[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 160 (Monday, August 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46454-46455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16252]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP05-91-000; CP05-380-000]


Calhoun LNG, L.P., Point Comfort Pipeline Company, L.P.; Notice 
of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Calhoun LNG Terminal and Pipeline Project

August 10, 2007.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and natural gas 
pipeline facilities proposed by Calhoun LNG, L.P. and Point Comfort 
Pipeline Company, L.P. (collectively referred to as Calhoun Point 
Comfort) in the above-referenced dockets. The Calhoun LNG Terminal and 
Pipeline Project (Project) would be located in Calhoun and Jackson 
Counties, Texas.
    The Final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that 
the proposed Project, with the appropriate mitigation measures as 
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Coast Guard, (Coast 
Guard), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA 
Fisheries); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT) are federal cooperating agencies for 
the development of this EIS. A federal cooperating agency has 
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any 
environmental impact involved with the proposal and is involved in the 
NEPA analysis.
    The general purpose of the proposed Project is to import, store, 
and vaporize on average about 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of 
LNG to provide a competitive supply of natural gas to local industrial 
customers and to deliver natural gas into existing interstate and 
intrastate natural gas pipelines.
    The Final EIS addresses the potential environmental impacts from 
the construction and operation of the following facilities:
     A new marine terminal on the southeastern shore of Lavaca 
Bay, south of Point Comfort, in Calhoun County, Texas that could 
accommodate about 120 LNG vessels per year;
     two full containment LNG storage tanks each with a nominal 
working volume of approximately 160,000 m3 (1,006,000 
barrels equivalent);
     associated LNG vaporization and processing equipment;
     an approximately 27.1-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter natural 
gas pipeline extending northward from the LNG terminal to natural gas 
pipeline interconnects southwest of Edna, Texas;
     a 0.25-mile-long, 8-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline 
lateral extending from the proposed pipeline to a meter station 
servicing the Formosa Hydrocarbons Company (Formosa Lateral);
     a 0.25-mile-long, 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline 
lateral extending from the proposed pipeline to a meter station 
servicing the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation (Transco 
Lateral);
     ten delivery points/interconnects; and
     associated pipeline facilities including pig launcher and 
receiver facilities and three mainline valves.
    In a separate, but related action, the Calhoun County Navigational 
District (CCND) would dredge a turning basin and ship berth affecting 
about 49 acres of Lavaca Bay, resulting in the need to dispose of 
approximately 2.7 million cubic yards of dredged material. This 
activity is essential to the operation of the Calhoun LNG Project. 
Calhoun Point Comfort would use the CCND's turning basin to maneuver 
its LNG ships.
    Dependent upon Commission approval, Calhoun Point Comfort 
anticipates it would complete construction and begin operating the 
proposed Project in 2010.
    The Final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and 
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Public Reference Room, 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 Room identified above. In addition, the Final EIS has 
been mailed to affected landowners; various federal, state, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public 
interest groups; Native American tribes; local libraries and 
newspapers; intervenors; and other individuals that expressed an 
interest in the proposed Project.
    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 Calhoun Point Comfort 
authorizations for the proposed Project, it would be subject to a 30-
day rehearing period. Therefore, the Commission could issue its 
decision concurrently with the EPA's notice of availability.
    Additional information about the proposed 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). To access information 
via the FERC Web site click on the ``eLibrary'' link then click on 
``General Search'' and enter the docket number (CP05-91) excluding the 
last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected 
an appropriate date range. The ``eLibrary'' link provides access to the 
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, 
notices, and rulemakings. For assistance with ``eLibrary'', please 
contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll free 
at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.

[[Page 46455]]

    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 
these documents. To learn more about eSubscription and to sign-up for 
this service please go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary .
 [FR Doc. E7-16252 Filed 8-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P