[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 127 (Thursday, July 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38189-38191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16311]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. PF15-18-000 and PF15-19-000]


Port Arthur LNG, LLC and Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC; Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned 
Port Arthur Liquefaction Project and Port Arthur Pipeline Project, 
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meetings

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Port Arthur Liquefaction 
Project and Port Arthur Pipeline Project (projects) involving 
construction and operation of facilities by Port Arthur LNG, LLC 
(PALNG) and Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC (PAPL), respectively, in 
Jefferson and Orange Counties, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana. 
The Commission will use this EIS in its decision-making process to 
determine whether the projects are in the public interest and 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 projects. You can make a difference by providing us 
with your specific comments or concerns about the projects. Your 
comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, 
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impacts. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what 
issues they need to evaluate in the EIS. To ensure that your comments 
are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so that the 
Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before July 24, 2015.
    If you sent comments on these projects to the Commission before the 
opening of these dockets on March 31, 2015, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket Nos. PF15-18-000 and PF15-19-000 to ensure they are 
considered as part of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for these projects. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of these planned 
projects and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company 
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the Commission approves the Port Arthur Pipeline Project, that approval 
conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement 
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could 
initiate condemnation proceedings where compensation would be 
determined 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?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). 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.

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. The Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments and has expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 
or [email protected]. Please carefully follow these instructions so that 
your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a 
variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your submission. 
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on 
``eRegister.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project, 
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address. Be sure to reference the projects' docket 
numbers (PF15-18-000 for the Port Arthur Liquefaction Project; PF15-19-
000 for the Port Arthur Pipeline Project) with your submission: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend one of the public scoping meetings its 
staff will conduct in the projects' area, scheduled as follows.

FERC Public Scoping Meetings--Port Arthur Liquefaction Project and Port 
Arthur Pipeline Project

Holiday Inn Port Arthur-Park Central, 2929 Jimmy Johnson Blvd., Port 
Arthur, Texas 77642

Monday, July 13, 2015
Midday Meeting--11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Evening Meeting--5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

    You may attend at any time during either session, as the primary 
goal of a scoping meeting is for us to have your environmental concerns 
documented. There will not be a formal presentation, but you will have 
the opportunity to learn, in an open-house setting, about the FERC 
Process in addition to presenting your comments. Representatives of 
PAPL and PALNG will also be present to answer questions about their 
projects.
    A court reporter will be available to take verbal comments. Those 
comments will be transcribed and then placed into the dockets for the 
projects and be available for public viewing on FERC's eLibrary system 
in the respective dockets. We believe it is important to note that 
verbal comments hold the same weight as written or electronically 
submitted comments. If a significant number of people are interested in 
providing verbal comments, a time limit of 3 to 5 minutes may be 
implemented for each commenter to ensure all those wishing to comment 
have the opportunity to do so within the designated meeting times. Time 
limits will be strictly enforced if they are implemented.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' 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.

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[[Page 38190]]

Summary of the Planned Project

    PALNG, an affiliate of Sempra LNG, and PAPL, a subsidiary of Sempra 
U.S. Gas and Power, LLC, are planning to construct and operate 
interrelated liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and natural gas 
infrastructure projects. The Port Arthur Liquefaction Project would 
involve the construction of an LNG export terminal and a marine 
facility to accommodate LNG vessels along the Sabine-Neches ship 
channel in Jefferson County, Texas, with a total production capacity of 
up to 1.38 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas. The Port 
Arthur Pipeline Project would involve the construction of about 35 
miles of new pipeline and would provide approximately 1.6 bcf/d of feed 
natural gas supply to the LNG facilities. The projects would also 
require the relocation of a portion of State Highway 87 and up to five 
existing third-party pipelines to accommodate a marine terminal berth 
for ship docking and loading.
    The Port Arthur Liquefaction Project and Port Arthur Pipeline 
Project would consist of the following facilities:

