[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7030-7032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1855]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF06-10-000]


Cameron LNG L.L.C.; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Terminal Expansion Project and Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues

February 3, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of Cameron LNG L.L.C.'s (Cameron) 
proposed Terminal Expansion Project involving construction and 
operation of facilities in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. This EA will be 
used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine 
whether to authorize the project.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process that the 
Commission will use to gather environmental input from the public and 
interested agencies on the Terminal Expansion Project. Your input will 
help determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note 
that the scoping period will close on March 6, 2006. 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; environmental and 
public interest groups; 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

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project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    With this notice, we \1\ are asking other federal, state, local, 
and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with 
respect to environmental issues to 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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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects.
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    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``A Guide to LNG--What 
All Citizens Should Know.'' is available for viewing on the FERC 
Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses a 
number of typically asked questions, including what is LNG and how is 
it transported.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Cameron proposes to expand its previously authorized Hackberry LNG 
Project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana (see map in Appendix A \2\). The 
expansion would consist of adding one LNG storage tank with a net 
working capacity of 160,000 cubic meters.
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    \2\ The appendix referenced in this notice is not being printed 
in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the Commission's 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, at (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the public 
participation section of this notice.
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    Specifically, Cameron seeks authority to construct and operate the 
following facilities:
     Two 16-inch-diameter unloading arms;
     One full-containment LNG storage tank with a net working 
capacity of 160,000 cubic meters;
     Two vapor return blowers;
     One boil off gas compressor;
     Six LNG send out pumps;
     One fuel gas heat exchanger;
     One air compressor, instrument air drier, and air surge 
vessel;
     Temporary dock facilities;
     Eight submerged combustion vaporizers; and
     Two shell-and-tube superheaters.

Land Requirements

    It is estimated that the construction of the Terminal Expansion 
Project would disturb about 15 acres of land. This land is already 
leased by Cameron and adjacent to the proposed Hackberry LNG Terminal.

The EA Process

    The FERC will be the lead federal agency for the preparation of the 
EA. The document will satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Cameron's Terminal Expansion Project 
is in the preliminary design state.
    For this project, the FERC staff has initiated its NEPA review 
prior to receiving the application. The purpose of the Commission's 
Pre-Filing Process is to involve interested stakeholders early in 
project planning and to identify and resolve issues before an 
application is filed with the FERC. A docket number (PF06-10-000) has 
been established to place information filed by Cameron, and related 
documents issued by the Commission, into the public record. Once a 
formal application is filed with the FERC, a new docket number will be 
established.
    NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental 
impacts that could result from an action whenever it considers the 
authorization of an LNG facility. NEPA also requires us 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 that should be addressed in the EA. We will consider all 
comments received during scoping in the preparation of the EA.
    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; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; affected 
landowners; Native American tribes; libraries and newspapers; the 
Commission's official service list for this proceeding; and other 
interested parties. 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.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposal. 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 
locations), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will 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 
St. NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of the 
Gas Branch 1, DG2E; and
     Reference Docket No. PF06-10-000 on the original and both 
copies.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 6, 2006.
    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See Title 
18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 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.''
    When Cameron submits its application for authorization to construct 
and operate the Terminal Expansion Project, the Commission will publish 
a Notice of Application in the Federal Register and will establish a 
deadline for interested persons to intervene in the proceeding. Because 
the Commission's Pre-Filing Process occurs before an application to 
begin a proceeding is officially filed, petitions to intervene during 
this process are premature and will not be accepted by 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 (i.e., PF06-10). 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

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Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.
    In addition, the FERC 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

 Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E6-1855 Filed 2-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P