[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 74 (Monday, April 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22585-22586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08884]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. 16-22-CGL]


SeaOne Gulfport, LLC; Application for Long-Term, Multi-Contract 
Authorization To Export Natural Gas Contained in Compressed Gas Liquid 
to Non-Free Trade Agreement Countries

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy 
(DOE) gives notice of receipt of an application (Application), filed on 
September 18, 2015, by SeaOne Gulfport, LLC (SeaOne), requesting long-
term, multi-contract authorization to export up to a total of 1.0 
billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas contained in 
Compressed Gas Liquid (CGL) by vessel \1\ to any country located in or 
adjoining the Caribbean Basin and the Gulf of Mexico with which the 
United States does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) requiring 
national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which trade is 
not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-FTA countries).\2\ SeaOne 
requests the authorization for a 30-year term to commence on the date 
of first commercial export. The Application was filed under section 3 
of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), 15 U.S.C. Section 717b, and Part 590 of 
the Department of Energy's (``DOE'') regulations, 10 CFR part 590 
(2011). SeaOne seeks to export the CGL from its proposed Gulfport CGL 
production facility, currently being developed within the existing Port 
of Gulfport, Mississippi. Additional details can be found in SeaOne's 
Application, posted on the DOE/FE Web site at http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/04/f30/16-22-cgl.pdf and in SeaOne's response to 
questions, posted on the DOE/FE Web site at http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/04/f30/Supplement.pdf. Protests, motions to intervene, 
notices of intervention, and written comments in response to the 
Application are invited.
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    \1\ SeaOne does not specify the method of transport in its 
Application. DOE/FE takes notice of the method indicated in SeaOne's 
previous authorization. See SeaOne Pascagoula, LLC, Order Granting 
Long-Term, Multi-Contract Authorization to Export by Vessel Natural 
Gas Contained In or Mixed With Compressed Gas Liquid From the 
Proposed Pascagoula Compressed Gas Liquid Export Facility to be 
Located at the Port of Pascagoula, Mississippi to Free Trade 
Agreement Nations in the Caribbean Basin and Gulf of Mexico, DOE/FE 
Docket 14-83-CGL, Order No. 3555 (Dec. 2, 2014); see also SeaOne 
Gulfport, LLC, Order Granting Request to Amend DOE/FE Order No. 3555 
to Reflect Changes in Site Location and Corporate Name, DOE/FE 
Docket 14-83-CGL, Order No. 3555-A (Sept. 25, 2015) (changing the 
name of the entity and the site location from Pascagoula, 
Mississippi to Gulfport, Mississippi).
    \2\ SeaOne previously received authorization to export natural 
gas contained in CGL to Free Trade Agreement Nations in DOE/FE Order 
Nos. 3555 and 3555-A.

DATES: Protests, motions to intervene or notices of intervention, as 
applicable, requests for additional procedures, and written comments 
are to be filed using procedures detailed in the Public Comment 
Procedures section no later than 4:30 p.m., Eastern time, June 17, 
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2016.

ADDRESSES:
    Electronic Filing by email: [email protected].
    Regular Mail: U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of 
Regulation and International Engagement, Office of Fossil Energy, P.O. 
Box 44375, Washington, DC 20026-4375.
    Hand Delivery or Private Delivery Services: (e.g., FedEx, UPS, 
etc.): U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of Regulation and 
International Engagement, Office of Fossil Energy, Forrestal Building, 
Room 3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Larine Moore or Benjamin Nussdorf, U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), 
Office of Regulation and International Engagement, Office of Fossil 
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9478; (202) 586-7893.
Edward Myers, U.S. Department of Energy (GC-76), Office of the 
Assistant General Counsel for Electricity and Fossil Energy, Forrestal 
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 
586-9793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

DOE/FE Evaluation

    The Application will be reviewed pursuant to section 3(a) of the 
NGA, 15 U.S.C. 717b(a), and DOE will consider any issues required by 
law or policy. To the extent determined to be relevant, these issues 
will include the domestic need for the natural gas proposed to be 
exported, the adequacy of domestic natural gas supply, U.S. energy 
security, and the cumulative impact of the requested authorization and 
any other natural gas export application(s) previously approved on 
domestic natural gas supply and demand fundamentals. DOE may also 
consider other factors bearing on the public interest, including the 
impact of the proposed exports on the U.S. economy (including GDP, 
consumers, and industry), job creation, the U.S. balance of trade, and 
international considerations; and whether the authorization is 
consistent with DOE's policy of promoting competition in the 
marketplace by allowing commercial parties to freely negotiate their 
own trade arrangements. As part of this analysis, DOE will consider the 
following two studies examining the cumulative impacts of exporting 
domestically produced LNG insofar as they may be applicable to this 
proceeding:
     Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas 
Exports on U.S. Energy Markets, conducted by the U.S. Energy 
Information Administration

