[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 77 (Friday, April 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21722-21723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08519]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP18-116-000]


Texas Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice of Request for Extension of 
Time

    Take notice that on April 12, 2021, Texas Gas Transmission, LLC 
(Texas Gas) requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) grant an extension of time until June 26, 2023 to complete 
abandonment activities for the North Lake Pagie/Bay Junop-Bay Round 
Project (Project) located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, as 
authorized in the Order Approving Abandonment (Order) on June 26, 
2018.\1\ Ordering Paragraph (B) of the Order required Texas Gas to 
complete abandonment of the Project within one year of the date of the 
order, until and including June 26, 2019, which was previously extended 
as discussed below.
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    \1\ Texas Gas Transmission, LLC, 163 FERC 62,218 (2018).
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    On June 5, 2019, Texas Gas filed a request for an extension of time 
for an additional eighteen months to complete abandonment activities. 
Texas Gas was granted a one-year extension of time, until and including 
June 26, 2020, to complete abandonment activities authorized in the 
above referenced docket.
    On May 26, 2020, Texas Gas filed a second request for extension of 
time for an additional year to complete abandonment activities. Texas 
Gas was granted a one-year extension of time, until and including June 
26, 2021, to complete abandonment activities authorized in the above 
referenced docket.
    On April 12, 2021, Texas Gas filed this request for extension of 
time for an additional two years to complete abandonment activities. 
Texas Gas request to extend its current

[[Page 21723]]

authorization again to allow time to continue working through 
landowner/agency issues and obtain the outstanding environmental permit 
to abandon the North Lake Pagie/Bay Junop-Bay Round pipeline. Texas Gas 
states that the Project's environmental findings remain valid as no 
agency has made any change, nor has any change occurred to the Project, 
that would affect the environment to an extent not already considered 
by the June 26 Order, by the Project's Environmental Assessment issued 
on June 13, 2018, or by the confirmed biological opinions of 
environmental agencies. Thus, Texas Gas believes it can come to 
agreeable terms for abandonment with the relevant landowner/agency 
parties and therefore asserts that `good cause' exists to grant an 
extension of time, until June 26, 2023
    This notice establishes a 15-calendar day intervention and comment 
period deadline. Any person wishing to comment on Transco's request for 
an extension of time 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).\2\
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    \2\ Only motions to intervene from entities that were party to 
the underlying proceeding will be accepted. Algonquin Gas 
Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC 61,144, at P 39 (2020).
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    As a matter of practice, the Commission itself generally acts on 
requests for extensions of time to complete construction for Natural 
Gas Act facilities when such requests are contested before order 
issuance. For those extension requests that are contested,\3\ the 
Commission will aim to issue an order acting on the request within 45 
days.\4\ The Commission will address all arguments relating to whether 
the applicant has demonstrated there is good cause to grant the 
extension.\5\ The Commission will not consider arguments that re-
litigate the issuance of the Order, including whether the Commission 
properly found the project to be in the public convenience and 
necessity and whether the Commission's environmental analysis for the 
certificate complied with the National Environmental Policy Act.\6\ At 
the time a pipeline requests an extension of time, orders on 
certificates of public convenience and necessity are final and the 
Commission will not re-litigate their issuance.\7\ The OEP Director, or 
his or her designee, will act on those extension requests that are 
uncontested.
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    \3\ Contested proceedings are those where an intervenor disputes 
any material issue of the filing. 18 CFR 385.2201(c)(1) (2020).
    \4\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC 61,144, at P 40 
(2020).
    \5\ Id. P 40.
    \6\ 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.
    \7\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC 61,144, at P 40 
(2020).
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    In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
internet through the Commission's Home Page (http://ferc.gov) using the 
``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. At this time, 
the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public 
Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency 
concerning COVID-19, issued by the President on March 13, 2020. 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 ``eFile'' link at 
http://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically may mail 
similar pleadings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. To mail 
via USPS, use the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, 
DC 20426. To mail via any other courier, use the following address: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 10, 2021.

    Dated: April 19, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-08519 Filed 4-22-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P