[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46270-46271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22094]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP93-253-004]


El Paso Natural Gas Company; Notice of Application

August 28, 2001.
    Take notice that on August 17, 2001, El Paso Natural Gas Company 
(El Paso) filed in Docket No. CP93-253-004 an application, pursuant to 
Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), Sections 153, et seq., of the 
Commission's Regulations, to amend its Section 3 authorization and the 
Presidential Permit solely with respect to an increase in the maximum 
daily export capacity, all as more fully described below. This filing 
may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``RIMS'' 
link, select ``Docket #'' and follow the instructions (call (202) 208-
2222 for assistance).
    Specifically, El Paso is requesting an amendment to its existing 
Section 3 authorization and Presidential Permit granted by orders 
issued November 29, 1993, and June 11, 1997 in Docket Nos. CP93-253-
000, et al., solely to increase the maximum daily export capacity from 
208,000 Mcf/d to 308,000 Mcf/d on the Samalayuca Lateral pipeline. 
Therefore, this application to amend does not affect any other aspect 
of the Samalayuca Lateral Expansion Project, as filed and approved. El 
Paso states that subsequent to the commencement of transportation 
service on the Samalayuca Lateral, various parties in Mexico have 
expressed interest in the transportation by El Paso of additional 
volumes of natural gas, utilizing the Samalayuca Lateral facilities and 
the delivery of such volumes to the International Boundary.
    El Paso anticipates that the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) 
will require an additional 60,000 Mcf/d of natural gas for its new 
Chihuahua II power plant to be located near Chihuahua, Mexico in the 
city of El Encino scheduled for commercial operation in October 2001. 
CFE has advised El Paso that another 40,000 Mcf/d of natural gas will 
be required for fuel at a new turbine generator to be installed at the 
El Encino site by February 2002. Furthermore, El Paso understands that 
CFE has issued a Request for Proposal for the new Chihuahua III power 
plant to be located near the city of Juarez at the original Samalayuca 
plant site, which will require an additional 50,000 Mcf/d of 
transportation capacity by May 2003.
    El Paso proposes to provide the necessary transportation and 
delivery service for these additional volumes by operating the existing 
24" O.D. Samalayuca Lateral pipeline at a higher pressure; the 
installation of one additional meter run at the existing meter station 
located in the plant yard of the Hueco Compressor Station; and the 
installation of additional piping within the plant yard of the Hueco 
Compressor Station that would permit El Paso to receive gas volumes 
into the Samalayuca Lateral from the discharge side of the Hueco 
Compressor Station. Transportation of gas to the Hueco Compressor 
Station would be accomplished through existing transportation contracts 
or through capacity obtained through the capacity release program. El 
Paso points out that it is not proposing to award any capacity on its 
mainline system pursuant to this amendment and the facilities will be 
installed under El Paso's part 157, Subpart F Blanket Certificate.
    Any questions regarding the application should be directed to 
Robert T. Tomlinson, Director, Regulatory Affairs Department, El Paso 
Natural Gas Company, Post Office Box 1087, Colorado Springs, Colorado 
80944, or at (719) 520-3788.
    There are two 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 
September 18, 2001, file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, a motion to intervene or a 
protest 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.

[[Page 46271]]

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.
    Interventions, 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 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. 01-22094 Filed 8-31-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P