The Open and Nondiscriminatory Access Hotline invites shippers and others to call the Hotline if they believe they have been, or are being denied open or nondiscriminatory access to oil or gas pipelines operating on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) under a Right-of-Way or other authority granted by the Department of the Interior.

The Minerals Management Service’s (MMS) Open Access Hotline will give callers an informal way to report problems being experienced in obtaining open and non-discriminatory access to OCS pipelines not under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction without litigation or lengthy complaint proceedings.

The Open Access Hotline staff will be available to work informally with callers to investigate and provide non-binding, verbal advice to resolve allegations of access denial by shippers seeking open access to gas pipelines that qualify as “gathering lines” not within FERC’s Natural Gas Act jurisdiction.

Staff will also try and assist callers by seeking information and providing non-binding, verbal advice to informally resolve access denial allegations regarding open access to oil pipelines that fall outside FERC’s Interstate Commerce Act jurisdiction because they are located solely on or across the OCS but, excluding FERC Declaratory Order pipelines.

The Open Access Hotline staff will treat all information it obtains as non-public and confidential to the extent permitted by law.

The MMS’s Office of Policy and Management Improvement staffs the Open Access Hotline from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday eastern standard time. The staff will return any calls received after business hours the next business day.

In addition to the Open Access Hotline’s informal processes, shippers have the option of filing a formal complaint. Alternative dispute resolution is available anytime for either of these processes. For more information, please refer to the Open and Non-Discriminatory Access Rule

Where We Cannot Help

The Open Access Hotline staff will not assist in matters where the FERC has jurisdiction under the Natural Gas Act or the Interstate Commerce Act. Nor will the Open Access Hotline be available where the matter is the subject of a 30 CFR Part 291 MMS Complaint or involves a matter pending before MMS or FERC. Occurrences of alleged access denial more than 2 years old will not be considered.

For matters involving a pipeline under FERC’s jurisdiction please visit the FERC Enforcement Hotline.

Related Topics

	OSCLA, 43 U.S.C. 1334(e)&(f)
	Williams Cos. v. FERC, 345 F.3d 910 (D.C. Cir. 2003)

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Last Updated: 08/13/2008, 03:56:23 PM