[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 99 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29436-29437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11861]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP07-52-000; Docket Nos. CP07-53-000; CP07-53-001]


Downeast LNG, Inc., Downeast Pipeline, LLC; Notice of 
Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Downeast LNG Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Downeast LNG Project, proposed by Downeast LNG, Inc. and 
Downeast Pipeline, LLC (collectively Downeast) in the above-referenced 
dockets. Downeast requests authorization to construct and operate a 
proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, natural gas 
sendout pipeline, and associated facilities in Washington County, 
Maine. The Downeast LNG Project would provide about 500 million cubic 
feet per day of imported natural gas to the New England region.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Downeast LNG Project in accordance 
with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 
The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with 
the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, would ensure that most 
impacts in the project area would be avoided or reduced to less than 
significant levels. Construction and operation of the project would 
primarily result in temporary and short-term environmental impacts; 
however, some long-term and permanent environmental impacts would 
occur.
    The U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries 
Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of 
Transportation; and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection 
participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS. 
Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with 
respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and 
participate in the NEPA analysis. Although the cooperating

[[Page 29437]]

agencies provided input to the conclusions and recommendations 
presented in the EIS, the agencies will present their own conclusions 
and recommendations in their respective Records of Decision or other 
determinations for the project.
    The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
     A new marine terminal that would include a 3,862-foot-long 
pier with a single berth and vessel mooring system, intended to handle 
LNG vessels ranging from 70,000 to 165,000 cubic meters in capacity, 
with future expansion capabilities to handle vessels with 220,000 cubic 
meters of cargo capacity;
     two full-containment LNG storage tanks, each with a 
nominal usable storage capacity of 160,000 cubic meters;
     LNG vaporization and processing equipment;
     piping, ancillary buildings, safety systems, and other 
support facilities;
     three vapor fences around the LNG terminal;
     a 29.8-mile-long, 30-inch-diameter underground natural gas 
pipeline;
     natural gas metering facilities located at the LNG 
terminal site; and
     various ancillary facilities including pigging \1\ 
facilities and three mainline block valves.
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    \1\ A ``pig'' is a tool for cleaning and inspecting the inside 
of a pipeline.
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    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EIS to Federal, state, and 
local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; 
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to 
this proceeding.
    Everyone on our environmental mailing list will receive a CD 
version of the final EIS. Paper copy versions of the EIS were mailed to 
those specifically requesting them. Only volume 1 of the final EIS, 
containing text of the analysis, was printed in hard copy. Volume 2, 
containing additional appendices, was produced as .pdf files on a CD. 
Responses to comments received on the draft EIS and Supplemental draft 
EIS are included in Appendix S and T, respectively. In addition, the 
EIS is available for public viewing on the FERC's Web site 
(www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited number of copies are 
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.
    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC 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 (i.e., CP07-
52 or CP07-53). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676; 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 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.

    Dated: May 15, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-11861 Filed 5-21-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P