[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 246 (Thursday, December 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76936-76938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-3792]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF04-11-000]


Sempra Energy LNG, Sempra Energy International; Notice of Intent 
To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Port Arthur LNG 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues and Notice of 
Scoping Meetings

December 15, 2004.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) plans to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) 
that discusses the environmental impacts of the Sempra Energy LNG's and 
Sempra Energy International's (collectively referred to as Sempra) 
proposed Port Arthur LNG Project involving construction and operation 
of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, natural gas pipelines 
and associated facilities in Jefferson County, Texas and Cameron, 
Calcasieu, and Beauregard Parishes, Louisiana. This EIS will be used by 
the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the 
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
    The Port Arthur LNG is currently in the preliminary stages of 
design and at this time a formal application has not been filed with 
the Commission. For this project, the Commission is initiating the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review prior to receiving the 
application. This allows interested stakeholders to become involved 
early in the project planning and to identify and resolve issues before 
a formal application is filed with the FERC. A docket number (PF04-11-
000) has been established to place information filed by Sempra and 
related documents issued by the Commission, into the public record.\1\ 
Once a formal application is filed with the FERC, a new docket number 
will be established.
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    \1\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions 
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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    This notice is being sent to residents within 0.5 mile of the 
proposed LNG terminal site; landowners along the pipeline routes under 
consideration; Federal, state, and local government agencies; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American 
tribes; and local libraries and newspapers.
    With this notice, we \2\ are asking 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.\3\ These agencies may choose to participate once they have 
evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. Agencies 
which would like to request cooperating status should follow the 
instructions for filing comments described later in this notice. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
    \3\ Agencies which have previously requested cooperating status 
for this project need not request it again.
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    Some affected landowners may be contacted by a project 
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct, 
operate, and maintain the proposed pipeline. If so, the company should 
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. In the event that 
the project is certificated by the Commission, that approval conveys 
the right of eminent domain for securing easements for the pipeline. 
Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the 
company could initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with 
state law.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Sempra proposes to construct and operate an LNG import terminal and 
two natural gas pipelines to import LNG and deliver up to 1.5 billion 
cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas during Phase I, increasing to 
3.0 Bcf/d during Phase II, to existing intrastate and interstate 
pipeline systems.
    The LNG terminal proposal would be located approximately 10 miles 
south of Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas and 2 miles northwest of 
the town of Sabine Pass. The terminal would be located on a 286-acre 
site along State Highway (SH) 87, immediately adjacent to the J.D. 
Murphree Wildlife Management Area and along the west bank of the 
Sabine-Neches Waterway (Port Arthur Ship Channel).
    The terminal would be designed to accept LNG cargo, temporarily 
store and vaporize LNG, and would contain two ship berths, and up to 
six storage tanks, each with a net usable volume of 160,000 cubic 
meters (m3) or 1,006,000 barrels (each tank would be 
approximately 150 feet tall and 250 feet in diameter). Phase I would 
involve the construction of three storage tanks with an additional 
three tanks being added in Phase II.
    The terminal would contain a dedicated slip and berths capable of 
accommodating the unloading of two LNG tankers. The berths would be 
designed for LNG tankers, such that the entire ship within the slip 
would be outside of the existing ship channel. One LNG tanker would 
visit the terminal every 2 days in the initial phase, increasing to one 
tanker every day in the second phase.
    The pipelines would consist of two 36-inch-diameter natural gas 
send out pipelines to transport the vaporized natural gas to the 
existing interstate gas facilities. The first pipeline would consist of 
a 3.0-mile long pipeline from the terminal, heading south to an 
interconnection with the existing NGPL facilities in Jefferson County, 
Texas. The second pipeline would consist of a 70.0-mile long pipeline 
from the terminal, traveling northeast across Sabine Lake through 
Jefferson County, Texas and into Cameron, Calcasieu, and Beauregard 
Parishes, Louisiana to an interconnection with the existing Transco 
pipeline system.
    A map depicting the proposed terminal site and the pipeline routes 
is provided in Appendix 1.\4\
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    \4\ 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 and 
Files Maintenance Branch at (202) 502-8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary refer to the last page of this notice.
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Non-Jurisdictional Facilities

    The proposed project would require the relocation of approximately 
3.3 miles of SH 87 as well as existing pipelines and other utilities 
that parallel the highway. Sempra would relocate the highway on 
property that is already owned by the company.
    There are five gas or oil pipelines and a water line that would 
also have to be relocated or abandoned. The length of each pipeline to 
be relocated is approximately three miles. These pipelines would be re-
routed to the west of the LNG terminal along the east side of the re-
located SH 87. Telephone and power lines would also be relocated 
concurrently with SH 87.
    The proposed LNG terminal would require electrical service. Entergy 
would install a new 230 kilovolt (kV) interconnecting transmission line 
consisting of two independent 230 kV electrical transmission/
distribution lines and a new substation. The proposed substation would 
be located on a 500 foot by 450 foot (approximately 5.17 acre) site 
within the LNG terminal property boundary. The new Entergy substation 
would provide dedicated and redundant service for the terminal.

