[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66178-66180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26039]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. 12-156-LNG]


Golden Pass Products LLC; Request for Extension of Commencement 
Deadline for Non-Free Trade Agreement Authorization

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of request.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy 
(DOE) gives notice (Notice) of receipt of a request (Request), filed on 
October 28, 2019, by Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC (GPLNG) on behalf of 
Golden Pass Products LLC (GPP), which recently merged with and into 
GPLNG. GPP seeks to amend its existing authorization to export 
domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free trade 
agreement countries, issued in DOE/FE Order No. 3978 on April 25, 2017. 
Specifically, GPP requests a 17-month extension to commence its export 
operations. GPP filed the Request under section 3 of the Natural Gas 
Act (NGA). Protests, motions to intervene, notices of

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intervention, and written comments are invited.

DATES: Protests, motions to intervene or notices of intervention, as 
applicable, requests for additional procedures, and written comments 
are to be filed using procedures detailed in the Public Comment 
Procedures section no later than 4:30 p.m., Eastern time, December 18, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: 
Electronic Filing by email, [email protected]
Regular Mail, U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of Regulation, 
Analysis and Engagement, Office of Fossil Energy, P.O. Box 44375, 
Washington, DC 20026-4375
Hand Delivery or Private Delivery Services (e.g., FedEx, UPS, etc.), 
U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of Regulation, Analysis and 
Engagement, Office of Fossil Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 3E-042, 
1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
Beverly Howard or Amy Sweeney, U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), 
Office of Regulation, Analysis, and Engagement, Office of Fossil 
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, 
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9387; (202) 586-2627
Cassandra Bernstein, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the Assistant 
General Counsel for Electricity and Fossil Energy, Forrestal Building, 
Room 6D-033, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 
586-9793

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 25, 2017, in Order No. 3978, DOE/FE 
authorized GPP to export domestically produced LNG in a volume 
equivalent to 808 billion cubic per year (Bcf/yr) of natural gas.\1\ 
DOE/FE authorized GPP to export this LNG by vessel from its proposed 
export project to be constructed at the Golden Pass LNG Terminal, 
located near Sabine Pass, Texas, to any country with which the United 
States has not entered into a free trade agreement (FTA) requiring 
national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which trade is 
not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-FTA countries) for a 20-year 
term. As relevant here, Order No. 3978 requires GPP to ``commence 
export operations using the planned liquefaction facilities no later 
than seven years from the date of issuance of this Order''--i.e., by 
April 25, 2024.\2\ In the Request, GPP asks DOE/FE to extend this ``in-
service'' deadline by 17 months--until September 30, 2025.\3\
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    \1\ Golden Pass Products LLC, DOE/FE Order No. 3978, FE Docket 
No. 12-156-LNG, Opinion and Order Granting Long-Term, Multi-Contract 
Authorization to Export Liquefied Natural Gas by Vessel from the 
Golden Pass LNG Terminal Located in Jefferson County, Texas, to Non-
Free Trade Agreement Countries (Apr. 25, 2017), reh'g denied DOE/FE 
Order No. 3978-A (Mar. 30, 3018).
    \2\ See Golden Pass Products LLC, DOE/FE Order No. 3978, at 173 
(Ordering Para. D); see also id. at 167 (Term and Condition Para. 
B).
    \3\ Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Request for Extension of 
Commencement Deadlines, FE Docket Nos. 12-156-LNG and 12-88-LNG 
(Oct. 28, 2019) [hereinafter Request] (referring to both GPP and 
GPLNG as ``GPLNG''). The Request also applies to GPP's existing FTA 
order in FE Docket No. 12-88-LNG, but DOE/FE will address that 
portion of the Request separately pursuant to NGA section 3(c), 15 
U.S.C. 717b(c).
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    In support of this Request, GPP identifies the actions it has taken 
to proceed with the construction and operation of its LNG export 
project under DOE/FE Order No. 3978. GPP further states that, due to 
the length of the various authorization processes, the resulting time 
necessary for it to reach final investment decision, and the time 
needed for construction of the export project, it is unable to complete 
construction and place the export facilities in service by April 25, 
2024. Accordingly, GPP requests an extension of 17 months--to September 
30, 2025--to place the export facilities in service and commence LNG 
exports. Additional details can be found in the Request, posted on the 
DOE/FE website at: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2019/10/f68/FE12-88-LNG%20FE12-156-LNG%20Extension%20Request%2010-28-19%20FINAL.pdf.
    DOE/FE also notes that, on July 17, 2019, GPLNG filed a ``Statement 
of Change in Control to Reorganize and Restructure Liquefied Natural 
Gas Export Authorizations,'' indicating that GPP had merged with and 
into GPLNG effective June 18, 2019. Because that filing is still 
pending before DOE/FE in the above-captioned docket, GPP remains the 
authorization holder of DOE/FE Order No. 3978 until such time as DOE/FE 
takes action on the filing and transfers the Order from GPP to GPLNG. 
Thus, for purposes of this Notice, DOE/FE construes the Request 
described above as being filed by GPP.

