[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 220 (Friday, November 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64616-64617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00216]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP03-75-000]


Freeport LNG Development, L.P.; Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Freeport LNG 
Project

November 6, 2003.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this draft environmental impact statement 
(EIS) on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and natural 
gas pipeline facilities proposed by Freeport LNG Development, L.P. 
(Freeport LNG) in the above-referenced docket.
    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 Brazoria 
County, Texas.
    [sbull] LNG ship docking and unloading facilities with a protected 
single berth equipped with mooring and breasting dolphins, three liquid 
unloading arms, and one vapor return arm;
    [sbull] reconfiguration of a storm protection levee and a permanent 
access road;
    [sbull] two 26-inch-diameter (32-inch outside diameter) LNG 
transfer lines, one 16-inch-diameter vapor return line, and service 
lines (instrument air, nitrogen, potable water, and firewater);
    [sbull] two double-walled LNG storage tanks each with a usable 
volume of 1,006,000 barrels (3.5 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent);
    [sbull] six 3,240 gallon-per-minute (gpm) in-tank pumps;
    [sbull] seven 2,315 gpm high pressure LNG booster pumps;
    [sbull] three boil-off gas compressors and a condensing system;

[[Page 64617]]

    [sbull] six high-pressure LNG vaporizers using a primary closed 
circuit water/glycol solution heated with twelve water/glycol boilers 
during cold weather and a set of intermediate heat exchangers using a 
secondary circulating water system heated by an air tower during warm 
weather, and circulation pumps for both systems;
    [sbull] two natural gas superheaters and two fuel gas heaters;
    [sbull] ancillary utilities, buildings, and service facilities at 
the LNG terminal; and
    [sbull] 9.6 miles of 36-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline 
extending from the LNG import terminal to a proposed Stratton Ridge 
Meter Station.
    The purpose of the Freeport LNG Project is to provide the 
facilities necessary to deliver LNG to intrastate shippers, including 
Dow Chemical Company (Dow), at the proposed Stratton Ridge Meter 
Station by 2007. Freeport LNG's proposed facilities would re-vaporize 
and transport up to 1.5 billion cubic feet per day.

Comment Procedures and Public Meeting

    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 properly recorded:
    [sbull] Send an original and two copies of your comments to: 
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
    [sbull] Reference Docket No. CP03-75-000;
    [sbull] Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, PJ11.2; and;
    [sbull] Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 29, 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 the 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 a free account which can be created online.
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public scoping meeting we will conduct in the area. 
The location and time for this meeting is listed below: December 9, 
2003, 7 p.m., Lake Jackson Civic Center, 333 Highway 332 East, Lake 
Jackson, Texas 77566, Telephone: 979-415-2600.
    This meeting will be posted on the Commission's calendar located at 
http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other 
related information.
    After these comments are reviewed, any significant new issues are 
investigated, and 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 commentor 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 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).
    Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS. 
You must file your request to intervene as specified above.\1\ You do 
not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
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    \1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing 
comments electronically.
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    The draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First 
Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies 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; public 
interest groups; individuals, and affected landowners who requested a 
copy of the draft EIS; libraries; newspapers; and parties to this 
proceeding.
    Additional information about the Project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on 
the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket 
number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be 
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance with 
eLibrary, the eLibrary helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY 
(202) 502-8659 or at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on 
the FERC Internet website also provides access to the texts of formal 
documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to 
the documents. Go to the eSubscription link on the FERC Internet Web 
site.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E3-00216 Filed 11-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P