Document ID: FERC-2014-0652-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Draft General Conformity Determination, Proposed Cove Point Liquefaction Project, Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP
Posted Date: 2014-05-22T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 99 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29435-29436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11862]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP13-113-000]

Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP; Notice of Availability of the 
Environmental Assessment and Draft General Conformity Determination for 
the Proposed Cove Point Liquefaction Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Cove 
Point Liquefaction Project (Project) proposed by Dominion Cove Point 
LNG, LP (DCP) in the above-referenced docket. DCP requests 
authorization to construct and operate facilities to process and export 
domestically sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the existing Cove 
Point LNG Terminal (LNG Terminal) in Calvert County, Maryland. The 
Project would enable DCP to export approximately 5.75 million metric 
tons per annum of LNG via LNG marine carriers that would dock at the 
existing offshore pier. A draft General Conformity Determination has 
also been prepared by the FERC to assess the potential air quality 
impacts associated with construction and operation of the proposed 
Project and is included as appendix B of the EA.
    The EA 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). The draft 
General Conformity Determination was prepared to implement the 
conformity provision of the Clean Air Act. The FERC staff concludes 
that approval of the proposed Project, with appropriate mitigating 
measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment.
    The U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, and Maryland Department 
of Natural Resources participated as cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the EA and draft General Conformity Determination. 
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 
EA, the agencies will present their own conclusions and recommendations 
in their respective Records of Decision or determinations for the 
Project.
    The proposed facilities associated with the LNG Terminal include 
the following:
     One LNG liquefaction train consisting of gas treatment 
equipment, natural gas-fired turbine-driven refrigerant compressors, 
waste heat recovery systems, fire and gas detection and safety systems, 
and control systems;
     additional power generation including waste heat-driven 
steam turbine generators and other electrical accessories to supplement 
the existing on-site power generation;
     minor modifications to the existing pier; and
     the use of two off-site areas to support construction.
    The Project would also include the addition of up to 62,500 
horsepower of electric-driven compression at DCP's existing Pleasant 
Valley Compressor Station in Fairfax County, Virginia, and 
modifications to an existing metering and regulating facility at DCP's 
Loudoun Compressor Station in Loudoun County, Virginia.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EA and draft General Conformity 
Determination to federal, state, and local government representatives 
and agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest 
groups; Native American tribes; potentially affected landowners and 
other interested individuals and groups; libraries in the Project area; 
and parties to this proceeding. In addition, the EA, including the 
draft General Conformity Determination, has been placed in the public 
files of the FERC and is available

[[Page 29436]]

for public viewing on the FERC's Web site at www.ferc.gov using the 
eLibrary link. A limited number of copies of the EA and draft General 
Conformity Determination are also available for distribution and public 
inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference 
Room, 888 First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-
8371.
    Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. 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 the Commission has the opportunity to consider your 
comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important 
that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before June 16, 
2014.
    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances please reference the 
Project docket number (CP13-113-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically by using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's Web site at www.ferc.gov 
under the link to Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for 
interested persons to submit 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 at 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 must 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.
    (4) In lieu of sending written or electronic comments, the 
Commission invites you to attend a public comment meeting that its 
staff will conduct in the Project area to receive comments on the EA 
and draft General Conformity Determination. We encourage interested 
groups and individuals to attend and present oral comments on the EA 
and draft General Conformity Determination. A transcript of the meeting 
will be available for review in eLibrary under the Project docket 
number. The meeting is scheduled as follows:

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               Date and time                          Location
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Saturday, May 31, 2014, 1:00-6:00 p.m.....  Patuxent High School,
                                            12485 Southern Connector
                                             Boulevard,
                                            Lusby, MD 20657.
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    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 385.214).\1\ Only intervenors have the 
right to seek rehearing 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.
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    \1\ See the previous discussion on the methods for filing 
comments.
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    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 (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., CP13-
113). 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.

    Dated: May 15, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-11862 Filed 5-21-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P