[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 204 (Wednesday, October 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60345-60346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00082]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP04-4-000, CP04-5-000, and CP04-6-000]


Lake Charles Express LLC; Notice of Filing

October 14, 2003.
    Take notice that on October 3, 2003, Lake Charles Express LLC 
(LCE), 5444 Westheimer, Suite 1775, Houston, TX 77056, filed in the 
captioned dockets an application for a certificate of public 
convenience and necessity and related authorizations pursuant to 
Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the Commission's Rules 
and Regulations. LCE requests authorization to construct, own, operate 
and maintain certain facilities (LCE Project) to ultimately provide up 
to 1.2 million Dth per day of firm transportation service to BG LNG 
Services, LLC (BGLS). To meet the specific requirements of BGLS, LCE 
has planned the construction of the LCE Project facilities to provide 
for an in-service date of January 1, 2005. The application is on file 
with the Commission and open for public inspection. This filing is 
available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or 
may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using 
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659.
    An open season for service utilizing the LCE Project facilities was 
conducted from June 6, 2003 through June 16, 2003. The open season 
resulted in LCE entering into a Precedent Agreement and a Service 
Agreement with BGLS for 1,200,000 Dth/d of firm transportation service 
pursuant to Rate Schedule FT-1, for a term of 20 years.
    LCE proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain approximately 
37.85 miles of 30-inch and 36-inch diameter pipeline, originating at an 
interconnection with the liquefied natural gas import terminal of 
Trunkline LNG Company, LLC (``TLNG'') in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, 
and terminating at an interconnection with the facilities of Texas 
Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern) in the vicinity of Texas 
Eastern's Gillis Compressor Station in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. 
LCE also proposes to construct interconnection facilities at the TLNG 
import terminal, eleven meter and regulation (M&R) and associated 
interconnect facilities along the pipeline route, and two parallel 
1,717-foot 16-inch diameter lateral pipelines to interconnect with the 
facilities of one intrastate pipeline.
    Specifically, LCE requests authorization to construct:
    1. An interconnection with the facilities of TLNG at the TLNG 
outlet header on the premises of the TLNG import terminal in Calcasieu 
Parish, Louisiana, consisting of two tap valves with meter and 
regulation facilities, interconnecting piping, and an electronic gas 
measurement building;
    2. Approximately 22.84 miles of 36-inch diameter pipeline, 
originating at the interconnection with TLNG and terminating at Texas 
Eastern's Iowa Gas Plant in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana (South 
Segment);
    3. Approximately 15.01 miles of 30-inch diameter pipeline, 
extending from the Iowa Gas Plant to an interconnection with the 
facilities of Texas Eastern in the vicinity of Texas Eastern's Gillis 
Compressor Station in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana (North Segment);
    4. Five M&R and associated facilities along the South Segment to 
provide interconnections with (i) Sabine Gas Transmission Company in 
Calcasieu Parish; (ii) Cantera Natural Gas, Inc. (Cantera) at two 
interconnect locations in Calcasieu Parish; (iii) Calcasieu Gas 
Gathering System in Calcasieu Parish; and (iv) Texas Eastern where the 
proposed pipeline enters the Iowa Gas Plant in Jefferson Davis Parish;
    5. Six M&R and associated facilities along the North Segment to 
provide interconnections with (i) Texas Eastern where the proposed 
pipeline exits the Iowa Gas Plant in Jefferson Davis Parish, and 
including a bypass regulator; (ii) Texas Gas Transmission Corporation 
in Jefferson Davis Parish; (iii) Florida Gas Transmission Company in 
Jefferson Davis Parish; (iv) Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company in 
Jefferson Davis Parish; (v) Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation 
in Beauregard Parish; and (vi) Texas Eastern near the Gillis Compressor 
Station in Beauregard Parish;
    6. Two parallel 1,717-foot, 16-inch diameter lateral pipelines, 
extending from the proposed LCE Project pipeline to the Cantera 
facility in Calcasieu Parish; and
    7. Appurtenant facilities.
    Firm transportation service will be rendered to BGLS pursuant to 
LCE's Rate Schedule FT-1. BGLS will pay incremental FT-1 rates to 
compensate LCE for the costs of the LCE Project facilities, which are 
estimated to be approximately $72.3 million.
    Any questions regarding the application are to be directed to Kerri 
Roberts, Lake Charles Express LLC, 5444 Westheimer, Suite 1775, 
Houston, Texas 77056.
    There are two ways to become involved in the Commission's review of 
this project. First, any person wishing to obtain legal status by 
becoming a party to the proceedings for this project should, on or 
before the below listed comment date, file with the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888

[[Page 60346]]

First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426, 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 
NGA (18 CFR 157.10). A person obtaining party status will be placed on 
the service list maintained by the Secretary of the Commission and will 
receive copies of all documents filed by the applicant and by all other 
parties. A party must submit 14 copies of filings made with the 
Commission and must mail a copy to the applicant and to every other 
party in the proceeding. Only parties to the proceeding can ask for 
court review of Commission orders in the proceeding.
    However, a person does not have to intervene in order to have 
comments considered. The second way to participate is by filing with 
the Secretary of the Commission, as soon as possible, an original and 
two copies of comments in support of or in opposition to this project. 
The Commission will consider these comments in determining the 
appropriate action to be taken, but the filing of a comment alone will 
not serve to make the filer a party to the proceeding. The Commission's 
rules require that persons filing comments in opposition to the project 
provide copies of their protests only to the party or parties directly 
involved in the protest.
    Persons who wish to comment only on the environmental review of 
this project should submit an original and two copies of their comments 
to the Secretary of the Commission. Environmental commenters will be 
placed on the Commission's environmental mailing list, will receive 
copies of the environmental documents, and will be notified of meetings 
associated with the Commission's environmental review process. 
Environmental commenters will not be required to serve copies of filed 
documents on all other parties. However, the non-party commenters will 
not receive copies of all documents filed by other parties or issued by 
the Commission (except for the mailing of environmental documents 
issued by the Commission) and will not have the right to seek court 
review of the Commission's final order.
    The Commission may issue a preliminary determination on non-
environmental issues prior to the completion of its review of the 
environmental aspects of the project. This preliminary determination 
typically considers such issues as the need for the project and its 
economic effect on existing customers of the applicant, on other 
pipelines in the area, and on landowners and communities. For example, 
the Commission considers the extent to which the applicant may need to 
exercise eminent domain to obtain rights-of-way for the proposed 
project and balances that against the non-environmental benefits to be 
provided by the project. Therefore, if a person has comments on 
community and landowner impacts from this proposal, it is important 
either to file comments or to intervene as early in the process as 
possible.
    Motions to intervene, protests and comments may 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 
under the ``e-Filing'' link. The Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filings.
    Comment Date: November 4, 2003.

 Magalie R. Salas,
 Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E3-00082 Filed 10-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P