[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 49 (Monday, March 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11094-11096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5559]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP09-59-000]


Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP; Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Pipeline Compressor Addition Project and Request for Comments 
on Environmental Issues

March 9, 2009.
    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 Pipeline Compressor Addition 
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by 
Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP (Cove Point) in Calvert County, 
Maryland.\1\ This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether the project is in the public 
convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ On February 3, 2009, Cove Point filed its application with 
the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 
of the Commission's regulations. The Commission issued its Notice of 
Application on February 18, 2009.
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    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we will 
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the 
project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine which 
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping 
period will close on April 8, 2009.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. State and local 
government representatives are asked to notify their constituents of 
this planned project and 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

    Cove Point is proposing to construct, install and operate on land 
owned by Cove Point:
     One 3,500 horsepower (HP) electric motor driven 
reciprocating compressor unit;
     Associated compressor piping;
     Electrical connections for power;
     System controls;
     Approximately 900 feet of 6-inch pipeline to replace 
existing 4-inch 108J discharge pipeline;
     Coalescing separator to replace existing coalescing 
separator; and
     Boil-off gas (BOG) turbine meter to replace existing BOG 
turbine meter.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 
1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices are 
available on the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link or 
from the Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on 
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. 
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this 
notice in the mail.
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    If approved, Cove Point proposes to commence construction of the 
proposed facilities in the beginning of May 2009 in order to meet an 
in-service date of early fourth quarter 2009.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the project would occur entirely on previously 
developed property inside the existing 136 acre fenced area for 
terminal operations and within the existing 1,017 acre Cove Point 
terminal site. The temporary footprint of the project construction area 
would take place on approximately 2 acres or less of previously 
disturbed land. The permanent footprint of the project area would 
affect less than 0.1 acre of previously disturbed land currently 
covered in stone.

The EA Process

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the 
Commission to

[[Page 11095]]

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 \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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    \3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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     Geology and soils.
     Land use.
     Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands.
     Cultural resources.
     Vegetation and wildlife.
     Air quality and noise.
     Endangered and threatened species.
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible 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 several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Cove Point. This preliminary 
list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
     The operation of the proposed compressor would contribute 
to noise generated by the existing Cove Point facility.
     No impacts would occur to water resources, fisheries, 
wetlands, vegetation or wildlife. Other than air quality and noise, all 
impacts would occur within existing Cove Point property.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the 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 April 8, 
2009.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the project docket number CP09-59-000 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&fnl 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, PJ11.3.

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 who are 
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily 
for project purposes, 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

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, 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.

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

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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. E9-5559 Filed 3-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P