[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18612-18614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07260]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP14-517-000; CP14-518-000]
Golden Pass Products, LLC and Golden Pass Pipeline, LLC; Notice
of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Golden Pass LNG Export Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the Golden Pass Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Project,
proposed by Golden Pass Products, LLC and Golden Pass Pipeline, LLC
(collectively referred to as Golden Pass) in the above-referenced
docket. Golden Pass requests authorization to expand and modify the
existing Golden Pass LNG Import Terminal to allow the export of LNG,
which would require construction and operation of various liquefaction,
LNG distribution, and appurtenant facilities. The Project would also
include construction of approximately 2.6 miles of 24-inch pipeline,
three new compressor stations, and interconnections for bi-directional
transport of natural gas to and from the Golden Pass LNG Export
terminal.
The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Golden Pass LNG Export 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
result in some adverse environmental impact; however, those impacts
would not be significant with
[[Page 18613]]
implementation of Golden Pass' proposed mitigation and the additional
measures recommended in the draft EIS.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard),
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency 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 agencies provided input to the conclusions and
recommendations presented in the draft EIS, the agencies will present
their own conclusions and recommendations in their respective Records
of Decision for the project.
The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
Liquefaction facilities at the existing Golden Pass Export
Terminal including three liquefaction trains, a truck unloading
facility, refrigerant and condensate storage, safety and control
systems, and associated infrastructure;
a supply dock and alternate marine delivery facilities at
the Terminal;
three miles of a new 24-inch-diameter pipeline loop \1\
adjacent to the existing Golden Pass pipeline;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ A loop is a segment of pipe that is installed adjacent to an
existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. A loop generally
allows more gas to move through the system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
three new compressor stations;
five new pipeline interconnections and modifications at
existing pipeline interconnections; and
miscellaneous appurtenant facilities.
The FERC staff mailed copies of the draft 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. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to those
specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version. In
addition, the draft 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.
Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure
consideration of your comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is
important that the Commission receive your comments on or before May
16, 2016.
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 project docket number
(CP14-517-000 or CP14-518-000) 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 one of the public comment meetings its
staff will conduct in the project area to receive comments on the draft
EIS, scheduled as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date and time Location
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, April 19, 2016, 7:00 p.m....... VFW Post 4759, 4402 Highway
12, Starks, Louisiana
70661, (337) 743-6409
Thursday, April 20, 2016, 7:00 p.m........ Sabine Pass ISD, 5641 South
Gulfway Drive, Sabine Pass,
Texas 77655, (409) 971-2321
------------------------------------------------------------------------
We will begin our sign up of speakers at 6:30 p.m. The scoping
meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a description of our
environmental review process by Commission staff, after which speakers
will be called. The meetings 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.
Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR part 385.214).\2\ Only intervenors have
the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision. The
Commission grants affected landowners and others with environmental
concerns intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which no other
party can adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments
will not give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor
status to have your comments considered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing
comments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions?
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., CP14-
517 or CP14-518). 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 that 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
[[Page 18614]]
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: March 25, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-07260 Filed 3-30-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P