Cameron LNG, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed BOG Liquefaction Project, and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, 77814-77815 [2011-31938]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77814-77815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-31938]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP12-15-000]


Cameron LNG, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Assessment for the Proposed BOG Liquefaction Project, and Request for 
Comments on Environmental Issues

    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 BOG Liquefaction Project 
involving construction and operation of facilities by Cameron LNG, LLC 
(Cameron LNG) in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. This EA will be used by the 
Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the 
project is in the public interest.
    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. Your input will help the Commission staff 
determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Comments may be 
submitted in written form or verbally. Further details on how to submit 
written comments are provided in the Public Participation section of 
this notice. Please note that the scoping period will close on January 
13, 2012.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this project. State and local government 
representatives are asked to notify their constituents of this proposed 
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    Cameron LNG plans to construct and operate facilities necessary to 
liquefy boil-off gas (BOG) at its existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) 
terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. According to Cameron LNG, the 
BOG Liquefaction Project would provide a more economical means of 
maintaining sufficient LNG in each of the terminal's storage tanks. 
Currently, BOG is sent out via delivery into the Cameron Interstate 
Pipeline.
    The proposed BOG Liquefaction Project would consist of the 
following facilities:
     An electric-motor driven centrifugal refrigeration 
compressor;
     A cryogenic plate-fin heat exchanger;
     Ancillary aerial coolers, knockout vessels, pumps, and 
piping for the closed loop refrigeration cycle;
     Four small (less than 10,000 pounds each) pressure vessels 
for refrigerant;
     Interconnecting gas piping (4-inch-diameter) from the 
existing pipeline compressors to the liquefaction unit; and
     A single 3-inch-diameter interconnecting LNG line from the 
liquefaction unit back to the terminal's LNG return header.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix 
1.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those 
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at https://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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Land Requirements for Construction

    The BOG Liquefaction Project would occupy an area approximately 1 
acre in size wholly within the existing terminal and would not require 
any new land.

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 an authorization of a 
project. NEPA also requires us \2\ 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, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during 
the preparation of the EA.
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    \2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff 
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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    In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of 
the construction and operation of the

[[Page 77815]]

proposed project under these general headings:
     Geology and soils;
     Land use;
     Air quality and noise; and
     Public safety.
    We will also evaluate possible 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.
    The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. It 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 EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We will 
consider all comments on the EA before making 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 below.
    With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law 
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of 
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
EA.\3\ 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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    \3\ 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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Public Participation

    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. The more specific 
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your 
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so 
that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before January 13, 
2012.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. In all instances, please reference the 
project docket number (CP12-15-000) with your submission. The 
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert 
eFiling staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or 
efiling@ferc.gov.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's Web site at https://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 https://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. If 
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select 
``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
at the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426.

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 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 proposed project.
    If we publish and distribute the EA, copies 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 2).

Becoming an Intervenor

    In addition to involvement in the EA 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 User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web 
site.

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 (https://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on 
the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the project 
docket number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number 
field (i.e., CP12-15). 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 https://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
    Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: December 7, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-31938 Filed 12-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P