[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 174 (Friday, September 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45427-45428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19398]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP16-454-000; CP16-455-000]


Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Rio Grande 
LNG, LLC and Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC Rio Grande LNG Project

    On May 5, 2016, Rio Grande LNG, LLC (RG LNG) filed an application 
in Docket No. CP16-454-000 requesting authorization pursuant to Section 
3(a) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) to construct and operate liquefied 
natural gas (LNG) export facilities. On the same day, Rio Bravo 
Pipeline Company, LLC (RB Pipeline) filed an application in Docket No. 
CP16-455-000, requesting a Certificate of Public Convenience and 
Necessity pursuant to Section 7(c) of the NGA to construct, operate, 
and maintain certain natural gas pipeline facilities. The combined 
projects, collectively referred to as the Rio Grande LNG Project, would 
provide gas and processing to produce up to 27 million tons per annum 
of LNG for export. On August 17, 2016, in Order No. 3869, the U.S. 
Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, granted to RG LNG a 
long-term, multi-contract authorization to export LNG to Free Trade 
Agreement nations.
    On May 19, 2016, 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 Rio Grande 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 October 2018. The forecasted schedule for 
both the draft and final EIS is based upon RG LNG and RB Pipeline 
providing complete and timely responses to any future data requests. In 
addition, the schedule assumes that the cooperating agencies will 
provide input on their areas of responsibility on a timely basis.

Schedule for Environmental Review

Issuance of Notice of Availability of the final EIS--April 26, 2019

90-Day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline--July 25, 2019

    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

    RG LNG and RB Pipeline, collectively the Rio Grande Developers (RG 
Developers), propose to construct and operate natural gas pipelines and 
liquefaction facilities in Jim Wells, Kleberg, Kenedy, Willacy, and 
Cameron Counties, Texas. The Rio Bravo Pipeline would include two new 
parallel 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipelines, each about 135.5 miles 
long, capable of transporting 4.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural 
gas. In addition, a 2.4-mile-long header system at the origin of the 
pipelines would interconnect with existing natural gas transmission 
pipelines. The pipeline facilities would include three new compressor 
stations in Kleberg, Kenedy, and Cameron Counties and two new 
interconnect booster stations in Kenedy County.
    The Rio Grande LNG Terminal would be located on 750.4 acres of an 
approximately 1,000-acre site along the Brownsville Ship Channel about 
5.5 miles inland from the channel entrance, in Cameron County, Texas. 
The terminal would include six liquefaction trains capable of producing 
27 million tons per annum of LNG; marine facilities, including two LNG 
berths, a turning basin, and a material offloading facility; truck 
loading and unloading facilities for LNG and natural gas liquids; and 
four LNG storage tanks. If approved, RG Developers would construct the 
project in stages. Operation of the first liquefaction train, and one 
of the two parallel pipelines, is proposed to begin during the fourth 
quarter of 2021; operation of the full project is proposed for early 
2025.

Background

    On April 13, 2015, the Commission staff granted the RG Developers' 
request to use the FERC's Pre-filing environmental review process. On 
July 23, 2015, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Rio Grande LNG Project 
and Rio Bravo Pipeline Project, Request for Comments on Environmental 
Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings (NOI) in Docket No. PF15-
20-000. The NOI was issued during the pre-filing review of the project, 
and was 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 wildlife and wildlife 
habitat (including threatened and endangered species), aquatic 
resources, surface water, wetlands, public lands, visual resources, 
local ecotourism, public health and safety, air and noise quality, and 
cumulative impacts.
    The U.S Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S Department of 
Transportation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, National Park Service, and Federal Aviation Administration are 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS.

[[Page 45428]]

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., CP16-454 or CP16-455), 
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: August 31, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-19398 Filed 9-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P