[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 124 (Wednesday, June 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38730-38731]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13869]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Availability for the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Alaska LNG Project

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability and virtual public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared a Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the 
potential environmental impacts associated with authorizing Alaska LNG 
Project LLC (Alaska LNG) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the 
Alaska Gasline Development Corporation's (AGDC) proposed Alaska LNG 
Project. DOE is also announcing a public comment period and a virtual 
public meeting to receive comments on the Draft SEIS. DOE prepared the 
Draft SEIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), to inform its decision on rehearing under the Natural Gas 
Act (NGA).

DATES: DOE invites the public to comment on the Draft SEIS during the 
45-day public comment period, which begins on July 1, 2022, and ends on 
August 15, 2022. Beginning July 1, 2022, comments may be submitted 
online at www.regulations.gov by entering ``Alaska LNG'' into the 
search field and following the prompts. Written comments may also be 
sent via mail to: U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology 
Laboratory, ATTN: Mark Lusk, NEPA Compliance Officer, 3610 Collins 
Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26505. DOE will consider all comments 
postmarked or received during the public comment period when preparing 
the Final SEIS.
    DOE will hold a virtual public meeting on Wednesday July 20, 2022, 
in which the public may provide verbal comments on the Draft SEIS 
during the meeting. See the ADDRESSES section for details on the 
meeting process.

ADDRESSES: Questions concerning the Draft SEIS or requests for a paper 
copy should be directed to: Mark Lusk via email to 
[email protected] or phone at (304) 285-4145.
    Availability of the Draft SEIS: DOE mailed notification letters to 
announce the Notice of Availability of the Draft SEIS to federal, 
state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected 
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Tribes; other 
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the 
project area.
    An electronic copy of the Draft SEIS may be found online on the 
following website: www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0512-s1-supplemental-environmental-impact-statement-alaska-lng-project.
    Paper copies of the Draft SEIS are available for public review at 
the following locations: Anchorage Public Library (Z.J. Loussac 
Library), 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, AK 99503;

[[Page 38731]]

Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, Mile 175 Dalton Highway, P.O. Box 
9079, Coldfoot, AK 99701; Charles Evans Community School Library, 299 
Antoski Drive, Galena, AK 99741; Noel Wien Public Library, 1215 Cowles 
Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701; Kenai Community Library, 163 Main Street 
Loop, Kenai, AK 99611; Trapper Creek Library, 8901 East Devonshire 
Drive, Trapper Creek, AK 99683; Tri-Valley Community Library, Suntrana 
Road, P.O. Box 518, Healy, AK 99743; and Wasilla Public Library, 500 
North Crusey Street, Wasilla, AK 99654. Additional copies also can be 
requested (see ADDRESSES section for details).
    Virtual Public Meeting: DOE will conduct a virtual public meeting 
for the Draft SEIS on Wednesday July 20, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 
p.m. AKDT (8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EDT). Members of the public may join 
the virtual public meeting from a computer or compatible mobile device 
through the Zoom app, clicking `Join a Meeting', and entering the 
following information--Meeting ID: 944 3452 6764. The Zoom app may also 
be launched from the Zoom website at https://zoom.us/join, entering the 
Meeting ID, and following the prompts. For members of the public who do 
not have access to an internet connection, they may join the meeting 
audio by dialing the following number: (301) 715-8592. When prompted, 
enter the following information: Meeting ID--944 3452 6764. Then press 
the pound (#) key.
    The virtual public meeting will begin with a presentation on the 
NEPA process and the proposed Project. Following the presentation, 
there will be a moderated session during which members of the public 
can provide verbal comments on the Draft SEIS. All comments provided 
during the virtual public meeting will be transcribed and become part 
of the formal record. Commenters will be asked to limit their verbal 
comments during the virtual public meeting to 3 minutes. As indicated 
previously comments on the Draft SEIS may also be submitted during the 
public comment period via the www.regulations.gov website or mailed by 
paper copy (See the DATES section for details). All comments, whether 
verbal or written, will be considered by DOE as the SEIS is finalized.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Mark Lusk, via email to 
[email protected] or phone at (304) 285-4145, NEPA Compliance 
Officer, if special assistance is needed to participate in the virtual 
public meeting (see ADDRESSES section for details).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    DOE's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management \1\ is in the 
process of rehearing DOE/FE Order No. 3643-A, issued on August 20, 
2020, in Docket No. 14-96-LNG (Alaska LNG Order).\2\ In the Alaska LNG 
Order, DOE authorized exports of LNG from the proposed Alaska LNG 
Project to countries that do not have 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).\3\
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    \1\ The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) changed its name to the 
Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) on July 4, 
2021.
    \2\ See Alaska LNG Project LLC, DOE/FE Order No. 3643-A, Docket 
14-96-LNG, Final Opinion and Order Granting Long-Term Authorization 
to Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Non-Free Trade Agreement Nations 
(Aug. 20, 2020), www.energy.gov/fecm/downloads/alaska-lng-project-llc-fe-dkt-no-14-96-lng-0. For all DOE documents referenced herein, 
please see the Alaska LNG docket at: www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/alaska-lng-project-llc-fe-dkt-no-14-96-lng.
    \3\ 15 U.S.C. 717b(a).
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    As approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the 
Alaska LNG Project involves producing natural gas from resources on the 
North Slope of Alaska, transporting the natural gas on a proposed 
806.9-mile-long pipeline, and exporting the natural gas in the form of 
LNG by vessel from a liquefaction facility to be constructed in the 
Nikiski area of the Kenai Peninsula in south central Alaska.\4\ Under 
Order No. 3643-A, Alaska LNG is currently authorized to export this LNG 
in a volume equivalent to 929 billion cubic feet per year (Bcf/yr) of 
natural gas (2.55 Bcf per day), for a term of 30 years.
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    \4\ See Alaska Gasline Dev. Corp., Order Granting Authorization 
Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, 171 FERC ] 61,134 (May 21, 
2020). Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC), an 
independent, public corporation of the State of Alaska, holds the 
authorization from FERC to site, construct, and operate the proposed 
Alaska LNG Project.
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    On April 15, 2021, in Order No. 3643-B, DOE announced that it was 
granting rehearing of Order No. 3643-A under the NGA for the purpose of 
conducting additional environmental analysis.\5\ Subsequently, on July 
2, 2021, DOE published a ``Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Alaska LNG Project'' under 
NEPA.\6\ The Draft SEIS being issued today supplements the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Alaska LNG Project 
published by FERC on March 6, 2020, and adopted by DOE on March 16, 
2020 (DOE/EIS-0512).
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    \5\ See Alaska LNG Project LLC, DOE/FE Order No. 3643-B, Docket 
14-96-LNG, Order on Rehearing (Apr. 15, 2021), www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/ord3643b.pdf. DOE's Order on Rehearing granted 
a Request for Rehearing filed by Sierra Club. See Id. at 1-2, 5-6 
(discussing procedural background).
    \6\ 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. See U.S. Dep't of Energy, Notice of 
Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Alaska LNG Project, 86 FR 35280 (July 2, 2021); see also 
www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0512-s1-notice-intent-july-2-2021.
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    The Draft SEIS examines the potential upstream environmental 
effects associated with incremental natural gas production on the North 
Slope of Alaska to support Alaska LNG's exports of LNG. The SEIS also 
includes a life cycle analysis (LCA) calculating the greenhouse (GHG) 
emissions associated with exporting LNG from the proposed Project.\7\ 
Specifically, the LCA examines the life cycle GHG emissions for LNG 
exported from Alaska by vessel to import markets in Asia (the markets 
targeted for exports from Alaska) and potentially in other regions.
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    \7\ DOE previously has explained that a LCA is a method of 
accounting for cradle-to-grave GHG emissions over a single common 
denominator. DOE considers GHG emissions from all processes in the 
LNG supply chains--from the ``cradle'' when natural gas is extracted 
from the ground, to the ``grave'' when electricity is used by the 
consumer. See U.S. Dep't of Energy, Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas 
Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas From the United 
States: 2019 Update--Response to Comments, 85 FR 72, 76 (Jan. 2, 
2020).
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NEPA Process and Public Involvement

    DOE prepared the Draft SEIS in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Parts 1500-1508 (40 CFR 1500-1508) and DOE NEPA 
implementing procedures at 10 CFR part 1021. DOE published a Notice of 
Intent in the Federal Register on July 2, 2021, announcing its intent 
to prepare a SEIS.\8\ DOE is providing opportunities for public review 
and comments, including a virtual public meeting, on this Draft SEIS 
(see DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this notice).
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    \8\ See supra note 6.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2022.
Amy Sweeney,
Director, Office of Regulation, Analysis, and Engagement, Office of 
Resource Sustainability.
[FR Doc. 2022-13869 Filed 6-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P