Document ID: FERC-2016-0007-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Delfin LNG Project
Posted Date: 2016-01-05T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 231-233]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-33123]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP15-490-000, CP15-490-001]

Delfin LNG, LLC; Notice of Scoping for the Proposed Delfin LNG 
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is 
cooperating with the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard), the lead federal 
agency for environmental review of the Delfin LNG Project. This 
proposal involves the construction and operation of an offshore 
liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port (under the jurisdiction of 
the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration) and associated 
pipeline facilities, including about 1.1 mile of onshore pipeline and 
aboveground facilities under the Commission's jurisdiction. FERC staff 
is assisting the Coast Guard in its preparation of an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) that will discuss the environmental impacts of 
the Delfin LNG Project. This cooperative effort is to comply with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which requires the 
Commission to take into account the

[[Page 232]]

environmental impact that could result from an action whenever it 
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and 
Necessity under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
    NEPA requires the FERC to discover and address concerns the public 
may have about proposals under its review. This process is referred to 
as ``scoping.'' On November 19, 2015, Delfin LNG, LLC (Delfin LNG) 
amended its application with the FERC regarding the proposed 
aboveground facilities. Thus, the FERC is opening a scoping period to 
solicit input from the public and interested agencies limited to the 
proposed onshore pipeline and related facilities (i.e., those under 
FERC jurisdiction) in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. You can make a 
difference by providing us \1\ 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. Your input will help determine which 
issues need to be evaluated in the EIS.\2\ Please note that the scoping 
period will close on January 28, 2016, and comments should be limited 
to the onshore facilities described in this amended docket. Details on 
how to submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section 
of this notice.
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    \1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refers to environmental staff of 
the Office of Energy Projects.
    \2\ For more information on the original and amended Delfin LNG 
Project or the Coast Guard's EIS process, see the July 29, 2015 
edition of the Federal Register, page 45,270, and the December 24, 
2015 edition of the Federal Register, page 80,455 ``Deepwater Port 
License Application: Delfin LNG LLC, Delfin LNG Deepwater Port'' 
under Department of Transportation/Maritime Administration.
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    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company 
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. Delfin LNG 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if 
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the 
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to 
produce an agreement, Delfin LNG could initiate condemnation 
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with 
state law.
    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries 
and newspapers. State and local government representatives are asked to 
notify their constituents of this proposed project and to encourage 
them to comment on their areas of concern.\3\ If you received this 
notice, you are on the environmental mailing list for this project and 
will continue to receive project updates including the draft and final 
EISs.
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    \3\ Comments submitted during the Coast Guard's scoping period 
(July 29-September 28, 2015) for the project as originally proposed 
do not need to be resubmitted.
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    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 (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 (FERC Jurisdictional Facilities)

    Delfin LNG proposes to activate the formerly abandoned U-T offshore 
system (UTOS) pipeline and construct new connecting pipelines, a 
compressor station, and appurtenant facilities the majority of which 
would be within the PSI Midstream Partners, L.P. (PSI) Cameron Meadows 
Gas Plant and adjacent Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line, LLC (Transco) 
Station 44 in Cameron Parish. The proposed facilities consist of:
     1.1 miles of the existing onshore portion of the 42-inch-
diameter UTOS pipeline from the landward side of the mean high water 
mark along the coast of Cameron Parish to just inside the boundary of 
Transco Station 44;
     a mainline block valve and blowdown site located south of 
Louisiana Highway 82;
     a new meter station and connecting piping within the 
Transco Station 44 site;
     a new 0.25-mile-long 42-inch-diameter pipeline to connect 
the UTOS line to the new meter station;
     new twin 0.6-mile-long 30-inch diameter header pipelines;
     a new compressor station consisting of:
    [ssquf] four 30,000 horsepower (hp) Solar Tital 250 gas turbine-
driven compressors;
    [ssquf] four gas coolers;
    [ssquf] three 600 kilowatt generators;
    [ssquf] two control buildings, office and warehouse buildings; and
    [ssquf] pig launcher and check meter.
    The general location of the proposed onshore pipeline is shown in 
appendix 1.\4\
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    \4\ The appendix referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendix 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 
page 5 of this notice.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Approximately 19.4 acres of land would be affected by construction, 
with about 13.0 acres permanently impacted for operation. The 
construction right-of-way width for the three adjacent pipelines--the 
twin 0.6-mile, 30-inch-diameter header pipelines and the 0.25-mile 42-
inch-diameter pipeline would be 120 feet wide, of which 70 feet would 
be retained as permanent right-of-way. The majority of aboveground 
facilities would be constructed within the existing fence lines of the 
Cameron Meadows Gas Plant and Transco Station 44.
    Of the land effected by construction, approximately 36.4 percent is 
classified as industrial land use and approximately 35.9 percent is 
currently maintained in an herbaceous state. The remaining land 
comprises intermediate marsh, coastal dune shrub thicket, scrub/shrub 
swamp, and roads.

The EIS Process

    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 EIS on the 
important environmental issues.
    As mentioned previously, the Coast Guard is the lead federal agency 
preparing the EIS for the overall Delfin LNG Deepwater Port Project. 
According to the Maritime Administration's December 24, 2015 Notice of 
Receipt of Amended Application and Request for Comments, when a draft 
EIS is complete and ready for public review, the Maritime 
Administration will publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register to provide for a public comment period that include public 
meetings in Louisiana and Texas. FERC, as a cooperating agency will 
play an important role in developing the environmental analysis for the 
FERC-jurisdictional (onshore) facilities in the EIS. Thus, FERC staff 
will work with Coast Guard staff and contractors to ensure that the 
onshore facilities are thoroughly evaluated and that all scoping 
comments received as a result of this notice are addressed, as

[[Page 233]]

appropriate, in the EIS. Staff 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 various 
resource areas.

Public Participation

    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 expert staff available to assist you at 
(202) 502-8258 or efiling@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 Web site (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 Web site (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 
(CP15-490) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426.

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EIS 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 in 
the ``Document-less Intervention Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on 
the Commission's Web site. Motions to intervene are more fully 
described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.

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 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 (i.e., CP15-
490). 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 www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: December 29, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-33123 Filed 1-4-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P