Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 97 / Thursday, May 18, 2000 / Notices 31537

should address a copy of those

comments to the Commission, as

explained below. The Commission

received comments from two entities in

response to an earlier Federal Register

notice of November 9, 1999 (64 FR

62184–85) and has responded to those

comments in this submission.

DATES: Comments regarding this

collection are best assured of having

their full effect if received on or before

June 10, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address comments to Office

of Management and Budget, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission Desk Officer, 725 17th

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503. A

copy of the comments should also be

sent to Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, Office of the Chief

Information Officer, Attention: Mr.

Michael Miller, CI–1, 888 First Street,

NE, Washington, DC 20426. Mr. Miller

may be reached by telephone at

(202)208–1415 and by e-mail at

mike.miller@ferc.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description

The energy information collection

submitted to OMB for review contains:

1. Collection of Information: FERC–

500, ‘‘Application for License, Relicense

for Water Projects with More than 5 MW

Capacity.’’

2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory

Commisison.

3. Control No.: 1902–0058. The

Commission is now requesting that

OMB approve a three year extension of

the expiration date, with no changes to

the existing collection. This is a

mandatory collection requirement.

4. Necessity of Collection of

Information: Submission of the

information is necessary to fulfill the

requirements of Part I of the Federal

Power Act (FPA) in order for the

Commission to make the required

finding that the proposal is

economically sound, is best adopted to

a comprehensive plan for improving/

developing a waterway or waterways.

Under Part I of the FPA (16 U.S.C.

sections 79a et seq.), the Commission

has the authority to issue licenses for

hydroelectric projects on the waters

over which Congress has jurisdiction.

The Electric Consumers Protection Act

(ECPA) (Pub. L. 99–495, 100 Stat. 1243)

provides the Commission with the

responsibility of issuing licenses for

nonfederal hydroelectric plants. ECPA

also amended the language of the EPA

concerning environmental issues to

ensure environmental quality. The

information collected under FERC–500

is used by the Commission to determine

the broad impact of a hydropower

license application.

5. Respondent Description: The

respondent universe currently

comprises on average, 9 applicants for a

hydropower license/relicense.

6. Estimated Burden: 15,276 total

burden hours, 9 respondents 1 response

(on occasion), 1,697 hours per response

(rounded off).

7. Estimated Cost to Burden to

Respondents: The estimated cost burden

to respondents: 15,276÷2080 hours per

year×$111,545 per year=$819,212.

Statutory Authority: Sections 4(e), 9, 10,

14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act (FPA),

16 U.S.C. Sections 791a et seq. and Energy

Consumers Protection Act, Pub. L. 99–495,

100 Stat. 1243

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–12470 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP00–275–000]

Chesapeake Panhandle Limited

Partnership, Complainant, v. Natural

Gas Pipeline Company of America,

MidCon Gas Products Corp., MidCon

Gas Services Corp., KN Energy, Inc.

and Kinder Morgan, Inc., Respondents;

Notice of Complaint

May 12, 2000.

Take notice that on May 10, 2000,

Chesapeake Panhandle Limited

Partnership (Complainant) filed with

the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission a complaint against Natural

Gas Pipeline Company of America

(‘‘NGPL’’), MidCon Gas Products Corp.

(MidCon Gas Products), MidCon Gas

Services Corp. (MidCon Gas Services),

KN Energy, Inc. (KN) and Kinder

Morgan, Inc. (Kinder Morgan)

(collectively, Respondents) pursuant to

Rule 206 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.206.

According to the Complaint,

Respondents, all affiliated companies,

acted in concert to circumvent the filed

rate doctrine and violate NGPL’s Tariff

by charging rates for gathering services

which NGPL performed in connection

with jurisdictional transportation

services and which, in sum, exceeded

the rate specified in the NGPL Tariff

governing the relevant service.

Complainant alleges that from March

3, 1998 until January 1, 2000,

Respondents effectively charged (i) a

‘‘gathering fee’’ which in certain months

exceeded the Maximum rate NGPL, a

jurisdictional provider of gathering

services through NGPL’s West

Panhandle Gathering System, was

authorized to charge and (ii) a fuel

retention rate for gathering service

provided by NGPL, which was not

included in NGPL’s filed Tariff. The

‘‘gathering fee’’ and fuel retention rate

were established in a Gas Sales and

Purchase Agreement (GAS Sales

Agreement) which MC Panhandle, Inc.

(MC Panhandle), an affiliate of NGPL,

had initially executed with another

NGPL affiliate, MidCon Gas Services.

MidCon Gas Services’ interest was later

transferred by assignment to MidCon

Gas Products. Complainant states that,

in 1998, it acquired ownership of MC

Panhandle, the owner of certain gas

wells in Moore and Carson Counties,

Texas, subject to the terms of the Gas

Sales Agreement. It avers that through

this purchase it became obligated to

pay, and in fact paid (through a reduced

gas sales price), rates for gathering

services actually performed by NGPL

that were greater than the applicable

rates set forth in NGPL’s FERC Gas

Tariff.

