Document:

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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.36

                     FIRST AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

         This Agreement, entered into and made effective as of September 25,
2001, by and between NORTHERN PLAINS NATURAL GAS COMPANY, a Delaware corporation
("NPNG") having its headquarters at 1111 South 103rd Street, Omaha, Nebraska
68124-1000 and WILLIAM R. CORDES ("Employee"), is an amendment to that certain
Employment Agreement between the NPNG and Employee entered into the 30th day of
July, 2001, and made effective as of June 1, 2001 (the "Employment Agreement").

         WHEREAS, the parties desire to amend the Employment Agreement as
provided herein;

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration thereof and of the mutual covenants
contained herein, the parties agree as follows:

                 1. Exhibit "A" to the Employment Agreement is hereby deleted in
         its entirety and the attached Exhibit "A" is inserted in its entirety.

         This Amendment is a First Amendment to the Employment Agreement, and
the parties agree that all other terms, conditions and stipulations contained in
the Employment Agreement, and any amendments thereto, shall remain in full force
and effect and without any change or modification, except as provided herein.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Agreement as of
the date first above written.

                                          NORTHERN PLAINS NATURAL
                                          GAS COMPANY

                                          BY: /s/ STANLEY C. HORTON
                                          Name: Stanley C. Horton
                                          Title: Chairman of the Board
                                          This 26th day of September, 2001

                                          WILLIAM R. CORDES

                                          /s/ William R. Cordes
                                          This 25th  day of September, 2001

<PAGE>

                                 EXHIBIT "A" TO
                          EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN
                       NORTHERN PLAINS NATURAL GAS COMPANY
                              AND WILLIAM R. CORDES

Employee Name:             William R. Cordes

Term:                      June 1, 2001 through May 31, 2003

Position:                  President, Northern Plains Natural Gas Company

Location:                  Omaha, Nebraska

Monthly Base Salary:       Employee's monthly base salary shall be Twenty Six
                           Thousand Dollars ($26,000.00).

Performance Bonus:         Employee may be eligible to participate in the Enron
                           Corp. Annual Incentive Plan ("Plan") or any
                           appropriate replacement bonus plan of NPNG. All
                           Performance Bonuses are discretionary and shall be
                           paid in accordance with the terms and provisions of
                           the Plan and other criteria established by company, a
                           portion of which may be paid in cash and a portion of
                           which may be paid in stock options and/or restricted
                           stock.

Signing Bonus:             As a signing bonus, subject to and effective upon
                           approval by the administrative Committee of the
                           Amended and Restated Northern Border Phantom Unit
                           Plan (the "PU Plan"), the Committee shall grant
                           Employee Northern Border Phantom Units in the form of
                           three separate grants to be issued under the PU Plan
                           as follows: Eight hundred eighty-two (882) Northern
                           Border Phantom Units on October 1, 2001; a number of
                           Northern Border Phantom Units having a value of
                           $100,000.00 on the first anniversary of the effective
                           date of the Employment Agreement, and a number of
                           Northern Border Phantom Units having a value of
                           $100,000.00 upon the second anniversary of effective
                           date of the Employment Agreement provided Employee is
                           employed by NPNG on the date of such grants. A
                           written Grant Agreement shall evidence each grant and
                           shall contain such terms and provisions as are
                           approved by the Committee, including, but not limited
                           to, provisions of forfeiture. Each grant shall have a
                           holding period of five (5) years from the effective
                           date of grant and shall be available for redemption
                           according to the provisions of the PU Plan upon the
                           expiration of its holding period. The Committee shall
                           determine the method for converting the valuations
                           recited herein into a number of Phantom Units to be
                           granted to Employee.

Geographic Region          United States of America
of Responsibility:

Period of Post-            Employee's obligations in paragraph 3.4,
Employment Non-            Non-Competition Obligations, and paragraph 3.5,
Competition Obligations    Non-Solicitation of Customers, shall survive the
and Non-Solicitation of    termination of employment and extend through the
Customers:                 latest of the following dates, whichever is
                           applicable: (a) Twelve (12) months after Employee's
                           voluntary termination of employment if such
                           termination occurs during the Term; or (b) Six (6)
                           months after the last date of Employee's employment
                           with NPNG Corp. in the event of an involuntary
                           termination during the Term; or (c) Three (3) months
                           after Employee's termination of employment for any
                           reason if such termination occurs after the Term.

