Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 6, 2000 / Notices 76227

Transco to abandon certain pipeline

facilities, located in offshore Texas,

which are portions of the North Padre

Island Gathering System and the Central

Texas Gathering System (North Padre

and Central Texas Gathering Systems),

by transfer to Williams Gas ProcessingGulf Coast Company, L.P. (WGP), an

affiliate of Transco, all as more fully set

forth in the application which is on file

with the Commission and open to

public inspection. This filing may be

viewed on the web at http://

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

202–208–2222 for assistance).

Transco proposes to abandon 3.83

miles of 10-inch pipeline and 18.79

miles of 20-inch pipeline of the North

Padre Gathering System, located in the

North Padre Island Area and the North

Padre Island Area East Addition,

offshore Texas by transfer to WFP.

Transco also proposes to abandon 4.96

miles of 6-inch pipeline, 4.19 miles of

8-inch pipeline, 3.77 miles of 10-inch

pipeline, 64.79 miles of 12-inch

pipeline, 11.56 miles of 16-inch

pipeline, 116.48 miles of 20-inch

pipeline, 23.42 miles of 24-inch

pipeline, and 41.15 miles of 30-inch

pipeline of the Central Texas Gathering

System, located in the Galveston Area,

the Brazos Area, the Brazos Area South

Addition, the Matagorda Island Area,

and the Mustang Island Area East

Addition, offshore Texas by transfer to

WGP. Transco advises that the facilities

will be transferred at net book value,

which has been calculated at

$34,893,250 as of October 31, 2000.

Transco also requests authorization to

abandon its Rate Schedule X–66, under

which Transco states that gas has not

flowed since 1989. Transco asserts that

it has either notified or has caused the

notification of the affected parties of its

intent to terminate and abandon the

affected services, and WGP will begin

discussions with the affected parties for

continued service.

WGP has concurrently filed a petition

for a declaratory order in Docket No.

CP01–32–000 requesting that the

Commission determine that WGP’s

acquisition, ownership, and operation of

the facilities at issue not subject WGP or

any portion of WGP’s facilities, rates, or

services to the jurisdiction of the

Commission under the Natural Gas Act.

Any questions regarding the

application should be directed to

Randall R. Conklin, Vice President and

General Counsel, and Gisela Cherches,

Senior Attorney at (713) 215–2000,

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation, P.O. Box 1396, Houston,

Texas 77251.

There are two ways to become

involved in the Commission’s review of

this project. First, any person wishing to

obtain legal status by becoming a party

to the proceedings for this project

should, on or before December 21, 2000,

file with the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE,

Washington, D.C. 20426, 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 NGA (18 CFR 157.10). A

person obtaining party status will be

placed on the service list maintained by

the Secretary of the Commission and

will receive copies of all documents

filed by the applicant and by all other

parties. A party must submit 14 copies

of filings made with the Commission

and must mail a copy to the applicant

and to every other party in the

proceeding. Only parties to the

proceeding can ask for court review of

Commission orders in the proceeding.

However, a person does not have to

intervene in order to have comments

considered. The second way to

participate is by filing with the

Secretary of the Commission, as soon as

possible, an original and two copies of

comments in support of or in opposition

to this project. The Commission will

consider these comments in

determining the appropriate action to be

taken, but the filing of a comment alone

will not serve to make the filer a party

to the proceeding. The Commission’s

rules require that persons filing

comments in opposition to the project

provide copies of their protests only to

the party or parties directly involved in

the protest.

Persons who wish to comment only

on the environmental review of this

project should submit an original and

two copies of their comments to the

Secretary of the Commission.

Environmental commenters will be

placed on the Commission’s

environmental mailing list, will receive

copies of the environmental documents,

and will be notified of meetings

associated with the Commission’s

environmental review process.

Environmental commenters will not be

required to serve copies of filed

documents on all other parties.

However, the non-party commenters

will not receive copies of all documents

filed by other parties or issued by the

Commission (except for the mailing of

environmental documents issued by the

Commission) and will not have the right

to seek court review of the

Commission’s final order.

The Commission may issue a

preliminary determination on nonenvironmental issues prior to the

completion of its review of the

environmental aspects of the projects.

This preliminary determination

typically considers such issues as the

need for the project and its economic

effect on existing customers of the

applicant, on other pipelines in the area,

and on landowners and communities.

For example, the Commission considers

the extent to which the applicant may

need to exercise eminent domain to

obtain rights-of-way for the proposed

project and balances that against the

non-environmental benefits to be

provided by the project. Therefore, if a

person has comments on community

and landowner impacts from this

proposal, it is important either to file

comments or to intervene as early in the

process as possible.

Beginning November 1, 2000,

comments and protests may be filed

electronically via the internet in lieu of

paper. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii)

and the instructions on the

Commission’s web site at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.

If the Commission decides to set the

application for a formal hearing before

an Administrative Law Judge, the

Commission will issue another notice

describing that process. At the end of

the Commission’s review process, a

final Commission order approving or

denying a certificate will be issued.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–30982 Filed 12–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–32–000]

Williams Gas Processing—Gulf Cost

Company, L.P.; Notice of Petition for

Declaratory Order

November 30, 2000.

