[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 193 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60377-60379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25387]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF14-17-000]


Louisiana LNG Energy, LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Mississippi 
River LNG Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues 
Related to Project Changes

    On October 3, 2014, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC 
or Commission) issued in Docket No. PF14-17-000 a Notice of Intent to 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Mississippi 
River LNG Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues 
(NOI). Since the NOI was issued Louisiana LNG Energy, LLC (Louisiana 
LNG) has made project changes. This Supplemental Notice is being issued 
to seek comments on the project changes and opens a new scoping period 
for interested parties to file comments on environmental issues 
specific to these facilities.
    The October 3, 2014 NOI announced that the FERC is the lead federal 
agency responsible for conducting the environmental review of the 
Mississippi River LNG Project (Project) and that the Commission staff 
will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that discusses the 
environmental impacts of the Project. Please refer to the NOI for more 
information about the overall facilities proposed by Louisiana LNG and 
FERC staff's EIS process. This EIS will be used in part by the 
Commission to determine whether the Mississippi River LNG Project is in 
the public convenience and necessity. On November 17, 2015, Louisiana 
LNG is planning on having another open house to give the new landowners 
the opportunity to attend and learn about the Project and the FERC 
process.
    This Supplemental Notice is being sent to the Commission's current 
environmental mailing list for this Project, including new landowners 
that would be affected by the project changes. We encourage elected 
officials and government representatives to notify their constituents 
about the Project and inform them on how they can comment on their 
areas of concern. Please note that comments on this Notice should be 
filed with the Commission by October 30, 2015.
    If your property would be affected by the Project, you should have 
already been contacted by a Louisiana LNG representative. A Louisiana 
LNG

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representative may have also contacted you or may contact you in the 
near future about the acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, 
and maintain the planned pipeline facilities or request permission to 
perform environmental surveys on your property. If the Commission 
approves the Project, that approval conveys with it the right of 
eminent domain for easement acquisition for the pipeline. Therefore, if 
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the company could 
initiate condemnation proceedings where compensation would be 
determined in accordance with state law.
    To help potentially affected landowners better understand the 
Commission and its environmental review process, the ``For Citizens'' 
section of the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) provides information about 
getting involved in FERC jurisdictional projects, and a citizens' guide 
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I 
Need to Know?'' This guide addresses a number of frequently asked 
questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate 
in the Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Planned Project Changes

    Louisiana LNG is planning the following changes in response to new 
ownership and additional environmental and engineering analysis:
     Increase the production capacity to 6.0 million tons per 
annum (MTPA) from 2.0 MTPA;
     increase the storage capacity of the LNG storage tanks to 
140,000 cubic meters (net) from 100,000 cubic meters;
     increase the pipeline from the 1.9-mile 24-inch-diameter 
to 1.9-mile 36-inch-diameter (northern pipeline) with an associated 
meter station that would deliver gas from the Tennessee Gas interstate 
pipeline system;
     increase the pipeline from the 1.6-mile 12-inch-diameter 
to 3.5-mile 36-inch-diameter (southern pipeline) that would deliver gas 
from the Tennessee Gas Pipeline system to the facility;
     eliminate the truck loading facility from the Project 
design; and
     eliminate the compressor station from the Project design.
    A map depicting the general location of the Project facilities is 
included in Appendix 1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to 
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' of fromthe 
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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Land Requirements for Construction

    The planned construction would impact a 190-acre site on the east 
bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, which 
would include the liquefaction trains, LNG storage tanks, marine 
loading facilities, the electrical power station, and ancillary 
facilities. The full 190-acre site would be fenced and retained for 
operations of the planned Project. Construction of the two pipelines 
and associated meter stations would require approximately 65 acres of 
land, 33 of which would be permanently impacted during operations. 
Louisiana LNG is still in the planning phase for the Project and 
requirements for construction workspaces, access roads, and pipe 
storage/contractor yards would be determined during engineering and 
design.

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. NEPA also requires us \2\ 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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    \2\ ``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 proposed Project. We will also 
evaluate reasonable alternatives to the planned Project or portions of 
the Project, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts 
on the various resource areas.
    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 below.

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 Louisiana Office of Historic Preservation (State Historic 
Preservation Office [SHPO]), and to solicit their views and those of 
other government agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on 
the Project's potential effects on historic properties.\3\ We will 
define the Project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in 
consultation with the SHPO as the Project develops. On natural gas 
facility projects, the APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject 
to ground disturbance (examples include the terminal plot, construction 
right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor stations, and 
access roads). Our EIS for this Project will document our findings on 
the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of 
consultations with the Louisiana Office of Historic Preservation under 
section 106.
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    \3\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 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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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 your comments so 
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 
October 30, 2015.
    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 (PF14-17-000) with your submission. 
The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
    (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

[[Page 60379]]

method for interested persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a 
project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically 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.'' You must select the type of filing you are making. If 
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select 
``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426.

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 Project. 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 
proposed Project.
    When we publish and distribute the EIS, copies 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 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Louisiana LNG files its application 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 a formal application for the project.

Additional Information

    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 at 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., PF14-
17). 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 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 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: September 30, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-25387 Filed 10-5-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P