Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices 14895

Therapy (BNCT), structural biology,

analytical chemistry, and genome

instrumentation.

Organizations with existing Centers of

Excellence for Laser Applications in

Medicine grants must submit with their

renewal application the required

Progress Report, which should include

a section describing research

accomplishments that have been carried

over into clinical research and practice.

It is anticipated that up to $1,500,000

are expected to be available for grant

awards in FY 1998, contingent upon

availability of appropriated funds. The

actual magnitude of the funds available

and the number of awards which can be

made will however depend on the

budget process. It is anticipated that up

to four awards of up to $600,000 each

annually for a three year period will be

made, with out-year support contingent

on availability of funds, progress of the

research, and programmatic needs.

Potential applicants are encouraged to

submit a brief preapplication describing

the proposed Center and its major

activities. The intent in asking for a

preapplication is to save the time and

effort of applicants in preparing and

submitting a formal project application

that may be inappropriate for the

program. The preapplication should

consist of a three-to-five-page concept

paper on the program contemplated for

an application to the Centers of

Excellence for Laser Applications in

Medicine program. The concept paper

should focus on the scientific objectives

and significance of the proposed

research, including an outline of the

approaches planned, should briefly

describe the organization of the

proposed center and its setting, and

should provide information relating to

other aspects of the planned program,

including collaborations with the DOE

National Laboratories and other research

organizations. The preapplication gives

an opportunity to advise potential

applicants on the suitability of their

concept and research program to the

mission of the Centers of Excellence

program. A response to timely

preapplications indicating the

appropriateness of submitting a formal

application will be communicated by

June 20, 1997. Please note that

notification of a successful

preapplication is not an indication that

an award will be made in response to

the formal application. ER’s

preapplication policy for submitting

preapplications can be found on ER’s

Grants and Contracts Web Site at: http:/

/www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/

preapp.html.

Applications will be subjected to

formal merit review (peer review) and

will be evaluated against the following

evaluation criteria listed in descending

order of importance codified at 10 CFR

605.10(d):

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of

the Project;

2. Appropriateness of the Proposed

Method or Approach;

3. Competency of Applicant’s

personnel and Adequacy of Proposed

Resources;

4. Reasonableness and

Appropriateness of the Proposed

Budget.

The evaluation will include program

policy factors such as the relevance of

the proposed research to the terms of

the announcement and an agency’s

programmatic needs. Note, external peer

reviewers are selected with regard to

both their scientific expertise and the

absence of conflict-of-interest issues.

Non-federal reviewers will often be

used, and submission of an application

constitutes agreement that this is

acceptable to the investigator(s) and the

submitting institution.

Applicants are expected to use the

following format in addition to

following instructions in the Office of

Energy Research Application Guide.

• ER standard face page (DOE F4650.2)

• Table of Contents

• Project abstract (no more than one

page)

• Budgets for each year of the three-year

project period (using DOE F 4620.1)

• Written explanation of the budget

items

• Budgets and budget explanations for

each collaborative subproject, if any

• Project narrative (recommended

length is no more than 40 pages):

• Goals

• Research plan for each major

component of the research program

• Preliminary studies (if applicable)

• Research design and methodologies

• Plans for training

• Plans for dissemination of new

concepts and techniques

• Literature cited

• Description of existing facilities for

research into laser applications in

medicine (up to five pages)

• Description of hospital setting and

medical school ties for the proposed

Center, including support proposed

to be offered to the Center’s

program by these units (up to five

pages)

• Collaborative arrangements (if

applicable)

• Biographical sketches (limited to 2

pages for each senior investigator)

• Current and pending funding for each

senior investigator

• All required information for any

activities involving human subjects

(see ER Application Guide)

• All required information for any

activities involving vertebrate

animals (see ER Application Guide)

Information about development and

submission of applications, eligibility,

evaluations and selection processes, and

other policies and procedures may be

found in 10 CFR part 605 and the Office

of Energy Research Application Guide

for the Financial Assistance Program.

Access to ER’s Financial Assistance

Application Guide is possible via the

World Wide Web at: http://

www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/

grants.html. Printed copies of the Guide

are available from the Medical

Applications and Biophysical Research

Division for potential applicants who

are unable to access the Web version.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance number for this program is

81.049, and the solicitation control number is

ERFAP 10 CFR Part 605.

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 24,

1997.

John Rodney Clark,

Associate Director for Resource Management,

Office of Energy Research.

[FR Doc. 97–7934 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP97–262–000]

Ashland Exploration, Inc.; Notice of

Application

March 24, 1997.

Take notice that on March 21, 1997,

Ashland Exploration, Inc. (Ashland),

14701 Saint Mary’s Lane, Houston,

Texas 77079, completed the filing of an

application for abandonment pursuant

to Section 7(b) of the Natural Gas Act

initially submitted on February 24,

1997. Ashland requests authorization to

abandon, by sale, its jurisdictional

facilities in the Martha Field to

Meridian Exploration Corp. and Abarta

Oil & Gas Company, Inc., all as more

fully set forth in the application which

is on file with the Commission and open

to the public for inspection.

