Open seasons.

(a) An in-state natural gas pipeline carrier shall include in its approved recourse tariff the procedures for conducting open seasons for uncommitted firm transportation service and for expansion. At a minimum, the in-state natural gas pipeline carrier shall publish reasonable public notice in advance of an open season. The notice shall contain the approved recourse tariff, the proposed form of the precedent agreement, the proposed form of the firm transportation service agreement, and other information sufficient to show the proposed route, capacity, operating pressures, in-service date, quality specifications, and other operating conditions that the pipeline carrier determines are relevant to an evaluation of the proposed service. The notice shall also state the methods for awarding capacity set out in the carrier's recourse tariff and whether presubscription agreements have been executed. An in-state natural gas pipeline carrier shall provide a mechanism for providing additional relevant information requested by potential shippers.

(b) An open season shall be conducted and firm transportation service shall be awarded without undue discrimination or preference. Presubscription agreements are subject to the methods for awarding capacity set out in the open season notice.

(c) An in-state natural gas pipeline carrier shall conduct an open season for firm transportation service when it has existing uncommitted firm transportation capacity and has received a request for firm transportation capacity from one or more potential shippers that meet the pipeline's creditworthiness requirements or after it has executed presubscription agreements for firm transportation.

(d) An in-state natural gas pipeline carrier shall conduct an open season for an expansion of its pipeline system when it has received one or more requests for firm transportation service from potential shippers that meet the pipeline's creditworthiness requirements and that, in the aggregate, would enable the expansion of the pipeline's system on a commercially reasonable basis. An expansion of the pipeline system is not commercially reasonable if the expansion would cause the pipeline to be a competing natural gas pipeline project for purposes of AS 43.90 .

(e) A natural gas pipeline carrier may enter into presubscription agreements before the start of an open season, but not before an initial recourse tariff is approved.

(f) An in-state natural gas pipeline carrier shall file revised recourse rates before conducting an open season under (c) and (d) of this section unless the in-state natural gas pipeline carrier filed revised recourse rates during the immediately preceding two-year period.

(g) If executed precedent agreements are received by an in-state natural gas pipeline carrier, the carrier shall, within 10 days after accepting and executing the agreements, inform the public of the results through publication on the carrier's Internet website and in a press release or other announcement to the media. The results made public must include the name of each prospective shipper, the amount of capacity allocated, and the period of commitment. If the carrier determines that the commitments received during the open season are not sufficient to permit the carrier to continue the development or construction of the in-state natural gas pipeline, the corporation shall report that to the commission within 30 days.