Document Headings

                    Document headings vary by document type but may contain                    the following:                  
                -                       the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document                    
                -                       the number of the CFR title and the number of each part                      the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly                      related to                    
                -                       the agency docket number / agency internal file number                    
                -                       the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in                      the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory                      Actions                    

                    See the                                          Document Drafting Handbook                                        for more details.                  

###### Department of Energy

###### Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

          - [Docket No. CP10-477-000]

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of the LNG Truck Loading Project involving construction and operation of facilities by Southern LNG Company, LLC (Southern) in Chatham County, Georgia. This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to make a public interest determination whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.

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. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period will close on October 13, 2010.

Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further details on how to submit written comments are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice. In lieu of or in addition to sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend the public scoping meeting scheduled as follows:

FERC Public Scoping Meeting, LNG Truck Loading Project, September 29, 2010, 7 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn Savannah Midtown, 5711 Abercorn Street, Savannah, Georgia 31405.

This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental mailing list for this project. State and local government representatives are asked to 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 Facility on My Land? What Do I Need To Know?” is available for viewing on the FERC Web site (                    *http://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.                

## Summary of the Proposed Project

Southern seeks to abandon by removal a portion of the existing truck loading facilities at its existing Elba Island Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal located on Elba Island in Chatham County, Georgia. Southern also proposes to reactivate, expand, and modify the remainder of its existing truck loading facilities at the Terminal. The proposed activities would be completed in two phases: Phase I would include removal of certain out-dated facilities and construction of two loading facilities; Phase II would include an expansion of the trucking facilities to provide two additional loading bays.

Southern intends to operate and lease the truck loading facilities to Southeast LNG Distribution Company, LLC (Southeast LNG), a joint venture between El Paso Corporation and a subsidiary of AGL Resources Inc. Southeast LNG would distribute LNG by truck from the Elba Island Terminal to end users throughout the Southeast, to peak shaving facilities in Georgia and as an alternative fuel for use by heavy-duty vehicles. Southeast LNG anticipates distribution from about ten trucks per day at the start of reactivation and ramping up over a 10-year period to about 58 trucks per day. Southern proposes to commence construction during the second quarter of 2011, with an in-service date of November 2012.

                    The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.[1] 

## Land Requirements for Construction

All land disturbance would occur on 2.20 acres within the existing Elba Island LNG Terminal. The new facilities would replace those authorized as part of the original terminal construction.

## The EA 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 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 EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.                

In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed 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; and
    - Public safety.

                    We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.                          ( print page 57270)    

Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA. The EA will be placed in the public record and, depending on the comments received during the scoping process, may be published and distributed to the public. A comment period will be allotted if the EA is published for review. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public Participation section beginning on page 5.

We are already involved in discussions with other jurisdictional agencies to identify their issues and concerns. These agencies include, but are not limited to, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation. With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to their responsibilities. 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.

## 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 Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, and to solicit its views and those of other government agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on historic properties.[3]                                          We will define the project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO as the project is further developed. 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 EA for this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106.                

## Currently Identified Environmental Issues

We have already identified several issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities, the results of the public open house hosted by Southern on August 24, 2010, and the environmental information provided by Southern. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis.
    - Public safety, and
    - Public concern over LNG trucking on local highways.

While we will address concerns related to LNG trucking in the EA, it is important for commentors to understand that the FERC has no jurisdiction over truck transport of LNG.

## Public Participation

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. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before October 13, 2010.

                    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to submit written comments to the Commission. In all instances please reference the project docket number (CP10-477-000) with your submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or                     *efiling@ferc.gov.*

                    (1) You may file your comments electronically by using the eComment feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at                     *http://www.ferc.gov*                     under the link to Documents and Filings. An eComment is an easy method for interested persons to submit brief, text-only comments on a project;                

                    (2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at                     *http://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.” You will be asked to select the type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular project is considered a “Comment on a Filing; ” or                

(3) You may file a paper copy of your comments at the following address:

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

## 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 proposed project.

If the EA is published for distribution, copies 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 compact-disk version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the attached Information Request (appendix 2).

## Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, 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. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the User's Guide under the “e-filing” link on the Commission's Web site.

## 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 Web site at                     *http://www.ferc.gov*                     using the                           ( print page 57271)                        “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.,*                     CP10-477). 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 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                     *http://www.ferc.gov/​esubscribenow.htm.*

                    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's calendar located at                     *http://www.ferc.gov/​EventCalendar/​EventsList.aspx*                     along with other related information.                

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

# Footnotes

1.                             The appendices referenced in this notice are not being printed in the                         **Federal Register**                        . Copies of appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at                         *http://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.                    
        Back to Citation      

2.                             “We”, “us”, and “our” refer to the environmental staff of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.                    
        Back to Citation      

3.                             The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations are at Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Historic properties are defined in those regulations as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register for Historic Places.                    
        Back to Citation      

[FR Doc. 2010-23361 Filed 9-17-10; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P