[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 95 (Monday, May 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27917-27919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1173]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP04-223-000 and CP04-293-000]


KeySpan LNG, L.P.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Keyspan LNG Facility Upgrade Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meeting

May 11, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on 
KeySpan LNG, L.P.'s (KeySpan LNG) proposed KeySpan LNG Facility Upgrade 
Project in Providence, Rhode Island. On May 7, 2004, the Commission 
gave notice that KeySpan LNG filed applications on April 30, 2004, for 
its proposal under sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act. That notice 
gave a deadline of May 21, 2004, for the filing of motions to 
intervene, protest, and comment.
    This instant notice announces the opening of the scoping process 
the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help determine which issues 
need to be evaluated in the EIS. Please note that the scoping period 
will close on June 11, 2004.
    Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further 
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public 
Participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written 
comments, you may attend the public scoping meeting scheduled as 
follows: FERC Public Scoping Meeting, KeySpan LNG Facility Upgrade 
Project, Thursday, June 3, 2004, at 7 p.m. Rhode Island College, 
Providence, 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave. (John Fogarty Life Science Building).
    This notice is being sent to residences within 0.5 mile of KeySpan 
LNG's existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility and to 
landowners, businesses, and residents adjacent to a planned natural gas 
pipeline. It is also being sent to Federal, state, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries 
and newspapers. We \1\ are asking local government representatives to 
notify their constituents of this planned project and to encourage them 
to comment on their areas of concern.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ ''We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary of the Proposed Project

    KeySpan LNG proposes to upgrade its existing LNG storage facility 
in Providence, Rhode Island. The upgrade would allow KeySpan LNG to 
convert the LNG terminal to a facility capable of receiving marine 
deliveries and to augment the facility's existing vaporization system.
    According to KeySpan LNG, the KeySpan LNG Facility Upgrade Project 
would provide a new source of reliable LNG imports to Rhode Island 
which would serve the entire New England area, as well as augment the 
supply of LNG needed to fill the region's LNG storage facilities to 
meet peak day needs. The project would increase the site's current 
capacity of 150 million

[[Page 27918]]

standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) to a total of 525 MMSCFD.
    The facilities proposed include:
     A new ship berth in the Providence River;
     New liquid unloading arms and a transfer line;
     New vapor return blowers, vapor return line, and loading 
arm;
     Boil-off-gas compressor and condenser;
     New LNG pumping system;
     Operations control buildings;
     Other ancillary LNG facilities; and
     1.3 miles of 20-inch-diameter pipeline to transport 
natural gas from the terminal an existing pipeline currently owned and 
operated by Algonquin Gas Transmission Company (Algonquin).\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ This interconnecting pipeline would likely be constructed by 
Algonquin, not KeySpan LNG.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    KeySpan LNG would also abandon by removal a 12-inch-diameter LNG 
barge uploading line to provide space for the new ship vapor return 
line.
    A map depicting the LNG facility location and the pipeline route 
under consideration is provided in appendix 1.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the 
Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) at the 
``eLibrary'' link or from the Commission(s Public Reference Room at 
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the end of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    KeySpan LNG proposes to complete the project in time for the fall 
2005 heating season. To achieve this in-service date, KeySpan LNG is 
requesting approval to begin construction of the facilities in the 
spring of 2005. The approximate duration of construction would be 7-9 
months.

The EIS Process

    The FERC will be the lead Federal agency for this EIS process which 
is being conducted to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC will use the EIS to consider 
the environmental impact that could result if it issues KeySpan the 
requested authorizations under sections 3 and 7 for its proposed 
project.
    This notice formally announces our preparation of the EIS and the 
beginning of the process referred to as ``scoping.'' We are soliciting 
input from the public and interested agencies to help us focus the 
analysis in the EIS on the potentially significant environmental issues 
related to the proposed action.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will initially be included 
in a draft EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal, State, and 
local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; affected landowners; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. A 45-day 
comment period will be allotted for review of the draft EIS. We will 
consider all timely comments and revise the document, as necessary, 
before issuing a final EIS.
    By this notice, we are asking these and other Federal, State, and 
local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect 
to environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EIS. Agencies that would like to request cooperating 
status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided 
below. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; 
and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division 
of Fish and Wildlife (RIDFW) have expressed their interest in 
participating as cooperating agencies to satisfy their environmental 
review responsibilities.

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 by KeySpan LNG and the RIDFW. 
The following preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis:
     Commercial and recreational use of the Providence River;
     Contaminated soils and hazardous wastes; and
     Public safety.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your comments or 
concerns about the proposal. Please focus your comments on the 
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including 
alternative facility sites and pipeline routes), and measures to avoid 
or lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the 
more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and 
properly recorded, please mail your comments so that they will be 
received in Washington, DC on or before June 11, 2004, and carefully 
follow these instructions:
     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 your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 1, DG2E; and
     Reference Docket No. CP04-223-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    The public scoping meeting to be held on June 3, 2004, in 
Providence is designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments 
on the proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are 
encouraged to attend the meeting and to present comments on the 
environmental issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A 
transcript of the meeting will be made so that your comments will be 
accurately recorded.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 
Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on 
the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the 
``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Prepare your 
submission in the same manner as you would if filing on paper and save 
it to a file on your hard drive. Before you can file comments you will 
need to create an account by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then 
``New User Account.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing 
you are making. This filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.''

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS 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).\4\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. See the discussion below on filing 
comments electronically.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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

[[Page 27919]]

which would not be adequately represented by any other parties. You do 
not need intervenor status to have your environmental comments 
considered.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission(s Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the 
``eLibrary'' link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, 
enter the selected date range and ``Docket Number'' (i.e., CP04-223-
000), and follow the instructions. Searches may also be done using the 
phrase ``KeySpan LNG Facility Upgrade Project'' in the ``Text Search'' 
field. For assistance with access to eLibrary, the 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 rule makings.
    In addition, the FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-1173 Filed 5-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P