the 
Commission and are available for public inspection. This filing may be 
viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``RIMS'' link, 
select ``Docket#'' from the RIMS Menu and follow the instructions (call 
(202) 208-2222 for assistance).
    Northern proposes to abandon, by sale to Wisconsin Gas the last 
approximately 9 miles of 24-inch diameter pipeline and appurtenant 
facilities, which include certain piping, valves, and fittings located 
at Northern's LaGrange and Eagle Delivery points and valves, a pig 
receiver, cathodic protection equipment, and other related facilities 
associated with the 24-inch pipeline (East Leg facilities) and to 
abandon certain services rendered thereby. Northern also proposes to 
abandon the measurement equipment located at the LaGrange and Eagle 
delivery points. In

[[Page 38657]]

addition, Northern proposes to abandon and remove the measurement 
equipment located at a dual farm tap setting. Northern states that 
these measurement facilities will no longer be required by Northern 
once the East Leg facilities are acquired by Wisconsin Gas, as proposed 
herein.
    Northern states that Wisconsin Gas is a local distribution company 
and is exempt from the Commission's jurisdiction under the Hinshaw 
amendment. Northern declares that upon completion of the acquisition of 
facilities, Wisconsin Gas will integrate the facilities it acquires 
from Northern into its existing pipeline system and thus will operate 
the facilities as a part of its local distribution company system, 
which is exempt from the Commission's jurisdiction pursuant to Section 
1(c) of the NGA, the Hinshaw exemption.
    Therefore, Northern requests that the Commission make a 
determination that the subject facilities are exempt from the 
Commission's jurisdiction under Section 1(c) of the NGA upon approval 
of the proposed abandonment by Northern and the subsequent acquisition 
by Wisconsin Gas, and that Wisconsin Gas' acquisition and operation of 
the subject facilities will not affect Wisconsin Gas' exemption from 
Commission jurisdiction under Section 1(c) of the NGA or otherwise 
subject Wisconsin Gas to Commission jurisdiction.
    Northern proposes to abandon all firm and interruptible 
transportation service provided on the subject facilities. Northern 
states that it has notified all firm shippers with primary delivery 
points located on the subject facilities of its intent to abandon the 
subject facilities by sale to Wisconsin Gas. Northern states that all 
firm shippers have the opportunity prior to abandonment of the subject 
facilities to realign firm entitlements currently assigned to point(s) 
on the subject facilities to any other valid transportation point(s) on 
Northern's pipeline system, subject to availability of capacity at such 
point(s) and Northern's FERC Gas Tariff.
    Any questions regarding this amendment should be directed to Keith 
L. Petersen, Director, Certificates and Reporting, Northern Natural Gas 
Company, 1111 South 103rd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, at (402) 398-
7421, or Michelle Winckowski, Senior Regulatory Analyst, at (402) 398-
7082.
    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 August 9, 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, protests and interventions 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 under the ``e-Filing'' 
link.
    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. 01-18485 Filed 7-24-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P