80 FR 36332 - Cameron LNG, LLC, Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Cameron Lng Expansion Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 121 (June 24, 2015)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 121 (June 24, 2015)
| Page Range | 36332-36333 | |
| FR Document | 2015-15494 |
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 121 (Wednesday, June 24, 2015)] [Notices] [Pages 36332-36333] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2015-15494] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. PF15-13-000] Cameron LNG, LLC, Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Planned Cameron Lng Expansion Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of the Cameron LNG Expansion Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by Cameron LNG, LLC (Cameron) in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes, Louisiana. The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public interest. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the Project. You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the Project. Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before July 20, 2015. If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on February 24, 2015, you will need to file those comments in Docket No. PF15-13-000 to ensure they are considered as part of this proceeding. This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental mailing list for this project. State and local government representatives should notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern. A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings. Public Participation 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 expert staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to Documents and Filings. 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 Web site (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.'' 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 following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number (PF15-13-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Summary of the Planned Project Cameron plans to construct and operate facilities entirely within its existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. The Project would increase liquefaction capacity by about 9.97 million tons per year and storage of LNG by about 160,000 cubic meters. According to Cameron, it is currently fully subscribed for the original liquefaction volume and anticipates that affiliates of its partners would subscribe for the capacity of this project as well. The Project would consist of the following facilities:Two additional liquefaction trains (Trains 4 and 5) with a maximum LNG production capacity of 4.985 million tons per year; A fifth 160,000 cubic meter full containment LNG storage tank to increase the total LNG storage capacity to 800,000 cubic meters; A condensate product storage tank; and Associated utilities and infrastructure. The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 1.\1\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ 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. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Land Requirements for Construction Construction of the planned facilities would be entirely within the existing footprint of Cameron's liquefaction terminal. The EA Process The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could result from an action whenever it authorizes a project. NEPA also requires us \2\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as scoping. The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EA. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the planned project under these general headings: water resources; threatened and endangered species; cultural resources; air quality and noise; public safety; and cumulative impacts. We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project or [[Page 36333]] 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, we have already initiated our 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 FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the EA. The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. The EA will be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, we may also publish and distribute the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public Participation section, beginning on page 2. With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA.\3\ Agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the Public Participation section of this notice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1501.6. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consultations 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, we are using this notice to initiate consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), 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\ We will define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) as the project develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include construction right-of-way, contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor stations, and access roads). Our EA for this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. We will update the environmental mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the information related to this environmental review to all individuals, organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially affected by the planned project. If we publish and distribute the EA, copies will be sent to the environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the attached Information Request (appendix 2). Becoming an Intervenor Once Cameron files its application with the Commission, you may want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, 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. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site. 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. 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 Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., PF15- 13). 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 formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. In addition, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which 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 www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp. Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information. Dated: June 18, 2015. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2015-15494 Filed 6-23-15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
![36332 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 121 / Wednesday, June 24, 2015 / Notices
Reference Room in Washington, DC. Docket No. PF15–13–000 to ensure they fully subscribed for the original
There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the are considered as part of this liquefaction volume and anticipates that
Web site that enables subscribers to proceeding. affiliates of its partners would subscribe
receive email notification when a This notice is being sent to the for the capacity of this project as well.
document is added to a subscribed Commission’s current environmental The Project would consist of the
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC mailing list for this project. State and following facilities:
Online service, please email local government representatives should • Two additional liquefaction trains
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call notify their constituents of this planned (Trains 4 and 5) with a maximum LNG
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call project and encourage them to comment production capacity of 4.985 million
(202) 502–8659. on their areas of concern. tons per year;
Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern A fact sheet prepared by the FERC • A fifth 160,000 cubic meter full
Time on July 8, 2015. entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas containment LNG storage tank to
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need increase the total LNG storage capacity
Dated: June 17, 2015.
To Know?’’ is available for viewing on to 800,000 cubic meters;
Kimberly D. Bose,
the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This • A condensate product storage tank;
Secretary. fact sheet addresses a number of and
[FR Doc. 2015–15428 Filed 6–23–15; 8:45 am] typically asked questions, including the • Associated utilities and
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P use of eminent domain and how to infrastructure.
participate in the Commission’s The general location of the project
proceedings. facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Public Participation Land Requirements for Construction
Federal Energy Regulatory For your convenience, there are three Construction of the planned facilities
Commission methods you can use to submit your would be entirely within the existing
[Docket No. PF15–13–000] comments to the Commission. The footprint of Cameron’s liquefaction
Commission encourages electronic filing terminal.
