[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 174 (Monday, September 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52037-52038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-20717]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP07-441-000; Docket No. CP07-444-000]


Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline, LP, Jordan Cove Energy Project, 
LP; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Proposed Jordan Cove LNG and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline 
Project

August 29, 2008.
    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) 
import terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Jordan 
Cove Energy Project, LP (Jordan Cove) and Pacific Connector Gas 
Pipeline LP (Pacific Connector) in the above-referenced dockets. We \1\ 
call this the Jordan Cove Energy and Pacific Connector Pipeline (JCE & 
PCGP) Project, or simply the Project. The JCE & PCGP Project facilities 
would be located in Coos, Douglas, Jackson, and Klamath Counties, 
Oregon.
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    \1\ The pronouns ``we,'' ``us,'' or ``our'' refer to the 
environmental staff of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The United States (U.S.) Department 
of Agriculture Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Coast Guard, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of 
the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of the Interior 
Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation, and Douglas 
County, Oregon, are cooperating agencies for the development of this 
EIS. A cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or special expertise 
with respect to potential environmental impacts associated with the 
proposal and is involved in the NEPA analysis.
    Based on the analysis included in the draft EIS, the FERC staff 
concludes that the proposed action would have limited adverse 
environmental impacts. However, if the Project is constructed and 
operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and with 
implementation of Jordan Cove's and Pacific Connector's proposed 
mitigation measures, and the additional mitigation measures recommended 
by staff, environmental impacts would be substantially reduced.
    The purpose of the Project is to provide a new import access point 
for overseas LNG and provide a new source of natural gas to markets in 
the Pacific Northwest, northern Nevada, and northern California. LNG is 
natural gas that has been turned into a liquid state by cooling it to 
about -260 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce its volume for transport in 
specially designed carriers some distance across oceans from its point 
of origin to the proposed Jordan Cove LNG import terminal in Coos Bay. 
Jordan Cove would off-load and would store the LNG in specially 
designed tanks at its terminal, vaporize the LNG back into natural gas, 
and provide up to 1.0 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to the 
region through the Pacific Connector sendout pipeline and 
interconnections with an intrastate pipeline, and four interstate 
pipeline systems.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects 
associated with the construction and operation of the facilities listed 
below. Jordan Cove's import terminal, located on the bay side of the 
North Spit of Coos Bay, at about Channel Mile 7.5 up the existing Coos 
Bay navigation channel, in Coos County, Oregon, would include:
     Access channel from the existing Coos Bay navigation 
channel and slip;
     LNG unloading berth and transfer pipeline;
     Two full-containment LNG storage tanks, each with a 
capacity 160,000 m\3\ (or 1,006,000 barrels);
     Vapor handling system, and vaporization equipment capable 
of regasifying the LNG for delivery into the natural gas sendout 
pipeline;
     Piping, ancillary buildings, safety systems, and other 
support facilities;
     A natural gas liquids (NGL) extraction facility, with the 
NGL to be sold to an entity other than Jordan Cove and likely 
transported from the terminal using existing railroad lines;
     37-megawatt, natural gas-fired, simple-cycle combustion 
turbine powerplant to provide electric power for the LNG terminal; and
     Three disposal areas for the storage of excavated and 
dredged materials resulting from the construction of the access channel 
and slip.
    Pacific Connector's natural gas facilities, extending from the 
Jordan Cove terminal southeast across Coos, Douglas, Jackson, and 
Klamath Counties Oregon, to its terminus near Malin, with 
interconnections with Avista Corporation, Williams Northwest Pipeline 
Corporation (Williams Northwest), Gas Transmission Northwest 
Corporation, Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company, and Pacific Gas and 
Electric Company, would include:
     229.5-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter welded steel underground 
interstate natural gas pipeline;
     Natural gas compressor station at Butte Falls, in Jackson 
County, consisting of two new 10,310-horsepower (hp) compressor units;
     Four natural gas meter stations, including the Jordan Cove 
Receipt Meter Station in Coos County, Clarks Branch Delivery Meter 
Station in Douglas County, Shady Cove Delivery Meter Station in Jackson 
County, and the adjoining Tule Lake, Russell Canyon, and Buck Butte 
Meter Stations in Klamath County;
     Gas control communication system, consisting of new radio 
towers at each meter station and the compressor station, use of an 
existing communication site owned by Williams Northwest and leased 
space on seven other existing communication towers;
     Mainline block valves (MLV) at approximately 16 locations 
along the Pacific Connector pipeline; and
     Five pig \2\ launchers and receivers, four co-located with 
meter stations and the compressor station, and the fifth co-located 
with a MLV.
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    \2\ A ``pig'' is a tool for cleaning and inspecting the inside 
of a pipeline.
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Comment Procedures

    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure 
consideration prior to the Commission making a decision on the 
proposals, it is important that the Commission receives your comments 
before December 4, 2008. Please carefully follow the instructions below 
so that your comments are properly recorded.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances please reference the 
Project Docket Numbers CP07-441-000 and CP07-444-000 with your 
submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and 
has dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-
8258 or [email protected].
    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick 
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's internet Web site 
at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick 
Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only 
comments on a project;
    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling

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feature, which is located on the Commission's internet Web site at 
http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling 
involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if 
filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard 
drive. You will attach that file as your submission. New eFiling users 
must first create an account by clicking on ``Sign up'' or 
``eRegister.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you are 
making. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on 
a Filing''; or
    (3) You may file your comments via mail to the Commission by 
sending 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, 
PJ-11.3. Mail your comments promptly, so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before December 4, 2008.
    In addition to receiving written comments, by mail or 
electronically, we will hold a series of public meetings at several 
locations near the Project area in southwestern Oregon to take oral 
comments on the draft EIS. The FERC will issue a notice in the near 
future providing the dates, time, and locations of these public comment 
meetings.
    After comments on the draft EIS are reviewed, any significant new 
issues are investigated, and modifications are made to the EIS text, a 
final EIS will be published and distributed. The final EIS will contain 
the staff's responses to timely comments received on the draft EIS.
    Comments will be considered by the Commission and the cooperating 
agencies 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). Only intervenors 
have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision. Further 
instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the User's 
Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). You do not need intervenor status to have your 
environmental 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.
    Volumes 1 and 2 of the draft EIS, containing text of the analysis, 
was printed in hard copy. Volume 3, containing the appendices, was 
produced as .pdf files on a compact disk (CD) that can be read by a 
personal computer with a CD-ROM drive. A limited number of hard copies 
and CDs of the draft EIS are available from the FERC's Public Reference 
Room, identified above. This draft EIS is also available for public 
viewing on the FERC's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov, via the 
eLibrary link.
    Copies of the draft EIS have been mailed to federal, state, and 
local agencies; elected officials; Indian tribes and Native American 
organizations with an interest in the project area; interveners; 
regional environmental organizations and public interest groups; 
affected landowners; local libraries and newspapers; and other 
interested parties. Hard copies of volumes 1 and 2 were mailed to 
cooperating agencies; other appropriate federal, state, and local 
government agencies who participated in interagency meetings; 
intervenors; and parties that specifically requested hard copies. All 
others on the mailing list were sent a single CD containing all volumes 
of the draft EIS.
    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). Go to Documents & 
Filings and choose the eLibrary link. Under eLibrary, click on 
``General Search,'' and enter the docket number excluding the last 
three digits in the field (e.g., CP07-441). 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 call 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 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 the eSubscription 
link on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/esubscripenow.htm).

Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-20717 Filed 9-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P