[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 157 (Monday, August 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54077-54079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19370]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Supplemental Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Transcameron Pipeline Project and Calcasieu 
Pass Terminal, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues Related 
To New Route Amendments and Project Changes

TransCameron Pipeline, LLC...  Docket Nos. CP15-551-001
Venture Global Calcasieu       CP15-550-000
 Pass, LLC.
 

    On September 4, 2015, TransCameron Pipeline, LLC (TransCameron 
Pipeline) filed an application in Docket No. CP15-551-000, pursuant to 
Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act, as amended, and Part 157 of the 
Commission's regulations for authorization to construct, install, own, 
operate and maintain two lateral pipelines (the East Lateral and the 
West Lateral pipeline) and appurtenant facilities located in Cameron 
Parish, Louisiana that comprise the TransCameron Pipeline Project 
(TransCameron Pipeline or Project). The Project application was filed 
jointly with an application by Venture Global Calcasieu Pass, LLC 
(Venture Global Calcasieu Pass) for authorization to construct and 
operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and marine export 
terminal, the Calcasieu Pass Terminal, and related facilities, in 
Cameron Parish (Docket No. CP15-550-000).
    Venture Global Calcasieu Pass filed modifications to the Calcasieu 
Pass Terminal facilities on March 21, 2016. And, on June 28, 2016, 
TransCameron Pipeline filed an amendment to its application with 
additional project changes. The combined changes are detailed below, 
and an overview map of the Project is provided in appendix 1. This 
Supplemental Notice is being issued to seek comments on the amendment 
and other changes, and to open a new scoping period for interested 
parties to file comments on environmental issues.
    Information about the facilities proposed by TransCameron Pipeline 
and Venture Global Calcasieu Pass can be found on the Commission's 
public Docket Nos. CP15-551-001, and CP15-550-000, respectively, and on 
the applicant's Web site at http://venturegloballng.com/calcasieu-pass. 
The FERC's environmental impact statement (EIS) will encompass all 
proposed facilities and be used by the Commission in its decision-
making process to determine whether to approve the TransCameron 
Pipeline Project and Calcasieu Pass Terminal.
    The FERC will be the lead federal agency for the preparation of the 
EIS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. 
Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency are cooperating agencies in the preparation of the 
EIS.
    We \1\ are seeking comments on the project modifications to help 
the Commission staff determine what issues need to be evaluated in the 
EIS. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, 
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental 
impacts from the proposed modifications. 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 September 1, 
2016. If you have previously provided comments on the TransCameron 
Pipeline Project or Calcasieu Pass Terminal, you do not need to 
resubmit them. State and local government representatives are asked to 
notify their constituents of this proposed Project amendment/
modification and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This Supplemental Notice is being sent to the Commission's current 
environmental mailing list for this project, including those landowners 
that might be newly affected by the proposed

[[Page 54078]]

pipeline modifications, and those no longer directly affected due to 
the reduction in proposed facilities. Landowners previously affected by 
the West Lateral should note that it is no longer being proposed. If 
you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please respond either 
electronically (information on filing electronically is provided below) 
or through the attached Information Request (appendix 2).
    If you are a newly affected landowner receiving this notice, a 
pipeline company representative may contact you about the acquisition 
of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed 
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 the 
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.

Summary of Project Modifications

    TransCameron Pipeline and Venture Global Calcasieu Pass have made 
the following Project modifications, filed in a March 21, 2016 
supplement and June 28, 2016 amendment:
     Elimination of the West Lateral Pipeline and its 
associated facilities (meter station, mainline valves, access roads, 
and contractor yard) reducing the overall project workspace of 
TransCameron Pipeline's proposal from 637.6 acres to 372.2 acres;
     minor workspace and layout modifications, including 
additional access roads, and a contractor yard on the East Lateral 
Pipeline;
     reduction of the Terminal Site area from 393.7 acres to 
268.4 acres through layout redesign;
     redesign and relocation of the two 200,000 cubic meters 
LNG aboveground storage tanks, including replacement of full 
containment with single containment design and addition of LNG 
retention basins;
     redesign of the piling system for LNG dock facilities;
     reduction of the number of integrated pre-cooled SMR 
liquefaction blocks located at the Terminal Site from ten to nine, 
while maintaining the same output capability;
     relocation of the administration/security building 
complex;
     removal of the construction utility dock from proposed 
Terminal design;
     addition of three off-site construction support facilities 
(Martin Support Facility, DeHyCo Support Facility, and Baker Hughes 
Support Facility) at existing marine industrial facilities on Calcasieu 
Pass;
     addition of two temporary access roads to provide access 
to the DeHyCo and Martin Support Facilities;
     increase in width of the Northeast Access Road from 50 to 
125 feet from the intersection of the Martin Access Road to the 
Terminal's perimeter berm, and from 50 to 75 feet from the Liberty 
Support Facility to the intersection of the Martin Access Road;
     addition of one off-site facility (Mudd Support Facility) 
to provide parking space and a point of access to a private ferry that 
would carry construction personnel across the Calcasieu Ship Channel 
during construction;
     addition of a service road (Southwest Service Road) at the 
Terminal to provide restricted access to Cameron Parish's Jetty Pier 
Facility; and
     redesign of the Terminal's flood protection structure, 
replacing the earthen berm along the full perimeter of the plant site 
with an earthen berm on the west side and a steel pile floodwall on the 
east, north, and south sides. The berm will include the Northwest 
Access Road ramp. The floodwall would be +31.5 feet North American 
Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88); the berm would be +26 feet NAVD 88, 
with a sliding flood gate over the ramp to bring the height to +31.5 
feet NAVD 88.

The EIS Process

    NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the environmental 
impacts that could result from an action whenever it considers the 
issuance of an Authorization or 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 proposed projects under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     socioeconomics;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     reliability and safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
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 beginning 
on page 4.
    The Cooperating Agencies also have responsibilities under NEPA and 
can adopt the EIS for their own agency's purposes.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposed amendments to the TransCameron 
Pipeline Project or the modifications to the Calcasieu Pass Terminal 
facilities. 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 September 1, 2016. If you have 
previously provided comments on the TransCameron Pipeline Project or 
Calcasieu Pass Terminal, you do not need to resubmit them.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
appropriate project docket number (CP15-551-001 for the TransCameron 
Pipeline Project; CP15-550-000 for the Calcasieu Pass Terminal) with 
your submission. The Commission will provide equal consideration to all

[[Page 54079]]

comments received. 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 located on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the 
link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested 
persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling 
feature located 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, as well as 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 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS scoping process, 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.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the TransCameron Pipeline Project and 
the Calcasieu Pass Terminal 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 (i.e., CP15-551 or CP15-550). 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/esubscribenow.htm.
    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: August 2, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-19370 Filed 8-12-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P