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
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 60 / Friday, March 28, 1997 / Notices 14897

construct 13,400 hp of compression at

one existing compressor station; and

• upgrade an existing interconnection

with Columbia.

The purpose of the facilities proposed

by Columbia would be to provide

506,795 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of

additional firm transportation and

storage service to 23 customers. In order

to provide the proposed firm

entitlements to its customers, Columbia

proposes to lease 141,500 Dth/d of firm

capacity from Texas Eastern. The

facilities proposed by Texas Eastern are

needed to provide this delivery capacity

on a daily basis to Columbia.

The EA has been placed in the public

files of the FERC and is available for

public inspection at: Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, Public

Reference and Files Maintenance

Branch, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, DC 20426, (202) 208–1371.

Copies of the EA have been mailed to

Federal, state and local agencies, public

interest groups, interested individuals,

newspapers, and parties to this

proceeding.

Any person wishing to comment on

the EA may do so. Written comments

must reference Docket Nos. CP96–213–

000, –001, and –004 and CP96–559–000

and be addressed to: Office of the

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20426.

Comments should be filed as soon as

possible, but must be received no later

than April 23, 1997, to ensure

consideration prior to a Commission

decision on this proposal.

Comments will be considered by the

Commission but will not serve to make

the commentor a party to the

proceeding. Any person seeking to

become a party to the proceeding must

file a motion to intervene pursuant to

Rule 214 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedures (18 CFR

385.214).

The date for filing timely motions to

intervene in this proceeding has passed.

Therefore, parties now seeking to file

late interventions must show good

cause, as required by Section

385.214(b)(3), why this time limitation

should be waived. Environmental issues

have been viewed as good cause for late

intervention. You do not need

intervenor status to have your

comments considered.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7847 Filed 3–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. CP97–291–000]

Southern Natural Gas Company,

Destin Pipeline Company, L.L.C.;

Notice of Application

March 24, 1997.

Take notice that on March 14, 1997,

Southern Natural Gas Company

(Southern), P.O. Box 2563, Birmingham,

Alabama 35202–2563, and Destin

Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Destin), P.O.

Box 2563, Birmingham, Alabama

35202–2563, filed in Docket No. CP97–

291–000 a joint application pursuant to

Sections 7(c) and 7(b) of the Natural Gas

Act for a certificate of public

convenience and necessity to construct

and operate certain pipeline

measurement and related facilities in

Franklin, Attala and Jefferson Counties,

Mississippi; approval of Southern’s

abandonment of capacity by lease to

Destin and Destin’s acquisition thereof

and pregranted abandonment and

reacquisition of such capacity; and

approval of rolled-in rate treatment for

the capacity lease payments and

revenues and cost-of-service of the

proposed facilities, all as more fully set

forth in the application which is on file

with the Commission and open to

public inspection.

Destin states that in related Docket

No. CP96–655–001, et al., Destin is

seeking authorization to construct, own

and operate one offshore platform, 76

miles of 36-inch offshore pipeline

facilities, 134 miles of 36-inch and 30-

inch onshore pipeline facilities, two

miles of 16-inch onshore pipeline

facilities, two onshore compression

facilities and related pipeline

interconnection, measurement and

appurtenant facilities, designed to

transport large quantities of natural gas

from deepwater areas and production

along the Destin Corridor to

downstream pipeline interconnections

in southern and central Mississippi.

Destin states that the Destin Pipeline

will extend in a northerly direction from

Main Pass Block 260, Gulf of Mexico, to

an onshore terminus at its

interconnection with Southern near

Enterprise, Mississippi. In addition to

Southern, Destin states that it will

physically interconnect with four other

interstate pipelines: Florida Gas

Transmission Corporation,

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation, Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Company and Koch Gateway Pipeline

Company. In addition, related Docket

No. CP96–655–001, et al., provides for

two additional delivery points to Texas

Eastern Transmission Corporation

(Texas Eastern) in Mississippi.

Accordingly, in Docket No. CP97–291–

000, Southern and Destin propose for

Southern to lease capacity on its

pipeline system to Destin to enable

Destin to offer Texas Eastern as a

delivery point on its system.

It is stated that Southern has agreed

to lease to Destin, capacity on its

pipeline system to the extent necessary

to permit Destin to deliver up to 200

MMcf per day of natural gas (MMcfd)

from an interconnection to be

constructed between Destin’s proposed

pipeline system and Southern’s pipeline

at Southern’s existing Enterprise

compressor station in Clarke County,

Mississippi to Texas Eastern (a) on a

firm basis at a new meter station to be

constructed by Southern at an

interconnection with Texas Eastern on

Southern’s Cranfield-Gwinville Line in

Franklin County, Mississippi (Union

Church meter station) or (b) on an

interruptible basis at Southern’s existing

interconnection with Texas Eastern

downstream of Southern’s Pickens

compressor station on Southern’s North

Main Line in Attala County, Mississippi

(Kosciusko meter station). Southern

states that while it does not currently

have an agreement with Texas Eastern

for the proposed interconnection at the

Union Church meter station, Southern

will request such interconnection upon

receipt of the authorization requested

herein. It is stated that although

Southern will continue to own and

operate the facilities, Destin proposes to

render open access transportation

services to Destin’s shippers by means

of its leased capacity in Southern’s

system under the terms and conditions

of Destin’s FERC Gas Tariff, thus

providing Destin with a seamless

transportation service to its shippers

without constructing duplicative

facilities.

Southern requests authorization to

construct and install the Union Church

meter station in Franklin County,

Mississippi, which will consist of one

measurement station with dual 8-inch

rotary meters, including tap, metering

and appurtenant facilities, sized to

handle 200 MMcfd on Southern’s

Cranfield-Gwinville Line; to modify its

existing Gwinville compressor station

on Southern’s Franklin-Gwinville Lines

in Jefferson County, Mississippi, to

allow 200 MMcfd to flow west from

Gwinville to the Union Church meter

station; and to modify to its existing

Kosciusko meter station on Southern’s

Second North Main Line, Attala County,

Mississippi, to expand the delivery

capacity into Texas Eastern to 200

MMcfd. It is stated that the total

estimated cost of the facilities to be

constructed is $1.7 million.