[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 202 (Thursday, October 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63773-63774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22772]


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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-507-000]


Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC; Sea Robin Pipeline 
Company, LLC; Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC; Notice of Request 
for Extension of Time

    Take notice that on October 11, 2022, Transcontinental Gas Pipe 
Line Company, LLC (Transco), 2800 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston, Texas 
77056, requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) grant an extension of time, until December 31, 2023, in 
order to complete abandonment activities as authorized in Transco's 
VR22 to Shore Abandonment Project (Project) in the March 18, 2021 Order 
Granting Abandonment \1\ (March

[[Page 63774]]

18 Order). The March 18 Order, Ordering Paragraph (C) required Transco 
\2\ to complete abandonment of the facilities within one year of the 
order date. On December 22, 2021, Transco requested an extension of 
time until December 31, 2022, to complete abandonment of Project 
facilities, that we granted on March 15, 2022.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, 174 FERC ] 
62,169 (2021).
    \2\ Transco is the operator of the pipeline facilities proposed 
to be abandoned.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Transco now requests an extension of time until December 31, 2023, 
to complete abandonment of the Project facilities. Transco states that 
it has completed the majority of abandonment activities but will be 
unable to complete the removal of approximately 14,240 feet of 24-inch-
diameter pipe located in state waters. Transco avers that the 
contractor it selected was originally scheduled to begin removal of the 
pipe in state waters in July of 2022, however, delays in the remaining 
abandonment activities pushed the state water removals outside of their 
anticipated timeframe. The barges required for the removal are now 
unavailable through the end of November 2022. Transco asserts that 
seasonal weather conditions and water levels prohibit safe removal of 
the state water pipeline beginning December 2022. Transco states that 
the most favorable weather window of offshore construction activities 
is generally May through September of each year. Accordingly, Transco 
requests an extension until December 31, 2023, which it asserts will 
allow flexibility in scheduling around weather events that may delay 
abandonment activities.
    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).\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ 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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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,\4\ the 
Commission will aim to issue an order acting on the request within 45 
days.\5\ The Commission will address all arguments relating to whether 
the applicant has demonstrated there is good cause to grant the 
extension.\6\ The Commission will not consider arguments that re-
litigate the issuance of the certificate 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.\7\ 
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.\8\ The OEP Director, or 
his or her designee, will act on all of those extension requests that 
are uncontested.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Contested proceedings are those where an intervenor disputes 
any material issue of the filing. 18 CFR 385.2201(c)(1) (2019).
    \5\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC ] 61,144, at P 40 
(2020).
    \6\ Id. at P 40.
    \7\ 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.
    \8\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC ] 61,144, at P 40 
(2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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://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. At this time, 
the Commission has suspended access to Commission's Public Reference 
Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning 
the Novel Coronavirus Disease (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, 888 
First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. Hand delivered submissions in 
docketed proceedings should be delivered to Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 28, 2022.

    Dated: October 13, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-22772 Filed 10-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P