[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 244 (Thursday, December 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72936-72937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27870]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP21-44-000]


LA Storage, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Hackberry Storage 
Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Hackberry Storage Project (Project), proposed by LA Storage, 
LLC (LA Storage) in the above-referenced docket. LA Storage requests 
authorization to construct and operate natural gas storage and 
transmission facilities in Louisiana. The Project is designed to 
provide 20.03 billion cubic feet of working gas storage capacity and 
1.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of gas deliverability and 
injectability, and interconnecting with the Cameron Interstate Pipeline 
(CIP) facilities operated by Cameron Interstate Pipeline, LLC and the 
Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector (PAPLC) facilities to be 
operated by Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Hackberry Storage Project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA). With the exception of climate change impacts, FERC staff 
concludes that approval of the Project would not result in significant 
environmental impacts. FERC staff is unable to determine the 
significance level of climate change impacts.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following Project facilities: The 
Project would involve the conversion of three existing salt dome 
caverns to natural gas storage service and the development of one new 
salt dome cavern for additional natural gas storage service, all within 
a permanent natural gas storage facility on a 160-acre tract of land 
owned by LA Storage in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. In addition to the 
storage caverns, LA Storage would construct and operate on-site 
compression facilities (Pelican Compressor Station) and up to six 
solution mining water supply wells at the storage facility on LA 
Storage's property. LA Storage would also construct and operate the 
following natural gas facilities in in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes, 
Louisiana: The Hackberry Pipeline, consisting of approximately 11.1 
miles of 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline connecting the 
certificated PAPLC pipeline (CP18-7) to the natural gas storage 
caverns; the CIP Lateral, an approximately 4.9-mile-long, 42-inch-
diameter natural gas pipeline extending from the existing CIP to the 
planned natural gas storage caverns; metering and regulating at the CIP 
and PAPLC interconnects; and an approximately 6.2-mile-long, 16-inch-
diameter brine disposal pipeline that would transport brine from the 
caverns to four saltwater disposal wells located on two new pads north 
of the facility.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Hackberry Storage 
Project to federal, state, and local government representatives and 
agencies; local libraries; newspapers; elected officials; Native 
American Tribes; and other interested parties. The draft EIS is only 
available in electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded from 
the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the natural gas environmental 
documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents). In addition, the draft EIS may be 
accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the 
eLibrary link (https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search) select 
``General Search'' and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' 
field (i.e., CP21-44-000). 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 draft EIS is not a decision document. It presents Commission 
staff's independent analysis of the environmental issues for the 
Commission to consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this 
proceeding. Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. 
Your comments should focus on draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of 
potential environmental effects, measures to avoid or lessen 
environmental impacts, and the completeness of the submitted 
alternatives, information and analyses. To ensure consideration of your 
comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is important that the 
Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 
February 7, 2022.
    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally. 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 on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
FERC Online. This 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 on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
FERC Online. 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.'' If you 
are filing a comment on a particular project, please select

[[Page 72937]]

``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (CP21-
44-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service 
must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR part 385.214). Motions to intervene are 
more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ferc-online/how-guides. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or 
judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission grants 
affected landowners and others with environmental concerns intervenor 
status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and 
direct interest in this proceeding which no other party can adequately 
represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not give you 
intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to have your 
comments considered.

Questions?

    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. The eLibrary link 
also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription that allows you to keep track of all formal issuances and 
submittals in specific dockets. 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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to 
register for eSubscription.

    Dated: December 17, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-27870 Filed 12-22-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P