[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 198 (Wednesday, October 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61804-61807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26075]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF15-27-000]


Venture Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
anEnvironmental Impact Statement for the Planned Plaquemines LNG 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Meeting

    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 Plaquemines LNG Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Venture Global 
Plaquemines LNG, LLC (Plaquemines LNG) in Plaquemines Parish and 
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The Commission will use this EIS in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public interest.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies on the project. You can make a difference by providing us \1\ 
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. 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 November 4, 
2015.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on July 2, 2015, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. PF15-27-000 to ensure they are considered as 
part of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
project 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 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;

[[Page 61805]]

    (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 project docket number 
(PF15-27-000) 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 the public scoping meeting its staff 
will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows: FERC Public 
Scoping Meeting, Plaquemines LNG Project, October 21, 2015 at 6:00 
p.m., Belle Chasse Auditorium, 8398 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037.
    We will begin our sign-up of speakers at 5:30 p.m. The scoping 
meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a description of our environmental 
review process by Commission staff, after which speakers will be 
called. The meeting will end once all speakers have provided their 
comments or at 9:00 p.m., whichever comes first. Please note that there 
may be a time limit of three minutes to present comments, and speakers 
should structure their comments accordingly. If time limits are 
implemented, they will be strictly enforced to ensure that as many 
individuals as possible are given an opportunity to comment. The 
meetings will be recorded by a stenographer to ensure comments are 
accurately recorded. Transcripts will be entered into the formal record 
of the Commission proceeding.
    Plaquemines LNG representatives will be present one hour prior to 
the start of the scoping meeting to provide additional information 
about the project and to answer questions.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ 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 by calling (202) 502-8371. For instructions 
on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
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Summary of the Planned Project

    Plaquemines LNG plans to construct and operate natural gas 
liquefaction and export facilities at a planned liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) terminal on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines 
Parish, Louisiana (Terminal) and construct and operated associated 
lateral pipelines in Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes that would 
connect the Terminal to the existing interstate U.S. natural gas grid. 
The Plaquemines LNG Project would provide total liquefaction nameplate 
capacity of about 978 billion cubic feet per year (Bcf/yr) of natural 
gas. According to Plaquemines LNG, the project would provide a cost-
effective outlet for new domestic natural gas available for the market.
    The Plaquemines LNG Project would be constructed in two phases and 
would consist of the following facilities:
    A liquefaction plant consisting of ten liquefaction blocks in Phase 
1 and ten liquefaction blocks in Phase 2, with each block having a 
nameplate capacity of 1.0 million tonnes per annum (with higher 
capacity during peak conditions);
    Four 200,000-cubic-meter (m\3\) LNG aboveground storage tanks;
    Three marine loading berths capable of receiving ocean-going LNG 
carriers of between 120,000 m\3\ and 210,000 m\3\ capacity;
    One temporary floating LNG storage vessel;
    One utility dock on the Mississippi River;
    A combined cycle gas turbine power plant with a generating capacity 
for Phase 1 of approximately 720 megawatts (MW), which would be 
expanded in Phase 2 to include an additional 720 MW of generating 
capacity;
    The Southeast Lateral Pipeline, consisting of about 12.1 miles of 
42-inch-diameter pipeline in Plaquemines Parish, with a gas supply 
capability of 0.85 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) for Phase 1;
    The Southwest Lateral Pipeline, consisting of about 11.1 miles of 
42-inch-diameter pipeline in Plaquemines Parish, with a gas supply 
capability of 0.85 Bcf/d for Phase 1;
    The Northwest Lateral Pipeline, consisting of about 21.2 miles of 
42-inch-diameter pipeline in Jefferson Parish, with a gas supply 
capability of 1.7 Bcf/d for Phase 2;
    Four meter stations, each with a pig \3\ launcher and pressure 
regulating valve;
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    \3\ 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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    A gas gate station located at the Terminal, with pig receivers, 
filter/separators, custody transfer meters, pressure regulators, 
emergency shutdown valves, and gas analyzers; and
    Mainline valves (MLV).
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
2.\4\
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    \4\ 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 by calling (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

    Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 1,233.2 
acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. 
Following construction, Plaquemines LNG would maintain about 910.3 
acres for permanent operation of the project's facilities; the 
remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former uses.
    The Terminal would include a construction workspace area of 632.6 
acres, all of which would be maintained and used during operations. The 
three lateral pipelines and associated facilities, including access 
roads, and contractor yards/staging areas are still in the design 
stages; however, the temporary construction workspace would include 
about 600.6 acres, and about 277.7 acres would be maintained during 
operation.

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 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 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.
    In the EIS, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned project under these 
general headings:
    Geology and soils;
    Land use;
    Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
    Cultural resources;
    Vegetation and wildlife including migratory birds;

[[Page 61806]]

    Air quality and noise;
    Endangered and threatened species;
    Public safety;
    Socioeconomics; and
    Cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible 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.
    Although no formal application has 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 this project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the EIS.\5\ 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.
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    \5\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities can be found 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 Louisiana 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.\6\ 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 
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 under section 106.
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    \6\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
can be found at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. 
These 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 several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Plaquemines LNG. This 
preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and our 
analysis.
    Threatened and endangered species;
    Fish, wildlife, and vegetation;
    Land use and aesthetics;
    Socioeconomics;
    Marine traffic;
    Public safety and reliability: the LNG pipelines would cross State 
Highway 23, or State Highway 23 would need to be relocated;
    Air quality and noise;
    Water use and quality; and
    Cumulative impacts.

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 
planned project.
    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 Plaquemines 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. Motions to intervene are more fully described at 
http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Instructions 
for becoming an intervenor are in the ``Document-less Intervention 
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 (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-
27-000). 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.


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    Dated: October 5, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-26075 Filed 10-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P