Liberty Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Liberty Gas Storage Expansion Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 11907-11908 [E8-4224]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11907-11908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4224]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF08-7-000]


Liberty Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Liberty Gas Storage Expansion 
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 
describe the environmental impacts of constructing and operating the 
Liberty Gas Storage, LLC's (Liberty) proposed Liberty Gas Storage 
Expansion Project (Project) located in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes, 
Louisiana. The FERC will be the lead federal agency in the preparation 
of this EA which will satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and will be used by the FERC to 
consider the environmental impacts that could result if the Commission 
issues Liberty a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity 
(Certificate) under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
    This notice announces the beginning of the scoping process\1\ we 
will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies about 
the proposed Project. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine which issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that 
the scoping period will close on March 28, 2008.
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    \1\ The National Environmental Policy Act requires the 
Commission to undertake a process to identify and address concerns 
the public may have about a proposed project. This process is 
commonly referred to as the ``scoping process''.
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    This notice is being sent to affected landowners; federal, state, 
and local government representatives and agencies; environmental and 
public interest groups; Native American tribes; other interested 
parties in this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. We 
encourage government representatives to notify their constituents of 
this proposed project and encourage them to comment on their areas of 
concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted 
by a Liberty representative about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain facilities necessary for the proposed 
Project. Liberty would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable 
agreement. However, if the Project is approved by the Commission, that 
approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if 
easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, Liberty could 
initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with state law.
    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 Internet Web site (https://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

    Liberty is proposing to construct and operate a new natural gas 
storage facility on an existing 159.5-acre industrial site, west of 
Hackberry, in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The proposed facility would 
primarily consist of: Four salt dome caverns capable of storing 
approximately a total of 24 billion cubic feet of natural gas; an 
18,940 horsepower compressor station; and an approximately 5.2-mile-
long, 36-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline. Specifically, Liberty is 
seeking authority to:
     Convert three existing salt dome caverns and develop one 
new salt dome cavern for natural gas storage;
     Install groundwater supply wells and pipelines;
     Construct a brine pumping system and reservoir;
     Construct a compressor station containing four natural gas 
driven reciprocating compressors;
     Utilize construction staging areas and access roads; and
     Construct other minor natural gas facilities associated 
with storage cavern development, compressor station and pipeline 
operation.
    Liberty is also seeking authority to construct:
     An approximately 5.2-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter natural 
gas pipeline, beginning at the proposed storage facility site, heading 
northeast through Black Lake, and connecting to the Cameron Interstate 
Pipeline in Calcasieu Parish;
     One meter station;
     Four brine disposal wells at an off-site location; and
     An approximately 3.0-mile-long, 16-inch-diameter brine 
disposal pipeline, beginning at the proposed storage facility site and 
heading southeast to the proposed disposal wells.
    Additionally, Liberty is proposing to:
     Utilize a nominal 100-foot-wide right-of-way (ROW) for 
construction of the proposed approximately 5.2-mile-long, 36-inch-
diameter natural gas pipeline (Liberty has also indicated that pipeline 
construction through Black Lake would require the use of a 
significantly wider construction ROW);
     Utilize a nominal 65-foot-wide ROW for construction of the 
proposed approximately 3.0-mile-long, 16-inch-diameter brine disposal 
pipeline; and
     Utilize permanent rights-of-way, 50 and 30 feet wide, for 
maintenance of the natural gas and brine disposal pipelines, 
respectively.
    A general map of the proposed facilities is provided 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, other 
than Appendix 1, are available on the Commission's Web site or from 
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the proposed facilities including workspace, 
staging yards, and access roads would require the temporary use of 
approximately 336 acres of land. Operation and maintenance of the 
proposed facilities would require the permanent use of approximately 32 
acres of land. Land affected by construction, but not required for 
operation and maintenance would be restored and allowed to revert to 
its former use.

