[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 140 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39228-39229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19159]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP97-636-000]
Western Gas Resources, Inc.; Notice of Petition For Declaratory
Order
July 16, 1997.
Take notice that on July 14, 1997, Western Gas Resources, Inc.
(Western), 12200 N. Pecos Street, Denver, Colorado 80234, filed in
Docket No. CP97-636-000 a petition for an order declaring that
Western's acquisition of the Yellowstone Line, comprised of 10.7 miles
of 12-inch pipeline, and related facilities from Williams Natural Gas
Company (WNG), its conveyance of such facilities to Westana Gathering
Company (Westana), and Westana's subsequent acquisition, ownership and
operation of the facilities, will be exempt from the Commission's
jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act.
Western states that the Yellowstone Line originates just across the
Oklahoma/Kansas border in Comanche County, Kansas, and extends south
into Woods County, Oklahoma to its
[[Page 39229]]
terminus at an interconnection with WNG's 26-inch west-to-east
transmission line designated as the ``Straight Line''. Western states
that there are currently only three active receipt points on the
Yellowstone Line, all located in Woods County, Oklahoma. Western
contends that of the three receipt points, two are used to connect one
well each, with each well delivering an average of 50 Mcf per day.
Western further contends that the third receipt point connects
Westana's Finley Gathering System, which is comprised of 12 to 14 miles
of 3-inch and 6-inch gathering lines, which deliver 3,300 Mcf per day
of production from nine wells attached to the Finley System into the
Yellowstone Line.
Western states that it has agreed to purchase the Yellowstone Line
and related appurtenant facilities from WNG following WNG's abandonment
of such facilities in related Docket No. CP97-620-000. Western further
states that, thereafter, Western will convey the Yellowstone Line and
related facilities to Westana so that such facilities can be integrated
into and operated as a part of Westana's existing gathering and
processing operations in the same general region, thereby providing
users of the line with access to additional markets, lower pressure
service and opportunities for liquids recovery not currently available.
Western states that to ensure uninterrupted continuity of service
for gas currently attached to the Yellowstone Line, Westana will move
metering facilities at the line's current receipt points to the line's
point of interconnect with WNG's Straight transmission line. In
addition, Western states that Westana will install three quarters of a
mile of gathering line extending south/southwest from the present
terminus of the Yellowstone Line to a point of interconnection with
Westana's existing Teagarden Gathering System in Woods County,
Oklahoma. Once completed, Western states that the Yellowstone Line and
Western's Finley Gathering System attached to the Yellowstone Line,
will effectively become part of the Teagarden System, a complex of
small diameter field gathering lines located behind the Chaney Dell
Processing Plant. Western states that once the line is attached to
Westana's Teagarden System, Westana will lower line pressures to 100-
150 psig, thereby obviating the need for most producer-supplied
wellhead compression and enabling noncompressed wells to flow at much
higher rates of production.
Western maintains that attaching the Yellowstone Line to the
Teagarden System will provide an opportunity for liquids recovery from
the unprocessed gas stream currently flowing into WNG. Western states
that the Teagarden System is located behind, and delivers into, the
Chaney Dell Processing Plant which will operate to extract salable
liquid hydrocarbons from the Yellowstone Line production and deliver
processed residue gas at the plant tailgate in Major County, Oklahoma.
In addition, Western maintains that attachment of the Yellowstone line
to the Teagarden System will provide Yellowstone shippers with access
to new markets, as the Chaney Dell Plant is currently connected to the
pipeline systems of Enogex, Inc. and Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line
Company.
Western states in its petition that it seeks a declaration from the
Commission that the Yellowstone line and related facilities that it
will acquire from WNG, Western's conveyance of such facilities to
Westana and Westana's subsequent ownership and operation of such
facilities in conjunction with its existing Oklahoma gathering and
processing operations will be exempt from the Commission's jurisdiction
pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act. Western explains that
the facilities meet the primary function test because the Yellowstone
Line is 10.7 miles of 12-inch pipeline extending from a point less than
one-half mile north of the Oklahoma/Kansas state border, south to an
interconnection with WNG's 26-inch Straight transmission line; the
Yellowstone Line does not feed into a natural gas processing plant or a
large field compression station, but, rather, directly into WNG's 26-
inch transmission line, essentially functioning in conjunction with the
Finley system to attach gas from various points of wellhead production
to the WNG mainline system; the Yellowstone Line facilities operate at
pressures ranging from 650 psig to 700 psig, delivering compressed
wellhead production directly into WNG's 26-inch Straight transmission
line; and there are three active receipt points, two connecting
individual wells directly into the line and the third attaching the 6-
inch ``spine'' of Westana's Finley Gathering System.
Any person desiring to be heard or to make any protest with
reference to said petition should on or before August 6, 1997, file
with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 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
385.214). 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.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-19159 Filed 7-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
