[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 247 (Thursday, December 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66696-66697]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27956]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP19-11-000]


Sabine Pass LNG, L.P.; Notice of Schedule for Environmental 
Review of the SPLNG Third Berth Expansion Project

    On October 29, 2018, Sabine Pass LNG, L.P. (SPLNG) filed an 
application in Docket No. CP19-11-000 requesting authorization pursuant 
to section 3(a) of the Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain 
liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Sabine Pass, Louisiana. The 
proposed project is known as the SPLNG Third Birth Expansion Project 
(Project) and would include an expansion of the existing Sabine Pass 
LNG facility (Terminal), located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana on the 
Sabine Pass Channel.
    On November 7, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC 
or Commission) issued its Notice of Application for the Project. Among 
other things, that notice alerted 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 
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Project. This instant notice 
identifies the FERC staff's planned schedule for completion of the EA 
for the Project. The forecasted schedule for the EA is based upon SPLNG 
providing complete and timely responses to any 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 EA: (August 23, 2019).
    90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline: (November 21, 
2019).
    If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be 
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the 
Project's progress.

Project Description

    The proposed expansion of the Terminal consists of the addition of 
a third marine berth (Third Berth) and supporting facilities. The Third 
Berth would be used to load LNG carriers for export and would be sized 
to accommodate vessels with a capacity of 125,000 cubic meters (m\3\) 
to 180,000 m\3\. The supporting facilities would

[[Page 66697]]

include tie-ins to the existing Terminal loading lines and boil-off gas 
lines associated with the five existing LNG tanks. The Project would 
also include the addition of piping, piperacks, utilities, and other 
additional infrastructure to transport LNG to the Third Berth.

Background

    On March 8, 2018, the Commission staff granted SPLNG's request to 
use the FERC's pre-filing environmental review process and assigned the 
Project Docket No. PF18-3-000. On April 20, 2018, the Commission issued 
a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the 
Planned SPLNG Third Berth Expansion Project, and Request for Comments 
on Environmental Issues (NOI). The NOI was issued during the pre-filing 
review of the Project in Docket No. PF18-3-000 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; commenters and other interested 
parties; and local libraries and newspapers. In response to the NOI, 
the Commission received comments from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the 
Choctaw Nation. The primary issues raised by the commenters include 
effects on threatened and endangered species, wetland mitigation, and 
water quality impacts. All substantive comments will be addressed in 
the EA.
    The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Louisiana Department of 
Wildlife and Fisheries; U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency are cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the EA.

Additional Information

    In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA 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., 
CP19-11), 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 rulemakings.

    Dated: December 18, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-27956 Filed 12-26-18; 8:45 am]
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