[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 1, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18224-18225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06817]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP18-90-000]
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Extension
of Time Request
Take notice that on March 23, 2020, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC (Transco) requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) grant an extension of time, until September 30,
2021, to complete the abandonment in place of approximately 26.55 miles
of 20-inch-diameter gathering pipeline and
[[Page 18225]]
appurtenances in offshore waters of Texas (Project), as authorized in
the April 17, 2018 Order Amending Abandonment Authorization \1\ (April
17 Order). The April 17 Order required Transco to complete the
authorized abandonment within two years of the Order date.
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\1\ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, 163 FERC ]
62,046 (2018).
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Transco states that the offshore construction window generally runs
from May 1st through September 30th of each year allowing for a very
limited window to safely complete activities offshore. Transco asserts
that it identified and addressed integrity issues downstream of the
Project in 2018. Transco affirms that it started the abandonment work
in 2019 but did not complete all the required work before the 2019
offshore construction window closed. Transco proposes to finish the
remaining work required to abandon the Project facilities, including
the cutting and removing of the tube turn at the base of the riser on
the Brazos Area 133 A platform, during the 2020 offshore construction
window.
This notice establishes a 15-calendar day intervention and comment
period deadline. Any person wishing to comment on the extension motion
may do so. No reply comments or answers will be considered. If you wish
to obtain legal status by becoming a party to the proceedings for this
request, you should, on or before the comment date stated below, file 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 Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.10).
However, only motions to intervene from entities that were party to the
underlying proceeding will be accepted.
As a matter of practice, the Commission itself generally acts on
requests for extensions of time to complete construction for NGA
facilities when such requests are contested before order issuance. For
those extension requests that are contested,\2\ the Commission acting
as a whole will aim to issue an order acting on the request within 45
days.\3\ The Commission will address all arguments relating to whether
the applicant has demonstrated there is good cause to grant the
extension. The Commission will not consider arguments that re-litigate
the issuance of the abandonment order, including whether the Commission
properly found the project to be in the public convenience or necessity
and whether the Commission's environmental analysis for the certificate
complied with the National Environmental Policy Act.\4\ At the time a
pipeline requests an extension of time, orders on certificates of
public convenience and/or necessity are final and the Commission will
not re-litigate their issuance. The OEP Director, or his or her
designee, will act on all of those extension requests that are
uncontested.
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\2\ Contested proceedings are those where an intervenor disputes
any material issue of the filing. 18 CFR 385.2201(c)(1) (2019).
\3\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC ] 61,144, at P 40
(2020).
\4\ Similarly, the Commission will not re-litigate the issuance
of an NGA section 3 authorization, including whether a proposed
project is not inconsistent with the public interest and whether the
Commission's environmental analysis for the permit order complied
with NEPA.
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The extension request is available for review at the Commission in
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's website
web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the
docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number
field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC at
[email protected] or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TYY,
(202) 502-8659.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings of comments,
protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the ``eFiling'' link
at http://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically should
submit an original and three copies of the protest or intervention to
the Federal Energy regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 9, 2020.
Dated: March 25, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-06817 Filed 3-31-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P