[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26490-26491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6854]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP04-411-000, COE Application CENAP-OP-R-
200500146; Docket No. CP04-416-000, COE Application CENAP-OP-
R-200500145 and 200500146]


U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District; Crown 
Landing, LLC; Texas Eastern Transmission, L.P.; Notice of Availability 
of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Crown 
Landing LNG and Logan Lateral Projects

April 28, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), 
U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries has prepared 
a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) import terminal (referred to as the Crown Landing LNG 
Project) proposed by Crown Landing, LLC (Crown Landing), a BP Energy 
Company (BP) affiliate, and natural gas pipeline facilities (referred 
to as the Logan Lateral Project) proposed by Texas Eastern 
Transmission, L.P. (Texas Eastern) in the above-referenced dockets.
    The final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that 
approval of the proposed projects with appropriate mitigating measures 
as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact. The 
final EIS also evaluates alternatives to the proposal, including system 
alternatives, alternative sites for the LNG import terminal, and 
pipeline alternatives.
    The proposed LNG terminal would be located on the shoreline of the 
Delaware River in Logan Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, and 
would consist of facilities capable of unloading LNG ships, storing up 
to 450,000 cubic meters (m3\3\) of LNG (9.2 billion cubic feet of 
natural gas equivalent), vaporizing the LNG, and sending out natural 
gas at a baseload rate of 1.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) and a 
maximum rate of 1.4 Bcfd (using spare equipment). Crown Landing 
proposes to interconnect the LNG facilities onsite with three 
pipelines. One interconnect would be with the new pipeline that Texas 
Eastern proposes to construct and operate (i.e., Logan Lateral) between 
its existing Chester Junction facility in Brookhaven Borough, 
Pennsylvania and the proposed LNG terminal. The other two interconnects 
would be with existing pipelines that currently cross the LNG terminal 
site. One of these pipelines is owned and operated by Columbia Gas 
Transmission Company (Columbia Gas). The other pipeline is owned and 
operated by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco). To 
date, neither Columbia Gas nor Transco have filed applications with the 
FERC to construct and operate the interconnects. The Crown Landing LNG 
Project would have a maximum delivery capacity of 0.5 Bcfd to the 
Columbia Gas pipeline system, 0.6 Bcfd to the Transco pipeline system, 
and 0.9 Bcfd to the Texas Eastern pipeline system.
    The proposed preferred project construction site, referenced above, 
is approximately 175 acres in size (waterward of the low water line on 
the Delaware River). Within the site there are uplands, wetlands 
(federally regulated), and intertidal river shoreline (also federally 
regulated). Construction of the proposed LNG terminal would involve the 
dredging of shallow water riverbottom and the filling of a small area 
of intertidal river shoreline for the installation of berthing 
structures in the Delaware River. No permanent filling of federally 
regulated wetlands is proposed for construction of the terminal 
facilities. The proposed pipeline connection would involve the 
installation of about 11.00 miles of new underground pipeline from the 
storage and transfer facility in Gloucester County, New Jersey, 
crossing Birch Creek, Raccoon Creek, Delaware River, Chester Creek, and 
several smaller waterways on both sides of the Delaware River, to an 
existing pipeline junction facility in Pennsylvania.
    The Birch Creek, Raccoon Creek, Delaware River, and Chester Creek 
crossings would all be accomplished by Horizontal Directional Drilling 
(HDD) method. All smaller waterway crossings would be accomplished by 
open-cut trenching. The rigging for the HDD crossing of the Delaware 
River would be set-up on the Pennsylvania bank of the river in Chester. 
The pipeline would be ``pulled under'' the river from the old Ferry 
Road roadbed on the New Jersey side.
    The following modifications to the project have been proposed since 
the draft EIS was issued:
    (1) Texas Eastern now proposes a contingency plan for constructing 
the Chester Creek crossing by open-cut method if the HDD method fails.
    (2) Crown Landing has submitted a minor modification to the 
proposed design of the LNG terminal berthing configuration in order to 
provide for an enhanced margin of safety in LNG carrier maneuvering. 
The modified proposed design is evaluated in the final EIS. In 
addition, Crown Landing has re-calculated the volume of material that 
would result from the dredging for the proposed LNG terminal berthing 
provisions in order to correct an error identified in the original 
calculations and to provide for a customary 2 foot ``over-dredge'' 
volume. There is no change in the proposed dredging depth or dredged 
material disposal.
    The draft EIS document indicated that 800,000 cubic yards of 
material would be dredged in the construction of the proposed LNG 
berthing terminal. Crown Landing now calculates that 1.24 million cubic 
yards of material would be dredged: 60,000 cubic yards are added to the 
original total from the safety modifications; 110,000 cubic yards are 
added by the over-dredge allowance; and 270,000 cubic yards are added 
from the error correction.

