[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 250 (Friday, December 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 78423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22379]



[[Page 78423]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP05-420-000]


Bayou Casotte Energy, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Casotte Landing Lng Project

December 22, 2006.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard); 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE); U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS); U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA 
Fisheries); and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) 
has prepared this final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import 
terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities, and including operation 
of LNG vessels in the waterway from the territorial seas until moored 
at the facility, all referred to as the Casotte Landing LNG Project, as 
proposed by Bayou Casotte Energy, LLC in the above-referenced docket.
    This final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that 
approval of the Casotte Landing LNG Project, with appropriate 
mitigating measures as recommended, would have limited adverse 
environmental impact. The Coast Guard proposed action requiring NEPA, 
is issuance of a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) of waterway suitability 
for LNG vessel traffic with the conditions referenced in the 
Description of the Proposed Action (Section 2.0 in the EIS). The final 
EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposed actions (i.e., FERC's 
proposed approval of the Project and the Coast Guard's proposed action 
of issuing a Letter of Recommendation finding the waterway to be 
suitable for LNG vessel traffic with conditions), including the Coast 
Guard alternatives, system alternatives, alternative sites for the LNG 
import terminal, and pipeline alternatives. The final EIS also contains 
our Essential Fish Habitat Assessment.
    The general purpose of the Casotte Landing LNG Project is to 
provide up to 1.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) of natural gas to 
markets in the United States.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the following facilities near the City of 
Pascagoula in Jackson County, Mississippi: a ship unloading facility 
with a single berth capable of receiving LNG ships with cargo 
capacities of up to 200,000 cubic meters (m\3\);
     three 160,000 m\3\ (net capacity) full containment LNG 
storage tanks;
     a closed-loop intermediate fluid vaporizer system 
utilizing cooling water from the adjacent Chevron Pascagoula Refinery 
as a heat source, sized for a normal sendout of 1.3 Bcfd;
     various ancillary buildings and facilities;
     five pipeline interconnects originating from a 1.5-mile-
long, 36-inch-diameter spur ;
     associated pipeline support facilities, including two 
meter stations at interconnects with the existing pipeline systems; and
     integrally related nonjurisdictional facilities would 
include a natural gas liquid (NGL) extraction system and pipeline, 
electric transmission lines, an electric substation, a waste heat water 
circulation system, and the relocation of two of the Chevron Pascagoula 
Refinery crude oil tanker berths.
    The analysis also includes operation of LNG vessels in the waterway 
from the territorial seas until moored at the proposed LNG terminal.
    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 and Files Maintenance Branch, 
888 First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    A limited number of copies of the final EIS are available from the 
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In 
addition, CD copies of the final EIS have been mailed to Federal, 
State, and local agencies; elected officials; public interest groups; 
individuals and affected landowners; libraries; newspapers; and parties 
to these proceedings.
    In accordance with CEQ's regulations implementing NEPA, no agency 
decision on a proposed action may be made until 30 days after the EPA 
publishes a NOA of the 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 authorization 
for the Casotte Landing LNG Project for the proposed action, it would 
be subject to a 30-day rehearing period. Therefore, the FERC could 
issue its decision concurrently with the EPA's NOA.
    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 Web site also 
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    Information about the project is also available from the Coast 
Guard by contacting Captain James Bjostad, Captain of the Port, Sector 
Mobile, at (251) 441-5960.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-22379 Filed 12-28-06; 8:45 am]
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