40516 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 145 / Tuesday, July 29, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP96–809–003]

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C.;

Notice of Amendment to Application

July 23, 1997.

Take notice that on July 11, 1997,

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C.

(Maritimes), a Delaware limited liability

company, filed an amendment to its

September 23, 1996, application for a

certificate of public convenience and

necessity, under to Section 7(c) of the

Natural Gas Act, and Part 157 of the

Commission’s regulations. Maritimes’s

September 23rd application seeks

authority to construct, own, operate and

maintain a natural gas pipeline from

Wells, Maine to the U.S.-Canadian

border near Woodland, Maine and

related pipeline laterals and compressor

stations. The July 11th amendment

changes certain parts of the route of

Maritimes’s proposed pipeline, changes

certain parts of the lateral routes, and

relocates the proposed Richmond

Compressor Station. The details of the

route changes are more fully set forth in

the amendment which is on file and

available to the public for inspection.

Maritimes’s September 23

Application is for Phase II of its Project,

as previously revised by its amendment

filed on February 24, 1997 in Docket No.

CP96–809–002. Maritimes’s Phase II

Project involves the construction of

natural gas pipeline facilities from Wells

to Woodland, as well as the provision of

natural gas transportation service

through those facilities. The overall

Maritimes Project is part of a natural gas

transportation facility for the Sable

Offshore Energy Project (SOEP), which

is being developed by a consortium of

United States and Canadian energy

companies. The SOEP is scheduled to

bring offshore natural gas to the

Maritimes Provinces in Canada and the

northeastern United States in 1999. The

joint construction, ownership and

operation of a part of the Phase II

facilities, from Wells to Westbrook,

Maine is pending in Docket No. CP97–

238–000; Portland Natural Gas

Transmission System (PNGTS) is the

joint applicant, along with Maritimes.

The February 24th amendment reflects

changes in Phase II of Maritimes’s

project related to the joint facilities.

The July 11th Amendment reflects the

reroutes of the proposed mainline and

lateral facilities and the relocation of a

compressor station that have been

adopted by Maritimes since its filing of

the original pipeline rout in the

September 23rd Application. Maritimes

states that the reroutes and compressor

station location reflected in the

Amendment will result in:

(i) a reduction in the number of major

water body crossings;

(ii) a reduction in the number of miles

of wetlands crossed;

(iii) a reduction in impacts to

residences; and,

(iv) an increase in the number of

miles of proposed pipeline that are

located adjacent to or within existing

rights-of-way.

Maritimes provided the following

summary description of the three largest

mainline reroutes that it has adopted as

part of its Phase II primary route, as well

as a description of the new compressor

station location and the Northern

Alternative in the Richmond and

Kennebec River area. Smaller route

modifications are described in the

exhibits and resource reports which

accompanied the amendment.

The Bangor Hydro reroute, located in

Washington and Hancock Counties,

Maine, comprises about 46 miles of the

reroutes proposed in the July 11th

Amendment. Maritimes incorporated

this reroute into its primary route to

follow the existing Stud Mill Road

corridor, the proposed Bangor Hydro

corridor, and existing landowner-owned

roads. Maritimes says that these

landowner-owned roads provide both

an existing corridor for the pipeline and

potential overlap for work space where

none originally existed. Maritimes says

that although the Bangor Hydro reroute

results in an increase of over three miles

to the length of the original route, it

determined that the environmental

benefits of this reroute (mitigating the

impact to existing forested lands and

existing salmon habitat and deer yards

in the Machias and Narraquagus River

watersheds) warranted incorporated this

reroute into its primary route.

Maritimes has incorporated another

reroute in the Bangor-Brewer area,

known as the Bangor Water District

(BWD) Reroute. This reroute comprises

about 20 miles long. Maritimes proposes

to reroute the pipeline in this area since

its original route traversed portions of a

BWD watershed that comprises one of

the sources of potable water for the

Bangor-Brewer area, and to avoid Camp

Roosevelt, a property owned by the

Katahdin Council (Boy Scouts of

America).

