83 FR 10470 - Commonwealth LNG LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Commonwealth LNG Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Session

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 47 (March 9, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 47 (Friday, March 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10470-10473]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04709]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF17-8-000]


Commonwealth LNG LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Commonwealth LNG 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Session

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the Commonwealth LNG Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Commonwealth LNG 
LLC (Commonwealth LNG) in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The Commission 
will use this EIS 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 EIS. 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 March 26, 2018.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on July 28, 2017, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. PF17-8-000 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

[[Page 10471]]

Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know? is available for viewing 
on the FERC website (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 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 website (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 website (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 
(PF17-8-000) 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 the public scoping session its staff 
will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows:

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                           Date and time                                               Location
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Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m..........................  Johnson Bayou Community Center, 5556 Gulf
                                                                      Beach Highway, Johnson Bayou, LA 70631.
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    The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be 
considered in the EIS to be prepared for this project. Individual 
verbal comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court 
reporter. This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of 
verbal comments, in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.
    The scoping session is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT. 
You may arrive at any time after 3:30 p.m. There will not be a formal 
presentation by Commission staff when the session opens, and we note 
that no refreshments will be served. If you wish to speak, the 
Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your arrival. 
Comments will be taken until 8:00 p.m. However, if no additional 
numbers have been handed out and all individuals who wish to provide 
comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude the 
session at 7:30 p.m.
    Your scoping comments will be recorded by the court reporter (with 
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public 
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on 
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary). 
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal 
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be 
implemented for each commentor.
    It is important to note that verbal comments hold the same weight 
as written or electronically submitted comments. Although there will 
not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available 
throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the 
environmental review process. Representatives from Commonwealth LNG 
will also be present to answer project-specific questions.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 2.\1\
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    \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.
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Summary of the Planned Project

    Commonwealth LNG plans to construct and operate a liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) terminal on the west side of the Calcasieu Ship Channel near 
Johnson Bayou in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Commonwealth LNG intends to 
use the terminal to liquefy, store, and deliver LNG for export to 
global markets. The terminal would have a peak capacity of nine million 
metric tonnes of LNG per annum (MTPA). Commonwealth LNG would also 
dredge a ship berth and turning basin at the terminal.
    The Commonwealth LNG Project would consist of the following 
facilities:
     A 3.7-mile-long natural gas receiving pipeline (either 
single 30-inch or dual 24-inch pipes) extending from existing pipelines 
operated by Kinetica Partners LLC and Bridgeline Holdings LP to the 
terminal;
     four 2.0 MTPA gas pre-treatment trains;
     eight liquefaction trains, with a nominal LNG production 
capacity of approximately 1 MTPA each;
     six LNG storage tanks, each with a capacity of 40,000 
cubic meters (m\3\);
     electric plant powered by a 80-megawatt gas turbine;
     boil-off gas handling system, utilities, and 
communications system; and
     one marine berth sized to accommodate LNG carriers up to 
about 215,000 m\3\ in capacity.
    The general location of the planned LNG facility, as well as 
several potential pipeline routes, are shown in appendix 1.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 132.6 
acres of land for the upland terminal and pipeline. This acreage may 
vary somewhat depending on which pipeline route is selected. About 64.6 
acres would be affected in the Calcasieu Ship Channel for the creation 
of the turning basin. Following construction, Commonwealth LNG would 
maintain about 122.4 acres for permanent operation of the upland 
terminal and pipeline right-of-way. Temporary construction areas would 
be restored and revert to former uses.

The EIS 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 considers the issuance of a 
Certificate of Public Convenience and

[[Page 10472]]

Necessity. 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 EIS on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the 
Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues to 
address in the EIS, including pipeline routing. We will consider all 
filed comments during the preparation of the EIS.
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    \2\ We, us, and our refer to the environmental staff of the 
Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the planned project under these 
general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     endangered and threatened species;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project 
or 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 EIS.
    The EIS will present our independent analysis of the issues. We 
will publish and distribute the draft EIS for public comment. After the 
comment period, we will consider all timely comments and revise the 
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. 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 EIS.\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. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has expressed its 
intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of 
the EIS to satisfy its NEPA responsibilities related to this project.
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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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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 EIS for this project will document our 
findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status 
of consultations under section 106.
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    \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.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified several issues that we think deserve 
attention based on a preliminary review of the planned facilities and 
the environmental information provided by Commonwealth LNG. This 
preliminary list of issues may change based on your comments and our 
analysis:
     Selection of pipeline route;
     evaluation of temporary and permanent impacts on wetlands 
and the development of appropriate mitigation;
     potential impacts on fish and wildlife habitat, including 
potential impacts on federally listed threatened and endangered 
species;
     potential visual effects of the aboveground facilities;
     potential impacts of the construction workforce on local 
housing, infrastructure, public services, transportation, and economy;
     impacts on air quality and noise associated with 
construction and operation of the project; and
     public safety and hazards associated with LNG facilities.

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.
    Copies of the completed draft EIS 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 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Commonwealth LNG 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. Motions to intervene are more fully described at 
http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Instructions 
for becoming an intervenor are in the Document-less Intervention Guide 
under the e-filing link on the Commission's website. 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.

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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 website (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., PF17-
8). 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 sessions 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: February 22, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-04709 Filed 3-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P