Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 220 / Friday, November 14, 1997 / Notices 61109

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protest is filed and not withdrawn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.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–29939 Filed 11–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Hearings and Appeals

Determination of Excess Petroleum

Violation Escrow Funds for Fiscal Year

1998

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy,

Office of Hearings and Appeals.

ACTION: Notice of determination of

excess monies pursuant to the

Petroleum Overcharge Distribution and

Restitution Act of 1986.

SUMMARY: The Petroleum Overcharge

Distribution and Restitution Act of 1986

requires the Secretary of Energy to

determine annually the amount of oil

overcharge funds held in escrow that is

in excess of the amount needed to make

restitution to injured parties. Notice is

hereby given that $20,610,767 of the

amounts currently in escrow is

determined to be excess funds for fiscal

year 1998. Pursuant to the statutory

directive, these funds will be made

available to state governments for use in

specified energy conservation programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Thomas O.

Mann, Deputy Director, Roger Klurfeld,

Assistant Director, Office of Hearings

and Appeals, U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585–0107, (202)

426–1492 [Mann]; (202) 426–1449

[Klurfeld].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Petroleum Overcharge Distribution and

Restitution Act of 1986 (hereinafter

PODRA), contained in Title III of the

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of

1986, Pub. L. No. 99–509, establishes

certain procedures for the disbursement

of funds collected by the Department of

Energy (hereinafter DOE) pursuant to

the Emergency Petroleum Allocation

Act of 1973 (hereinafter EPAA) or the

Economic Stabilization Act of 1970

(hereinafter ESA). These funds,

commonly referred to as oil overcharge

funds, are monies obtained through

enforcement actions instituted to

remedy actual or alleged violations of

those Acts.

PODRA requires the DOE, through the

Office of Hearings and Appeals

(hereinafter OHA), to conduct

proceedings under 10 CFR Part 205,

Subpart V, to accept claims for

restitution from the public and to refund

oil overcharge monies to persons

injured by violations of the EPAA or the

ESA. In addition, PODRA requires the

Secretary of Energy to determine

annually the amount of oil overcharge

funds that will not be required for

restitution to injured parties in these

refund proceedings and to make this

excess available to state governments for

use in four energy conservation

programs. This determination must be

published in the Federal Register

within 45 days after the beginning of

each fiscal year. The Secretary has

delegated this responsibility to the OHA

Director.

Notice is hereby given that based on

the best currently available information,

$20,610,767 is in excess of the amount

that is needed to make restitution to

injured parties.

To arrive at that figure, the OHA has

reviewed all accounts in which monies

covered by PODRA are deposited.

PODRA generally covers all funds now

in DOE escrow which are derived from

alleged violations of the EPAA or the

ESA, with certain exclusions. Excluded

are funds which (1) have been identified

for indirect restitution in orders issued

prior to enactment of PODRA; (2) have

been identified for direct restitution in

a judicial or administrative order; or (3)

are attributable to alleged violations of

regulations governing the pricing of

crude oil and subject to the settlement

agreement in In re The Department of

Energy Stripper Well Exemption

Litigation, M.D.L. No. 378 (D. Kan., July

7, 1986). As of September 30, 1997, the

total in escrow subject to the PODRA

procedures was $96,366,739.

The OHA has employed the following

methodology to determine the amount

of excess funds. We took special

account of the provision of PODRA

which directs that ‘‘primary

consideration [be given] to assuring that

at all times sufficient funds (including

a reasonable reserve) are set aside for

making [direct] restitution.’’ Thus, in

proceedings in which refund claims are

pending, we have on a claim-by-claim

basis examined pending claims and

established reserves sufficient to pay the

amount of these claims. The reserves

also include all refunds ordered by the

OHA since the end of the last fiscal year

on September 30, 1997, but not yet paid.

For proceedings in which all claims

have been considered or in which no

claims have been filed, and the deadline

for filing claims has passed, all funds

remaining are excess. Small amounts of

interest accrued, until transfer, on funds

in accounts that were closed (with a

zero balance) in the fiscal year 1997

PODRA determination (61 FR 58545

(1996)) are included as part of the

‘‘excess’’ for fiscal year 1998. No ‘‘other

commitments’’ are reflected in the

reserves.

