[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7991-7993]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02813]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF19-4-000]


Venture Global Delta LNG, LLC; 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 Project Modifications Under Consideration

    On January 22, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC 
or Commission) issued a ``Supplemental Notice of Intent for the Planned 
Delta LNG and Delta Express Pipeline Project Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues Related to Project Modifications Under 
Consideration'' (Notice). It has come to our \1\ attention that the 
environmental mailing list was not provided copies of the Notice; 
therefore we are reissuing this Notice to extend the scoping period and 
provide additional time for interested parties to file comments on 
environmental issues.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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    As previously noticed on July 30 and October 16, 2019, and 
supplemented herein, the staff of the 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 Richland, Franklin, 
Catahoula, Concordia, Avoyelles, St. Landry, Pointe Coupee, West Baton 
Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, Jefferson, and 
Plaquemines Parishes, Louisiana.
    With this Notice we are specifically seeking comments on 
modifications to the Delta Express Pipeline proposed by Delta LNG on 
January 10, 2020. Delta LNG incorporated the modifications based on 
comments from regulatory agencies and landowners, and detailed 
environmental and constructability considerations. The Commission is 
issuing this Notice to provide previously and newly identified 
landowners and other stakeholders an opportunity to comment on the 
Project modifications.
    This Notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this Project, including newly affected landowners. 
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 proceedings in 
accordance with applicable law.
    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. The 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 from 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 the scoping period is now extended, and comments on this 
Notice should be filed with the Commission by March 9, 2020. 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 previously and 
newly affected landowners of the Project modifications, 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

[[Page 7992]]

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 the 
approximately 285-mile-long Delta Express Pipeline located within 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.
    Delta LNG previously proposed to construct two parallel 42-inch-
diameter pipelines within a single right-of-way and four natural gas-
fired compressor stations. Delta LNG no longer proposes to construct 
the Monterey Compressor Station at milepost (MP) 70.3 in Concordia 
Parish; the Fordoche Compressor Station at MP 137.9 in Pointe Coupee 
Parish; or the Belle Rose Compressor Station at MP 200.8 in Assumption 
Parish.
    No modifications of the terminal are proposed. Delta LNG has 
reduced the facilities associated with the Delta Express Pipeline and 
now proposes to construct:
     A single 48-inch-diameter pipeline along the previously 
proposed route; and
     two natural gas-fired compressor stations.
    The two compressor stations would consist of the previously planned 
Alto Compressor Station at MP 0.0 in Richland Parish and the newly 
proposed Melville Compressor Station at MP 131.2 in Pointe Coupee 
Parish.
    A map depicting the location of the newly proposed Melville 
Compressor Station is included in appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ 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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    Delta LNG is not proposing any modifications to the planned route 
of the Delta Express Pipeline.

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 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 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 contacted 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 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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[[Page 7993]]

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, if any are planned, will be posted 
on the Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: February 6, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-02813 Filed 2-11-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P