81 FR 18612 - Golden Pass Products, LLC and Golden Pass Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Golden Pass LNG Export Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 62 (March 31, 2016)

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18612-18614]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07260]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP14-517-000; CP14-518-000]


Golden Pass Products, LLC and Golden Pass Pipeline, LLC; Notice 
of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Golden Pass LNG Export Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Golden Pass Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Project, 
proposed by Golden Pass Products, LLC and Golden Pass Pipeline, LLC 
(collectively referred to as Golden Pass) in the above-referenced 
docket. Golden Pass requests authorization to expand and modify the 
existing Golden Pass LNG Import Terminal to allow the export of LNG, 
which would require construction and operation of various liquefaction, 
LNG distribution, and appurtenant facilities. The Project would also 
include construction of approximately 2.6 miles of 24-inch pipeline, 
three new compressor stations, and interconnections for bi-directional 
transport of natural gas to and from the Golden Pass LNG Export 
terminal.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Golden Pass LNG Export Project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed 
project, with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, would 
result in some adverse environmental impact; however, those impacts 
would not be significant with

[[Page 18613]]

implementation of Golden Pass' proposed mitigation and the additional 
measures recommended in the draft EIS.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard), 
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency participated as cooperating agencies in 
the preparation of the EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by 
law or special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected 
by the proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis. Although the 
cooperating agencies provided input to the conclusions and 
recommendations presented in the draft EIS, the agencies will present 
their own conclusions and recommendations in their respective Records 
of Decision for the project.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
     Liquefaction facilities at the existing Golden Pass Export 
Terminal including three liquefaction trains, a truck unloading 
facility, refrigerant and condensate storage, safety and control 
systems, and associated infrastructure;
     a supply dock and alternate marine delivery facilities at 
the Terminal;
     three miles of a new 24-inch-diameter pipeline loop \1\ 
adjacent to the existing Golden Pass pipeline;
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    \1\ A loop is a segment of pipe that is installed adjacent to an 
existing pipeline and connected to it at both ends. A loop generally 
allows more gas to move through the system.
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     three new compressor stations;
     five new pipeline interconnections and modifications at 
existing pipeline interconnections; and
     miscellaneous appurtenant facilities.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the draft EIS 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; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to 
this proceeding. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to those 
specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version. In 
addition, the draft EIS is available for public viewing on the FERC's 
Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited number of 
copies are available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street 
NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. 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 May 
16, 2016.
    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 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 
(CP14-517-000 or CP14-518-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend one of the public comment meetings its 
staff will conduct in the project area to receive comments on the draft 
EIS, scheduled as follows:

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               Date and time                          Location
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Wednesday, April 19, 2016, 7:00 p.m.......  VFW Post 4759, 4402 Highway
                                             12, Starks, Louisiana
                                             70661, (337) 743-6409
Thursday, April 20, 2016, 7:00 p.m........  Sabine Pass ISD, 5641 South
                                             Gulfway Drive, Sabine Pass,
                                             Texas 77655, (409) 971-2321
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    We will begin our sign up of speakers at 6:30 p.m. The scoping 
meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a description of our 
environmental review process by Commission staff, after which speakers 
will be called. The meetings will end once all speakers have provided 
their comments or at 9:00 p.m., whichever comes first. Please note that 
there may be a time limit of three minutes to present comments, and 
speakers should structure their comments accordingly. If time limits 
are implemented, they will be strictly enforced to ensure that as many 
individuals as possible are given an opportunity to comment. The 
meetings will be recorded by a stenographer to ensure comments are 
accurately recorded. Transcripts will be entered into the formal record 
of the Commission proceeding.
    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).\2\ Only intervenors have 
the right to seek rehearing 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.
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    \2\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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Questions?

    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., CP14-
517 or CP14-518). 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; 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 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

[[Page 18614]]

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.

    Dated: March 25, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
 Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-07260 Filed 3-30-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P