[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 236 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71156-71157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20816]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF06-13-000]


Downeast LNG, Inc.; Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Downeast LNG Project and Request 
for Comments on Environmental Issues Related to the Potential Expansion 
of the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline System

December 1, 2006.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is in 
the process of evaluating the Downeast Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) 
Project planned by Downeast LNG, Inc. (Downeast). The project would 
consist of an onshore LNG import and storage terminal, located on the 
south side of Mill Cove in the Town of Robbinston, near the confluence 
of Passamaquoddy Bay and the St. Croix River, in Washington County, 
Maine; and an approximately 31-mile-long natural gas sendout pipeline. 
The Downeast LNG Project would be designed to have a maximum sendout 
capacity of 625 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
    The proposed sendout pipeline operated by Downeast LNG would 
transport natural gas from the LNG terminal to an interconnect point 
with Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline L.L.C.'s (M&NE) existing pipeline 
system near the town of Baileyville, Maine. The M&NE system currently 
does not have sufficient capacity to transport the natural gas that 
would be supplied by the Downeast pipeline. Therefore, if the Downeast 
LNG Project is authorized and placed into service, M&NE's system would 
need to be modified or expanded in Maine, New Hampshire, and 
Massachusetts.
    This Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) discloses the potential 
facilities that would likely be required to expand M&NE's system, based 
on information provided to Downeast by M&NE, and requests comments 
regarding the possible environmental impact of those facilities. 
Although M&NE is not proposing to construct these facilities and does 
not have an application before the FERC, it has been determined that 
these expanded M&NE facilities are likely a necessary part of the 
project and that an analysis of the impacts of these facilities will be 
included in the EIS being prepared for the Downeast LNG facility.
    A map depicting the expansion of the M&NE facilities downstream of 
the interconnection with Downeast is included in Appendix 1. The 
following facilities have been identified by M&NE as necessary to 
accommodate the gas volumes to be delivered by Downeast LNG.

Pipeline Looping

    Approximately 130.9 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline looping 
would likely be required within or adjacent to the existing M&NE right-
of-way or other nearby utility or road rights-of-way, as follows:
     Eliot Loop--approximately 3.4 miles from Newington in 
Rockingham County, New Hampshire to Eliot in York County, Maine;
     Westbrook Loop--approximately 16.5 miles from Saco in York 
County, Maine to Westbrook in Cumberland County, Maine;
     Richmond Loop--approximately 27.6 miles from Pownal in 
Cumberland County, Maine to Richmond in Sagadahoc County, Maine;
     Searsmont Loop--approximately 19.7 miles from Windsor in 
Kennebec County, Maine and Searsmont in Waldo County, Maine;
     Brewer Loop--approximately 21.9 miles from Monroe in Waldo 
County, Maine to Brewer in Penobscot County, Maine;
     Woodchopping Ridge Loop--approximately 22.2 miles from 
Greenfield in Penobscot County, Maine to Township T35 MD in Hancock 
County, Maine; and
     Baileyville Loop--approximately 19.6 miles from Township 
T37 MD BPP in Washington County, Maine to the Baileyville Compressor 
Station in Washington County, Maine.
    The potential pipeline loops would generally be adjacent to the 
existing mainline; however, the exact side that the loop would be 
located on varies due to numerous crossovers throughout the looping.

Compressor Station Facilities \1\
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    \1\ The Eliot, Westbrook, Searsmont, Brewer, and Woodchopping 
Compressor Stations are to be constructed as part of the M&NE Phase 
IV Project that is currently being evaluated by FERC and other 
cooperating agencies under Docket Number CP06-335-000. This NOI 
assumes that the facilities in the Phase IV Project are approved and 
constructed prior to the construction of the M&NE expansion 
facilities discussed in this NOI.
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    Compression requirements for the pipeline expansion would likely 
include adding compression to six existing compressor stations and the 
construction of one new compressor station as follows:
     Eliot Compressor Station--install a Solar Titan 130 
natural gas-driven turbine compressor;
     Westbrook Compressor Station--install a Solar Taurus 70 
natural gas-driven turbine compressor;
     Richmond Compressor Station--install a Solar Mars 100 
natural gas driven turbine compressor;
     Searsmont Compressor Station--install a Solar Taurus 70 
natural gas-driven turbine compressor;
     Brewer Compressor Station--install a Solar Taurus 70 
natural gas-driven turbine compressor;
     Woodchopping Ridge Compressor Station--install a Solar 
Taurus 70 natural gas-driven turbine compressor; and
     A new compressor station located in the City of Methuen, 
Middlesex County, Massachusetts. This facility would involve the 
installation of a Solar Taurus 70 natural gas-driven turbine 
compressor.
    By this notice, the Commission specifically requests comments only 
on these additional M&NE facilities. Your input will help identify the 
issues that need to be evaluated in the EIS. Comments on the project 
should be submitted in written form. Further details on how to submit 
written comments are provided in the Public Participation section 
below. Please note that comments are due by January 5, 2007.
    This NOI is being sent to Federal, State, and local government 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Indian tribes; and local libraries and newspapers. We encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the M&NE expansion. By becoming a commentor, 
your concerns will be addressed in the EIS and considered by the 
Commission. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental 
effects, reasonable alternatives (including alternative facility sites 
and pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. 
To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please 
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 OEP/
DG2E/Gas Branch 3.

[[Page 71157]]

     Reference Docket No. PF06-13-000 on the original and both 
copies.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before January 5, 2006.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any 
comments in response to this NOI. For information on electronically 
filing comments, please see the instructions on the Commission's Web 
site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to 
the User's Guide as well as information in 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii). 
Before you can file comments, you will need to create a free account, 
which can be accomplished online.
    Once Downeast formally files its application with the Commission, 
you may want to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an official party to 
the proceeding. 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 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.

Environmental Mailing List

    If you wish to be added to the Downeast LNG environmental mailing 
list, please return the attached Mailing List Retention Form (Appendix 
2 of this NOI). Also, indicate on the form your preference for 
receiving a paper version of the EIS in lieu of an electronic version 
of the EIS on CD-ROM. If you do not return this form, we will not add 
your name to our mailing list.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on 
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the ``eLibrary 
link.'' Click on the eLibrary link, select ``General Search'' and enter 
the project docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF06-
13) 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 by e-
mail at [email protected]. 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 FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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.
    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, Downeast has established an Internet Web site for this 
project at http://www.downeastlng.com/index.htm. The Web site includes 
a project overview, status, potential impacts and mitigation, and 
answers to frequently asked questions. You can also request additional 
information by calling Downeast directly at 207-214-5926.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-20816 Filed 12-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P