According to the Complainant,

although the Gas Sales Agreement was

nominally between MC Panhandle (later

succeeded by Chesapeake Panhandle)

and MidCon Gas Services (later

succeeded by its affiliate MidCon Gas

Products), NGPL’s role in the

transaction as: (1) The provider of the

gathering service, (2) the affiliate of the

Gas Sales Agreements’s Buyers, MidCon

Gas Services and MidCon Gas Products,

(3) the affiliate of the Gas Sales

Agreement’s initial Seller, MC

Panhandle, and (4) a signatory to the

Gas Sales Agreement, effectively make

NGPL a party to the Gas Sales

Agreement and, in any event, support

the inference that NGPL benefited from

the actions of its affiliates in charging a

rate for services which NGPL provided,

but for which NGPL itself could not

lawfully have charged. Thus,

Complainant seeks a refund, with

interest, of the amounts it was charged

(by way of a gas sales price reduction)

for ‘‘gathering fees’’ in excess of NGPL’s

authorized gathering rate and fuel

retainage during the period from March

3, 1998 through December 31, 1999.

Questions concerning the Complaint

may be directed to counsel for

Complainant, James F. Bowe, Jr., Dewey

Ballantine LLP, 1775 Pennsylvania

Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006–4605,

Phone 202/429–1444, Fax 202/862–

1093, e-mail

jbowe@deweyballantine.com.

31538 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 97 / Thursday, May 18, 2000 / Notices

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest this filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426,

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and

385.214). All such motions or protests

must be filed on or before May 30, 2000.

Protests will be considered by the

Commission in determining the

appropriate action to be taken, but will

not serve to make protestants parties to

the proceeding. Any person wishing to

become a party must file a motion to

intervene. Copies of this filing are on

file with the Commission and are

Available for public inspection in the

Public Reference Room. This filing may

also be viewed on the Internet at http:/

/www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call

202–2222) for assistance. Answers to the

complaint shall also be due on or before

May 30, 2000.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–12474 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP00–233–001]

Midwestern Gas Pipeline

Transmission; Notice of Compliance

Filing

May 12, 2000.

Take notice on May 9, 2000,

Midwestern Gas Transmission Company

(Midwestern), tendered for filing as part

of its FERC Gas Tariff, Second Revised

Volume No. 1, the revised tariff sheets

identified below, with an effective date

of May 1, 2000:

Substitute Fourth Revised Sheet No. 90

Substitute Second Revised Sheet No. 98

Substitute Second Revised Sheet No. 99

Substitute Third Revised Sheet No. 100

Substitute First Revised Sheet No. 101

Seventh Revised Sheet No. 110A

Midwestern states that this filing is in

compliance with the Commission’s

April 26, 2000 Order Accepting Tariff

Sheets Subject to Conditions in the

above-referenced docket (April 26

Order). Midwestern Gas Transmission

Company, 91 FERC ¶ 61,099 (2000).

Midwestern further states that the

April 26 Order required Midwestern to

file revised tariff language that would

(1) Correct the Gas Industry Standards

Board version reference in its tariff; and

(2) specify the requirements of the

waiver set forth in 18 CFR 284.8(i) of the

Commission’s regulations. Midwestern

requests an effective date of May 1,

2000.

Any person desiring to protest this

filing should file a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC

20426, in accordance with section

385.211 of the Commission’s Rules and

Regulations. All such protests must be

filed as provided in section 154.210 of

the Commission’s Regulations. Protests

will be considered by the Commission

in determining the appropriate action to

be taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceedings.

Copies of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room. This filing may be viewed on the

web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/

rims.htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance).

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–12473 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP00–219–001]

Northwest Pipeline Corporation; Notice

of Compliance Filing

May 12, 2000.

Take notice that on May 8, 2000,

Northwest Pipeline Corporation

(Northwest) tendered for filing

additional information related to its

March 16, 2000 filing in the above

referenced docket.

Northwest states that the purpose of

this filing is to comply with the

Commission’s Letter order issued April

26, 2000 in Docket No. RP00–219,

which directed Northwest to provide

additional information related to the

reconciliation of 1999 lost and

unaccounted for volumes and the

allocation of fuel usage at the Jackson

Prairie storage facility.

Northwest states that a copy of this

filing has been served upon each person

designated on the official service list

complied by the Secretary in this

proceeding.

Any person desiring to protest this

filing should file a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC

20426, in accordance with section

385.211 of the Commission’s Rules and

Regulations. All such protests must be

filed as provided in section 154.210 of

the Commission’s Regulations. Protests

will be considered by the Commission

in determining the appropriate action to

be taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceedings.

Copies of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room. This filing may be viewed on the

web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/

rims.htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance).

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–12472 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP99–513–003]

Questar Pipeline Company; Notice of

Tariff Filing

May 12, 2000.

Take notice that on May 8, 2000,

Questar Pipeline Company (Questar)

tendered for filing as part of its FERC

Gas Tariff, First Revised Volume No. 1,

Third Revised Sheet No. 7, with an

effective day of May 8, 2000.

Questar states that the filing is being

made to implement a negotiated-rate

contract as authorized by Commission

orders issued October 27, 1999, and

December 14, 1999, in Docket Nos.

RP99–513, et al. The Commission

approved Questar’s request to

implement a negotiated-rate option for

Rate Schedules T–1, NNT, T–2, PKS,

FSS and ISS shippers. Questar

submitted its negotiated-rate filing in

accordance with the Commission’s

Policy Statement in Docket Nos. RM95–

6–000 and RM96–7–000 (Policy

Statement) issued January 31, 1996.

Questar further states that the

tendered tariff sheet revises Questar’s

Tariff to implement a new negotiatedrate transportation service agreement

between Questar and Texaco Natural

Gas, Inc., executed May 1, 2000, with

service commencing May 8, 2000.

Questar states that a copy of this filing

has been served upon Questar’s

customers, the Public Service

Commission of Utah and the Public

Service Commission of Wyoming.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,