Next Wednesday’s FERC meeting promises to be a blockbuster. TheCommission has placed the hotly contested SupplyLink-IndependencePipeline-MarketLink projects on the agenda, essentially thumbingits nose at New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman’s request for a60-day delay [CP97-319, CP97-315, CP98-540].

If FERC should award certificates for the projects, whichappears likely, fireworks are certain to erupt after the meeting.Gov. Whitman has vowed to bring a lawsuit to stop any work onMarketLink, a proposed expansion of Transcontinental Gas PipeLine’s (Transco) facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She hasurged President Clinton to intercede at FERC on New Jersey’sbehalf, but has received no reply yet. Congressional officials,such as William J. Pascrell (D-NJ), have promised to do whatever isnecessary to block MarketLink.

“Now we wait until Wednesday to see what happens,” said JoeWaks, press aide for Pascrell. In the meantime, “we’re marshalingour forces here in New Jersey. We’re coordinating with otherelected officials, the governor, the senators, the other members ofthe New Jersey congressional delegation and local officials, andare plotting our strategy if things don’t go our way,” he noted.

“We’re not putting up the white flag today because it’s listed[on the agenda] for Wednesday. And if they rule against us onWednesday, we’re not going to put up the white flag then. We’regoing to keep fighting.” Waks said Pascrell would probably attendthe Dec. 15 FERC meeting, but he wasn’t sure if other New Jerseyofficials would be there.

Also, Texas Eastern Transmission (Tetco) still is clinging toits system alternative under which it proposes to lease turned-backcapacity to Independence and MarketLink customers, thus mooting theneed for the proposed pipelines. The final environmental impactstatement (FEIS) on the SupplyLink-Independence-MarketLink projectsrejected Tetco’s alternative, saying it was based on “speculative”turnback numbers.

But Tetco now contends the quantity of capacity that will beturned back to its system between 2000 and 2004 is greater thaninitially anticipated. It estimates more than 950,000 Dth/d ofturnback capacity will be available, enough to replace the newconstruction of the proposed greenfield Independence line andMarketLink expansion.

If approved, the $678 million Independence Pipeline would runabout 400 miles from Defiance, OH, to the hub in Leidy, PA. Projectsponsors are ANR Pipeline, National Fuel Gas Supply and Transco.From Leidy, Transco — the sole sponsor of MarketLink — proposesto loop about 154 miles of its existing system to carry the gas toPennsylvania, New Jersey and other eastern markets. TheANR-sponsored SupplyLink project, which is associated withIndependence, would entail about 72 miles of looping on ANR’sexisting system between Joliet, IL, and Defiance. SupplyLink wouldsupply Independence with Canadian gas that’s being imported intothe Chicago market by the expanded/extended Northern BorderPipeline, as well as gas that will be brought in by AlliancePipeline in the future.

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