[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11286-11288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4510]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP01-76-000]


Cove Point LNG Limited Partnership; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cove Point LNG Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Meeting and Site Visit

February 16, 2001.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the Cove Point LNG Project 
involving the reactivation of offshore facilities, and the construction 
and operation of onshore facilities by Cove Point LNG Limited 
Partnership (Cove Point LNG) in Calvert County, Maryland.\1\ The 
proposal anticipates the resumption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) 
deliveries by tanker ship to the Cove Point LNG import terminal 
starting in April 2002. This EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Cove Point LNG's application was filed with the Commission 
under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the 
Commission's regulations.
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Summary of the Proposed Project

    Cove Point LNG proposes to provide open access LNG tanker unloading 
services of up to 750,000 dekatherms per day for three customers 
importing LNG. Cove Point LNG seeks authorization to reactivate, repair 
or replace the following existing facilities:
     refurbish five LNG unloading arms, and replace five LNG 
unloading arms with powered emergency release couplings;
     refurbish or replace offshore instrumentation and control 
systems;
     remove offshore LNG booster pumps and elevated pulpits 
from piers;
     refurbish and upgrade offshore fire water systems;
     renovate offshore offices and relocate control room to 
upper level;
     refurbish and upgrade hazard detection, fire protection, 
and electrical systems;
     refurbish the third gas-turbine electrical generator;
     replace the ten LNG vaporizers within the existing 
concrete tanks;
     refurbish the third first-stage LNG pump and four cold 
vapor blowers;
     restage the ten second-stage LNG sendout pumps;
     replace glycol-water heaters for the boiloff gas and fuel 
gas heater system;
     install nitrogen fire suppressant systems on all LNG 
storage tank relief vales; and
     decommission the existing 15 million cubic feet per day 
liquefaction system upon resumption of LNG imports.
    Cove Point LNG also seeks authorization to construct and operate 
the following new facilities at its existing site:
     850,000-barrel (2.8 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent) 
double-wall LNG storage tank with spill containment dike;
     485,000 standard cubic feet per hour nitrogen separation 
plant to be used for Btu reduction of sendout gas;
     meter station on the 36-inch-diameter transmission 
pipeline; and
     addition to the administration building.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's website at the ``RIMS'' link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 208-1371. For instructions 
on connecting to RIMS refer to the last page of this notice. Copies 
of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in 
the mail.
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    In a related application filed under Docket No. CP01-77-000, Cove 
Point LNG seeks authorization to construct, site and modify the import 
terminal facilities at the terminal under Section 3(a) of the Natural 
Gas Act and Part 153 of the Commission's regulations.
    Enhancements are also planned for the existing 87-mile-long Cove 
Point Pipeline, from Calvert County, Maryland to Loudon County, 
Virginia, pursuant to the Commission's blanket certificate authority 
and prior notice requirements in Part 157 Subpart F. Cove Point LNG 
plans to install pig \3\ launchers and receivers on the Cove Point 
Pipeline; smart pig the entire pipeline; replace sections as needed; 
and uprate the pipeline pressure to 1,250 pounds per square inch under 
its blanket certificate authority. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line 
Corporation (Transco) plans to install: hot taps on the Cove Point 
Pipeline and Transco's B and C Lines; a meter and regulating station; 
and 2 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline under prior notice procedures.
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    \3\ A pipeline pig is a device used to internally clean or 
inspect the pipeline. A pig launcher/receiver is a surface facility 
where pigs are inserted or retrieved from the pipeline.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    The Cove Point LNG terminal property consists of 1,017 acres on the 
western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, of which 108 acres are developed 
for onshore terminal operations. The proposed new onshore facilities 
would occupy about 6.0 acres within the developed site. Contractor 
staging and storage would temporarily affect an additional 18.2 acres 
of land in areas that were used during the initial construction of the 
facility.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\4\ to discover and address concerns the

[[Page 11287]]

public may have about proposals. We call this ``scoping''. The main 
goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the 
important environmental issues. By this Notice of Intent, the 
Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues it will 
address in the EA. All comments received are considered during the 
preparation of the EA. State and local government representatives are 
encouraged to notify their constituents of this proposed action and 
encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
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    \4\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
     geology and soils
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     land use
     cultural resources
     vegetation and wildlife
     endangered and threatened species
     air quality and noise
     public safety
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. 
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA 
may be published and mailed to Federal, state, and local agencies, 
public interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make 
our recommendations to the Commission.
    To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section on page 5.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several environmental issues that we 
think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed 
facilities and the environmental information provided by Cove Point 
LNG. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis.
     Up to 90 LNG tankers per year would transit the Chesapeake 
Bay to the terminal by the year 2004.
     A safety exclusion zone, to be established around the 
offshore pier whenever an LNG tanker is moored, would restrict use 
around the pier by recreational and commercial fisherman.
     Environmental and technical issues associated with the 
construction and operation of a new 850,000 barrel LNG storage tank on 
the site.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal, and measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful 
they will be. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that 
your comments are received in time and properly recorded:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to:
     David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 1, 
PJ 11.1.
     Reference Docket No. CP01-76-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 23, 2001.
    comments may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu 
of paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the 
Commission's web site at http://www.ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm under 
the link to the User's Guide. Before you can file comments, you will 
need to create an account by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then 
``New User Account.''

Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit

    In addition to asking for written comments, we invite you to attend 
a public scoping meeting that we will conduct in the project area. The 
purpose of the scoping meeting is to provide state and local agencies, 
interested groups, affected landowners, and the general public with an 
opportunity to learn more about the project and another chance to 
present us with environmental issues or concerns they believe should be 
addressed in the EA. A transcript of the meeting will be made so that 
your comments will be accurately recorded. The location and time is 
listed below: Thursday, March 15, 2001, 7:00 pm, Holiday Inn, Solomons, 
MD.
    Earlier in the day on March 15, 2001, we will also be conducting a 
site visit of the Cove Point LNG terminal. Anyone interested in 
participating in the site visit may contact the FERC's Office of 
External Affairs identified at the end of this notice for more details. 
The purpose of the scoping meeting and site visit is limited to 
environmental issues only. Technical meetings associated with the 
engineering and cyrogenic design of the facility will be conducted at a 
later date. Tariff issues and natural gas quality concerns will not be 
entertained at the scoping meeting and site visit.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor''. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. 
Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of 
case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. 
Likewise, each intervenor must provide 14 copies of its filings to the 
Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all 
other parties on the Commission's service list for this proceeding. If 
you want to become an intervenor you must file a motion to intervene 
according to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (18 CFR 385.214) (see appendix 2). Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at (202) 208-1088 or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.fed.us) using the ``RIMS'' link to information 
in this docket number. Click on the ``RIMS'' link, select ``Docket #'' 
from the RIMS Menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with 
access to RIMS, the RIMS helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2222.
    Similarly, the ``CIPS'' link on the FERC Internet website provides 
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such 
as orders, notices, and rulemakings. From the FERC Internet website, 
click on the ``CIPS'' link, select ``Docket #'' from the

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CIPS menu, and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to 
CIPS, the helpline can be reached at (202) 208-2474.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-4510 Filed 2-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M