[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 194 (Monday, October 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53432-53434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21793]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF19-5-000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment Statement
for the Sempra PALNG Holdings, LLC Planned Port Arthur LNG Expansion
Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the Port Arthur LNG Expansion
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Sempra PALNG Holdings, LLC (Sempra) in Jefferson County, Texas. The
Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine
whether the project is in the public interest.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies about issues regarding the project. The National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the
environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it
considers the issuance of an authorization. NEPA also requires the
Commission to discover concerns the public may have about proposals.
This process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of issues to address in the EA. To ensure that
your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your
comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 12, 2019.
You can make a difference by submitting your specific comments or
concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid
or lessen environmental impacts. Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Commission
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the
EA.
If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on June 14, 2019, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. PF19-5-000 to ensure they are considered as part
of this proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know? is available for
viewing on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/gas/gas.pdf. This fact sheet addresses a number of
typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how
to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
Public Participation
The Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which
makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and submittals
regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These instant
email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification and
provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings. To sign up go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. 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, which is on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the
link to Documents and Filings. Using eComment is an easy method for
submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
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(2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature, which is also 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. You will be asked to select the type of filing you are
making; a comment on a particular project is considered a Comment on a
Filing; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number
(PF19-5-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington,
DC 20426
Summary of the Planned Project
Sempra plans to construct and operate additional liquefaction
capacity at the site of the recently approved Port Arthur Liquefaction
Project near Port Arthur, Texas. The planned expansion would add two
liquefaction trains, increasing liquefied natural gas production
capacity from 13.5 million metric tons per annum (MTPA) to
approximately 27.0 MTPA.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\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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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction and operation of the planned project would be wholly
within property already certificated for the Port Arthur Liquefaction
Project. No additional land would be required. The Project facilities,
once constructed, would occupy approximately 60 acres.
The EA Process
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the planned project under these general
headings:
Geology and soils;
water resources and wetlands;
vegetation and wildlife;
threatened and endangered species;
cultural resources;
socioeconomics;
land use;
air quality and noise;
public safety; and
cumulative impacts
Commission staff will also evaluate possible alternatives to the
planned project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on
how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Although no formal application has been filed, Commission staff
have already initiated a NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing
process. The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve
issues before the Commission receives an application. As part of the
pre-filing review, Commission staff will contact federal and state
agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the
preparation of the EA.
The EA will present Commission staffs' independent analysis of the
issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public
record through eLibrary \2\ and the Commission's website (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). If eSubscribed, you will
receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA may be
issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will
consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the
Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to consider
and address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in
the Public Participation section, beginning on page 2.
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\2\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the
last page of this notice.
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With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate in
the preparation of the EA.\3\ Agencies that would like to request
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this
notice.
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\3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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Consultation Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act
In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, the Commission is using this notice to initiate
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office,
and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential
effects on historic properties.\4\ The EA for this project will
document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and
summarize the status of consultations under section 106.
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\4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes: Federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; and other
interested parties. This list also includes all affected landowners (as
defined in the Commission's regulations) who own homes within certain
distances of aboveground facilities as well as anyone who submits
comments on the project. Commission staff will update the environmental
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices
related to this environmental review are sent to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the planned project.
If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment
period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the
environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the
electronic document on the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov). If you need
to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove
your name from the mailing list, please return the attached ``Mailing
List Update Form'' (appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once Sempra files its application with the Commission, you may want
to become an intervenor which is an official party to the Commission's
proceeding. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the
Commission's decision and be heard by the courts if they choose to
appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor formally
participates in the proceeding by filing a request to intervene
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Motions to intervene are more fully
described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
Please note that the Commission will not accept requests
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for intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission
receives a formal application for the project, after which the
Commission will issue a public notice that establishes an intervention
deadline.
Additional Information
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. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on General Search and enter the docket number in
the Docket Number field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF19-
5). 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. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of all formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission's
calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
Dated: October 1, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-21793 Filed 10-4-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P