Maritimes has also proposed 12 miles

of reroute in the Richmond, Maine area.

Maritimes says that the Richmond

Reroute is the result of its effort to

improve its original route by avoiding

residential and wetlands areas and by

mitigating the environmental impacts

and engineering constraints related to

crossing existing roadways and the

Kennebec Rivers. As a result of this

reroute, Maritimes proposes to relocate

its proposed compressor station in the

Richmond area, which was originally

proposed to be located near Milepost

145, to a location near revised Milepost

143. The environmental report provided

by Maritimes as part of the July 11th

amendment discusses a ‘‘Northern

Alternative Route’’ which Maritimes

says would make greater use of existing

rights-of-way in the Richmond area.

Maritimes does not expect the

reroutes and the change in compressor

station location applied for in the

Amendment to materially affect the cost

of the Phase II Project, although the

revised Exhibit G shows a 4.2-mile net

increase in the length of the proposed

mainline. The July 11th Amendment

does not reflect any changes in

Maritimes’s proposed Phase II cost

estimate, rates or tariff or related

exhibits.

Maritimes requests a preliminary

determination on non-environmental

issues in this proceeding by September

1997. With respect to a final certificate

addressing environmental issues,

Maritimes requests that the Commission

act upon its amended application as

soon as reasonably possible.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

make any protest with reference to said

Amendment should on or before August

13, 1997, file with the Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426,

a motion to intervene or protest in

accordance with the requirements of the

Commission’s Rules of Practice and

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 or 385.214)

and the regulations under the Natural

Gas Act (18 CFR 157.10). All protests

filed with the Commission will be

considered by it in determining the

appropriate action to be taken but will

not serve to make the protestants parties

to the proceeding. Any person wishing

to become a party to a proceeding or to

participate as a party in any hearing

therein must file a motion to intervene

in accordance with the Commission’s

rules. Any person who has already filed

a motion to intervene in Docket Nos.

CP96–809–000 or CP96–809–002 need

not file again to obtain intervenor status.

Take further notice that pursuant to

the authority contained in and subject to

the jurisdiction conferred upon the

Commission by Sections 7 and 15 of the

Natural Gas Act and the Commission’s

Rules of Practice and Procedure, a

hearing will be held without further

notice before the Commission or its

designee on this Amendment if no

petition to intervene is filed within the

time required herein or if the
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 145 / Tuesday, July 29, 1997 / Notices 40517

1See, 20 FERC § 62,415 (1982).

Commission on its own review of the

matter finds that a grant of the

certificate is required by the public

convenience and necessity. If a petition

for leave to intervene is filed or if the

Commission, on its own motion,

believes that a formal hearing is

required, further notice of such hearing

will be duly given.

Under the procedure herein provided

for, unless otherwise advised, it will be

unnecessary for Maritimes & Northeast

to appear or be represented at the

hearing.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–19867 Filed 7–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP97–648–000]

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of

America; Notice of Request Under

Blanket Authorization

July 23, 1997.

Take notice that on July 17, 1997,

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of

America (Applicant), 701 East 22nd

Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, filed in

Docket No. CP97–648–000 a request

pursuant to Sections 157.205, 157.216,

and 157.212 of the Commission’s

Regulations under the Natural Gas Act

for authorization to abandon a 1.8 mile

segment of Applicant’s 36-inch Howard

Street Lateral located in Cook County,

Illinois, by sale to The Peoples Gas Light

and Coke Company (PGLC), a local

distribution company; to abandon by

removal certain meter facilities

comprising Applicant’s existing Rogers

Park delivery point, the point where

Applicant currently delivers gas to

PGLC; and to construct and operate a

replacement delivery point to PGLC on

the Howard Street Lateral, under

blanket certificate issued in Docket No.

CP82–402–000,1 all as more fully set

forth in the request for authorization on

file with the Commission and open for

public inspection.

