Notice2023-08740
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Request for Extension of Time
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 26, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 80 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25396-25397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08740]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP22-33-001]
Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice of Request for Extension of
Time
Take notice that on April 13, 2023, Northern Natural Gas Company
(Northern) requested that Federal
[[Page 25397]]
Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) grant an extension of time,
until May 31, 2025, for the Redfield Broderick Well Replacement Project
(Project), to allow sufficient time to complete construction of the
Project. Northern received a prior notice authorization for the Project
on March 7, 2022, which authorized: Northern to replace the existing
Broderick No. 9 well with a new well, the Broderick No. 16 well, along
with associated surface facilities at Northern's existing Redfield
storage field located in Dallas County, Iowa. The Commission's prior
notice regulations require Northern to complete the construction of the
Project and make it available for service within one year from
issuance, or by March 7, 2023.\1\
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\1\ 18 CFR 157.206.
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In Northern's request for an extension of time, Northern stated
that it did not anticipate downhole issues within the Broderick No. 16
well and fully anticipated the drill would be completed within the one-
year construction timeframe. Northern has completed the abandonment of
the Broderick No. 9 well; however, the Broderick No. 16 well
installation has not been completed. Northern reported in the weekly
environmental inspector reports that Northern was experiencing downhole
cement integrity issues at the Broderick No. 16 well resulting from
poor cement bond quality in the production casing. To attempt to
remediate the integrity concerns, Northern's contractor conducted two
cement squeeze remediations August 2022. Northern's drilling contractor
also ran a cement bond log tool, which indicated that the cement
squeeze remediations were insufficient. On September 13, 2022, the
drill rig was removed from Broderick No. 16 well lot, and Northern
continues to work with industry consultants for remedial options. Due
to the extenuating circumstances Northern requests an extension of time
which to complete the Project from the one-year date of March 7, 2023,
to the new projected completion date of May 31, 2025.
This notice establishes a 15-calendar day intervention and comment
period deadline. Any person wishing to comment on Northern's request
for an extension of time 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) and the Regulations under the
Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.10).\2\
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\2\ 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,\3\ the
Commission will aim to issue an order acting on the request within 45
days.\4\ The Commission will address all arguments relating to whether
the applicant has demonstrated there is good cause to grant the
extension.\5\ 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.\6\
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.\7\ The OEP Director, or
his or her designee, will act on those extension requests that are
uncontested.
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\3\ Contested proceedings are those where an intervenor disputes
any material issue of the filing. 18 CFR 385.2201(c)(1).
\4\ Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC ] 61,144, at P 40
(2020).
\5\ Id. P 40.
\6\ 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.
\7\ 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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>) 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 the Commission's Public
Reference Room. For assistance, contact FERC at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f7b1b2a5b4b8999b9e9992a4828787988583b791928594d9909881"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="094f4c5b4a46676560676c5a7c7979667b7d496f6c7b6a276e667f">[email protected]</span></a> or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY,
(202) 502-8659.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings of comments,
protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the ``eFile'' link at
<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>. Persons unable to file electronically should
submit an original copy of the protest or intervention by US mail to
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions by any
other courier in docketed proceedings should be delivered to, Kimberly
D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins
Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 4, 2023.
Dated: April 19, 2023.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-08740 Filed 4-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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