[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50656-50658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21778]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP17-20-000; CP17-21-000; CP17-21-001; CP18-7-000]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Port Arthur Liquefaction Project, Texas 
Connector Project, and Louisiana Connector Project: Port Arthur LNG, 
LLC, PALNG Common Facilities Company LLC, Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Port Arthur Liquefaction Project proposed by Port Arthur LNG, 
LLC and PALNG Common Facilities Company LLC (collectively referred to 
as PALNG), and the Texas Connector Project and Louisiana Connector 
Project proposed by Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC (PAPL) in the above-
referenced dockets. PALNG requests authorization pursuant to section 
3(a) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) to construct and operate liquefied 
natural gas (LNG) export facilities in Jefferson County, Texas, and 
PAPL requests 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 in Jefferson and Orange 
Counties, Texas and Cameron, Calcasieu, Beauregard, Allen, Evangeline, 
and St. Landry Parishes, Louisiana. Together, these proposed facilities 
are referred to as ``the Projects.''
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Projects in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the proposed Projects, with the 
mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, would have some adverse 
environmental impact; however, these impacts would be avoided or 
reduced to less-than-significant levels.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department 
of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. 
Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation 
of the EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the 
proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis. Although the cooperating 
agencies provided input to the conclusions and recommendations 
presented in the draft EIS, the agencies will present their own 
conclusions and recommendations in their respective Records of Decision 
for the Projects.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following proposed facilities:
     Two liquefaction trains, each with a capacity of 6.73 
million tons per annum of LNG for export;
     Three LNG storage tanks, each with a capacity of 160,000 
cubic meters;
     A refrigerant storage area and truck unloading facilities;
     A condensate storage area and truck loading facilities;
     A new marine slip with two LNG vessel berths, an LNG 
vessel and support vessel maneuvering area, and an LNG transfer system;
     A materials off-loading facility and Pioneer Dock;
     Approximately 34.2 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline to 
bring feed gas from interconnections with Kinder Morgan Louisiana 
Pipeline LLC, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, Houston Pipeline 
Company LP, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (TETCO), Florida Gas 
Transmission Company, LLC, and Golden Triangle Storage, Inc./Centana 
Intrastate Pipeline, LLC to the terminal site;
     Approximately 130.8 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline to 
bring feed gas from interconnections with Centana Interstate Pipeline, 
LP, TETCO, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, Market Hub Partners--Egan, 
Pine Prairie Energy Center, Texas Gas Transmission, LLC, ANR Pipeline 
Company, and Columbia Gulf Transmission, LLC to the terminal site;
     Three compressor stations;
     Meter stations at the pipeline interconnects; and
     Other associated utilities, systems, and facilities 
(yards, access roads, etc.).
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability to 
federal, state,

[[Page 50657]]

and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes; 
potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups; and newspapers and libraries in the project area. The draft EIS 
is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded 
from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the Environmental Documents 
page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, 
the draft EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's 
website. Click on the eLibrary link (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General Search, and enter the docket number in 
the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e. 
CP17-20, CP17-21, or CP18-7). 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.
    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. Your 
comments should focus on draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of 
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures 
to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. To ensure consideration of 
your comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is important that 
the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time on November 19, 2018.
    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. The Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 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 on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, 
text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's website (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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project, 
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address. Be sure to reference the Projects docket numbers 
(CP17-20-000, CP17-21-000, and CP18-7-000) with your submission: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend one of the public comment sessions its 
staff will conduct in the Projects area to receive comments on the 
draft EIS, scheduled as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Date and time                          Location
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Tuesday, October 16, 2018, 4:00-    Coushatta Golf Course, Veranda Room,
 7:00 p.m. local time.               777 Koasati Dr., Kinder, LA 70648,
                                     337-738-4777.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018, 4:00-  Hampton Inn & Suites, Meeting Room,
 7:00 p.m. local time.               7660 Memorial Blvd., Port Arthur,
                                     TX 77642, 409-722-6999.
Thursday, October 18, 2018, 4:00-   Holiday Inn Lake Charles W--Sulphur,
 7:00 p.m. local time.               Ballrooms 1, 2, and 3, 330 Arena
                                     Rd., Sulphur, LA 70665, 337-527-
                                     0858.
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    The primary goal of these comment sessions is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS. 
Individual verbal comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a 
court reporter. This format is designed to receive the maximum amount 
of verbal comments in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.
    Each scoping session is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local 
time. You may arrive at any time after 4:00 p.m. There will not be a 
formal presentation by Commission staff when the session opens. If you 
wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order 
of your arrival. Comments will be taken until 7:00 p.m. However, if no 
additional numbers have been handed out and all individuals who wish to 
provide comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude 
the session at 6:30 p.m. Please see appendix 1 for additional 
information on the session format and conduct.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE, Washington, 
DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to 
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
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    Your verbal comments will be recorded by the court reporter (with 
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public 
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on 
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary). 
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal 
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be 
implemented for each commentor.
    It is important to note that verbal comments hold the same weight 
as written or electronically submitted comments. Although there will 
not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available 
throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the 
environmental review process.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR part 385.214). Motions to intervene are 
more fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or 
judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission grants 
affected landowners and others with environmental concerns intervenor 
status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and 
direct interest in this proceeding that no other party can adequately 
represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not give you 
intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.

[[Page 50658]]

Questions?

    Additional information about the Projects 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. The eLibrary link 
also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.

    Dated: September 28, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-21778 Filed 10-5-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P