[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 90 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25893-25895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1046]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP02-60-004 and CP04-64-000]


Trunkline LNG Company, LLC and Trunkline Gas Company, LLC; Notice 
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 
Trunkline LNG and Loop Project and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues

April 30, 2004.
    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 Trunkline LNG Company, LLC's 
(Trunkline LNG) Modified Expansion Project in Lake Charles, Calcasieu 
Parish, Louisiana, and the Trunkline Gas Company, LLC's (Trunkline Gas) 
Gas LNG Loop and Metering Facilities Project involving construction and 
operation of facilities in Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, and Calcasieu 
Parishes, Louisiana.\1\ The facilities for these projects would consist 
of modifications to existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, 
about 22.2 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline loop, and associated 
facilities. We will refer to these two projects as the Trunkline LNG 
and Loop Project. This EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decisionmaking process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ Trunkline LNG's application was filed with the Commission 
under Section 3(a) of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the 
Commission's regulations. Trunkline Gas's application was filed with 
the Commission under Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act and Part 
157 of the Commission's regulations.
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. 
The company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. 
However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that approval 
conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement 
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could 
initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with State law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice Trunkline LNG and Trunkline Gas provided to landowners. 
This fact

[[Page 25894]]

sheet addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the 
use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's 
proceedings. It is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site 
(http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Trunkline Gas wants to expand the capacity of its facilities in 
Louisiana to transport an additional 2.1 billion cubic feet per day for 
service to Trunkline Gas' customers.
    In Docket No. CP02-60-004, Trunkline LNG proposes to:
     Convert an LNG vessel lay berth to a LNG ship unloading 
dock with three liquid unloading arms and one vapor return/delivery arm 
at the import terminal;
     Construct a desuperheater knockout drum;
     Construct three 200 million standard cubic feet per day 
(MMscf/d) second stage pumps;
     Construct four 150 MMscf/d submerged combustion 
vaporizers; and
     Construct an additional fuel gas heater.
    In Docket No. CP04-64-000, Trunkline Gas seeks authority to:
     Construct 22.2 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipeline from the 
Trunkline LNG Import Terminal at milepost (MP) 0.0 to the Trunkline Gas 
Lakeside Pipeline Gate 203A (MP 22.2);
     Construct 0.6 mile of 30-inch-diameter pipeline inside the 
Trunkline LNG Import Terminal;
     Construct a new meter station facility at the existing 
Trunkline LNG Import Terminal for receipt of regassified LNG into the 
proposed loop;
     Construct four new meter facilities for interconnections 
with (1) Calcasieu Gas Gathering System (Calcasieu Gas) at MP 0.0 in 
Calcasieu Parish; (2) Sabine Gas Transmission Company (MP 8.1) in 
Calcasieu Parish; (3) Texas Gas Transmission Corporation (MP L-191.6) 
\2\ in Jefferson Davis Parish; and (4) Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company 
(MP L-198.1) in Calcasieu Parish;
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    \2\ MP L--is the milepost designation for the existing 30-inch-
diameter LNG Lateral, which is part of Trunkline Gas' Lakeside 
Pipeline System.
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     Modify two existing meter stations on Trunkline's Lakeside 
Pipeline System to increase capacity at the Texas Eastern Transmission, 
LP's delivery point interconnection (MP L-203.9) to 500,000 decatherms 
per day (Dth/day) and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation's 
(Transco) Ragley delivery point interconnection (MP L-203.4) to 500,000 
Dth/day in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana.
    The location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\3\
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    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other 
than appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site 
at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission's Public Reference 
and Files Maintenance Branch, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to 
eLibrary 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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Nonjurisdictional Facilities

    Nonjurisdictional facilities that would be built as a result of the 
proposed project are limited to taps and connecting piping that may be 
installed by Calcasieu Gas to connect the meter station facilities to 
its pipeline.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The portion of the project in Docket No. CP02-60-004 would affect a 
total of 35.3 acres of the existing terminal site: 23.1 acres of grass 
cover, 9.5 acres covered in asphalt, concrete, or gravel, and 2.7 acres 
of water. Following construction, there would be 20.9 acres of grassed 
areas and 11.7 acres of asphalt, concrete, or gravel covered area. Of 
the 2.7 acres of water affected by construction, slightly less than 2.7 
acres of water would remain after construction.
    In Docket No. CP04-64-000, construction of the proposed pipeline 
and related facilities would disturb about 317.9 acres of land. 
Following construction, about 131.3 acres would be maintained as new 
pipeline right-of-way or aboveground facility sites. The remaining 
186.6 acres of land would be restored and allowed to revert to its 
former use.

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 public may have about 
proposals. This process is referred to as ``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
     Land use
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
     Cultural resources
     Vegetation and wildlife
     Air quality and noise
     Endangered and threatened species
     Hazardous waste
     Public safety
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed 
projects or portions of the projects, and make recommendations on how 
to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be 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 beginning on page 5.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided for the project. This 
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Air and noise quality issues.
     Marine traffic issues.
     One federally listed endangered or threatened species may 
occur in the project area.
     Cultural resources may be affected in the project area.
     42 waterbodies would be crossed.
     3.3 acres of wetlands would be affected.
    Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the 
impacts of the nonjurisdictional facilities. We will briefly describe 
their location and status in the EA.

[[Page 25895]]

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the projects. 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 (including alternative 
locations/routes), 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: Magalie 
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2.
     Reference Docket Nos. CP02-60-004/CP04-64-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before June 1, 2004.

    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 
or protests 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 on-line.''
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request 
(Appendix 4). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be 
taken off the mailing list.
    The Commission staff will conduct a field trip on portions of the 
pipeline facilities on May 19, 2004. Anyone interested in participating 
in the field trip may attend, but they must provide their own 
transportation. The Commission staff will start the field trip on 
Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at approximately 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot 
of the following hotel: Best Suites of America, 401 Lakeshore Drive, 
Lake Charles, LA 70601, Telephone: (337) 439-2444.

    In addition, the Commission staff will hold a scoping meeting for 
the project on May 19, 2004, at 7 p.m. at the following address: 
Holiday Inn Express, 102 Mallard Street, Sulphur, Louisiana 70665 
Telephone: (337) 625-2500.

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).\5\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \5\ 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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    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.

Environmental Mailing List

    This notice is being sent to individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
proposed project. It is also being sent to all identified potential 
right-of-way grantors. By this notice we are also asking governmental 
agencies, especially those in Appendix 3, to express their interest in 
becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the projects is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://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 Web site 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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-1046 Filed 5-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P