[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18633-18634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05416]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP23-375-000]


Elba Liquefaction Company, LLC and Southern LNG Company, LLC; 
Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 
Elba Liquefaction Optimization Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Elba 
Liquefaction Project (Project), in Elba Island, Chatham County, 
Georgia, proposed by Elba Liquefaction Company, LLC (ELC) and Southern 
LNG Company, LLC (SLNG) in the above-referenced docket.
    On April 28, 2023, ELC and SLNG filed a joint application 
requesting Authorization under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act to 
amend existing authorizations under CP14-103-000, originally approved 
by the Commission on June 1, 2016,\1\ to modify certain Movable Modular 
Liquefaction System (MMLS) Dehydration and Heavies Removal units within 
the existing liquefied natural gas terminal. The modifications would 
reduce the fouling rate in the liquefaction units, reduce flaring 
events, and allow the MMLS units to operate in an optimized condition 
for longer periods of time.
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    \1\ Elba Liquefaction Company, L.L.C., 155 FERC ] 61,219, 
(2016).
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    Specifically, ELC and SLNG request authorization to make 
modifications to ten (10) MMLS units; construct and operate a new 
condensate plant; install three (3) new liquid nitrogen vaporizers; and 
increase the total liquefaction capacity of the MMLS units up to 
approximately 2.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 2.5.
    The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC 
staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate 
mitigating measures, would not constitute a major Federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. 
Department of Transportation participated as cooperating agencies in 
the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by 
law or special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected 
by the proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment for the Elba Liquefication Optimization 
Project to Federal, State, and local government representatives and 
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; 
Native American Tribes; potentially affected landowners and other 
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the 
project area. The EA 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 EA may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on 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., CP23-375). 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 EA 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 EA may do so. Your comments should 
focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental 
effects, measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts, the 
completeness of the submitted alternatives, and information and 
analyses. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will 
be.

[[Page 18634]]

To ensure that the Commission has the opportunity to consider your 
comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important 
that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before 5 p.m. 
eastern time on April 8, 2024.
    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 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 ``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 (CP23-
375-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service 
must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: 
Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, 
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered. 
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of 
the Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the 
timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any 
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion 
to intervene out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and 
(d)) and show good cause why the time limitation should be waived. 
Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene.
    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.
    The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
    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: March 8, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-05416 Filed 3-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P