83 FR 59375 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project: Gulf LNG Liquefaction Company, LLC; Gulf LNG Energy, LLC; Gulf LNG Pipeline, LLC

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 226 (November 23, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 226 (Friday, November 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59375-59377]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25473]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-521-000]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project: Gulf LNG 
Liquefaction Company, LLC; Gulf LNG Energy, LLC; Gulf LNG Pipeline, LLC

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project, proposed by Gulf LNG 
Liquefaction Company, LLC; Gulf LNG Energy, LLC; and Gulf LNG Pipeline, 
LLC (GLP) (collectively referred to as Gulf LNG) in the above-
referenced docket. Gulf LNG requests authorization pursuant to sections 
3(a) and 7 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) to construct and operate 
onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and associated 
facilities to allow export of LNG, and to construct, own, operate, and 
maintain new interconnection and metering facilities for the existing 
Gulf LNG Pipeline in Jackson County, Mississippi. The proposed actions 
are referred to as the Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project (Project) and 
consist of the Gulf LNG Terminal Expansion (Terminal Expansion) and the 
GLP Pipeline Modifications.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of 
construction and operation of the Gulf LNG Liquefaction 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 
have some adverse environmental impacts; however, these impacts would 
be avoided or reduced to less-than-significant levels.
    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Fossil Energy; the U.S. Department of 
Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service; and U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency participated as cooperating agencies in 
the preparation of the EIS. In addition, the Mississippi Office of the 
Secretary of State has jurisdiction over the wetland mitigation 
property and, therefore, is assisting us as a cooperating agency. 
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 proposed facilities:
     Feed gas pre-treatment facilities, including a mercury 
removal system, an acid gas removal system (to remove carbon dioxide 
and hydrogen sulfide), a molecular sieve dehydration system (to remove 
water), and a heavy hydrocarbon removal system (to remove natural gas 
liquids);
     two separate propane precooled mixed refrigerant 
liquefaction trains that liquefy natural gas, each with a nominal 
liquefaction capacity of 5 million metric tons per year (mtpy) and a 
maximum capacity of more than 5.4 mtpy of LNG;
     liquefaction facility utilities and associated systems, 
including two gas-fired turbine compressors per liquefaction train;
     storage facilities for condensate, ammonia and 
refrigerants;
     utilities systems, including instrument, plant air, and 
nitrogen;
     a truck loading/unloading facility to unload refrigerants 
and to load condensate produced during the gas liquefaction process;
     four flares (including one spare flare) in a single flare 
tower to incinerate excess gases associated with maintenance, startup/
shutdown, and upset conditions during an emergency;
     two supply docks (North and South Supply Docks) designed 
to receive barges transporting materials and large equipment during 
construction, with one dock retained for use during operation;
     new in-tank LNG loading pumps in the existing LNG storage 
tanks to transfer LNG through the existing transfer lines to LNG marine 
carriers;
     new spill impoundment systems designed to contain LNG, 
refrigerants and other hazardous fluids;
     minor changes to piping at the existing berthing facility 
to permit bi-directional flow;
     a new concrete storm surge protection wall that connects 
to the existing storm surge protection wall near the southwest corner 
of the Terminal Expansion site and extends along the southern border of 
the Terminal Expansion site;
     a new earthen berm extending from the northeastern to the 
southeastern boundaries of the Terminal Expansion site, between the 
Terminal Expansion and the Bayou Casotte Dredged Material Management 
Site, and connecting to the new segments of the storm surge protection 
wall;
     six off-site construction support areas for use as staging 
and laydown areas, contractor yards, and parking;
     modifications to the existing metering stations at the 
existing Gulfstream Pipeline Company and Destin Pipeline Company 
interconnection facilities; \1\ and
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    \1\ Additionally, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC 
(Transco) would construct modifications to the existing Transco/
Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC Interconnect. FERC would 
review this project under Transco's blanket certificate.
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     modifications to the existing Gulf LNG Pipeline at the 
existing Terminal to provide a connection to the inlet of the LNG 
liquefaction pre-treatment facilities.
    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability to 
federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; 
elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native 
American tribes;

[[Page 59376]]

potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and 
groups; and newspapers and libraries in the Project area. The draft EIS 
is only available in electronic format. It may be viewed and downloaded 
from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the Environmental Documents 
page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, 
the draft EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's 
website. Click on the eLibrary link (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General Search, and enter the docket number in 
the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e. 
CP15-521-000). 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.
    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. Your 
comments should focus on draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of 
potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures 
to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. 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 5:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time on January 7, 2019.
    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 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 
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 
(CP15-521-000) 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 a public comment session 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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Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 4:00- Pelican Landing Convention Center,
 8:00 p.m. local time.             6217 Mississippi Highway 613, Moss
                                   Point, MS 39563, 228-474-1406.
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    The primary goal of this comment session is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS. 
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 comment session is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. local 
time. You may arrive at any time after 4:00 p.m. There will not be a 
formal presentation by Commission staff when the session opens. 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. Please see appendix 1 for additional 
information on the session format and conduct.\2\
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    \2\ 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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    Your verbal 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.
    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). Motions to intervene are 
more fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or 
judicial review 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.

Questions?

    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.
    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

[[Page 59377]]

documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.

    Dated: November 15, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-25473 Filed 11-21-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P