DOE/FE Evaluation

    In reviewing GPP's Request, DOE will consider any issues required 
by law or policy. DOE will consider domestic need for the natural gas, 
as well as any other issues determined to be appropriate, including 
whether the arrangement is consistent with DOE's policy of promoting 
competition in the marketplace by allowing commercial parties to freely 
negotiate their own trade arrangements. As part of this analysis, DOE 
will consider the study entitled, Macroeconomic Outcomes of Market 
Determined Levels of U.S. LNG Exports (2018 LNG Export Study),\4\ and 
DOE/FE's response to public comments received on that study.\5\
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    \4\ See NERA Economic Consulting, Macroeconomic Outcomes of 
Market Determined Levels of U.S. LNG Exports (June 7, 2018), 
available at: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/06/f52/Macroeconomic%20LNG%20Export%20Study%202018.pdf.
    \5\ U.S. Dep't of Energy, Study on Macroeconomic Outcomes of LNG 
Exports: Response to Comments Received on Study; Notice of Response 
to Comments, 83 FR 67251 (Dec. 28, 2018).
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    Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental 
documents:
     Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning 
Exports of Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 48132 (Aug. 15, 
2014); \6\ and
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    \6\ The Addendum and related documents are available at: http://energy.gov/fe/draft-addendum-environmental-review-documents-concerning-exports-natural-gas-united-states.
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     Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting 
Liquefied Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 32260 (June 4, 
2014).\7\
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    \7\ The Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Report is available at: http://energy.gov/fe/life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-perspective-exporting-liquefied-natural-gas-united-states. On September 19, 2019, DOE/FE 
gave notice of an update to the LCA GHG Report, and that proceeding 
is on-going. See U.S. Dep't of Energy, Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas 
Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United 
States: 2019 Update, 84 FR 49278 (Sept. 19, 2019).
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    Parties that may oppose this Request should address these issues 
and documents in their comments and/or protests, as well as other 
issues deemed relevant to the Request.
    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq., requires DOE to give appropriate consideration to the 
environmental effects of its proposed decisions. No final decision will 
be issued in this proceeding until DOE has met its environmental 
responsibilities.

Public Comment Procedures

    In response to this Notice, any person may file a protest, 
comments, or a motion to intervene or notice of intervention, as 
applicable. Interested parties will be provided 15 days from the date 
of publication of this Notice in which to submit comments, protests, 
motions to intervene, or notices of intervention. DOE/FE will disregard 
comments or protests that do not bear directly on the Request.
    Any person wishing to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to

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intervene or notice of intervention. The filing of comments or a 
protest with respect to the Request will not serve to make the 
commenter or protestant a party to the proceeding, although protests 
and comments received from persons who are not parties will be 
considered in determining the appropriate action to be taken on the 
Request. All protests, comments, motions to intervene, or notices of 
intervention must meet the requirements specified by the regulations in 
10 CFR part 590.
    Filings may be submitted using one of the following methods: (1) 
Emailing the filing to [email protected], with FE Docket No. 12-156-LNG 
in the title line; (2) mailing an original and three paper copies of 
the filing to the Office of Regulation, Analysis, and Engagement at the 
address listed in ADDRESSES; or (3) hand delivering an original and 
three paper copies of the filing to the Office of Regulation, Analysis, 
and Engagement at the address listed in ADDRESSES. All filings must 
include a reference to FE Docket No. 12-156-LNG. PLEASE NOTE: If 
submitting a filing via email, please include all related documents and 
attachments (e.g., exhibits) in the original email correspondence. 
Please do not include any active hyperlinks or password protection in 
any of the documents or attachments related to the filing. All 
electronic filings submitted to DOE must follow these guidelines to 
ensure that all documents are filed in a timely manner. Any hardcopy 
filing submitted greater in length than 50 pages must also include, at 
the time of the filing, a digital copy on disk of the entire 
submission.
    A decisional record on the Request will be developed through 
responses to this notice by parties, including the parties' written 
comments and replies thereto. Additional procedures will be used as 
necessary to achieve a complete understanding of the facts and issues. 
If an additional procedure is scheduled, notice will be provided to all 
parties. If no party requests additional procedures, a final Opinion 
and Order may be issued based on the official record, including the 
Request and responses filed by parties pursuant to this notice, in 
accordance with 10 CFR 590.316.
    The Request is available for inspection and copying in the Office 
of Regulation, Analysis, and Engagement docket room, Room 3E-042, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. The docket room is open 
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. The Request and any filed protests, motions to 
intervene or notice of interventions, and comments will also be 
available electronically by going to the following DOE/FE Web address: 
https://fossil.energy.gov/ng_regulation/applications-2012-goldenpassproductsllc12-156-lng.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on November 26, 2019.
Amy Sweeney,
Director, Office of Regulation, Analysis, and Engagement, Office of 
Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 2019-26039 Filed 12-2-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P