The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, denying a citizen group’s request for a subpoena, has itself ordered Consolidated Edison and KeySpan Energy to provide detailed information, including maps and engineering work papers supporting the companies’ requirement that the proposed Millennium Pipeline connect with ConEd in Mount Vernon, NY.

In the order issued Jan. 10, FERC noted the citizens of Mount Vernon, which have objected to Millennium connecting with ConEd’s high pressure line in their town, said it has been “difficult to near impossible” to obtain information from the utility about the technical needs and infrastructure backing ConEd’s defense of the route and connection site.

The Commission at its last meeting last year approved all but two miles of the 425-mile pipeline from Canada, under Lake Erie, and into New York State. As protesters from the Westchester County, NY, town filed into the public section of the Commission meeting, the Commission gave Mount Vernon residents and Millennium’s sponsors 60 days in which to resolve the dispute over routing for the last two miles of the pipeline (see Daily GPI, Dec. 20, 2001). After that period, FERC said it would issue a final order approving the remainder of the construction (CP98-150). It appears, however, that it’s not the Millennium sponsors, but ConEd, that must defend the route.

Regarding their request for a subpoena, the townspeople said it was impossible to negotiate if they did not have the relevant information. Now the Commission is requiring submission of the information, saying it cannot evaluate the siting of the interconnection without information on the size and capacity of ConEd facilities. The Commission set a detailed list of information, including computer simulation flow studies and possible alternate connection points.

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