Take notice that on November 20,

2000, Williams Gas Processing—Gulf

Coast Company, L.P. (WGP), P.O. Box

1396, Houston, Texas 77251, in Docket

No. CP01–32–000 filed a petition for a

declaratory order requesting that the

Commission declare that certain

pipeline facilities located almost

entirely in offshore waters on the Outer

Continental Shelf (OCS), offshore Texas

to be acquired from WGP’s affiliate,

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation (Transco), would have the

primary function of gathering of natural

gas and would thereby be exempt from

the Commission’s jurisdiction pursuant

to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act,

76228 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 6, 2000 / Notices

all as more fully set forth in the

application which is on file with the

Commission and open to public

inspection. This filing may be viewed

on the web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/

online/rims.htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance).

WGP states that the pipeline facilities

at issue consist of portions of the North

Padre Island Gathering System (North

Padre) and the Central Texas Gathering

System (Central Texas). Specifically,

WGP states that the North Padre

facilities consist of 3.83 miles of 10-inch

pipeline that begins in North Padre

Island (NPI) Block 967 and ends at NPI

Block 956 and 18.79 miles of 20-inch

pipeline that begins in East Addition

Block A–42 and ends at NPI Block 956,

offshore Texas. WGP states that the

Central Texas facilities consist of 4.96

miles of 6-inch pipeline, 4.19 miles of

8-inch pipeline, 3.77 miles of 10-inch

pipeline, 64.79 miles of 12-inch

pipeline, 11.56 miles of 16-inch

pipeline, 116.48 miles of 20-inch

pipeline, 23.42 miles of 24-inch

pipeline, and 41.15 miles of 30-inch

pipeline in the Brazos Area Block 538,

offshore Texas.

Under a Transfer and Assignment

Agreement entered into by WGP and

Transco, WGP indicates that it will

provide gathering services in a manner

consistent with open access and nondiscriminatory principles. WGP advises

that no customers presently receive

direct sales service from the subject

facilities pursuant to right-of-way

agreements or other sales agreements,

therefore, no direct sales service will be

terminated as a result of the transfer.

WGP states that the primary function

of the facilities is gathering, consistent

with the criteria set forth in Farmland

Industries, Inc. (23 FERC ¶ 61,063

(1983)), as modified in subsequent

orders, and in Sea Robin Pipeline Co.

(87 FERC ¶ 61,384 (1999), reh’g denied,

92 FERC ¶ 61,072 (2000)).

WGP advises that this petition is a

companion to Transco’s concurrently

filed application in Docket No. CP01–

34–000 to abandon the subject facilities

by transfer to WGP.

Any questions regarding the

application should be directed to Steve

Springer, Senior Vice President, at (713)

439–2454, Williams Gas Processing-Gulf

Coast Company, L.P., Houston, Texas

77251.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

make any protest with reference to said

Application should on or before

December 21, 2000, file with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426, a motion to intervene or a protest

in accordance with the requirements of

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 or 18 CFR

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. Beginning November 1, 2000,

comments and protests may be filed

electronically via the internet in lieu of

paper. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii)

and the instructions on the

Commission’s web site at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm.

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 Application if no

petition to intervene is filed within the

time required herein, if the Commission

on its own review of the matter finds

that a grant of the abandonment is

required by the public convenience and

necessity. If a petition for leave to

intervene is timely 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 WGP to appear or be

represented at the hearing.

David P. Boergers,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–30981 Filed 12–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Notice of Proposed Change in Land

Rights, and Soliciting Comments,

Motions to Intervene, and Protests

November 30, 2000.

Take notice that the following

hydroelectric application has been filed

with the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission and is available for public

inspection:

a. Type of Application: Change in

Land Rights.

b. Project No: 2738–049.

c. Date Filed: September 27, 2000.

d. Applicant: New York State Electric

and Gas Corporation (NYSEG).

e. Name of Project: Saranac River

Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: The subject parcel is

located upstream from the Kents Falls

dam, near the Kents Falls Reservoir, in

Clinton County, New York.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Carol A.

Howland, Project Environmental

Specialist, NYSEG, P.O. Box 5224,

Binghamton, New York, 13902, (607)

729–2551.

i. FERC Contact: Any questions

concerning this notice should be

addressed to Paul Friedman at (202)

208–1108; e-mail:

paul.friedman@ferc.fed.us.

j. Deadline for filing comments,

motions, or protests: January 5, 2001.

All documents (original and eight

copies) should be filed with: David P.

Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy

Commission, 888 First Street, NE,

Washington, DC 20426. Please include

the Project No. (2738–049) on any

comments or motions filed. Comments

may be filed electronically via the

internet in lieu of paper. See 18 CFR

385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions

on the Commission web site at http://

www.ferc.fed/efi/doorbell.htm.

k. Description of Project: The Kents

Falls development consists of: (1) a 172-

foot-wide, 59-foot-high, concrete gravity

dam; (2) a reservoir with a surface area

of 43 acres; (3) a penstock; (4) a

powerhouse; (5) headworks; (6) surge

tank; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The

change in land rights would be for a 101

acre parcel located within the project

boundary for the Kents Falls

development. The purpose of the

change in land rights is to allow the

licensee to convey project lands to

Clinton County, to allow for the future

expansion of the county’s adjacent

existing land fill.

l. Locations of this application: A

copy of the application is available for

inspection and reproduction at the

Commission’s Public Reference Room

located at 888 First Street, NE,

Washington, D.C. 20426, or by calling

(202) 208–1371. The filing may be

viewed on http://www/ferc/

fed.us.online/rims.htm (call (202) 208–

2222 for assistance). A copy is also

available for inspection and

reproduction at the address in item h.

above.

m. Individuals desiring to be included

on the Commission’s mailing list should

so indicate by writing to the Secretary

of the Commission.

Comments, Protests, or Motions to

Intervene—Anyone may submit