Order authorizing abandonment & determining jurisdictional status of facilities re Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America under CP00-369 et al.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 94 FERC \024 61,186 FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Before Commissioners: Curt H\202bert, Jr., Chairman; William L. Massey, and Linda Breathitt. Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America Docket Nos. CP00- 369-000 and CP00-379-000 ORDER AUTHORIZING ABANDONMENT AND DETERMINING JURISDICTIONAL STATUS OF FACILITIES (Issued February 22, 2001) On May 25 and June 7, 2000, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (Natural) filed similar applications in Docket No. CP00- 369-000 and CP00-379-000 for permission to abandon by sale to Green Canyon Pipe Line Co. (Green Canyon) and East Breaks Gathering Company, L.L.C. (East Breaks),1/ respectively, interests in offshore, non-contiguous lateral, tap, meter, and non-mainline compression facilities.2/ Natural also requests a determination that after the sale of its facility interests, those interests will be gathering exempt from the Commissions NGA jurisdiction. This order grants Naturals requested abandonment authorizations and declares that, upon their acquisition by Green Canyon and East Breaks, the interests of Natural and its co-owners in facilities proposed to be abandoned will be exempt gathering under section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). This order defers consideration of Naturals request 1/ In Green Canyon Pipe Line Co., 59 FERC \024 61,109 (1992), the Commission disclaimed jurisdiction over the pipelines 66.2 mile long system in the South Marsh Island Area determined to be gathering. (This purchaser should not be confused with Green Canyon Gathering Co., 78 FERC \024 61,287 (1997), a jurisdictional entity). East Breaks became operational on May 1, 2000, as a non-jurisdictional gatherer, offshore Texas. 2/ The facilities proposed to be abandoned in Docket No. CP00- 369-000 are located in East Cameron (EC), West Cameron (WC), Eugene Island (EI), South March Island (SMI), and Vermilion (VR) Areas, offshore Louisiana, and the High Island (HI) Area, offshore Texas. The facilities proposed to be abandoned in Docket No. CP00-379-000 are located in WC and VR, off-shore Louisiana. Docket Nos. CP00-369-000 and CP00-379-000 - 2 - for a non-jurisdictional determination with respect to facilities Natural previously abandoned in place and removed from gas service until Natural and/or the anticipated purchasers clarify in a future filing the planned use of those facilities. I. Background and Proposals Between 1969 and 1991, Natural participated in the construction of offshore laterals in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Natural also constructed meter and compression facilities on new producer platforms connected to these offshore pipelines. These facilities are connected to various offshore pipeline systems or to other offshore laterals connected, ...