[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3875-3876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1722]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-4-002]


Northwest Pipeline Corporation; Notice of Amendment

January 15, 2003.
    Take notice that on January 8, 2003, Northwest Pipeline Corporation 
(Northwest), 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84158, filed in 
Docket No. CP02-4-002, an application, pursuant to Section 7(c) of the 
Natural Gas Act and part 157 of the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission's regulations to amend the certificate of public convenience 
and necessity issued June 27, 2002, in Docket Nos. CP02-4-000 and -001, 
for Northwest's Evergreen Expansion project. 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, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll-free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    Specifically, Northwest requests the Commission to approve: (1) 
Revised expansion facilities in the State of Washington at the Mt. 
Vernon, Willard and Roosevelt Compressor Stations, along with 
eliminating expansion work at the Chehalis Compressor Station which in 
aggregate will reduce the originally certificated compressor horsepower 
additions by 3,390 hp without impacting the originally certificated 
capacity additions; (2) addition of the Lake Tapps line lowering of 
approximately 270-foot segments of Northwest's existing mainline and 
mainline loop in Pierce County, Washington, in conjunction with the 
installation of the originally certificated Auburn Loop; (3) revised 
levelized, incremental 15-year and 25-year term transportation rates 
for the Evergreen Expansion shippers, along with an associated one-time 
revenue crediting provision; (4) a revised initial

[[Page 3876]]

incremental fuel rate for the Evergreen Expansion shippers, and related 
revised pro forma tariff provisions; (5) regulatory asset accounting 
treatment to allow deferred recovery of the depreciation and pretax 
return attributable to the completion of certain compression facilities 
three months prior to commencement of the incremental expansion service 
the facilities are being built to provide; and (6) an up-front 
determination that the new Lake Tapps line lowering component of the 
Evergreen Expansion project will qualify for rolled-in rate treatment. 
Northwest states that the total estimated project cost, as amended, is 
approximately $240.9 million, compared to the original estimate of 
$239.8 million.
    Northwest states that due to delays in acquiring all the necessary 
state and local permits and landowner easements, coupled with the need 
to limit certain construction activities to allowable environmental 
windows, its current construction schedules anticipate completion of 
the facilities necessary to provide the contracted incremental service 
for the Evergreen Expansion shippers by October 1, 2003 (instead of 
June 1, 2003, as originally anticipated), with the compression-only 
portion of such facilities to be completed approximately three months 
earlier. Northwest requests that the Commission issue the requested 
amended certificate by April 15, 2003, so the proposed expansion 
facility modifications can be completed within the new construction 
schedule.
    Any questions regarding this application should be directed to Mr. 
Gary Kotter, Manager, Certificates and Tariffs, Northwest Pipeline 
Corporation, P.O. Box 58900, Salt Lake City, Utah 84158-0900 or call 
(801) 584-7117 or Fax (801) 584-7764.
    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 the comment date, 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. Comment Date: February 5, 2003.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-1722 Filed 1-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P