The joint request of Texas Eastern Transmission (Tetco) andAlgonquin Gas Transmission (AGT) for FERC to hold a conference toreview alternatives to the proposed Millennium Pipeline and otherprojects is an attempt to block new pipeline competition in theNortheast and should be rejected outright, Millennium said.

The request “is nothing more than a transparent eleventh-hourplay to extend the environmental review process and delayCommission action on Millennium’s application in order to protectTetco/AGT from the competition that Millennium will provide,” theColumbia Gas Transmission-sponsored pipeline told FERC [CP98-151].

Tetco/AGT, as well as CNG Transmission, insist a conference isneeded to explore their proposed alternatives to East-boundMillennium, the Independence Pipeline and associated projects. Theysay their alternatives are financially and environmentallypreferable because they would make use of existing and expectedturned-back capacity. They contend FERC staff’s draft environmentalreviews of Millennium and the other projects were inadequatebecause they failed to consider all viable alternatives.

But Millennium argued the proposed alternatives “do not merit aconference because they present no factual issues that cannot beresolved in the FEIS.” Millennium’s application has been pending atthe Commission for more than 19 months. FERC has indicated it willdecide on a preliminary determination for the project sometime thisfall.

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