[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19433-19435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-1735]



[[Page 19433]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. PF05-9-000, PF05-5-000]


Bayou Casotte Energy LLC; Gulf LNG Energy LLC; Notice of Intent 
To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Casotte 
Landing LNG Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 
Notice of Public Scoping Meeting, and Site Visit for Both Casotte 
Landing LNG Project and LNG Clean Energy Project

April 7, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Casotte Landing LNG 
Project proposed for construction in Jackson County, Mississippi, by 
Bayou Casotte Energy LLC (hereafter referred to as Bayou Casotte 
Energy). The proposed facilities would consist of a liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) import terminal and an interconnecting natural gas pipeline. 
The Commission will use this EIS in its decision-making process to 
determine whether the LNG terminal is in the public interest and the 
pipeline is in the public convenience and necessity. This notice 
explains the scoping process that we \1\ will use to gather input from 
the public and interested agencies on the project. Your input will help 
us determine the issues that need to be evaluated in the EIS.
    Comments on the project 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, we invite you to attend a public scoping 
meeting that we have scheduled as follows:
    Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 7 p.m. (CDT); Casotte Landing LNG 
Project, and the LNG Clean Energy Project, Pascagoula High School, 1716 
Tucker Avenue, Pascagoula, MS 39567.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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    At the public scoping meeting, you will also be provided with the 
opportunity to provide comments on the LNG Clean Energy Project, which 
is a similar project proposed for construction by Gulf LNG Energy LLC 
at the Port of Pascagoula, in Jackson County, Mississippi. The LNG 
Clean Energy Project is currently being reviewed by the FERC under 
Docket No. PF05-5-000. Our Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the 
LNG Clean Energy Project was issued on March 3, 2005.
    The Commission staff will conduct a field trip for both projects 
which will include the proposed LNG terminal locations, and portions of 
the proposed send out pipeline routes. Anyone interested in 
participating in the field trip may attend, but they must provide their 
own transportation. We will meet on April 20, 2005 at 8:30 a.m. (CDT) 
at: Wal-Mart parking lot in Pascagoula at the intersection of Highways 
90 and 63.
    FERC will be the lead Federal agency in the preparation of the EIS. 
The document will satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
    This notice is being sent to residents within 0.5 mile of the 
proposed LNG terminal site; Federal, state, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Native American tribes; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
    Potentially affected landowners may be contacted by a project 
representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct, 
operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. If so, 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 company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in accordance with state law.
    FERC prepared a fact sheet entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas 
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?''. This fact 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 Casotte Landing LNG Project

    Bayou Casotte Energy proposes to construct and operate an LNG 
import terminal and a natural gas pipeline to provide a new supply of 
competitively priced natural gas to U.S. domestic markets. The facility 
would be located on Bayou Casotte (East Harbor), Port of Pascagoula in 
Jackson County, Mississippi, and would be accessible from the Bayou 
Casotte ship channel. The Casotte Landing Project would receive LNG 
from carrier ships and transfer it to onshore LNG storage tanks. The 
LNG would then be vaporized and sent out to the existing interstate 
natural gas pipeline system at an average rate of approximately 1.3 
billion cubic feet per day. Bayou Casotte Energy anticipates that it 
would send out natural gas through one or more of the four existing 
pipelines in the vicinity of the proposed terminal site. The project 
would consist of the following facilities:
     An LNG terminal consisting of a turning basin, berthing 
slip and pier, and unloading facilities for a single LNG carrier. The 
berthing slip and unloading facilities would be designed to accommodate 
LNG carriers ranging in capacity from 138,000 to 200,000 cubic meter (m 
3) capacity. The terminal would receive approximately 166 
LNG shipments per year;
     Three onshore, approximately 160,000 m3 
capacity, full containment LNG storage tanks;
     Vaporization facilities; and
     Pipeline facilities to transport natural gas from the 
terminal to interconnect with one or more of four existing pipelines 
located within five miles of the proposed LNG terminal facility.
    A map depicting the proposed terminal site and nearby natural gas 
pipelines is provided in Appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ 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 Internet 
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) at the ``eLibrary'' link or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, 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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Land Requirements

    Bayou Casotte Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron 
U.S.A., Inc. (CUSA). The LNG terminal would be located on a 95 acre lot 
within a former industrial site adjacent to the existing CUSA 
Pascagoula Refinery, on land that is either owned or controlled by 
CUSA. The nearest residence is located greater than 1 mile away from 
the proposed terminal site. Although the proposed terminal site is 
located near the mouth of the Bayou Casotte ship channel, the project 
would require dredging of a turning basin and berth to achieve the 
required size and depth to accommodate LNG carriers.
    Several alternatives for send-out natural gas pipelines are under 
consideration. Pipelines would be located preferentially on land owned 
or controlled by CUSA and/or situated so

[[Page 19434]]

that their right-of-way overlaps that of existing pipelines.

