[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 162 (Thursday, August 21, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 50522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21376]



[[Page 50522]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP81-296, CP81-296-019, CP84-441l-033, CP86-251-003, CP87-
75-010, CP87-85-002, CP87-131-009, CP87-132-016, CP87-358-007, CP88-
171-033, CP89-629-036, CP90-639-021, CP91-433-002, CP91-1618-005, and 
CP91-2206-011]


Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company; Notice of Application To Amend 
Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity

August 14, 2003.
    Take notice that on August 11, 2003, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company 
(Tennessee), a Delaware corporation, whose mailing address is Nine E. 
Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046, filed an application pursuant to 
Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (``NGA''), 15 U.S.C. 717f(c), as 
amended, and the Regulations of the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission), 18 CFR Sections 157.5 et seq., Subpart A, 
requesting that the Commission amend certain Certificates of Public 
Convenience and Necessity that authorized the construction and 
operation of pipeline facilities located in the Northeast United States 
during the early 1980s through the early 1990s. Such facilities 
included laterals, metering facilities, pipeline looping and additional 
compression.
    Copies of Tennessee's filing are on file with the Commission and 
are available for public inspection in the Public Reference Room and 
may also be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov 
using the eLibrary (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 TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659. Any questions concerning this application may 
be directed to Dawn McGuire, Counsel, Tennessee Pipeline Company, 9 E 
Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046, call (832) 676-5503, fax (832) 
676-2251.
    Between 1981 and 1991, Tennessee filed certain applications to 
construct facilities in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The environmental 
reports that Tennessee included in these filings incorporated a 
voluntary ban on the use of herbicides and pesticides as part of 
Tennessee's maintenance of its rights-of-way. Thereafter, the 
Commission integrated these voluntary restrictions as conditions to the 
Environmental Assessments, the Final Environmental Impact Statements, 
and ultimately the Certificate Orders for these projects.
    Tennessee states that it has determined that a new set of 
challenges have resulted from its efforts to comply with self-imposed 
restrictions prohibiting the use of herbicides and pesticides. 
Tennessee states that it has determined that a new set of challenges 
have resulted from these efforts. Specifically, Tennessee says that 
invasive, poisonous plants located on Tennessee's rights-of-way now 
pose a potential danger to threatened and endangered plant species 
found adjacent to the rights-of-way. In addition, Tennessee explains 
that employees and contractors are exposed to threatening health 
situations as they attempt to control the invasive plants and harmful 
insects by means other than with herbicides or pesticides.
    Tennessee proposes to maintain its rights-of-way, including fenced-
in areas that Tennessee holds through easements, right of access 
agreements, or in fee, and to adhere to all state specific and local 
regulations, as they may change from time to time, for facilities 
authorized in the below-referenced filings. Therefore, Tennessee 
requests that the Commission amend the certificates so that they allow 
the use of herbicides and pesticides, as conditioned above, as tools 
for Tennessee's long-term maintenance of its rights-of-way.
    There are two ways to become involved in the Commission's review of 
this proposed amendment. First, any person wishing to obtain legal 
status by becoming a party to the proceedings for this project should 
file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426, a motion to intervene or 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). All such motions or protests must be filed on or 
before the comment date. 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 
proposed amendment 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 proposed amendment 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.
    Comments, protests and interventions 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. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings.
    Comment Date: September 5, 2003.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-21376 Filed 8-20-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P