Applicant states that the proposed

activity is to create a direct

interconnection between the systems of

PGLC and Northern Illinois Gas

Company (NI–Gas), without

constructing substantial new facilities,

and while maintaining Applicant’s

delivery capabilities to both systems off

the Howard Street Lateral. Applicant

has agreed to sell and PGLC has agreed

to purchase the 1.8 miles of pipe for the

sum of $225,000. Applicant states that

this facility has a net book value of $0,

and the $225,000 price is based on the

approximate value of the right-of-way.

PGLC’s purchase of the facility will

make it unnecessary for PGLC to acquire

new right-of-way for the construction of

a new facility to accomplish the PGLC/

NI-Gas interconnect.

Applicant states that all

transportation volumes being delivered

at the current Rogers Park delivery point

would be reassigned to the replacement

delivery point, which would retain the

Rogers Park name and have comparable

delivery capability. There is no

contemplated change between the

present and proposed quantities of gas

to be delivered; nor, will there be an

impact on Applicant’s peak day and

annual deliveries as a result of the

change in delivery point location.

Applicant states that its customers on

the subject facilities have no objection

to the proposal.

Any person or the Commission’s staff

may, within 45 days after issuance of

the instant notice by the Commission,

file pursuant to Rule 214 of the

Commission’s Procedural Rules (18 CFR

385.214) a motion to intervene or notice

of intervention and pursuant to Section

157.205 of the Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205) a

protest to the request. If no protest is

failed within the time allowed therefor,

the proposed activity shall be deemed to

be authorized effective the day after the

time allowed for filing a protest. If a

protest is filed and not withdrawn

within 30 days after the time allowed

for filing a protest, the instant request

shall be treated as an application for

authorization pursuant to Section 7 of

the Natural Gas Act.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–19870 Filed 7–28–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP97–646–000]

NorAm Gas Transmission Company;

Notice of Request Under Blanket

Authorization

July 23, 1997.

Take Notice that on July 17, 1997,

NorAm Gas Transmission Company

(NGT), 1600 Smith Street, Houston,

Texas 77002, filed in Docket No. CP97–

646–000 a request pursuant to Sections

157.205 and 157.211 of the

Commission’s Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205,

157.211) for authorization to construct

and operate a tap in Arkansas under

NGT’s blanket certificate issued in

Docket No. CP82–348–000 and CP82–

384–001 pursuant to Section 7 of the

Natural Gas Act, all as more fully set

forth in the request that is on file with

the Commission and open to public

inspection.

NGT proposes to install and operate a

1-inch tap and a first cut regulator on its

Line JM–19 in Lee County, Arkansas.

The total estimated volumes to be

delivered to these facilities are 2,600

MMBtu annually and 16 MMBtu on a

peak day. The estimated total cost of the

project is $2,743.

Any person or the Commission’s staff

may, within 45 days after issuance of

the instant notice by the Commission,

file pursuant to Rule 214 of the

Commission’s Procedural Rules (18 CFR

385.214) a motion to intervene or notice

of intervention and pursuant to Section

157.205 of the Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205) a

protest to the request. If no protest is

filed within the time allowed therefor,

the proposed activity shall be deemed to

be authorized effective the day after the

time allowed for filing a protest. If a

protest is filed and not withdrawn

within 30 days after the time allowed

for filing a protest, the instant request

shall be treated as an application for

authorization pursuant to Section 7 of

the Natural Gas Act.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–19869 Filed 7–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP97–654–000]

NorAm Gas Transmission Company;

Notice of Request Under Blanket

Authorization

July 23, 1997.

Take notice that on July 18, 1997,

NorAm Gas Transmission Company

(NGT), 1600 Smith Street, Houston,

Texas 77002, filed in Docket No. CP97–

654–000 a request pursuant to Sections

157.205, 157.211, and 157.216 of the

Commission’s Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205,

157.211, and 157.216) for authorization

to abandon certain facilities in Arkansas

and construct and operate certain

facilities in Arkansas to deliver gas to

Tyson Foods, Inc. under NGT’s blanket