The EIS Process

    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 issues and concerns the public may 
have about proposals submitted to the Commission. 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, we are requesting agency and 
public comments on the scope of the issues to be analyzed and presented 
in the EIS. All scoping comments received will be considered during the 
preparation of the EIS. To ensure your comments are considered, please 
carefully follow the instructions in the public participation section 
of this notice.
    In the EIS, we 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.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Land use.
     Cultural resources.
     Air quality and noise.
     Public safety.
     Cumulative impacts.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will 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; local libraries and newspapers; and the 
Commission's official service list for this proceeding. A 45-day 
comment period will be allotted for review of the draft EIS. We will 
consider all comments on the draft EIS and revise the document, as 
necessary, before issuing a final EIS. In addition, we will consider 
all comments on the final EIS before making our recommendations to the 
Commission.
    Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has 
already initiated its NEPA review under its NEPA Pre-filing Process. 
The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early 
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve 
issues before an application is filed with the FERC. A docket number 
(PF05-9-000) has been established to place information filed by Bayou 
Casotte Energy and other interested entities, as well as related 
documents issued by the Commission, into the public record.\3\ Once a 
formal application is filed with the FERC, a new docket number will be 
established.
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    \3\ To view information in the docket, follow the instructions 
for using the eLibrary link at the end of this notice.
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    With this notice, we 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. These agencies may choose to participate once they have 
evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. Agencies 
that would like to request cooperating status should follow the 
instructions for filing comments provided under the Public 
Participation section of this Notice.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have identified several issues that we think deserve attention 
based on a preliminary review of the project site and facility 
information provided by Bayou Casotte Energy. This preliminary list of 
issues may be changed based on your comments and our continuing 
analysis.

 Cumulative impacts including the LNG Clean Energy Project also 
proposed for construction at the Port of Pascagoula.
 Water Resources.
    --Assessment of construction effects on water quality.
    --Review of wetland areas impacted on the terminal site.
    --Dredge material management and potential impacts to water quality 
associated with dredging and construction activities.
 Fish, Wildlife, and Vegetation.
    --Effects on wildlife and fisheries including commercial and 
recreational fisheries.
    --Potential impacts of water intake/discharge systems and their 
potential impact on marine species.
 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.

    Our evaluation will also include possible alternatives to the 
proposed project or portions of the project, and we will make 
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various 
resource areas of concern.

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 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 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 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 2, DG2E;
     Reference Docket No. PF05-9-000 on the original and both 
copies; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before May 6, 2005.
    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 Internet 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 Mailing List Retention 
Form included in Appendix 2.
    The public scoping meeting to be held on April 20, 2005, at the 
Pascagoula High School, 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 generated so that your 
comments will be accurately recorded.
    Once Bayou Casotte Energy formally files its application with the 
Commission, you may want to become

[[Page 19435]]

an official party to the proceeding known as an ``intervenor.'' 
Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are able to file 
briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard by the courts if they choose 
to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor formally 
participates in a Commission proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the 
User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Internet 
Web site. Please note that you may not request intervenor status at 
this time. You must wait until a formal application is filed with the 
Commission.

Availability of 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 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.
    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.
    Further, 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.
    Finally, Bayou Casotte Energy has established an Internet web site 
for its project at http://www.chevrontexaco.com/CasotteLanding. The Web 
site includes a description of the proposed project, maps of the 
proposed terminal site, and a link for the public to submit comments on 
the proposed project. You can also request additional information on 
the project or provide comments directly to Bayou Casotte Energy by 
telephone at (877) 424-5495, by e-mail at [email protected], or 
by U.S. Mail at ChevronTexaco Global Gas, Re: Casotte Landing LNG 
Project, P.O. Box 1404, Houston, TX 77351-1404.

Linda Mitry,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-1735 Filed 4-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P