[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9968-9970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-5168]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Workshop; Better Stakeholder Involvement: How To Make 
It Work

February 27, 2002.
    The Office of Energy Projects is initiating the second phase of its 
Better Stakeholder Involvement Series. These workshops will explore 
ways to help make the pre-filing stakeholder involvement work. They 
stem from the staff's report entitled: ``Ideas For Better Stakeholder 
Involvement In The Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Planning Pre-Filing 
Process' which was a product of the seminars held last year and the 
latter part of 2000.\1\ This first workshop will be held in Atlanta, 
Georgia on Thursday, April 4, 2002. We plan to conduct future workshops 
around the country throughout the upcoming year.
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    \1\ The staff report can be downloaded from the FERC web-site at 
www.ferc.gov or requested by e-mail at: [email protected].
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    We are again inviting interstate natural gas companies; Federal, 
state and local agencies; landowners and other non-governmental 
organizations with a continuing interest in developing successful 
strategies for involving people in the pre-filing process. The purpose 
of these workshops is to discuss how stakeholders are implementing the 
ideas outlined in the staff report. We will not discuss the merits of 
any pending or planned pipeline projects.
    Please join us as we continue to explore and develop ways to 
enhance the project design and streamline the regulatory process. In a 
series of panel discussions stakeholders will be sharing their 
experiences in interactive sessions. Presentations will be made by the 
staff of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects, various Federal 
and state agencies, natural gas company representatives, and private 
landowners.
    The objective will be to better define the pre-filing actions. This 
will aid in identifying and resolving issues, improving the quality of 
applications, and achieving quicker approval by the Commission for 
projects required by the public convenience and necessity. Case studies 
which can be used as examples will be highlighted.
    The workshop will be held at the Atlanta Capitol Plaza, 450 Capitol 
Avenue, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30312, phone: 404-591-2000, fax: 404-591-
1999 Atlanta, Georgia, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A preliminary 
agenda and directions to the hotel are enclosed.

[[Page 9969]]

    If you plan to attend or have suggestions for the agenda, please 
respond by March 29, 2002 via facsimile to Roberta Coulter at 202/219-
2722, or you may email our team at: [email protected]. Please 
include in the response the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of 
all attendees from your organization.
    To help us enhance our panel discussions, please consider, and 
forward to us, issues and/or questions you would like to have addressed 
at the meetings. 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, Office of Energy Projects.

Preliminary Workshop Agenda

Better Stakeholder Involvement: How To Make It Work

April Workshop
9 a.m. Introduction, workshop objectives
9:15 a.m. Panel One--The Challenge at Headquarters, A Broad Overview
     How can you develop company-wide commitment to stakeholder 
outreach?
     How do you implement the ``corporate commitment?''
10 a.m. Panel Two--Agency Panel
     Agency experiences with early involvement in a project.
     What went well and what might be improved?
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Panel Three--Citizen
     How can it work for us?
     Why should a landowner be involved?
11:15 a.m. Panel Four--Company Case Study
     Experience with specific projects:
    1. What went well?
    2. Where there were problems with implementation?
    3. How to get around the barriers.
     Examples of resolving issues.
12 p.m. Comments/Discussion/Next Steps
     Implementation Strategies.
1 p.m. Adjourn
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[FR Doc. 02-5168 Filed 3-4-02; 8:45 am]
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