[[Page 22586]]

upon DOE's request (2014 EIA LNG Export Study); \3\ and
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    \3\ The 2014 EIA LNG Export Study, published on Oct. 29, 2014, 
is available at: https://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/fe/.
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     The Macroeconomic Impact of Increasing U.S. LNG Exports, 
conducted jointly by the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University's 
Baker Institute for Public Policy and Oxford Economics, on behalf of 
DOE (2015 LNG Export Study).\4\
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    \4\ The 2015 LNG Export Study, dated Oct. 29, 2015, is available 
at: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/12/f27/20151113_macro_impact_of_lng_exports_0.pdf.

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Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental document:

     Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning 
Exports of Natural as From the United States, 79 FR 48132 (Aug. 15, 
2014); \5\
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    \5\ The Addendum and related documents are available at: http://energy.gov/fe/draft-addendum-environmental-review-documents-concerning-exports-natural-gas-united-states.

Parties that may oppose this Application should address the above-
listed issues and documents in their comments and/or protests, as well 
as other issues deemed relevant to the Application.
    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq., requires DOE to give appropriate consideration to the 
environmental effects of its proposed decisions. No final decision will 
be issued in this proceeding until DOE has met its environmental 
responsibilities.

Public Comment Procedures

    In response to this Notice, any person may file a protest, 
comments, or a motion to intervene or notice of intervention, as 
applicable. Due to the complexity of the issues raised by the 
Applicant, interested parties will be provided 60 days from the date of 
publication of this Notice in which to submit their comments, protests, 
motions to intervene, or notices of intervention.
    Any person wishing to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene or notice of intervention. The filing of comments 
or a protest with respect to the Application will not serve to make the 
commenter or protestant a party to the proceeding, although protests 
and comments received from persons who are not parties will be 
considered in determining the appropriate action to be taken on the 
Application. All protests, comments, motions to intervene, or notices 
of intervention must meet the requirements specified by the regulations 
in 10 CFR part 590.
    Filings may be submitted using one of the following methods: (1) 
Emailing the filing to [email protected], with FE Docket No. 16-22-CGL 
in the title line; (2) mailing an original and three paper copies of 
the filing to the Office of Regulation and International Engagement at 
the address listed in ADDRESSES; or (3) hand delivering an original and 
three paper copies of the filing to the Office of Regulation and 
International Engagement at the address listed in ADDRESSES. All 
filings must include a reference to FE Docket No. 16-22-CGL. PLEASE 
NOTE: If submitting a filing via email, please include all related 
documents and attachments (e.g., exhibits) in the original email 
correspondence. Please do not include any active hyperlinks or password 
protection in any of the documents or attachments related to the 
filing. All electronic filings submitted to DOE must follow these 
guidelines to ensure that all documents are filed in a timely manner. 
Any hardcopy filing submitted greater in length than 50 pages must also 
include, at the time of the filing, a digital copy on disk of the 
entire submission.
    A decisional record on the Application will be developed through 
responses to this notice by parties, including the parties' written 
comments and replies thereto. Additional procedures will be used as 
necessary to achieve a complete understanding of the facts and issues. 
If an additional procedure is scheduled, notice will be provided to all 
parties. If no party requests additional procedures, a final Opinion 
and Order may be issued based on the official record, including the 
Application and responses filed by parties pursuant to this notice, in 
accordance with 10 CFR 590.316.
    The Application is available for inspection and copying in the 
Office of Regulation and International Engagement docket room, Room 3E-
042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. The docket 
room is open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    The Application and any filed protests, motions to intervene or 
notice of interventions, and comments will also be available 
electronically by going to the following DOE/FE Web address: http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/gasregulation/index.html.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2016.
John A. Anderson,
Director, Office of Regulation and International Engagement, Office of 
Oil and Natural Gas.
[FR Doc. 2016-08884 Filed 4-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P