The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) have prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the CCL Stage 4 Project and CCPL Expansion Project (Project), proposed by Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage IV, LLC, Corpus Christi Liquefaction, LLC, and Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline, L.P. (collectively, the Applicants).^[1] The Applicants propose to expand the existing Corpus Christi Liquefied Terminal (CCL Terminal) in San Patricio and Nueces Counties, Texas; construct and operate the Corpus Christi Pipeline (proposed pipeline), a new, 42 inch diameter, 25.8-mile-long natural gas pipeline in San Patricio, Texas, as well as construct the new Sinton 2 Compressor Station, two new meter stations, and other appurtenant facilities in San Patricio County, Texas. The purpose of the Project is to expand the Applicants' liquified natural gas (LNG) production capabilities to meet ( printed page 60374) immediate and future global demand for LNG.

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 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 9, 2026. Instructions for filing comments are provided on page 4.

FERC is the lead federal agency for authorizing interstate natural gas transmission facilities under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 (NGA) and the lead federal agency for preparation of the draft EIS. The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ^[2] and the Commission's implementing regulations.^[3] The principal purposes of the draft EIS are to: identify and assess the potential effects on the natural and human environment; describe and evaluate reasonable alternatives; identify and recommend mitigation measures; and facilitate public involvement in the environmental review process. The EIS concludes that approval of the proposed project, with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, would have some limited adverse environmental effects; however, with implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, most effects would be avoided, mitigated, or reduced to less-than-significant levels. Visual effects of flaring could have a moderate and long-term effect on nearby residences, but would not be significant.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District, U.S. Department of Transportation—Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Energy participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the draft 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. The USACE would adopt and use the final EIS to consider the issuance of an Individual Permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Although the cooperating agencies provided input to the conclusions and recommendations presented in the draft EIS, the agencies would present their own conclusions and recommendations in their respective Records of Decision (where applicable) for the Project.

The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the following Project facilities:

• CCL Stage 4 Project:
• Four new large-scale liquefaction trains (Trains 4-7) and appurtenant facilities;
• Two full containment, aboveground 220,000-cubic-meter LNG storage tanks;
• A new marine berth and appurtenant facilities; and
• One enclosed marine ground flare and three multi-point ground flares.
• CCPL Expansion Project:
• Approximately 25.8 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline loop (proposed pipeline);
• Two 52,500-horsepower modular compressor packages and appurtenant facilities at the new Sinton 2 Compressor Station;
• A new meter station (Stage 4 Custody Meter Station) within the CCL Terminal;
• A new meter station (Traverse Meter Station) adjacent to the Sinton 2 Compressor Station; and
• Three new mainline valves along the pipeline route.

The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the draft EIS to federal, state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; Native American tribes; environmental and public interest groups; potentially affected landowners and other interested individuals and groups; and media outlets 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 natural gas environmental documents page ( www.ferc.gov/​industries-data/​natural-gas/​environment/​environmental-documents). In addition, the draft EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link ( elibrary.ferc.gov/​eLibrary/​search) select “General Search” and enter the docket number in the “Docket Number” field, excluding the last three digits ( i.e., CP26-82, CP26-87, and CP18-513). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.

The draft EIS is not a decision document. It presents Commission staff's independent analysis of the environmental issues for the Commission to consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this proceeding. Under Section 3 of the NGA, the FERC considers, as part of its decision to authorize natural gas facilities, all factors bearing on the public interest. Specifically, regarding whether to authorize natural gas facilities used for importation or exportation, the FERC shall authorize the proposal unless it finds that the proposed facilities will not be consistent with the public interest. Under Section 7(c) of the NGA, the Commission determines whether interstate natural gas transportation facilities are in the public convenience and necessity and, if so, grants a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct and operate them. Under Section 3 of the NGA, regarding whether to authorize natural gas facilities used for importation or exportation, the Commission shall authorize the proposal unless it finds that the proposed facilities will not be consistent with the public interest.

Your comments should focus on draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental effects, measures to avoid or lessen environmental effects, and the completeness of the submitted alternatives, information and analyses. 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 staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 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 FERC Online. 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 FERC Online. 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 ( printed page 60375) “Comment on a Filing” as the filing type; or

(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket numbers ( i.e., CP26-82-000, CP26-87-000, and CP18-513-000) with your submission. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

(4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the Commission invites you to attend the public comment session its staff will conduct in the project area to receive comments on the draft EIS, scheduled as follows:

The primary goal of this comment session is to have you identify the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS. Individual oral comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter. This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of oral comments in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.

The comment session is scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. You may arrive at any time after 5:00 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.

Your oral 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 pages 3-4 for instructions on using eLibrary). If a significant number of people are interested in providing oral comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be implemented for each commentor. 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.

It is important to note that the Commission provides equal consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form or provided orally at a comment session.

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 www.ferc.gov/​how-intervene. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission's decision. Simply filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

Questions?

For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov. Additional information about the project is available from 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 documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/​ferc-online/​overview to register for eSubscription.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)