As indicated above, the total escrow

account equity subject to PODRA is

$96,366,739. The total amount needed

as reserves for direct restitution in those

cases is $75,755,972. When this figure is

subtracted from the former, the

remainder—$20,610,767—is the amount

in fiscal year 1998 that is ‘‘in excess’’ of

the amount that will be needed to make

restitution to injured persons. The

Appendix to this Notice sets forth for

each refund case within the OHA’s

jurisdiction the total amount eligible for

distribution under PODRA and the

‘‘excess’’ amount.

Accordingly, $20,610,767 will be

transferred to a separate account within

the United States Treasury and made

available to the States for use in the

designated energy conservation

programs in the manner prescribed by

PODRA.

Dated: November 7, 1997.

George B. Breznay,

Director, Office of Hearings and Appeals.

AMOUNT AVAILABLE FOR INDIRECT RESTITUTION IN FY 1998

Name of company Consent order

number

Equity as of Sept.

30, 1997

Amount available

in FY 98

ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO (ARCO) ................................................................... RARH00001Z $11,566,398.41 $7,000,000.00

ENRON CORPORATION ..................................................................................... 730V00221Z 21,225,255.49 3,200,000.00

TEXACO INC ....................................................................................................... RTXE006A1Z 3,166,580.85 3,166,580.85
61110 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 220 / Friday, November 14, 1997 / Notices

AMOUNT AVAILABLE FOR INDIRECT RESTITUTION IN FY 1998—Continued

Name of company Consent order

number

Equity as of Sept.

30, 1997

Amount available

in FY 98

ANCHOR GASOLINE CORPORATION .............................................................. 740S01247Z 4,821,029.39 1,500,000.00

GETTY OIL COMPANY ....................................................................................... RGEA00001Z 6,515,165.75 1,500,000.00

EASON OIL COMPANY ....................................................................................... 740S01314Z 4,771,886.91 1,000,000.00

PERMIAN CORPORATION ................................................................................. 650X00246T 1,607,933.32 1,000,000.00

WITCO CHEMICAL CORP .................................................................................. 240S00054Z 912,335.34 912,335.34

HOUMA OIL CO ................................................................................................... 640H10422W 432,725.63 432,725.63

GULF OIL CORPORATION ................................................................................. RGFA00001Z 3,914,723.65 400,000.00

ESTE OIL COMPANY .......................................................................................... 533H00163T 76,895.24 76,895.24

PRODUCT TRACKING—PODRA ........................................................................ 999DOE005W 68,191.04 68,191.04

G & G OIL COMPANY ......................................................................................... 550H00332T 59,892.61 59,892.61

KICKAPOO OIL .................................................................................................... 570H00214T 49,785.49 49,785.49

BELL FUELS INC ................................................................................................. 570H00195T 41,441.15 41,441.15

RECO PETROLEUM INC .................................................................................... 320H00304T 32,290.43 32,290.43

GENERAL PETROLEUM ..................................................................................... 550H00075T 28,128.31 28,128.31

VERMONT MORGAN CORP ............................................................................... 110H00514T 24,729.79 24,729.79

SKINNEY’S INC ................................................................................................... 400H00227T 19,514.04 19,514.04

CAPITOL 66 OIL COMPANY ............................................................................... 422H00238T 19,229.53 19,229.53

MAXWELL OIL CO. ............................................................................................. 000H00425Z 18,854.94 18,854.94

LAMPTON–LOVE INC ......................................................................................... 422T00013T 15,834.29 15,834.29

CUMBERLAND FARMS DAIRY INC ................................................................... 120K00497T 7,567.04 7,567.04

EMPIRE GAS CORPORATION ........................................................................... 720T00521Z 7,392.49 7,392.49

SOS MONARCH OIL CORP ................................................................................ 240H00498T 7,193.33 7,193.33

