[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5435-5437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-394]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP02-378-002]


Cameron LNG, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Cameron LNG Berthing Amendment and Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 25, 2005.
    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 Cameron LNG Berthing Amendment

[[Page 5436]]

involving construction and operation of facilities by Cameron LNG, LLC 
(Cameron LNG) in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
    On December 20, 2004, the Commission gave notice that Cameron LNG 
filed a request under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act for an amendment 
to its authorization for import facilities that was previously granted 
in Docket No. CP02-378-000. In the order issued on September 11, 2003, 
Cameron LNG was authorized to construct and operate facilities to 
import liquefied natural gas (LNG) near Hackberry, Louisiana. That 
notice gave a deadline of January 12, 2005, for the filing of motions 
to intervene, protest, and comment.
    This 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 EA. Please note that the scoping period 
will close on February 25, 2005. Details on how to submit comments are 
provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, state, 
and local government agencies; elected officials; Native American 
tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. 
State and local government representatives are asked to notify their 
constituents of this planned project and to encourage them to comment 
on their areas of concern.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Cameron LNG seeks amended authority to make modifications to the 
berthing facilities at its LNG terminal to allow a larger variety of 
LNG tankers to use the approved terminal. The proposed modifications 
will require increased dredging and the addition of soil depositional 
areas to accommodate increased dredge material.
    The ship unloading slip, as currently approved, would be about 
1,250 feet by 1,100 feet. The proposed modification would increase this 
to about 2,600 feet (entrance width) tapering to 750 feet at the rear 
bulkhead wall. Cameron LNG also proposes to add an 850-foot-radius 
turning basin integrated into the slip.
    The general location of the berthing area site is shown in Appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ 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.
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Non-Jurisdictional Facilities

    The modifications would require either the abandonment in place or 
relocation of portions of 4-inch-diameter and 6-inch-diameter pipelines 
owned by Hilcorp Energy Company that cross the terminal and berthing 
area.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The proposed berthing modification would increase the area required 
for the LNG ship unloading facilities by 34.2 acres (of which 32.8 
acres are open water). As a result of the proposed configuration, some 
of the land-based acreages already approved would change (i.e., the 
land required for the LNG storage tanks would decrease by 2 acres; the 
electrical and flare areas would decrease by 2.7 acres; and the land 
for administrative facilities would increase by 0.4 acres). As a 
result, the net increase in area requirements for permanent facilities 
under the proposed modification would be 29.9 acres. Cameron LNG would 
use an additional 4.6 acres for temporary construction areas.

The EA Process

    We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take 
into account the environmental impact that could result if it 
authorizes Cameron LNG's proposal. By this notice, we are also 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 EA. Agencies that would like to 
request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided below.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    NEPA also requires the FERC 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, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EA. All comments received are considered 
during the preparation of the EA.
    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed modifications 
and the environmental information provided by Cameron LNG. The 
following preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your 
comments and our analysis:
     Effects of dredging and storage of 4.9 million cubic yards 
of sediment (which is 2.5 million cubic yards more than already 
approved);
     Sedimentation impacts on aquatic resources;
     Erosion and other impacts to coastal marsh;
     How the alignment of berthing ships affects other use of 
the channel; and
     Potential impacts from non-jurisdictional facilities, 
which could involve a horizontal directional drill of the Calcasieu 
River;
    We will 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.
    Previously, on October 5, 2004, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
along with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (Office of 
Environmental Services) and Louisiana Department of Natural Resources 
(Coastal Management Division), issued a joint public notice for Cameron 
LNG's request for the respective agency permits that would be required 
for the proposed modification.
    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 below.

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 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 berthing 
alignments, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please 
carefully follow

[[Page 5437]]

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 1.
     Reference Docket No. CP02-378-002.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 25, 2005.
    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.''
    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

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 send one electronic copy (using the 
Commission's eFiling system) or 14 paper 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). \3\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision.
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    \3\ 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.

Additional Information

    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 (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 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. E5-394 Filed 2-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P