[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 64 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16280-16281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8085]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP02-374-000, CP02-376-000, CP02-377-000 and CP02-378-000]


Hackberry LNG Terminal, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of and 
Public Comment Meetings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Hackberry LNG Project

March 28, 2003.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
on the construction and operation of the liquified natural gas (LNG) 
import terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by 
Hackberry LNG Terminal, L.L.C (Hackberry LNG) in the above-referenced 
dockets.
    The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The staff concludes that approval of 
the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures as 
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The draft 
EIS also evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system 
alternatives, alternative sites for the LNG import terminal, and 
pipeline alternatives.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities in Cameron, 
Calcasieu, and Beauregard Parishes, Louisiana:
    [sbull] A ship unloading slip with two berths, each equipped with 
mooring and breasting dolphins, three liquid unloading arms, and one 
vapor return arm;
    [sbull] three LNG storage tanks, each with a usable volume of 
1,006,000 barrels (3.5 billion standard cubic feet of gas equivalent);
    [sbull] nine first-stage pumps, each sized for 250 million standard 
cubic feet per day (MMscf/d);
    [sbull] ten second-stage pumps, each sized for 188 MMscf/d;
    [sbull] twelve submerged combustion vaporizers, each sized for 150 
MMscf/d;
    [sbull] a boil-off gas compressor and condensing system;
    [sbull] an LNG circulation system;
    [sbull] a natural gas liquids recovery unit;
    [sbull] ancillary utilities, buildings, and service facilities at 
the LNG terminal; and
    [sbull] a 35.4-mile, 36-inch-diameter natural gas sendout pipeline.
    The purpose of these facilities is to transport approximately 1.5 
billion cubic feet per day of imported natural gas to the United States 
market. As part of the proposed project, Hackberry LNG plans to remove 
the existing liquefied petroleum gas facilities and associated dock at 
the proposed terminal site.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your 
comments are received in time and are properly recorded:
    [sbull] Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie 
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. CP02-374-000;
    [sbull] Label one copy of your comments for the attention of the 
Gas 1, PJ-11.1;
    [sbull] Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before May 19, 2003.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we will include 
all comments that we receive within a reasonable time frame in our 
environmental analysis of this project. However, the Commission 
strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions 
to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions 
on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-
Filing'' link and 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.''
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public comment meeting that staff will conduct in the 
project area. The time and location for this meeting is listed below: 
April 22, 2003, 7 pm, Holiday Inn Express, 102 Mallard Street, Sulphur, 
Louisiana 70665, Telephone: (337) 625-2500.
    Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and 
present oral comments on the draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings 
will be prepared.
    After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are 
investigated, and necessary modifications are made to the draft EIS, a 
final EIS will be published and distributed by the staff. The final EIS 
will contain the staff's responses to timely comments received on the 
draft EIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commenter a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (Title 18 Code of Federal Regulations, part 385.214). Anyone 
may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS. You must file 
your request to intervene as specified above. You do not need 
intervenor status to have your comments considered.
    The draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Regulatory Energy 
Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 
Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the draft EIS are available from the 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In 
addition, the draft EIS has been mailed to Federal, state, and local 
agencies; elected officials; public interest groups; affected 
landowners; public libraries; newspapers; parties to the proceeding; 
and individuals who requested a copy of the draft EIS.
    Additional information about the proposed project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (1-866-
208-3372) or on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). Click on the 
``FERRIS'' link, enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected an 
appropriate date range. The application and supplemental filings in 
these dockets are available for viewing on FERRIS. For

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assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] 
or toll-free at (866)208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202)502-8659.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-8085 Filed 4-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P