N C GINTHER COMPANY .................................................................................. 710V03022T 5,983.41 5,983.41

METROPOLITAN PETROLEUM CO, INC ........................................................... 414H00171Z 5,736.27 5,736.27

JEDCO INC .......................................................................................................... 421K00107W 4,326.42 4,326.42

E–Z SERVICE INC ............................................................................................... 400H00220T 3,722.26 3,722.26

BEACON BAY ENTERPRISES, INC ................................................................... 999K90120T 1,015.95 1,015.95

MOCKABEE GAS & FUEL CO ............................................................................ 311H00342W 752.83 752.83

ELWOOD CHEVRON SERVICE ......................................................................... 999K90098T 547.67 547.67

DALCO PETROLEUM .......................................................................................... 660T00642Z 39.86 39.86

MARATHON PETROLEUM CO ........................................................................... RMNA00001Z 23.33 23.33

SUNSET BLVD CAR WASH ................................................................................ 999K90113T 22.54 22.54

GENERAL EQUITIES, INC. ................................................................................. 110H00527Z 15.41 15.41

QUANTUM CHEMICAL CORPORATION ............................................................ 720V01245Z 0.02 0.02

AOC ACQUISITION CORPORATION ................................................................. RCKH016A1Z 10,089,118.08 0.00

GOOD HOPE REFINERIES INC. ........................................................................ 150S00154Z 3,973,915.80 0.00

GULF STATES OIL & REFINING ........................................................................ 6E0S00057T 609,991.91 0.00

HUDSON OIL CO. INC ........................................................................................ 740S01258W 9,214,807.75 0.00

INTERCOASTAL OIL CO .................................................................................... 940X00076T 35,303.15 0.00

KENNY LARSON OIL CO .................................................................................... 000H00439W 5,152.10 0.00

MACMILLAN OIL COMPANY, INC ...................................................................... 730T00031Z 601,344.51 0.00

OASIS PETROLEUM CORP ............................................................................... 940X00217Z 2,174,279.49 0.00

SHELL OIL COMPANY ........................................................................................ RSHA00001Z 5,670.793.37 0.00

TESORO PETROLEUM CORP ........................................................................... BUBBBBBBBB 2,117,333.61 0.00

VESSELS GAS PROCESSING, LTD. ................................................................. 740V01387W 2,441.538.79 0.00

Totals ............................................................................................................. 96,366,738.99 20,610,767.51

[FR Doc. 97–30004 Filed 11–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

(ER–FRL–5486–3)

Environmental Impact Statements and

Regulations; Availability of EPA

Comments

Availability of EPA comments

prepared October 27, 1997 Through

October 31, 1997 pursuant to the

Environmental Review Process (ERP),

under Section 309 of the Clean Air Act

and Section 102(2)(c) of the National

Environmental Policy Act as amended.

Requests for copies of EPA comments

can be directed to the Office of

FEDERAL ACTIVITIES AT (202) 564–

7176. An explanation of the ratings

assigned to draft environmental impact

statements (EISs) was published in FR

dated April 11, 1997 (62 FR 16154).

Draft EISs

ERP No. D–AFS–K65199–AZ Rating

EC2, Windmill Range Allotment

Management Plan, Cattle Grazing Use,

Implementation, Coconino National

Forest, Mormon Lake, Peaks and Sedona

Ranger Districts, Coconino and Yavapal

County, AZ.

Summary: EPA expressed

environmental concerns and

recommeded that the FEIS should

include specific information on water

quality monitoring, enforcement

measures to ensure full compliance with

the proposed allotment management

plan, and fall back options in case

adequate funding and resources are not

obtained or if monitoring indicates

continuing decline of rangeland

conditions. EPA suggested

reconsideration of Alternative G or a

modification of preferred Alternative F

to address critical resource needs in the

Munds Pocket and Foxboro herd range.

ERP No. D–AFS–K65200–CA Rating

EC2, San Juan Fuels and Wildlife

Project, Implementation, Tahoe National

Forest, Nevada City Ranger District,

Nevada County, CA.