                                   NORTHERN PLAINS NATURAL
                                   GAS COMPANY

                                   By:
                                      ------------------------------------------
                                   Name:
                                   Title:
                                   This ______ day of ___________________, 2001

                                   WILLIAM R. CORDES

                                   ---------------------------------------------
                                   This ______ day of ___________________, 2001

November 7, 2001<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.37

                                NINTH SUPPLEMENT
                    AMENDING NORTHERN BORDER PIPELINE COMPANY
                          GENERAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
                               DATED JULY 16, 2001

         This Agreement is dated as of July 16, 2001 (the "Ninth Supplement") by
and among Northern Border Intermediate Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited
partnership ("NBILP") and TC PipeLines Intermediate Limited Partnership, a
Delaware limited partnership ("TCILP").

WITNESSETH THAT:

         WHEREAS, NBILP and TCILP are parties to that certain General
Partnership Agreement for Northern Border Pipeline Company, a Texas general
partnership (the "Partnership"), effective as of March 9, 1978, as amended by
(i) the "First Supplement," dated as of October 25, 1979 (as amended by
agreement dated April 20, 1990), (ii) the Phase I Partnership Commitment
Agreement dated December 12, 1980, (iii) the "Second Supplement," dated as of
December 15, 1980 (as amended by agreement dated April 20, 1990), (iv) the
"Third Supplement," dated October 1, 1981, (v) the "Forth Supplement," dated
February 17, 1984, (vi) the "Fifth Supplement," dated April 20, 1990, (vii) the
"Sixth Supplement," dated April 19, 1991, (viii) the "Seventh Supplement," dated
September 23, 1993, (ix) the "Eighth Supplement," dated May 21, 1999, such
General Partnership Agreement, as amended or supplemented, being herein referred
to as the "Partnership Agreement"; and

         WHEREAS, the Partners desire to further amend the Partnership Agreement
to facilitate the management of the Partnership by providing for means by which
the Management Committee may approve actions without requiring a special meeting
or waiting for a regularly scheduled meeting.

         NOW, THEREFORE, NBILP and TCILP, intending to be legally bound hereby,
hereby agree as follows:

         1. Definitions. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms
shall have the meanings set forth in the Partnership Agreement.

         2. Amendment of Partnership Agreement. Section 8.2.3 of the Partnership
Agreement is amended to add the following as a second paragraph:

              "Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of
              the Management Committee may be taken without a meeting, and
              without prior notice, if a consent or consents in writing, setting
              forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all Representatives
              of the Management Committee. Any such consent shall be filed with
              the minutes of proceedings of the Management Committee and shall
              have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote at a meeting.
              Subject to the requirement for notice of such meetings,
              Representatives of the Management Committee may participate in a
              meeting of the Management Committee by means of a conference
              telephone or similar communications equipment, by means of which
              all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and
              participation in such meetings shall constitute presence in person
              at the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting
              for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any
              business on the ground that the meeting is not properly called or
              convened."

         3. Section 2 is amended by including a new Section 2.62 to read as
follows:

              "2.62  Ninth Supplement: The Agreement dated as of July 16, 2001
              among the Partners."

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Partners have caused this Ninth Supplement to
be executed by their respective duly authorized officers.

NORTHERN BORDER INTERMEDIATE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP,
a Delaware limited partnership

By:  /s/ William R. Cordes
   -----------------------------------
Name:  William R. Cordes
Title:  Chief Executive Officer

<PAGE>

TC PIPELINES INTERMEDIATE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP,
a Delaware limited partnership

By:  TC PipeLines GP, Inc., its General Partner

By: /s/ Ron J. Turner                        By: /s/ Paul MacGregor
     ------------------------------          -----------------------------------
Name:   Ron J. Turner                        Name:   Paul MacGregor
Title:  Executive Vice President             Title:  Vice President

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