[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 227 (Monday, November 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68597-68599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19940]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP06-54-000, Docket No. CP06-055-000]


Broadwater Energy LLC, Broadwater Pipeline LLC; Notice of 
Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Broadwater LNG Project

November 17, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard); 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(COE); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine 
Fisheries Service; and the New York Department of State has prepared a 
draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) import terminal and natural gas pipeline (referred to as the 
Broadwater LNG Project) proposed by Broadwater Energy LLC and 
Broadwater Pipeline LLC (jointly referred to as Broadwater) in the 
above-referenced dockets. Broadwater Energy LLC is jointly owned by 
TCPL USA LNG, Inc. (a subsidiary of TransCanada Corporation) and Shell

[[Page 68598]]

Broadwater Holdings LLC (a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company). Broadwater 
Pipeline LLC is owned by Broadwater Energy LLC.
    The proposed LNG terminal would be located in New York State waters 
of Long Island Sound, approximately 9 miles from the nearest shoreline 
of Long Island, and about 11 miles from the nearest shoreline in 
Connecticut. The terminal would be a floating storage and 
regasification unit (FSRU) that would be attached to a yoke mooring 
system (YMS) that includes a mooring tower embedded in the seafloor. 
The FSRU would look like a marine vessel and would remain moored in 
place for the duration of the Project (expected to be 30 years or 
more). The YMS would allow the FSRU to pivot or ``weathervane'' around 
the YMS, enabling the FSRU to orient in response to the prevailing 
wind, tide, and current conditions.
    LNG would be delivered to the FSRU by LNG carriers, temporarily 
stored, vaporized (regasified), and then transported in a new subsea 
natural gas pipeline that would extend from the seafloor beneath the 
FSRU approximately 21.7 miles to an offshore connection with the 
existing Iroquois Gas Transmission System (IGTS) pipeline in Long 
Island Sound.
    Natural gas would be routed from the FSRU to the subsea pipeline 
and into the IGTS pipeline for delivery at an average flow rate of 
about 1.0 billion cubic feet per day. LNG would be delivered to the 
FSRU by 2 to 3 LNG carriers per week to meet the Project's planned 
send-out volumes of natural gas. LNG carriers would transit from the 
Atlantic Ocean to either the Point Judith Pilot Station (northeast of 
Block Island) or the Montauk Pilot Station (southwest of Block Island). 
From the Point Judith Pilot Station, carriers would transit Block 
Island Sound north of Block Island, head generally west to enter Long 
Island Sound at its eastern end (an area known as the Race), and then 
proceed to the FSRU. From the Montauk Pilot Station, carriers would 
head generally northwest to approach the Race, then proceed to the 
FSRU.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following LNG and natural gas 
pipeline facilities:
     A double-hulled FSRU approximately 1,215 feet long and 200 
feet wide, with a closed-loop shell-and-tube vaporization system and a 
total storage capacity of 350,000 cubic meters (approximately 8 billion 
cubic feet);
     A berthing facility at the FSRU for receiving LNG ships 
with capacities up to 250,000 cubic meters;
     A YMS embedded in the seafloor to moor the FSRU;
     Approximately 2 to 3 LNG carriers per week that would call 
at the FSRU;
     LNG carriers that would transit through waters subject to 
federal jurisdiction as well as waters under the jurisdiction of the 
state of New York, and in some cases, may transit waters under the 
jurisdiction of the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut;
     Approximately 21.7 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas 
pipeline, a pig launcher and receiver facility, and a meter station at 
the interconnect with the IGTS pipeline; and
     Onshore facilities at either Greenport or Port Jefferson, 
New York, including administrative offices, a warehouse, guardhouse, 
and an existing commercial pier.
    Broadwater proposes to construct the Project in two phases. The 
first phase would include installation of the subsea pipeline between 
October 2009 and April 2010. The second phase would include 
installation of the YMS, hookup of the FSRU, and connection of the 
project components between September and December 2010. Broadwater 
anticipates that the Project would be in service by the end of December 
2010.
    As part of this evaluation, FERC staff has prepared a draft EIS to 
assess the environmental impacts of the Project. The draft EIS was 
prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA).
    The Coast Guard has assessed potential risks to navigation safety 
and port security associated with the proposed Project. The Coast 
Guard's safety and security assessment is documented in the Captain of 
the Port Long Island Sound's Waterways Suitability Report (WSR). The 
draft EIS includes an analysis of the environmental impacts related to 
the Coast Guard's Letter of Recommendation (LOR) regarding the 
suitability of the involved waterways for LNG carrier operations.
    The Coast Guard Captain of the Port Long Island Sound will issue an 
LOR to Broadwater Energy and the appropriate federal, state and local 
agencies, in accordance with 33 CFR 127.009. The LOR, which will be 
based on the Coast Guard's WSR, is an official determination regarding 
the suitability or unsuitability of Long Island Sound to support the 
proposed FSRU and associated LNG marine traffic. The Coast Guard 
intends to adopt all or portions of the EIS being prepared by FERC to 
serve as the NEPA analysis for the LOR. The LOR will not be issued 
until after the NEPA process has been completed.
    The draft EIS also evaluates alternatives to the proposal, 
including alternative energy sources, system alternatives, alternative 
sites for the LNG import terminal, alternative designs, pipeline 
alternatives, and alternatives to the Coast Guard LOR action. Based on 
the analysis included in the draft EIS, the FERC staff concludes that 
approval of the proposed Project with appropriate mitigating measures 
as recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impacts.

Comment Procedures and Public Meetings

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is 
important that we receive your comments before the date specified 
below. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your 
comments on the draft EIS are received in time and properly recorded:
     Send an original and two copies of your comments 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 3, 
PJ-11.3;
     Reference Docket No. CP06-54-000 and CP06-55-000;
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 23, 2007.
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, we invite 
you to attend the public comment meetings that we will conduct in the 
Project area in January 2007. The locations and times of these meetings 
will be provided in a separate notice. These meetings will be posted on 
the Commission's calendar located at http:/www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other relevant information. The Coast Guard 
will participate in these public meetings. The public meetings will 
also support the review of Broadwater's permit application that is 
before the COE. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to 
attend the public comment meetings and present oral comments on the 
draft EIS. A transcript of the meetings will be prepared and submitted 
to the docket for public review.
    After comments on the draft EIS are reviewed, any significant new 
issues are investigated, and modifications are made to the draft EIS, a 
final EIS will be published and distributed by FERC staff. The final 
EIS will contain the

[[Page 68599]]

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. You do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.
    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 Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    CD-ROM copies of the draft EIS have been mailed to Federal, State, 
and local agencies; public interest groups; and individuals who 
requested a copy of the draft EIS or provided comments during scoping; 
libraries and newspapers in the Project area; and parties to this 
proceeding. Hard copy versions of the draft EIS were mailed to those 
specifically requesting them. A limited number of hard copies and CD-
ROMs are available from the Public Reference Room identified above.
    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.
    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. E6-19940 Filed 11-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P