Document ID: FERC-2008-0330-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Intent to Prepare Environmental Assessment: Trunkline LNG Company, LLC; Pipeline Compressor Addition Project
Posted Date: 2008-03-05T05:00Z

[Federal Register: March 5, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 44)]
[Notices]               
[Page 11909-11910]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr08-57]                         

[[Page 11909]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP08-68-000]

 
Trunkline LNG Company, LLC; Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Pipeline Compressor Addition 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

February 28, 2008.
    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 proposed Pipeline Compressor 
Addition Project (Project) involving the construction and operation of 
facilities by Trunkline LNG Company, LLC (Trunkline LNG) in Calcasieu 
Parish, Louisiana.\1\ The EA will be used by the Commission in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
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    \1\ On February 1, 2008, Trunkline LNG filed its application 
with the Commission under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, 15 
United States Code Sec.  717(b)(a), and Parts 157 and 284 of the 
Commission's regulations. The Commission issued its Notice of 
Application on February 12, 2008.
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    A brochure prepared by the FERC entitled ``A Guide to LNG--What All 
Citizens Should Know'' is available for viewing on the FERC Internet 
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). This brochure addresses a number of 
typically asked questions, including what is LNG and how is it 
transported.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Trunkline LNG seeks authority to construct, install and operate on 
land owned by Trunkline LNG:
     One new 1,500 horsepower electric motor-driven compressor 
in parallel with the existing pipeline compressor;
     Related piping; and
     Associated electrical connections and instrumentation.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 
1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being 
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices are 
available on the Commission's Web site at the ``eLibrary'' link 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. 
Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this 
notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the project would occur entirely within the 
existing 125 acre Trunkline LNG terminal site. The temporary and 
permanent footprints of the project area would not exceed more than 0.1 
acre of previously disturbed land currently covered with concrete.

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 
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 of Intent, the Commission staff 
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the 
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the 
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify 
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to 
comment on their areas of concern.
    In the EA, we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result 
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these 
general headings:
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    \3\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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     Geology and Soils.
     Land Use.
     Water Resources, Fisheries, and Wetlands.
     Cultural Resources.
     Vegetation and Wildlife.
     Threatened and Endangered Species.
     Air Quality and Noise.
    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.
    Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending 
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be 
published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, public 
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, 
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for 
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA 
is published. 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 below.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    We have already identified the following issues that we think 
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed 
facilities and the environmental information provided by Trunkline LNG. 
This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments 
and our analysis.
     The operation of the proposed compressor would contribute 
to noise generated by the existing Trunkline LNG facility.
     No impacts would occur to water resources, fisheries, 
wetlands, vegetation or wildlife. Other than air quality and noise, all 
impacts would occur within existing Trunkline LNG property.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commenter, your 
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. 
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the 
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative 
locations), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The 
more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please 
carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments are 
received in time and properly recorded:
     Send an original and two copies of your letter to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
     Label one copy of the comments for the attention of OEP/
DG2E, Gas Branch 3.
     Reference Docket No. CP08-68-000.
     Mail your comments so that they will be received in 
Washington, DC on or before March 31, 2008.
    We will include all comments that we receive within a reasonable 
time frame in our environmental analysis of this project. However, the 
Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or 
interventions or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site 
at http:// www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to the 
User's Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create a 
free account which can be created on-line.

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    We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving 
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not 
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want 
to become an official party to the proceeding, or ``intervenor''. To 
become an intervenor you must file a motion to intervene according to 
Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 
385.214). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the 
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically 
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov. 
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies 
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address 
indicated previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before 
the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to 
the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted 
after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all 
other intervenors identified on the Commission's service list for this 
proceeding. Persons on the service list with email addresses may be 
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
    Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be 
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they 
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be 
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor 
status to have your environmental comments considered.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who own 
land within distances defined in the Commission's regulations of 
certain aboveground facilities. By this notice we are also asking 
governmental agencies, especially those in Appendix 2, to express their 
interest in becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of the 
EA.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://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. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 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 now 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.
 [FR Doc. E8-4219 Filed 3-4-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P