[[Page 26491]]

    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following LNG and natural gas 
pipeline facilities:
     A ship unloading facility capable of receiving LNG ships 
with capacities up to 200,000 m3;
     Three 150,000 m\3\ (net capacity) full-containment LNG 
storage tanks, comprised of 9 percent nickel steel inner tank, pre-
stressed concrete outer tank, and a concrete roof;
     A closed-loop shell and tube heat exchanger vaporization 
system;
     Various ancillary facilities, including administrative 
offices, warehouse/maintenance building, main control center, 
guardhouse, and a pier control room;
     Three meter and regulation stations located on the 
proposed LNG terminal site; and
     Approximately 11.00 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline (4.92 miles in Pennsylvania and 6.08 miles in New Jersey), a 
pig launcher and receiver facility at the beginning and end of the 
pipeline, a mainline valve, and a meter and regulation station at the 
end of the pipeline.
    Crown Landing and Texas Eastern have applied concurrently to the 
COE for two Department of the Army Individual Permits pursuant to 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and section 10 of 
the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403). The COE solicited 
public comment on the applications in their public notice which was 
included as part of the draft EIS notice for the projects published in 
February 2005. The COE is now soliciting public comment on the two 
modifications to the original proposal which are described above: (1) 
Texas Eastern proposed open-cut contingency for the construction of the 
proposed Chester Creek pipeline crossing and; (2) the Crown Landing 
berthing terminal safety modification and related dredge volume 
calculation.
    The COE is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State and 
local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other interested 
parties in order to consider and evaluate any additional impacts 
resulting from the proposed minor design modifications. Any comments 
received will be considered by the COE to determine whether to issue, 
modify, condition, or deny permits for these proposals as modified. To 
make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered 
species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental 
effects, and the other public interest factors listed in the COE's 
original notice included with the draft EIS. Comments are used in 
determining the need for and the preparation of any necessary 
supplemental NEPA documentation. Comments are also used to determine 
the need for a public hearing on the proposed design modifications and 
to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activities. 
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 on the 
design modifications 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 Gas 1, 
PJ-11.1;
     Reference Docket Nos. (Crown Landing) CP04-411-000 and 
(Texas Eastern) CP04-416-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before June 27, 2006 (Copies will be provided to 
the COE).
    The final 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 Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    Copies are also available at the following locations:

Gloucester County Library, 415 Swedesboro Road, Gibbstown, NJ 08027.
Gloucester County Library, 101 Beckett Road, Logan Township, NJ 08085.
J. Lewis Crozier Library, 620 Engle Street, Chester, PA 19013.
Aston Public Library, 3720 Concord Road, Aston, PA 19014.
Brandywine Hundred Branch of the New Castle County Library, 1300 Foulk 
Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, John Wanamaker 
Building, 100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-5940.

    A limited number of copies are available from the Public Reference 
Room identified above. In addition, copies of the final EIS have been 
mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies; public interest groups; 
individuals and affected landowners who requested a copy of the final 
EIS; libraries; newspapers; and parties to this proceeding.
    In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations implementing NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed action 
may be made until 30 days after the EPA publishes a notice of 
availability of a final EIS. However, the CEQ regulations provide an 
exception to this rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal 
internal process that allows other agencies or the public to make their 
views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made at the same 
time the notice of the final EIS is published, allowing both periods to 
run concurrently. Should the FERC issue Crown Landing and Texas Eastern 
authorizations for the proposed projects, it would be subject to a 30-
day rehearing period.
    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 on the FERC Internet Web site 
also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-6854 Filed 5-4-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P