 An export liquefaction terminal that includes:
    [cir] Two liquefaction trains;
    [cir] a natural gas liquids (NGL) and refrigerant storage area;
    [cir] a marine facility, including two LNG berths, each with three 
liquid loading arms, one vapor loading arm, and one spare hybrid 
loading arm;
    [cir] an NGL and refrigerant truck loading/unloading facility;
    [cir] a construction dock; and
    [cir] three full containment LNG storage tanks;
 an approximately 28-mile-long, 42-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending northerly from the LNG facility to Orange County, Texas;
 an approximately 7-mile-long, 42-inch-diameter pipeline 
extending southerly to Cameron Parish, Louisiana;
 two compressor stations;
 one delivery point and six receipt point meter stations;
 mainline and block valves;
 pig launchers and receiver facilities; \2\ and
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    \2\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company inserts into 
and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning the pipeline, 
conducting internal inspections, or other purposes.
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 other pipeline-related facilities (e.g., access roads, 
contractor and pipe yards).

    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
2.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned Port Arthur Liquefaction Project would 
occur on a portion of a 2,900-acre property owned by an affiliate of 
PALNG. The LNG ship berth would be approximately 1,350 feet in width 
and 1,900 feet in length and dredged to a nominal depth of minus 40 
feet mean lower low water. Construction of the marine facilities would 
require dredging of approximately 4.9 million cubic yards (yd\3\) of 
material and construction of the turning basin would require the 
dredging of approximately 1.4 million yd\3\, for a total of 6.3 million 
yd\3\.
    Construction of the planned Port Arthur Pipeline Project would 
disturb about 580 acres of land for the pipeline and aboveground 
facilities. Following construction, PAPL would maintain about 217 acres 
for permanent operation of the pipeline project; the remaining acreage 
would be restored and revert to former uses.

The EIS 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 authorization of LNG 
facilities under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act and the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us 
\3\ 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 EIS on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. We will 
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EIS.
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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned projects under these 
general headings:

 Geology and soils;
 land use;
 water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
 cultural resources;
 vegetation and wildlife;
 air quality and noise;
 endangered and threatened species;
 socioeconomics;
 public safety; and
 cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned projects 
or portions of the projects, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal applications have been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EIS.
    The EIS will present our independent analysis of the issues. We 
will publish and distribute the draft EIS for public comment. After the 
comment period, we will consider all timely comments and revise the 
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. To ensure we have 
the opportunity to consider and address your comments, please carefully 
follow the instructions in the Public Participation section, beginning 
on page 2.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues 
related to these projects to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EIS.\4\ Agencies that would like to request 
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this 
notice. Currently, the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of 
Transportation have expressed their intention to participate as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS to satisfy their NEPA 
responsibilities related to these projects.
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    \4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, part 1501.6.
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Consultations Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, we are using this notice to initiate consultation 
with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the projects' potential effects on

[[Page 38191]]

historic properties.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPOs as the projects 
develop. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum 
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include 
construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor 
stations, and access roads). Our EIS for these projects will document 
our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the 
status of consultations under section 106.
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    \5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified two specific issues that we think 
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the planned 
facilities and the environmental information provided by PAPL and 
PALNG. This preliminary list of issues may change based on your 
comments and our analysis.

 Impacts on wetlands; and
 Impacts on Texas Parks and Wildlife Department land.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes 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. This list also 
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits 
comments on the projects. We will update the environmental mailing list 
as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related 
to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and 
government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the 
planned projects.
    Copies of the completed draft EIS will be sent to the environmental 
mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to 
receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would 
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the 
attached Information Request (appendix 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once PAPL and PALNG file their applications with the Commission, 
you may want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to 
the Commission's 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 the proceeding by filing a 
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in 
the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web 
site. Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for 
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission 
receives formal applications for the projects.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the projects 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., PF15-
18 for the Port Arthur Liquefaction Project; PF15-19 for the Port 
Arthur Pipeline Project). 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, 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 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.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: June 24, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-16311 Filed 7-1-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P