[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56448-56450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23006]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF19-4-000]


Venture Global Delta LNG, LLC, and Venture Global Delta Express, 
LLC; Supplemental Notice of Intent for the Planned Delta LNG and Delta 
Express Pipeline Project Request for Comments on Environmental Issues 
Related to New Route Modifications Under Consideration

October 16, 2019.
    As previously noticed on July 30, 2019, and supplemented herein, 
the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Delta LNG and Delta 
Express Pipeline Project (Project) involving construction and operation 
of facilities by Venture Global Delta LNG, LLC and Venture Global Delta 
Express, LLC (collectively referred to as Delta LNG) in Plaquemines, 
Richland, Franklin, Catahoula, Concordia, Avoyelles, St. Landry, Pointe 
Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, 
and Jefferson Parishes, Louisiana. The general location of the Project 
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.
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    With this Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) we \2\ are 
specifically seeking comments on modifications to the route of the 
Delta Express Pipeline and the location of Compressor Station 4 as 
proposed by Delta LNG on October 11, 2019. These modifications were 
incorporated based on the results of ongoing field surveys and to 
address comments from agencies and other stakeholders. The majority of 
the landowners potentially affected by these modifications have 
previously received notification of the Commission's review of the 
Project. However, some of the modifications would affect new 
landowners; therefore, the Commission is issuing this Supplemental NOI 
to provide these new landowners an opportunity to comment on the 
Project. You can access detailed mapping of the modifications to the 
proposed pipeline route on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
using eLibrary. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to 
the last page of this Notice.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    This Notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this Project, including the newly affected landowners 
along the planned pipeline route. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
Project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a newly affected landowner receiving this notice, a 
Delta LNG representative may have already contacted you or may contact 
you soon about the acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, 
and maintain the planned facilities. The company would seek to 
negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if the Commission 
approves the Project, that approval conveys with it the right of 
eminent domain. Therefore, if the easement negotiations fail to produce 
an agreement, the company could initiate condemnation
    The FERC is the lead federal agency responsible for conducting the 
environmental review of the Project. As mentioned above, the 
Commission's staff is preparing an EIS that discusses the environmental 
impacts of the Project. This EIS will be used to inform the Commission 
as it determines whether to approve the Project.
    This Notice announces the opening of an additional scoping period 
the Commission will use to gather input

[[Page 56449]]

from the new landowners potentially affected by the Project. Comments 
may be submitted in writing as described in the public participation 
section of this notice. Please note that comments on this Notice should 
be filed with the Commission by November 15, 2019. If you sent comments 
on this Project prior to the opening of this additional comment period, 
you do not need to refile your comments. We have received your comments 
and will use the information in the preparation of the EIS.
    Information in this Notice was prepared to notify newly affected 
landowners of the new route and Project modifications and inform them 
about the Commission's environmental review process, and instruct them 
on how to submit comments.
    To help potentially affected landowners better understand the 
Commission and its environmental review process, the ``For Citizens'' 
section of the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) provides information about 
getting involved in FERC jurisdictional projects. A citizens' guide 
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I 
Need to Know?'' is also available in this section of the Commission's 
website. This guide addresses a number of frequently asked questions, 
including the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the 
Commission's proceedings.

Summary of the Proposed Project Changes

    The Project would involve the construction of a liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) export terminal in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana and two 
parallel, 42-inch-diameter pipelines in a single approximately 285-
mile-long right-of-way in 14 parishes in Louisiana. Domestically 
sourced natural gas would be transported by the Delta Express Pipeline 
to the Delta LNG terminal, which would produce, store, and deliver up 
to 24 million tons per annum of LNG to LNG carriers for export 
overseas.
    Changes to the Project include re-routing certain segments of the 
dual pipelines based on landowner requests and the results of field 
surveys in order to avoid sensitive resources. The majority of these 
changes involve shifts of less than 0.5 mile from the originally 
proposed route, with a maximum shift of approximately 2 miles to the 
west between approximate milepost 12 to milepost 14 in Richland Parish. 
In addition, a compressor station, CS-4, has been moved approximately 
14 miles north from its originally planned location in Lafourche Parish 
to near milepost 200.8 in Ascension Parish.
    As mentioned above, these changes are depicted on the maps included 
in Appendix 1.

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 four 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 located 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;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located 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 
(PF19-4-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 2.

The EIS Process

    The EIS 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, fisheries, and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     socioeconomics;
     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 have begun contacting federal and 
state agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and 
the preparation of the EIS.
    The EIS will present Commission staffs' independent analysis of the 
issues. The draft EIS will be available in electronic format in the 
public record through eLibrary \3\ and the Commission's website 
(https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). If eSubscribed, 
you will receive instant email notification when the draft EIS is 
issued. The draft EIS will be issued for an allotted public comment 
period. After the comment period on the draft EIS, Commission staff 
will consider all timely comments and revise the document, as 
necessary, before issuing a final EIS. 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 3.
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    \3\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the 
last page of this notice.
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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

[[Page 56450]]

the public on the Project's potential effects on historic 
properties.\4\ The EIS 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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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    Commission staff have already identified several issues that 
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the planned 
facilities and the environmental information provided by Delta LNG. 
This preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and 
our analysis.
     Impacts on wetlands including coastal marsh and forested 
wetlands;
     cumulative impacts on air quality, noise, wetlands, 
socioeconomics, and other resources associated with construction and 
operation of the planned Delta LNG export terminal and the nearby 
Plaquemines LNG export terminal and other large projects at various 
stages of planning and construction in the region;
     LNG terminal site alternatives;
     Delta Express Pipeline route alternatives;
     Environmental Justice impacts; and
     alternative construction methods and workspace 
configurations that would avoid or reduce impacts.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also 
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for Project purposes, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and 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.
    A Notice of Availability of the draft EIS 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 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Delta LNG 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 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., 
PF19-4). 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-23006 Filed 10-21-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P