Document

Saguaro Connector Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Request for Extension of Time

Department of Energy Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP23-29-002] Take notice that on April 1, 2026, Saguaro Connector Pipeline, LLC (Saguaro) requested that th...

Department of Energy
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  1. [Docket No. CP23-29-002]

Take notice that on April 1, 2026, Saguaro Connector Pipeline, LLC (Saguaro) requested that the Commission grant an extension of time, until February 15, 2030, to construct and place into service its Border Facility Project (Project) involving the construction of an approximately 1,000 foot-long, 48-inch-diameter pipeline from the United States-Mexico border at the center of the Rio Grande River to a point approximately 1,000 feet inland from the river, about 18 miles southwest of Sierra Blanca in Hudspeth County, Texas as authorized in the Order Issuing Presidential Permit and Granting Authorization Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (Order).[1] The Order required Saguaro to complete construction of the Project and make it available for service within three years of the date of the Order, or by February 15, 2027.

Saguaro states that since the issuance of the Order, the Project has been delayed and construction of the facilities has not yet commenced, due in large part to the uncertainty of the pending litigation, commercial negotiations, and a delay in the commencement of service of the downstream LNG terminal on the Mexican side of the border. Saguaro reiterates that the Project is part of an overall package of investment to supply a to-be-constructed LNG terminal in Mexico with access to supplies from the Waha Hub. Saguaro states that it prudently hesitated to proceed with a final investment decision and construction plans while the appeals process was ongoing. However, now that there is certainty regarding the section 3 authorization and Presidential Permit in place, Saguaro has been in negotiations with the original shipper as well as new shippers interested in utilizing the Project. Given the current interest in the Project after nearly a year and a half of pending litigation, Saguaro needs additional time to discuss its financing options with interested shippers.

This notice establishes a 15-calendar day intervention and comment period deadline. Any person wishing to comment on Saguaro's request for an extension of time may do so. No reply comments or answers will be considered. If you wish to obtain legal status by becoming a party to the proceedings for this request, you should, on or before the comment date stated below, file a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214 or 385.211) and the Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (18 CFR 157.10).

As a matter of practice, the Commission itself generally acts on requests for extensions of time to complete construction for NGA facilities when such requests are contested before order issuance. For those extension ( printed page 18841) requests that are contested,[2] the Commission will aim to issue an order acting on the request within 45 days.[3] The Commission will address all arguments relating to whether the applicant has demonstrated there is good cause to grant the extension.[4] The Commission will not consider arguments that re-litigate the issuance of the certificate order, including whether the Commission properly found the project to be in the public convenience and necessity and whether the Commission's environmental analysis for the certificate complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).[5] At the time a pipeline requests an extension of time, orders on certificates of public convenience and necessity are final and the Commission will not re-litigate their issuance.[6] The Director of the Office of Energy Projects, or his or her designee, will act on all of those extension requests that are uncontested.

In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register , the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the internet through the Commission's Home Page ( http://www.ferc.gov). From the Commission's Home Page on the internet, this information is available on eLibrary. The full text of this document is available on eLibrary in PDF and Microsoft Word format for viewing, printing, and/or downloading. To access this document in eLibrary, type the docket number excluding the last three digits of this document in the docket number field.

User assistance is available for eLibrary and the Commission's website during normal business hours from FERC Online Support at (202) 502-6652 (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or email at , or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-8371, TTY (202) 502-8659. Email the Public Reference Room at .

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings of comments in lieu of paper using the “eFile” link at http://www.ferc.gov. In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy which must reference the Project docket number.

To file via USPS: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.

To file via any other courier: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or .

Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2026.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

Dated: April 8, 2026.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.   Saguaro Connector Pipeline, LLC, 186 FERC ¶ 61,114 (Authorization Order) (errata notice issued February 20, 2024), reh'g denied, 187 FERC ¶ 62,050, modified on reh'g, 188 FERC ¶ 61,029 (2024), petition for review denied sub nom. Sierra Club, et al. v. FERC, 145 F.4th 74 (D.C. Cir. 2025) (Appeals Opinion).

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2.  Contested proceedings are those where an intervenor disputes any material issue of the filing. 18 CFR 385.2201(c)(1).

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3.   Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC ¶ 61,144, at P 40 (2020).

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4.   Id. at P 40.

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5.  Similarly, the Commission will not re-litigate the issuance of an NGA section 3 authorization, including whether a proposed project is not inconsistent with the public interest and whether the Commission's environmental analysis for the permit order complied with NEPA.

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6.   Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, 170 FERC ¶ 61,144, at P 40 (2020).

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[FR Doc. 2026-07128 Filed 4-10-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

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Federal Register Citation

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91 FR 18840

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“Saguaro Connector Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Request for Extension of Time,” thefederalregister.org (April 13, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-07128/saguaro-connector-pipeline-llc-notice-of-request-for-extension-of-time.