[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31988-31989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1261]


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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 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Freeport LNG 
Project

May 28, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this final environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) import terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by 
Freeport LNG Development, L.P. (Freeport LNG), referred to as the 
Freeport LNG Project, in the above-referenced docket.
    The final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that 
approval of the Freeport LNG Project, with appropriate mitigating 
measures as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental 
impact. The final EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including 
system alternatives, alternative sites for the LNG import terminal, and 
pipeline alternatives.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities in Brazoria 
County, Texas.
     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;
     Reconfiguration of a storm protection levee and a 
permanent access road;
     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);
     Two double-walled LNG storage tanks each with a usable 
volume of 1,006,000 barrels (3.5 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent);
     Six 3,240 gallon-per-minute (gpm) in-tank pumps;
     Seven 2,315 gpm high-pressure LNG booster pumps;
     Three boil-off gas compressors and a condensing system;
     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;
     Two natural gas superheaters and two fuel gas heaters;
     Ancillary utilities, buildings, and service facilities at 
the LNG terminal; and
     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 
the Dow Chemical Company and ConnocoPhillips, 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 of natural gas 
per day.
    The final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First St., NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426; (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the final EIS are available from the 
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, the final EIS has 
been mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies; elected officials; 
public libraries; newspapers; parties to the proceeding; and public 
interest groups, individuals, and affected landowners who requested a 
copy of the EIS.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing the NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed 
action may be made until 30 days after the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes a notice of availability of a final EIS. 
However, the CEQ regulations provide an exception to this rule when an 
agency decision is subject to a formal internal appeal process which 
allows other agencies or the public to make

[[Page 31989]]

their views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made at 
the same time the notice of the final EIS is published, allowing both 
periods to run concurrently. The Commission's decision for this 
proposed action is subject to a 30-day rehearing period.
    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 website (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 also provides access to the texts of formal documents 
issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E4-1261 Filed 6-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P