The facilities to be abandoned consist

of approximately 29.6 miles of 6-inch

and 8-inch diameter pipeline extending

from the outlet of Ashland’s gas

processing plant in Lawrence County,

Kentucky to the point where those

facilities intersect with the facilities of

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company near

Burnaugh, Kentucky, and three

associated field taps.

Any persons desiring to be heard or

to make any protest with reference to

said application should, on or before
14896 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices

April 14, 1997, 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 385.214 and 18 CFR

385.211) 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 the proceeding or

to participate as a party in any hearing

therein must file a motion to intervene

in accordance with the Commission’s

Rules.

Take further notice that, pursuant to

the authority contained in and subject to

the jurisdiction conferred upon the

Federal Energy Regulatory 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 motion to intervene is

filed within the time required herein, if

the Commission on its own review of

the matter finds that the request should

be granted. If a motion 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 Ashland to appear or be

represented at the hearing.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7849 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. CP97–263–000]

Ashland Exploration, Inc.; Notice of

Application

March 24, 1997.

Take notice that on March 21, 1997,

Ashland Exploration, Inc. (Ashland),

14701 Saint Mary’s Lane, Houston,

Texas 77079, completed the filing of an

abbreviated application for a certificate

of public convenience and necessity

pursuant to section 7(c) of the Natural

Gas Act initially submitted on February

24, 1997. Ashland requests

authorization to modify its remaining

Martha Field pipeline facilities to accept

the interconnection of a tap with the

facilities to be constructed by Tennessee

Gas Pipeline Company (Tennessee) and

to install and operate compression

associated with the Tennessee tap.

Ashland also requests modification of

its current certificate authority to

deliver gas from Kentucky to West

Virginia for sale to Mountaineer Gas

Company to permit it to deliver gas to

any buyer, all as more fully set forth in

the application which is on file with the

Commission and open to the public for

inspection.

The remaining Martha Field pipeline

facilities consist of approximately 6.9

miles of pipeline in the State of

Kentucky which terminates in the State

of West Virginia, approximately 6,000

feet from Ashland’s Catlettsburg,

Kentucky refinery.

Any persons desiring to be heard or

to make any protest with reference to

said application should, on or before

April 14, 1997, 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 385.214 and 18 CFR

385.211) 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 the proceeding or

to participate as a party in any hearing

therein must file a motion to intervene

in accordance with the Commission’s

Rules.

Take further notice that, pursuant to

the authority contained in and subject to

the jurisdiction conferred upon the

Federal Energy Regulatory 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 motion to intervene is

filed within the time required herein, if

the Commission on its own review of

the matter finds that the request should

be granted. If a motion 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 Ashland to appear or be

represented at the hearing.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7850 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket Nos. CP96–213–000, –001, and

–004, and CP96–559–000]

Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. and

Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.;

Notice of Availability of the

Environmental Assessment for the

Proposed Market Expansion Project

March 24, 1997.

The staff of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC or

Commission) has prepared an

environmental assessment (EA) on the

natural gas pipeline facilities proposed

by Columbia Gas Transmission

Corporation (Columbia) and Texas

Eastern Transmission Corporation

(Texas Eastern) in the above-referenced

dockets.

The EA was prepared to satisfy the

requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act. The staff

concludes that approval of the proposed

project, with appropriate mitigating

measures, would not constitute a major

Federal action significantly affecting the

quality of the human environment.

The EA assesses the potential

environmental effects of the

construction and operation of the

proposed natural gas transmission

pipelines, compression, storage field

pipeline and well head facilities, and

points of delivery and measurement

facilities in Ohio, West Virginia,

Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

The activities and facilities proposed by

Columbia include:

• construct 50 miles of new, loop,

and replacement pipeline and uprate

the maximum allowable operating

pressure (MAOP) of about 282 miles of

pipeline;

• construct, relocate, and/or uprate

about 32,209 horsepower (hp) of

compression at 12 existing compressor

stations, construct 20,975 total hp at two

new compressor stations, and abandon

about 8,280 hp of compression at five

existing compressor stations;

• increase the performance capability

of 13 existing storage fields, including

construction of 36 new wells,

construction of about 23 miles of 4- to

24-inch-diameter storage field pipeline,

abandonment of about 7 miles of 2- to

10-inch-diameter storage field pipeline,

and ‘‘well enhancement’’ work at about

277 existing storage wells; and

• upgrade or replace facilities at 12

existing meter stations and construct 2

new meter stations.

The activities and facilities proposed

by Texas Eastern include:

• replace about 26 miles of idled 20-

and 24-inch-diameter pipeline in three

sections;

• upgrade two existing compressor

stations by a total of 6,000 hp and