[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 174 (Friday, September 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45422-45423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19399]


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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP16-480-000]


Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Annova LNG 
Common Infrastructure, LLC, Annova LNG Brownsville A, LLC, Annova LNG 
Brownsville B, LLC, and Annova LNG Brownsville C, LLC Annova LNG 
Brownsville Project

    On July 13, 2016, Annova LNG Common Infrastructure, LLC; Annova LNG 
Brownsville A, LLC; Annova LNG Brownsville B, LLC; and Annova LNG 
Brownsville C, LLC (collectively, Annova) filed an application in 
Docket No. CP16-480-000, section 3(a) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and 
Part 153 of the Commission's Regulations, requesting authorization to 
site, construct, and operate a natural gas liquefaction and liquefied 
natural gas (LNG) export facility, located on the Brownsville Ship 
Channel (BSC) in Cameron County, Texas. The proposed project is known 
as the Annova LNG Brownsville Project (Project) and would receive 
natural gas from a third-party pipeline, create and store LNG, and load 
up to 6.95 million tonnes per annum of LNG onto carriers for export to 
overseas markets. On February 20, 2014, in Order No. 3394, the U.S. 
Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, granted to Annova a 
long-term, multi-contract authorization to export LNG to Free Trade 
Agreement nations.
    On July 27, 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

[[Page 45423]]

of issuance of the Commission staff's final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Annova LNG Brownsville 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 December 2018. The forecasted schedule for both the draft 
and final EIS is based upon Annova 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 19, 2019
90-Day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline--July 18, 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

    The proposed Project would be located on about 364 acres of an 
approximately 731-acre site on the southern bank of the BSC at mile 
marker 8.2. The site is owned by the Port of Brownsville and Annova has 
entered into a Lease Option Agreement for possible use of the site. The 
BSC has direct access to the Gulf of Mexico via the Brazos Santiago 
Pass.
    The Project would include six liquefaction trains with a total 
capacity of 6 million tons per year of LNG. The natural gas delivered 
to the site would be treated, liquefied, and stored on site in two 
single containment LNG storage tanks. The Project would include two 
principal parts, the LNG facilities and associated marine facilities. 
The LNG facilities would be designed to receive 0.9 billion cubic feet 
per day of natural gas via a planned intrastate pipeline; treat the gas 
to remove constituents that affect the cryogenic process; liquefy the 
gas; and store the LNG in storage tanks prior to loading for shipment 
to overseas markets. The marine facilities would allow access to the 
site and LNG loading onto LNG carriers.

Background

    On March 27, 2015, the Commission staff granted Annova's request to 
use the FERC's Pre-filing environmental review process and assigned the 
Annova LNG Brownsville Project Docket No. PF15-15-000. On July 23, 
2015, the Commission issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Annova LNG Brownsville 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Meeting (NOI).
    The NOI was issued during the pre-filing review of the Project in 
Docket No. PF15-15-000 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: The purpose and need for the Project; impacts on recreational 
areas and users; impacts on the socioeconomic conditions of the area; 
impacts on wildlife, wetlands, and vegetation; and impacts on sensitive 
areas such as the Bahia Grande wetland restoration area and the Padre 
Island Seashore.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Department 
of Transportation; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service; National Park Service; the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service; Federal 
Aviation Administration; 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., CP16-480), 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. 2018-19399 Filed 9-6-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P