83 FR 45437 - Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Texas LNG Brownsville LLC Texas LNG Project

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 174 (September 7, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 174 (Friday, September 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45437-45438]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19390]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP16-116-000]


Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review of the Texas LNG 
Brownsville LLC Texas LNG Project

    On March 31, 2016, Texas LNG Brownsville LLC (Texas LNG) filed an 
application in Docket No. CP16-116-000 requesting authorization 
pursuant to Section 3(a) of the Natural Gas Act to site, construct, 
modify, and operate liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities 
located on the Brownsville Ship Channel in Cameron County, Texas. The 
proposed project is known as the Texas LNG Project (Project) and would 
include a new LNG export terminal capable of producing up to 4 million 
tonnes per annum of LNG for export. The terminal would receive natural 
gas to the export facilities from a third-party intrastate pipeline. On 
September 24, 2015, in Order No. 3716, the U.S. Department of Energy, 
Office of Fossil Energy, granted to Texas LNG a long-term, multi-
contract authorization to export LNG to Free Trade Agreement nations.
    On April 14, 2016, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC 
or Commission) issued its Notice of Application for the Project. Among 
other things, that notice alerted other agencies issuing federal 
authorizations of the requirement to complete all necessary reviews and 
to reach a final decision on the request for a federal authorization 
within 90 days of the date of issuance of the Commission staff's final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Texas LNG Project. This 
instant notice identifies the FERC staff's planned schedule for 
completion of the final EIS for the Project, which is based on an 
issuance of the draft EIS in October 2018. The forecasted schedule for 
both the draft and final EIS is based upon Texas LNG providing complete 
and timely responses to any future data requests. In addition, the 
schedule assumes that the cooperating agencies will provide input on 
their areas of responsibility on a timely basis.

Schedule for Environmental Review

Issuance of Notice of Availability of the final EIS--March 15, 2019

90-Day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline--June 13, 2019

    If a schedule change becomes necessary for the final EIS, an 
additional notice will be provided so that the relevant agencies are 
kept informed of the Project's progress.

[[Page 45438]]

Project Description

    Texas LNG's proposed facilities include two liquefaction trains, 
each capable of producing 2 million tonnes per annum, one new LNG 
storage tank, and a single marine berth capable of accommodating LNG 
carriers with capacities up to 180,000 cubic meters. The Project would 
be constructed on about 285 acres of a 625-acre parcel of land, on the 
north side of the Brownsville Ship Channel near mile marker 4. An 
additional 26.5 acres would be located outside of the 625-acre parcel 
to provide deepwater access to the Brownsville Ship Channel.

Background

    On April 14, 2015, the Commission staff granted Texas LNG's request 
to use the FERC's Pre-filing environmental review process and assigned 
the Texas LNG Project Docket No. PF15-14-000. On July 23, 2015, the 
Commission issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Planned Texas LNG Project, Request for Comments on 
Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting (NOI).
    The NOI was issued during the pre-filing review of the project in 
Docket No. PF15-14-000 and was sent to federal, state, and local 
government agencies; elected officials; affected landowners; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes and 
regional organizations; commenters and other interested parties; and 
local libraries and newspapers. Major issues raised during scoping 
include threatened and endangered species, LNG safety, land use, water 
quality, air quality, and cumulative impacts.
    The U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park 
Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Federal Aviation 
Administration are cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS.

Additional Information

    In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EIS and to 
keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, 
the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. 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.
    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, select General 
Search from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date range and Docket 
Number excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP16-116), and follow the 
instructions. For assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can 
be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
[email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC website also 
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.

    Dated: August 31, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-19390 Filed 9-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P