[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64109-64110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26385]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-436-000]


Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Application

October 10, 2002.
    Take notice that on September 30, 2002, Northern Natural Gas 
Company (Northern), 1111 South 103rd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124-
1000, filed in the above referenced docket, an application pursuant to 
section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and Part 157 of the 
Commission's Rules and Regulations for a certificate of public 
convenience to construct and operate certain compression, pipeline, and 
town border station (TBS) facilities, with appurtances, located in 
various counties in Minnesota in order to expand the capacity of 
Northern's Market Area facilities (Project MAX), all as more fully 
described in the application. This application is on file with the 
Commission and open to public inspection. This filing is available for 
review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed 
on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the 
``FERRIS'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, call (202) 502-8222 or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
    Specifically, Northern seeks authority to construct and operate: 
(1) Modifications at its Farmington Compressor Station located in 
Dakota County, Minnesota; (2) mainline modifications at the end of its 
30-inch C-Line located in Washington County, Minnesota; (3) 
approximately 4.6 miles of 8-inch loop on its Alexandria branchline 
located in Morrison County, Minnesota; (4) a new branchline electric 
compressor station located near Popple Creek, Minnesota; and, (5) 
modifications at ten existing TBSs located in Douglas, Wright, Stearns, 
Dakota, Pope, and Sherburne Counties, Minnesota. The incremental 
capacity created by the subject facilities will be used to serve 
Northern's high priority residential, commercial, and industrial 
customers in its Market Area. The proposed

[[Page 64110]]

construction and operation will increase the peak day capacity of 
Northern's Market Area mainline by approximately 16,200 Mcf per day 
(Mcf/d). Northern states that the total estimated capital cost for the 
proposed facilities is $5,833,952.
    Northern requests that the Commission issue an order granting 
approval of the subject facilities by no later than May 1, 2003 in 
order to ensure an in-service date of November 1, 2003.
    Any questions regarding the application should be directed to Mary 
Kay Miller, Vice President, Rates & Certificates, Northern Natural Gas 
Company, P.O. Box 3330, Omaha, Nebraska 68103-0330, telephone (402) 
398-7060 or Michael T. Loeffler, Director Certificates and Community 
Relations, Northern Natural Gas Company, P.O. Box 3330, Omaha, Nebraska 
68103-0330, telephone (402) 398-7103.
    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 October 31, 2002, 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.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings of comments, 
protests, and interventions 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.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-26385 Filed 10-16-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P