[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76806-76807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7915]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP05-360-000, CP05-357-000, CP05-358-000, and CP05-359-
000]


 Creole Trail LNG, L.P. and Cheniere Creole Trail Pipeline; 
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Creole Trail LNG Terminal and Pipeline Project

December 16, 2005.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) import terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities, referred to 
as the Creole Trail LNG Terminal and Pipeline Project (Creole Trail 
Project) as proposed by Creole Trail LNG, L.P. and Cheniere Creole 
Trail Pipeline (collectively referred to as Creole Trail) in the above-
referenced dockets.
    The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that 
approval of the Creole Trail Project, with appropriate mitigating 
measures as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental 
impact. The draft EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including 
system alternatives, alternative sites for the LNG import terminal, and 
pipeline alternatives. The draft EIS also contains our Essential Fish 
Habitat Analysis.
    The purpose of the Creole Trail Project is to provide the 
facilities necessary to meet growing demand for natural gas in the 
United States by providing access to a reliable and stable supply of 
natural gas from diverse areas of the world and to allow natural gas 
delivery to the Gulf of Mexico coast, midwest, northeast, and Atlantic 
markets using existing interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline 
systems.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following facilities in Cameron, 
Calcasieu, Beauregard, Allen, Jefferson Davis, and Acadia Parishes, 
Louisiana:
     A ship unloading slip with two protected berths, each 
equipped with three liquid unloading arms and one vapor return arm;
     Four LNG storage tanks, each with a usable volume of 
1,006,000 barrels (160,000 cubic meters (m\3\));
     Twenty-one high pressure LNG sendout pumps, each with a 
capacity of 1,686 gallons per minute (384 m\3\ per hour);
     Twenty-one high pressure submerged combustion vaporizers, 
each with a capacity of 183 million cubic feet per day;
     Three boil-off gas compressors;
     Ancillary utilities, buildings, and service facilities at 
the LNG terminal;
     116.8 miles of dual 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline;
     6.8 miles of 20-inch-diameter lateral line natural gas 
pipeline;
     18 meter and regulation facilities; and
     Associated pipeline facilities including pig launcher and 
receiver facilities, two mainline valves (MLV) on the 20-inch-diameter 
pipeline, and eight MLVs along each of the individual pipelines in the 
dual pipeline system.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To 
expedite the FERC's receipt and consideration of your comments, 
electronic submission of comments is strongly encouraged. See Title 18 
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the FERC's Internet Web 
site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the eFiling link and the link to the 
User's Guide. Before you can submit comments, you will need to create a 
free account by clicking on ``Sign-up'' under ``New User.'' You will be 
asked to select the type of submission you are making. This type of 
submission is considered a ``Comment on Filing.'' Comments submitted 
electronically must be submitted by February 21, 2006.
    If you wish to mail comments on the draft EIS, please mail your 
comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before 
February 21, 2006 and carefully follow these instructions:
     Send an original and two copies of your comments to: 
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Reference Docket No. CP05-357-000 et al. on the original 
and both copies;
     Label one copy of your comments for the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, PJ-11.2; and
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 21, 2006.
    After these comments have been reviewed, any significant new issues 
are investigated, and modifications are made to the draft EIS, a final 
EIS will be published and distributed by the staff. The final EIS will 
contain the staff's responses to timely comments received on the draft 
EIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to 
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to 
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene 
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Anyone may intervene in this proceeding 
based on this draft EIS. You must file your request to intervene as 
specified above.\1\ You do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.
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    \1\ 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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    Recent hurricane activities have affected infrastructure in the 
project area. In addition, the Commission has received relatively few 
comments on the Creole Trail Project to date, and comments that were 
received have been addressed in this draft EIS. For these reasons, the 
staff does not plan to hold public comment meetings on the draft EIS 
for the Creole Trail Project. If it is determined at a later date that 
public meetings are necessary, a separate notice will be issued and 
posted on the Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
    The draft EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, 
888 First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the draft EIS are available from the 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In 
addition, copies of the draft EIS have been mailed to Federal, state, 
and local agencies; elected officials; public interest groups; 
individuals and affected landowners who requested a copy of the draft 
EIS; libraries; newspapers; and parties to these proceedings.

[[Page 76807]]

    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 
at (202) 502-8659. 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 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 the eSubscription link on the FERC Internet Web 
site.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E5-7915 Filed 12-27-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P