Cameron LNG, LLC, Notice of Intent to of comments and has expert staff
Prepare an Environmental Assessment available to assist you at (202) 502–8258 The EA Process
for the Planned Cameron Lng or efiling@ferc.gov. Please carefully The National Environmental Policy
Expansion Project, and Request for follow these instructions so that your Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to
Comments on Environmental Issues comments are properly recorded. take into account the environmental
(1) You can file your comments impacts that could result from an action
The staff of the Federal Energy electronically using the eComment whenever it authorizes a project. NEPA
Regulatory Commission (FERC or feature on the Commission’s Web site also requires us 2 to discover and
Commission) will prepare an (www.ferc.gov) under the link to address concerns the public may have
environmental assessment (EA) that will Documents and Filings. This is an easy about proposals. This process is referred
discuss the environmental impacts of method for submitting brief, text-only to as scoping. The main goal of the
the Cameron LNG Expansion Project comments on a project; scoping process is to focus the analysis
(Project) involving construction and (2) You can file your comments in the EA on the important
operation of facilities by Cameron LNG, electronically by using the eFiling environmental issues. By this notice, the
LLC (Cameron) in Cameron and feature on the Commission’s Web site Commission requests public comments
Calcasieu Parishes, Louisiana. The (www.ferc.gov) under the link to on the scope of the issues to address in
Commission will use this EA in its Documents and Filings. With eFiling, the EA. We will consider all filed
decision-making process to determine you can provide comments in a variety comments during the preparation of the
whether the project is in the public of formats by attaching them as a file EA.
interest. with your submission. New eFiling In the EA we will discuss impacts that
This notice announces the opening of users must first create an account by could occur as a result of the
the scoping process the Commission clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ If you are filing construction and operation of the
will use to gather input from the public a comment on a particular project, planned project under these general
and interested agencies on the Project. please select ‘‘Comment on a Filing’’ as headings:
You can make a difference by providing the filing type; or • water resources;
us with your specific comments or (3) You can file a paper copy of your • threatened and endangered species;
concerns about the Project. Your comments by mailing them to the • cultural resources;
comments should focus on the potential following address. Be sure to reference • air quality and noise;
environmental effects, reasonable the project docket number (PF15–13– • public safety; and
alternatives, and measures to avoid or 000) with your submission: Kimberly D. • cumulative impacts.
lessen environmental impacts. Your Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy We will also evaluate possible
input will help the Commission staff Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street alternatives to the planned project or
determine what issues they need to NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your 1 The appendices referenced in this notice will
comments are timely and properly Summary of the Planned Project not appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the
recorded, please send your comments so Cameron plans to construct and appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
that the Commission receives them in operate facilities entirely within its using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or from the
Washington, DC on or before July 20, existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First
2015. terminal. The Project would increase Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202)
If you sent comments on this project liquefaction capacity by about 9.97 502–8371. For instructions on connecting to
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
to the Commission before the opening of million tons per year and storage of LNG 2 ‘‘We,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
this docket on February 24, 2015, you by about 160,000 cubic meters. environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
will need to file those comments in According to Cameron, it is currently Energy Projects.
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![Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 121 / Wednesday, June 24, 2015 / Notices 36333
portions of the project, and make (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) Additional Information
recommendations on how to lessen or as the project develops. On natural gas Additional information about the
avoid impacts on the various resource facility projects, the APE at a minimum project is available from the
areas. encompasses all areas subject to ground Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
Although no formal application has disturbance (examples include at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web
been filed, we have already initiated our construction right-of-way, contractor/ site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary
NEPA review under the Commission’s pipe storage yards, compressor stations, link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on
pre-filing process. The purpose of the and access roads). Our EA for this ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket
pre-filing process is to encourage early project will document our findings on
involvement of interested stakeholders number, excluding the last three digits
the impacts on historic properties and in the Docket Number field (i.e., PF15–
and to identify and resolve issues before summarize the status of consultations
the FERC receives an application. As 13). Be sure you have selected an
under section 106. appropriate date range. For assistance,
part of our pre-filing review, we have
begun to contact some federal and state Environmental Mailing List please contact FERC Online Support at
agencies to discuss their involvement in FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free
the scoping process and the preparation The environmental mailing list at (866) 208–3676, or for TTY, contact
of the EA. includes federal, state, and local (202) 502–8659. The eLibrary link also
The EA will present our independent government representatives and provides access to the texts of formal
analysis of the issues. The EA will be agencies; elected officials; documents issued by the Commission,
available in the public record through environmental and public interest such as orders, notices, and
eLibrary. Depending on the comments groups; Native American Tribes; other rulemakings.
