[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 109 (Friday, June 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34619-34620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12231]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP19-218-000]
Equitrans, L.P.; Notice of Request for Extension of Time
Take notice that on May 22, 2020, Equitrans, L.P. (Equitrans)
requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission)
grant an extension of time, until March 31, 2021, to construct and
place into service its TP-4555 Bare Pipe Replacement Project (Project)
located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. authorized on July 3,
2019. The Project will enable abandonment of approximately 3.85 miles
of 20-inch-diameter pipeline on the TP-4555 pipeline, replacing it with
a newly constructed approximately 3.92 miles of 20-inch-diameter
pipeline.
Equitrans was initially required to construct the facilities and
place them into service by July 3, 2020. Equitrans now requests a nine-
month extension of this deadline through March 31, 2021. Equitrans
states that due to delays in receiving the required Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection permits, Equitrans was unable to
begin construction until May 12, 2020. Accordingly, Equitrans proposes
a new construction schedule, deferring the projected in-service date
for the facilities to no later than March 31, 2021.
This notice establishes a 15-calendar day intervention and comment
period deadline. Any person wishing to comment on Equitrans request may
do so. No reply comments or answers will be considered If you wish to
obtain legal status by becoming a party to the proceedings for this
request, you should, on or before the comment date stated below, file 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)
[[Page 34620]]
and the Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.10). \1\
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\1\ Only motions to intervene from entities that were party to
the underlying proceeding will be accepted. Algonquin Gas
Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC 61,144, at P 39 (2020).
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As a matter of practice, the Commission itself generally acts on
requests for extensions of time to complete construction for Natural
Gas Act facilities when such requests are contested before order
issuance. For those extension requests that are contested,\2\ the
Commission will aim to issue an order acting on the request within 45
days.\3\ The Commission will address all arguments relating to whether
the applicant has demonstrated there is good cause to grant the
extension.\4\ The Commission will not consider arguments that re-
litigate the issuance of the certificate order, including whether the
Commission properly found the project to be in the public convenience
and necessity and whether the Commission's environmental analysis for
the certificate complied with the National Environmental Policy Act.\5\
At the time a pipeline requests an extension of time, orders on
certificates of public convenience and necessity are final and the
Commission will not re-litigate their issuance.\6\ The OEP Director, or
his or her designee, will act on all of those extension requests that
are uncontested.
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\2\ Contested proceedings are those where an intervenor disputes
any material issue of the filing. 18 CFR 385.2201(c)(1) (2019).
\3\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC 61,144, at P 40
(2020).
\4\ Id. at P 40.
\5\ Similarly, the Commission will not re-litigate the issuance
of an NGA section 3 authorization, including whether a proposed
project is not inconsistent with the public interest and whether the
Commission's environmental analysis for the permit order complied
with NEPA.
\6\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC 61,144, at P 40
(2020).
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In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the
Federal Register, The Commission provides all interested persons an
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the
internet through the Commission's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) using
the eLibrary link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three
digits in the docket number field to access the document. At this time,
the Commission has suspended access to Commission's Public Reference
Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning
the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the President on
March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC at
[email protected] or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TYY,
(202) 502-8659.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings of comments,
protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the eFiling link at
http://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically should
submit an original and three copies of the protest or intervention to
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 16, 2020.
Dated: June 1, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-12231 Filed 6-4-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P