[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3718-3722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-965]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF07-16-000]


UGI LNG, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed Temple LNG Plant Expansion Project and 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

January 15, 2008.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will 
discuss the environmental impacts of the proposed Temple LNG Plant 
Expansion Project involving construction and operation of facilities by 
UGI LNG, Inc. (UGI LNG) in Ontelaunee Township, Berks County, 
Pennsylvania. The EA will be used by

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the Commission in its decisionmaking process to determine whether the 
project is in the public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. Your input will help determine which issues 
need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period for 
this Notice will close on February 18, 2008. Details on how to submit 
comments are provided in the Public Participation section of this 
notice. Further notice will be issued in the near future regarding any 
local public comment meetings to be held by the Commission staff.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. State and 
local government representatives are asked to notify their constituents 
of this proposed project and to encourage them to comment on their 
areas of concern.
    A brochure prepared by the FERC entitled ``A Guide to LNG--What All 
Citizens Should Know'' is available for viewing on the FERC Internet 
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). This brochure addresses a number of 
typically asked questions, including what is LNG and how is it 
transported.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    UGI LNG proposes to expand its existing Temple LNG Plant in 
Ontelaunee Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania (see map in Appendix 
1\1\). The expansion would consist of adding one LNG storage tank with 
a net working capacity of 50,000 cubic meters.
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the 
Commission's Web site at the eLibrary link or from the Commission's 
Public Reference Room or by calling (202) 502-8371. For instructions 
on connecting to eLibrary refer to the public participation section 
of this notice. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the ``Additional Information'' section at the end of this notice. 
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this 
notice in the mail. Requests for detailed maps of the proposed 
facilities should be made directly to UGI LNG.
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    Specifically, UGI LNG seeks authority to construct and operate the 
following facilities:
     One full-containment LNG storage tank with a net working 
capacity of 50,000 cubic meters (314,500 barrels);
     Three vapor return blowers;
     Two boil-off gas compressors;
     Six LNG send out pumps;
     Six submerged combustion vaporizers;
     A shell-and-tube gas-to-gas exchanger;
     Send-out pipeline connecting the new LNG tank to the 
existing Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation (TETCO) pipeline; and
     A control building.

Land Requirements

    It is estimated that construction of the project would disturb 
about 15 acres of land. This land is within the existing plant site 
owned by UGI LNG and on adjacent existing right-of-way controlled by 
TETCO.

The EA Process

    We \2\ are preparing this EA to comply with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires the Commission to take 
into account the environmental impact that could result if it 
authorizes UGI LNG's proposal. By this notice, we are also asking 
federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special 
expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate 
with us in the preparation of the EA.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    Agencies that would like to request cooperating status should 
follow the instructions for filing comments provided below.
    The purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to seek public and agency 
input early in the project planning phase and encourage involvement by 
interested stakeholders in a manner that allows for the early 
identification and resolution of environmental issues. We will work 
with all interested stakeholders to identify and attempt to address 
issues before UGI LNG files its application with the FERC. A diagram 
depicting the environmental review process for the proposed project is 
attached to this notice as Appendix 2.
    NEPA also requires the FERC to discover and address concerns the 
public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as 
``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the 
analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this 
Notice of Intent, we are requesting public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EA. All comments received will be considered 
during the preparation of the EA. As part of the Pre-filing Process 
review, FERC staff representatives participated in a public open house 
sponsored by UGI LNG in the project area on December 18, 2007, to 
explain the environmental review process to interested stakeholders and 
take comments about the project.
    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general 
headings:
     Geology and soils.
     Wetlands and waterbodies.
     Land use.
     Cultural resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife (including sensitive species).
     Air and noise quality.
     Reliability, safety and security.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA which will 
be published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, 
interested individuals who return the Information Request Form in 
Appendix 3, and the Commission's official service list for this 
proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review when the EA is 
published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our 
recommendations to the Commission.
    Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has 
already initiated its NEPA review under its Pre-filing Process. The 
purpose of the Pre-filing Process is to encourage the early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before an 
application is filed with the FERC. Once a formal application is filed 
with the FERC, a new docket number will be established.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, reasonable alternatives to the proposal including alternative 
locations and routes, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. 
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 to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, 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 
Branch 3.
     Reference Docket No. PF07-16-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before February 18, 2008.

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    The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments. See 18 
Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on 
the Commission's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov under the 
``eFiling'' link and the link to the User's Guide. Prepare your 
submission in the same manner as you would if filing on paper and save 
it to a file on your hard drive. Before you can file comments you will 
need to create an account by clicking on ``Login to File'' and then 
``New User Account.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing 
you are making. This filing is considered a ``Comment on Filing.''
    If you are interested in receiving a copy of the EA, please return 
the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not return the 
Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
    Once UGI LNG formally files its application with the Commission, 
you may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an 
``intervenor.'' 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.

Additional Information

    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 (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 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 www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
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[FR Doc. E8-965 Filed 1-18-08; 8:45 am]
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