received during the scoping process, we interested parties; and local libraries In addition, the Commission offers a
may also publish and distribute the EA and newspapers. This list also includes free service called eSubscription which
to the public for an allotted comment all affected landowners (as defined in allows you to keep track of all formal
period. We will consider all comments the Commission’s regulations) who are issuances and submittals in specific
on the EA before we make our potential right-of-way grantors, whose dockets. This can reduce the amount of
recommendations to the Commission. property may be used temporarily for time you spend researching proceedings
To ensure we have the opportunity to project purposes, or who own homes by automatically providing you with
consider and address your comments, within certain distances of aboveground notification of these filings, document
please carefully follow the instructions facilities, and anyone who submits summaries, and direct links to the
in the Public Participation section, comments on the project. We will documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docs-
beginning on page 2. update the environmental mailing list as filing/esubscription.asp.
With this notice, we are asking the analysis proceeds to ensure that we Finally, public meetings or site visits
agencies with jurisdiction by law and/ send the information related to this will be posted on the Commission’s
or special expertise with respect to the environmental review to all individuals, calendar located at www.ferc.gov/
environmental issues related to this organizations, and government entities EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
project to formally cooperate with us in interested in and/or potentially affected with other related information.
the preparation of the EA.3 Agencies by the planned project. Dated: June 18, 2015.
that would like to request cooperating Kimberly D. Bose,
If we publish and distribute the EA,
agency status should follow the
copies will be sent to the environmental Secretary.
instructions for filing comments
mailing list for public review and [FR Doc. 2015–15494 Filed 6–23–15; 8:45 am]
provided under the Public Participation
comment. If you would prefer to receive BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
section of this notice.
a paper copy of the document instead of
Consultations Under Section 106 of the the CD version or would like to remove
National Historic Preservation Act your name from the mailing list, please DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
In accordance with the Advisory return the attached Information Request
Council on Historic Preservation’s (appendix 2). Federal Energy Regulatory
implementing regulations for section Commission
Becoming an Intervenor
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, we are using this Once Cameron files its application [Docket No. EL15–68–000]
notice to initiate consultation with the with the Commission, you may want to Midcontinent Independent System
applicable State Historic Preservation become an ‘‘intervenor’’ which is an Operator, Inc.; Notice of Institution of
Office(s), and to solicit their views and official party to the Commission’s Section 206 Proceeding and Refund
those of other government agencies, proceeding. Intervenors play a more Effective Date
interested Indian tribes, and the public formal role in the process and are able
on the Project’s potential effects on to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be On June 18, 2015, the Commission
historic properties.4 We will define the heard by the courts if they choose to issued an order in Docket No. EL15–68–
project-specific Area of Potential Effects appeal the Commission’s final ruling. 000, pursuant to section 206 of the
An intervenor formally participates in Federal Power Act (FPA), 16 U.S.C.
3 The Council on Environmental Quality
the proceeding by filing a request to 824e (2012), instituting an investigation
regulations addressing cooperating agency intervene. Instructions for becoming an into the justness and reasonableness of
responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Regulations, Part 1501.6. intervenor are in the User’s Guide under Midcontinent Independent System
4 The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation the ‘‘e-filing’’ link on the Commission’s Operator Inc.’s pro forma Facilities
regulations are at Title 36, Code of Federal Web site. Please note that the Construction Agreement, Generator
Regulations, Part 800. Those regulations define Commission will not accept requests for Interconnection Agreement, and Multi-
historic properties as any prehistoric or historic
district, site, building, structure, or object included
intervenor status at this time. You must Party Facilities Construction Agreement.
in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register wait until the Commission receives a Midcontinent Indep. Sys. Operator, Inc.,
of Historic Places. formal application for the project. 151 FERC ¶ 61,220 (2015).
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Document Created: 2015-12-15 14:08:49
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 14:08:49
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| FR Citation | 80 FR 36332 |
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