[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]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, 163 FERC ] 
62,046 (2018).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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