WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today completed its formal review of the Millennium Natural Gas Pipeline by issuing final orders approving the last portion of the project’s route and denying requests for rehearing of earlier FERC rulings conditionally authorizing construction and operation of the pipeline.

The pipeline is designed to deliver much-needed natural gas to growing energy markets in New York and the Northeast. Millennium filed its application with the FERC in December of 1997. Since then, the Commission’s review has encompassed vast amounts of data, analysis and input from the public and coordinating agencies.

"We gratefully acknowledge the effort displayed by all of the interested parties which culminated in today’s final FERC approval of this energy project," Millennium’s Chairman David Pentzien said. “This is an important regulatory milestone for Millennium, as well as for those focused on meeting the needs of the constrained New York energy market.”

Pentzien noted that Millennium remains committed to working with all federal, state and local agencies in a manner sensitive to the needs of the communities and environmental resources along the route.

In December 2001, the Commission issued an interim certificate authorizing more than 99 percent of Millennium’s proposed route.  On the remaining two miles of the project, which involves construction in Mount Vernon, N.Y., the Commission did not authorize a specific route, but instead asked Millennium to work with local officials to arrive at an acceptable route. Today, the FERC certified a revised route Millennium and city leaders agreed upon to reduce the total length of the pipeline in the city.

Millennium is designed to meet New York’s growing need for reliable sources of energy supply.  The pipeline is designed to transport up to 700 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, providing an environmentally preferred option for generating electricity. More than 90 percent of the pipeline’s 425-mile overland route uses existing utility corridors, with about 224 miles of the project replacing and upgrading an existing constrained pipeline system owned and operated by Columbia Gas Transmission Corp.  That existing system serves several major gas end-users, utilities and their customers in New York’s Southern Tier region.

The $700 million Millennium project is a partnership formed by four major North American energy companies.  Additional information about the project is available at www.millenniumpipeline.com or by calling the Millennium public information line at (800) 572-7515.