Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP is holding an open season to test market interest in building an entirely new 700,000 Dth/d interstate pipeline that would transport growing gas production from the Bossier Sand and Barnett Shale exploration plays in northeast Texas as well as imports from new LNG terminals along the Gulf Coast to pipelines in Louisiana.

The proposed Kinder Morgan Carthage Pipeline would originate near Beckville, TX, and extend 38 miles to Stonewall, LA. The binding open season on the project continues through June 16.

The pipeline would have receipt point interconnects with Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, the 36-inch diameter Kinder Morgan Tejas/Enterprise JV Pipeline, Enbridge Energy Partners East Texas Pipeline’s DD Line, the Markwest Plant and the Duke East Texas Complex, Kinder Morgan said.

The project is designed to deliver gas to the Crosstex LIG (LIG) system owned by Crosstex Energy Services, L.P. in northern Louisiana. LIG is in discussions with customers to expand and extend its existing intrastate pipeline system so that the natural gas received from the proposed Kinder Morgan Carthage Pipeline could be redelivered to east central Louisiana, where the LIG system interconnects with Columbia Gas Transmission, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, Trunkline Gas Co., Texas Gas Transmission and ANR Pipeline, Kinder said.

Kinder Morgan plans to file an application for the pipeline with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and build the pipeline with a targeted in-service date sometime in the second quarter of 2007. Shippers seeking additional information on the project should contact David Matney at (713) 369-9218 or Norman Watson at (713) 369-9219.

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