The Environmental Review and Assessment Processes

    The Commission's staff has initiated a pre-filing environmental 
review of Liberty's proposed project. The purpose of the pre-filing 
environmental review is to identify and resolve potential environmental 
issues prior to the submission of an application for a Certificate by 
Liberty. During a pre-filing environmental review, the public is 
encouraged to comment on environmental issues related to the proposed 
Project.
    Upon completion of staff's pre-filing environmental review, Liberty 
has indicated that it would file an application for a Certificate. 
Based upon

[[Page 11908]]

the pre-filing environmental review, and Liberty's application; staff, 
will prepare the EA.
    The EA will discuss the environmental impacts resulting from the 
construction and operation of the proposed Project under the following 
headings:
     Geology and Soils
     Water Resources and Wetlands
     Fisheries, Vegetation and Wildlife
     Threatened and Endangered Species
     Air and Noise Quality
     Land Use
     Cultural Resources
     Pipeline Safety and Reliability
    The Commission's staff will also evaluate possible alternatives to 
the proposed Project including system and route alternatives and make 
recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts to affected 
environmental resources.
    As noted previously, the NEPA requires the Commission to undertake 
a process to identify and address concerns the public may have about a 
proposed project. This process is commonly referred to as the ``scoping 
process''. The main goal of the scoping process is to identify public 
concerns so that they can be considered in the Commission's 
environmental review. Therefore, to satisfy scoping requirements, with 
this notice, the Commission requests comments on environmental issues 
that should be considered in its environmental review and assessment. 
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the 
instructions in the public participation section of this notice.
    Upon completion of the staff's environmental review and depending 
on the issues identified and/or comments received during the 
``scoping'' process, the EA may be published and mailed to federal, 
state and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental 
and public interest groups; affected landowners; other interested 
parties; local libraries and newspapers; and the Commission's official 
service list for this proceeding. A 30-day comment period would be 
allotted for review of the EA if it is published. Staff would consider 
all comments submitted concerning the EA before making their 
recommendations to the Commission.
    Federal, state, or local agencies wishing to participate in staff's 
environmental review and the subsequent development of an EA may 
request ``cooperating agency'' status. Cooperating agencies are 
encouraged to participate in the scoping process and provide staff with 
written comments concerning the proposed Project. Agencies wanting to 
participate as a cooperating agency should submit a letter to the 
Commission describing the extent to which it would like to be involved.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The Commission's staff has already identified numerous 
environmental issues it thinks deserves consideration based on its 
review of preliminary information submitted by Liberty. These issues 
include potential impacts to:
     Land use;
     Residences;
     Groundwater;
     Wetlands; and
     Wildlife.

Public Participation

    You can make a difference by providing us with your specific 
comments or concerns about the proposed Project. By becoming a 
commentor, your comments and concerns will be considered in the 
environmental review, addressed in the EA and considered by the 
Commission. Generally, comments are submitted regarding potential 
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid 
or lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the 
more useful they will be. To ensure that your comments are properly 
recorded, please mail them to our office on or before March 28, 2008. 
When filing comments please:
     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 your comments to the attention of Gas 
Branch 2, DG2E; and reference Pre-Filing Docket No. PF08-7-000 on the 
original and both copies.
    Please note that the Commission encourages the electronic filing of 
comments. To file electronic comments online please see the 
instructions \3\ on the Commission's Web site at https://www.ferc.gov. 
Please note before you can file electronic comments with the Commission 
you will need to create a free online account.
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    \3\ 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii).
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    Once Liberty files an application for a Certificate with the 
Commission, a stakeholder may choose to become an official party to the 
proceeding known as an ``intervenor.'' Intervenors are allotted 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. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are 
available on the Commission's Web site. Please note that requests to 
intervene will not be accepted until an application for a Certificate 
is filed with the Commission.

Environmental Mailing List

    An effort has been made to send this notice to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities that might be interested in and/
or potentially affected by the proposed Project. This includes all 
landowners who are potential right-of-way grantors, landowners whose 
property may be used temporarily for project purposes, and landowners 
with homes within distances defined in the Commission's regulations of 
certain aboveground facilities. If you would like to remain on the 
environmental mailing list for this proposed Project, please return the 
Mailing List Retention Form found in Appendix 2. If you do not comment 
on this proposed Project or return this form, you will be removed from 
the Commission's environmental mailing list.

Availability of Additional Information

    Additional information about the proposed Project is available from 
the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or 
through the Commission's ``eLibrary'' which can be found online at 
https://www.ferc.gov. For assistance with the Commission's ``eLibrary'', 
contact the helpline at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
    Additionally, the FERC now offers a free service called 
eSubscription that allows stakeholders to keep track of all formal 
issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This service can reduce 
the amount of time stakeholders spend researching proceedings by 
automatically providing them with notification of filings, document 
summaries, and direct links to documents. To register for this service, 
go to https://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    If applicable, public meetings or site visits associated with this 
proposed Project will be posted on the Commission's calendar which can 
be found online at https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-4224 Filed 3-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P