[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 67 (Monday, April 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16748-16749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8401]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD02-15-000]


Conference on Emergency Reallocation of Natural Gas; Notice of 
Conference

April 2, 2002.
    On April 23, 2002 at 9 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room (2C), 
staff from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) and from the Department of Energy (DOE) will convene a 
technical conference to begin discussions with interested parties on 
whether and how to clarify, expedite and streamline processes for 
reallocating natural gas among shippers, pipelines, and local 
distribution companies (LDCs) in today's non-vertically integrated 
industry in the event of a disaster, whether natural or otherwise.
    Commission and DOE staff will provide an overview of their current 
processes for emergency reallocation of natural gas. Commission staff 
will review FERC-related statutes and regulations and discuss the 
provisions related to reallocation and compensation contained in 
natural gas companies' tariffs. DOE staff will review DOE-related 
statutes and regulations. Other participants, including relevant 
Federal agencies and representatives of industry, will describe their 
responsibilities and present their views.
    In order to more clearly focus the discussion at the technical 
conference, other potential presenters should consider the following 
questions and present their responses at the conference:
     What industry practices exist to respond to emergency-
related reallocations of natural gas? Does the industry need additional 
flexibility to respond to such situations? What are the antitrust 
implications of shippers, pipelines, and LDCs coordinating reallocation 
response?
     Are there any antitrust limitations that would hinder the 
ability of industry to communicate and coordinate logistical and other 
information in the event of an emergency? If so, can and should 
remedies be crafted to facilitate such communication and coordination?
     What existing state processes are there which may be 
useful to coordinate emergency responses across a diffuse community of 
industry and regulatory interests ?
     Are there any existing regulations, authorities, and 
business practice standards that could be relied on to

[[Page 16749]]

facilitate transporting emergency reallocations of natural gas among 
shippers and across multiple pipeline systems? Are these sufficient to 
ensure the timely and effective reallocation of available natural gas 
supplies? If not, what changes may be warranted? Are modifications to, 
or waivers of, regulatory requirements called for?
     How can natural gas requirements be identified and 
prioritized so that during emergencies efforts can be made to ensure 
delivery of available natural gas supplies to the most important 
requirements? Is it necessary to establish a process to collect and 
assess this information and keep it up-to-date in anticipation of 
future emergencies?
     How do we ensure adequate emergency coordination among 
pipeline operators?
     What types of decisions would natural gas pipeline 
operators need from regulators'and in what time frames would those 
decisions be required'to ensure adequate emergency response? What are 
the antitrust implications of pipeline companies coordinating these 
decisions? How should compensation be addressed?
     What information on emergency status is available in real-
time to keep relevant government officials informed? What additional 
information might regulators require to make appropriate time-critical 
decisions in an emergency?
     What types of events or contingencies is the industry 
already prepared to face? And what types of contingencies is the 
industry not yet prepared to face? What should our expectations be as 
to what is reasonable to accomplish and expect?
    We will issue further details on the conference, including the 
agenda and a list of participants, as plans evolve. For additional 
information, please contact Carol Connors in the Office of External 
Affairs at [email protected]. 

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-8401 Filed 4-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P