BEFORE THE UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

In the Matter of the Request by Cascade )
Natural Gas Corporation for a Waiver to ) DOCKET NO. UG-961347
Operate High Pressure Service Sets and  )
Natural Gas Service Lines at Pressures ) ORDER GRANTING
Greater Than 500 psig Within Five  ) WAIVER
Hundred Feet of Buildings Intended for )
Human Occupancy (WAC 480-93-020). )
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . )

 On October 18, 1996, Cascade Natural Gas Corporation filed a request for a 
waiver of WAC 480-93-020, Proximity considerations, to allow the Company to 
operate high pressure service sets and natural gas service lines at pressures 
greater than 500 psig within five hundred feet of buildings intended for human 
occupancy in Whatcom County.

FINDING OF FACT

 1. On July 21, 1971, Cascade Natural Gas Corporation requested from the 
Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission a waiver under Rule 3 of the 
Commission’s Rules and Regulations to operate a natural gas pipeline at a 
maximum pressure in excess of 250 psig within 100 feet of any building intended 
for human occupancy.  More specifically, the Company requested approval to 
construct and operate a sixteen inch, high pressure pipeline in Whatcom County 
at a pressure of 550 psig with an maximum allowable operating pressure of 600 
psig.  On July 26, 1971, the Commission approved the request.

 2. The pipeline was initially constructed and operated to provide natural gas 
to industrial users such as the ARCO Refinery and the INTALCO Aluminum Facility 
near Ferndale.  As a result of the natural gas pipeline being in close 
proximity to the rural residents in the County, many residents requested 
natural gas service.  With the sparse population and the large distance between 
buildings, the Company determined that an intermediate pressure distribution 
system was not economical or feasible and relied upon high pressure farm taps 
or high pressure service sets (HPSS) as the mechanism to provide the 
appropriate pressure natural gas service to the end user.

 3. Some residents are within 500 feet of the sixteen inch, high pressure 
pipeline or the HPSS operating at a pressure in excess of 500 psig.

 4. The Company has provided a list of high pressure service sets and 
associated service lines in Whatcom County, ATTACHMENT 1 - Summary of all HPSS 
off HP lines, for which the Company has requested a waiver of WAC 480-93-020.

 5. The Company and Commission staff have evaluated the facilities in question 
to determine if public safety is compromised by the operation of the existing 
HPSSs and natural gas service lines.

Docket UG-961347                       Page 2

 6.   Staff has compiled a list of facilities for which it thinks public safety 
is not compromised and a waiver of WAC 480-93-020 is recommended and attached 
(Appendix A).  


ORDER

THE COMMISSION ORDERS:

 1. The request by Cascade Natural Gas Corporation for a waiver of WAC 
480-93-020, Proximity considerations, shall be granted to allow the Company to 
operate high pressure service sets and natural gas service lines at pressures 
greater than 500 psig within five hundred feet of buildings intended for human 
occupancy in Whatcom County for those facilities listed in Appendix A.

 2. Cascade Natural Gas Corporation shall submit to Commission staff by 
February 1, 1998, a list of all remaining high pressure service sets and 
natural gas service lines in the State of Washington for which a waiver of WAC 
480-93-020 or WAC 480-93-030 may be required.

 3. Cascade Natural Gas Corporation, in cooperation with Commission staff, 
shall develop and implement a mitigation plan for those facilities that may 
compromise public safety and submit a request to the Commission for a waiver of 
the appropriate WAC regulation for those facilities identified by item no. 2.  
Any corrective action, required by the mitigation plan, shall be concluded by 
November 1, 1998.  The Company may petition for a variance from this Order if 
it is determined that an undue hardship may result from the application of this 
Order.

 4. The Commission retains jurisdiction over this matter to effectuate the 
provisions of this order.

DATED at Olympia, Washington and effective this       day of January, 1998.

WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION    


       
       ANNE LEVINSON, Chair                            


       
       RICHARD HEMSTAD, Commission          


       
       WILLIAM R. GILLIS, Commission