[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 53 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 12002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05427]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP17-178-000]


Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Alaska Gasline 
Development Corporation Alaska LNG Project

    On April 17, 2017, the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation 
(AGDC) filed an application in Docket No. CP17-178-000 requesting 
authorization pursuant to section 3(a) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) to 
construct and operate liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities. 
The proposed project is known as the Alaska LNG Project (Project) and 
would commercialize natural gas resources on the North Slope during the 
economic life of the Prudhoe Bay Unit field and provide at least five 
interconnection points along the pipeline to allow for in-state gas 
deliveries.
    On May 1, 2017, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) issued its Notice of Application for the Project. Among 
other things, that notice alerted other agencies issuing federal 
authorizations of the requirement to complete all necessary reviews and 
to reach a final decision on the request for a federal authorization 
within 90 days of the date of issuance of the Commission staff's final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Alaska LNG Project. This 
instant notice identifies the FERC staff's planned schedule for 
completion of the final EIS for the Project, which is based on an 
issuance of the draft EIS in March 2019.

Schedule for Environmental Review

Issuance of Notice of Availability of the final EIS--December 9, 2019
90-Day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline--March 8, 2020

    If a schedule change becomes necessary for the final EIS, an 
additional notice will be provided so that the relevant agencies are 
kept informed of the Project's progress.

Project Description

    AGDC is seeking authorization to construct, own, and operate a new 
gas treatment plant near Prudhoe Bay; a 1.0-mile-long, 60-inch-diameter 
Prudhoe Bay Unit Gas Transmission Line; a 62.5-mile-long, 32-inch-
diameter Point Thomson Unit Gas Transmission Line; a 806.6-mile-long, 
42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline from the gas treatment plant to 
the LNG terminal in Nikiski; an LNG terminal with a 20 million ton per 
annum liquefaction capacity; associated aboveground facilities; and 
non-jurisdictional facilities in Alaska. The Project would have an 
annual average inlet design capacity of up to 3.7 billion standard 
cubic feet per day and a 3.9 billion standard cubic feet per day peak 
capacity of natural gas.

Background

    On September 12, 2014, the Commission staff granted AGDC's request 
to use the FERC's Pre-filing environmental review process and assigned 
the Alaska LNG Project Docket No. PF14-21-000. On March 4, 2015, the 
Commission issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Planned Alaska LNG Project and Request for Comments 
on Environmental Issues (NOI) during the pre-filing review. In October 
2015, FERC issued two supplemental Notices regarding public scoping 
meetings for the Alaska LNG Project. On July 27, 2016, FERC also issued 
a Supplemental Notice Requesting Comments on the Denali National Park 
and Preserve Alternative for the Planned Alaska LNG Project.
    The NOI and supplemental notices were sent to federal, state, and 
local government agencies; elected officials; affected landowners; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes and 
regional organizations; commentors and other interested parties; and 
local libraries and newspapers. Major issues raised during scoping 
include impacts on traditional Alaska Native culture, particularly 
subsistence; health impacts on local communities; impacts on wetlands, 
including through placement of permanent gravel fill; visual impacts 
from key observation points, including within the Denali National Park 
and Preserve; impacts of dredging and identification of disposal 
methods; wildlife impacts, specifically on the caribou population and 
its migration routes, the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale 
population, and Cook Inlet fish habitat; and transportation impacts.
    The U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous 
Material Safety Administration; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; Bureau of Land 
Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Marine Fisheries 
Service; National Park Service; and U.S. Department of Energy are 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS.

Additional Information

    In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EIS and to 
keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, 
the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. 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.
    Additional information about the Project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs at (866) 208-FERC or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov). Using the ``eLibrary'' link, select 
``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date 
range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e., 
CP17-178), and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to 
eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-
8659, or at [email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC 
website also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by 
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.

    Dated: March 12, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-05427 Filed 3-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P