Document ID: FERC-2015-1305-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Intents to Prepare Environmental Documents: National Grid LNG, LLC, Planned Fields Point Liquefaction Project; Environmental Issues, and Public Scoping Meeting
Posted Date: 2015-10-02T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 191 (Friday, October 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59769-59772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25012]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF15-28-000]

National Grid LNG, LLC: Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Document for the Planned Fields Point Liquefaction 
Project, Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of 
Public Scoping Meeting

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss 
the environmental impacts of the Fields Point Liquefaction Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by National Grid 
LNG, LLC (NGLNG) in Providence, Rhode Island. The Commission will use 
this environmental document in its decision-making process to determine 
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. 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. 
Your input will help the Commission staff determine what issues they 
need to evaluate in the environmental document. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so 
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 
October 26, 2015.

[[Page 59770]]

    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on June 22, 2015, you will need to file those 
comments in Docket No. PF15-28-000 to ensure they are considered as 
part of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    The following libraries will be provided copies of this notice in 
English and Spanish:\1\
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    \1\ Para los lectores de espa[ntilde]ol, por favor refieran a la 
traducci[oacute]n en espa[ntilde]ol presentada 
simult[aacute]neamente en el expediente de la FERC con esta 
convocatoria. El expediente de la FERC se encuentra disponible en el 
sitio web de la FERC (www.ferc.gov) utilizando el enlace a 
trav[eacute]s de la biblioteca electr[oacute]nica, al hacer clic en 
``General Search'', e introducir el n[uacute]mero de expediente 
excluyendo los [uacute]ltimos tres d[iacute]gitos en el campo 
N[uacute]mero de expediente (es decir, PF15-28). Aseg[uacute]rese de 
que ha seleccionado un intervalo de fechas adecuado. Adem[aacute]s 
NGLNG puede publicar versiones en espa[ntilde]ol de esta 
convocatoria en sitios web de noticias en espa[ntilde]ol en el 
[aacute]rea de Providencia.

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Providence Community Library:            Providence Community Library:,
 Washington Park, 1316 Broad Street,      Knight Memorial, 275 Elmwood
 Providence, RI 02905, 401-781-3136.      Avenue, Providence, RI 02907,
                                          401-467-2625.
Cranston Public Library:, William Hall   Providence Community Library:,
 Library, 1825 Broad Street, Cranston,    South Providence, 441 Prairie
 RI 02905, 401-781-2450.                  Avenue, Providence, RI 02905,
                                          401-467-2619.
East Providence Library Branch, 475      Providence Public Library,
 Bullocks Pt. Avenue, Riverside, RI       Reference Department, 150
 02915, 401-433-4877.                     Empire Street, Providence, RI
                                          02903, 401-455-8000.
Cranston Public Library:, Auburn         Providence Community Library:,
 Branch, 396 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston,    Fox Point, 90 Ives Street,
 RI 02910, 401-781-6116.                  Providence, RI 02906, 401-331-
                                          0390.
Cranston Public Library:, Arlington      East Providence Public Library:
 Branch, 1069 Cranston Street,            Weaver, 41 Grove Avenue, East
 Cranston, RI 02920, 401-944-1662.        Providence, RI 02914, 401-434-
                                          2453.
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Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission will provide equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally during a FERC scoping meeting. 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 
(PF15-28-000) with your submission: 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 the public scoping meeting its staff 
will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows: FERC Public 
Scoping Meeting, Fields Point Liquefaction Project, October 8, 2015, 
6:30 p.m., Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex at the Providence 
Academy of International Studies High School, 182 Thurbers Avenue, 
Providence, RI.
    We will begin our sign up of speakers at 6 p.m. The scoping meeting 
will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a description of our environmental review 
process by Commission staff, after which speakers will be called. The 
meeting will end once all speakers have provided their comments or at 
10:30 p.m., whichever comes first. Please note that there may be a time 
limit of three minutes to present comments, and speakers should 
structure their comments accordingly.
    If time limits are implemented, they will be strictly enforced to 
ensure that as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to 
comment. The meetings will be recorded by a court reporter to ensure 
comments are accurately recorded. Transcripts will be entered into the 
formal record of the Commission proceeding.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in Appendix 1.\2\
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    \2\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices 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 the last page of this notice.
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Summary of the Planned Project

    NGLNG plans to add liquefaction capability at the existing 
liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility located at Fields Point in 
Providence, Rhode Island. The Project would include one new 20 million 
standard cubic feet per day gas pretreatment and liquefaction system to 
convert natural gas into LNG by cooling it to -260 [deg]F.
    The storage operation at Fields Point has been in existence for 
approximately 40 years and does not include any liquefaction equipment. 
The natural gas delivered to the facility via the existing pipeline 
would be pre-treated, liquefied, and conveyed to the existing storage 
tank.
    A figure showing the general location of the existing and proposed 
facilities is shown in Appendix 2. If approved, NGLNG plans to begin 
construction of the Project in late 2016.

Land Requirements for Construction

    The existing facility is in an industrial area along the Providence 
River at 121 Terminal Road. The total land proposed to be disturbed for 
construction of this project is reported to be approximately 8.91 
acres. The liquefaction system would occupy approximately 1.85 acres 
within the existing facility's footprint.

The Environmental Document Preparation 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 
\3\ to discover and address concerns the public may have about 
proposals. This

[[Page 59771]]

process is referred to as scoping. The main goal of the scoping process 
is to focus the analysis in the environmental document on the important 
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public 
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the environmental 
document. We will consider all filed comments during the preparation of 
the environmental document.
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    \3\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the environmental document, we will discuss impacts that could 
occur as a result of the construction and operation of the planned 
project under these general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     land use;
     water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
     cultural resources;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     air quality and noise;
     socioeconomics;
     endangered and threatened species;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.
    We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project 
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen 
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, we have already 
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process. 
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement 
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before 
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we 
have begun to contact some federal and state agencies to discuss their 
involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the 
environmental document.
    The environmental document will present our independent analysis of 
the issues. The environmental document will be available in the public 
record through eLibrary. Depending on the comments received during the 
scoping process, we may also publish and distribute the environmental 
document to the public for an allotted comment period. If the document 
is published and distributed to the public, we will consider all timely 
comments on the environmental document before we make our 
recommendations to the Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to 
consider and address your comments, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the Public Participation section, beginning on page 2.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues 
related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of the environmental document.\4\ 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.
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    \4\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, part 1501.6.
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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 applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s), and to 
solicit their views and those of other government agencies, interested 
Indian tribes, and the public on the project's potential effects on 
historic properties.\5\ We will define the project-specific Area of 
Potential Effects (APE) in consultation with the SHPO(s) as the project 
develops. On natural gas facility projects, the APE at a minimum 
encompasses all areas subject to ground disturbance (examples include 
construction staging areas, access roads, and the footprint of the 
planned liquefaction facility). Our environmental document for this 
project will document our findings on the impacts on historic 
properties and summarize the status of consultations under Section 106.
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    \5\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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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 
planned project.
    If we publish and distribute the environmental document, copies of 
it 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 CD version or would like to remove your name from the 
mailing list, please return the attached Information Request (Appendix 
3).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once NGLNG files its application with the Commission, 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. Motions to intervene are more fully described at 
http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Instructions 
for becoming an intervenor are in the ``Document-less Intervention 
Guide'' under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site. 
Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for intervenor 
status at this time. You must wait until the Commission receives a 
formal application for the project.

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 (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., PF15-
28). 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.

[[Page 59772]]

    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: September 25, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-25012 Filed 10-1-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P