[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 14 (Friday, January 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4180-4182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1348]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-28-000]


Henry Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Henry Gas Storage Project 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues and Notice of Public 
Meeting

January 14, 2009.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is in 
the process of preparing an environmental assessment (EA) on the 
environmental impacts of the Henry Gas Storage Project (HGS Project) 
involving the construction and operation of a new natural gas storage 
facility and new natural gas pipeline proposed by Henry Gas Storage, 
LLC (HGS).
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process that will 
be used to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
Project. Your input will help determine which issues will be evaluated 
in the EA. Please note that the scoping period for this Project will 
close on February 13, 2009.
    Comments on the Project may be submitted in written form or 
verbally. In lieu of, or in addition, to sending written comments, we 
also invite you to attend the public scoping meeting that has been 
scheduled in the Project area on January 27, 2009. Details on how to 
submit comments and additional details of the public scoping meeting 
are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested 
parties; and local libraries and newspapers. We \1\ encourage 
government representatives to notify their constituents of this planned 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
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    \1\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an 
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed pipeline 
facilities. The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually 
acceptable agreement. However, if the Project is approved by the 
Commission, that approval conveys with it the right of federal eminent 
domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an 
agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation proceedings 
in accordance with state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the 
project notice HGS provided to landowners. This fact sheet addresses a 
number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent 
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. It is 
available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov).

Summary of the Proposed Project

    HGS proposes to construction and operate an 11.5 billion cubic-feet 
capacity natural gas salt-dome storage facility on Cote Blanche Island 
in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana as well as a 12-mile, 24-inch-diameter 
pipeline lateral. The HGS Project would have a withdrawal capacity of 
2.6 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas per day and an injection 
capacity of up to 1 bcf per day.
    Location maps depicting the proposed facilities are attached to 
this NOI as Appendix 1.\2\ HGS anticipates filing its application in 
March 2009 with a request that the Commission issue a certificate by 
September 2009. HGS

[[Page 4181]]

plans to complete the proposed project and commence service by April 
2012.
    Specifically, HGS proposes the following primary components for the 
HGS Project:
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not printed in 
the Federal Register, but they are being provided to all those who 
receive this notice in the mail. Copies of the NOI can be obtained 
from the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link, from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, or by calling (202) 502-8371. 
For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the end of this 
notice.
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     Main Plant Site--Approximately 367 acres which would 
include the following:
    >< Solution mining 
equipment;
    >< Gas dehydration 
system;
    >< Gas meter and pig 
launcher and receiving facilities;
    >< Power generation, 
utility systems, safety and fire equipment; and
    >< Compressor Station 
which would consist of 14 reciprocating gas-fired engine/compressor 
packages with a total of 66,220 horsepower;
     Four salt dome natural gas storage caverns;
     Brine decanting tank site;
     Raw water intake;
     Ferry landing, barge dock & helipad site;
     Approximately 25 miles of subsea 24-inch diameter brine 
disposal pipeline terminating at the brine disposal outlet;
     Brine disposal outlet approximately 6.5 miles south-
southeast of Marsh Island in Iberia Parish Louisiana;
     Approximately 12 miles of 24-inch diameter natural gas 
pipeline;
     Eight tie-in and metering facilities along the natural gas 
pipeline route; and
     Pipe fabrication yard.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could 
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
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, the Commission staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the 
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the 
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify 
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    In the EA we 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.
     Water Resources.
     Aquatic Resources.
     Vegetation and Wildlife.
     Threatened and Endangered Species.
     Land use, Recreation, and Visual Resources.
     Cultural Resources.
     Socioeconomics.
     Air Quality and Noise.
     Reliability and Safety.
     Cumulative Impacts.
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to 
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending 
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be 
published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make 
our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure your comments are 
considered, please carefully follow the instructions in the public 
participation section below.
    With this NOI, we are 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. These agencies may choose to participate once they have 
evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. Additional 
agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status should 
follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the Public 
Participation section of this NOI.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention 
based on our previous experience with similar projects in the region. 
This preliminary list of issues, which is presented below, may be 
revised based on your comments and our continuing analyses specific to 
the HGS Project.
     Impacts of the pipeline on waterbodies, wetlands and 
endangered species;
     Air quality impacts due to emissions from compressor 
station;
     Water quality and fisheries impacts due to brine disposal; 
and
     Impacts to fisheries and oyster beds from the brine 
disposal pipeline.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the HGS Project. Your comments should focus 
on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, 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 send in your comments 
so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before February 
13, 2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your written comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the Project docket number PF08-28-000 with your submission. 
The docket numbers can be found on the front of this notice. 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 
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.
    The public scoping meeting (date, time, and location listed below) 
are designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on the 
proposed Project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to 
attend the

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meetings and to present comments on the environmental issues that they 
believe should be addressed in the EA. A transcript of the scoping 
meeting will be generated so that your comments can be accurately 
recorded.
    Date: Tuesday, January 27, Scoping Meeting, 6 to 8 p.m.
    Location: Best Western, Forest Motor Inn & Restaurant, 1909 Main 
St., Franklin, LA 70538.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners whose 
property may be used temporarily for project purposes, who have 
existing easements from the pipeline, or who own homes within distances 
defined in the Commission's regulations of certain aboveground 
facilities.
    If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to 
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request 
(Appendix 2). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be 
taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once HGS formally files its applications 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 formal applications are 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 (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, 
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 http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E9-1348 Filed 1-22-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P