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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities would require approximately 
190 acres for the terminal permanent facilities of which approximately 
115 acres are for the marine facilities. An additional 68.5 acres of 
area outside of the LNG terminal would be used for temporary 
construction areas (laydown, office, and parking), for a total of 183.6 
acres of disturbance for construction. The ship berths would require 
dredging to achieve the required size and depth to accommodate the LNG 
tanker ships.
    The two pipelines would be constructed on a nominal 100-foot-wide 
right-of-way with occasional increases in the right-of-way width for 
additional workspace at waterbody, highway, and railroad crossings, and 
for topsoil storage. Other temporary land requirements would include 
land for pipe storage and equipment yards. Operation of the pipeline 
facilities would require a nominal 50-foot-wide permanent right-of-way.
    Construction of the 3.0 mile natural gas pipeline would affect a 
total of 28.3 acres. Approximately 11.3 acres of the total would be 
retained for operation of the pipeline and aboveground facilities.
    Construction of the 70.0 mile natural gas pipeline would affect a 
total of approximately 374.5 acres of land. Approximately 150.0 acres 
would be retained for operation of the pipeline and above ground 
facilities.

The EIS 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 or an import 
authorization under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act. NEPA also 
requires us to discover and address concerns the public would have 
about proposals. This process is referred to as ``scoping''. The main 
goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EIS on the 
important environmental issues and reasonable alternatives. By this 
Notice of Intent, the Commission staff requests agency and public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. All comments 
received are considered during the preparation of the EIS. 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.
    The EIS discusses 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 may also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues are included in the draft 
EIS. Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the 
draft EIS would be published and mailed to federal, state, and local 
agencies, Native American tribes, public interest groups, interested 
individuals, affected landowners, newspapers, libraries, and the 
Commission's official service list for this proceeding. A 45-day 
comment period would be allotted for review of the draft EIS. All 
comments on the draft EIS would be considered and the document revised 
before issuing a final EIS. This draft EIS is used by the Commission in 
its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have identified several issues that we think deserve attention 
based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the 
environmental information provided by Sempra. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
 Geology and Soils
    Assessment of dredged material management plan, including the 
potential for beneficial uses of dredged material.
 Water Resources
    Assessment of construction effects on water quality.
    Review of wetland areas impacted on the terminal site.
    Impacts of constructing pipelines through coastal marshes.
    Impacts of construction through Sabine Lake.
 Fish, Wildlife, and Vegetation
    Effects on wildlife and fisheries including commercial and 
recreational fisheries.
    Potential effect of electric transmission lines on shore birds and 
other birds.
 Endangered and Threatened Species
    Effects on federally-listed species.
    Effects on essential fish habitat.
 Reliability and Safety
    Safety and security of the terminal and pipeline.
    LNG shipping.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns may be addressed in the EA/EIS and considered by the 
Commission. You should focus on the potential environmental effects of 
the proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative 
locations and routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful they may 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 Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2; and
     Reference Docket No. PF04-11-000 on the original and both 
copies.
    Please note that we are continuing to experience delays in mail 
deliveries from the U.S. Postal Service. As a result, we would 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 should 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 attached Mailing List 
Retention Form (Appendix 2). If you do not return the form, you may be 
taken off the mailing list.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the

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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, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Public Scoping Meeting

    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public scoping meetings we will conduct in the area. 
The locations and times for these meetings are listed below:
    January 11, 2005, 7 p.m. (c.s.t.), VFW Post 9854, 2292 Highway 109 
South, Vinton, LA 70668, (337) 589-5832; and
    January 12, 2005, 7 p.m. (c.s.t.), Holiday Inn, 2929 Jimmy Johnson 
Boulevard, Port Arthur, TX 77642, (409) 724-5000.
    The public scoping meetings are designed to provide state and local 
agencies, interested groups, affected landowners, and the general 
public with more detailed information and another opportunity to offer 
your 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 meetings will be made so that your 
comments will be accurately recorded.
    Finally, public meetings 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. E4-3792 Filed 12-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P