Driftwood LNG LLC; Driftwood Pipeline; LLC Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Driftwood LNG Project, 47918-47920 [2018-20552]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 184 (Friday, September 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47918-47920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20552]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP17-117-000; CP17-118-000]


Driftwood LNG LLC; Driftwood Pipeline; LLC Notice of Availability 
of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Driftwood 
LNG Project

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Driftwood LNG and Pipeline Projects (Project). Driftwood LNG 
LLC and Driftwood Pipeline LLC, collectively Driftwood, request 
authorization (FERC Docket Nos. CP17-117-000 and CP17-118-000) to site, 
construct, and operate liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities 
and certain interstate, natural gas transmission pipeline facilities in 
Evangeline, Acadia, Jefferson Davis, and Calcasieu Parishes, Louisiana. 
The Project would provide gas and processing to produce up to 26 
million tonnes per annum of LNG for export.
    The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the Driftwood LNG Project in accordance 
with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 
The FERC staff concludes that approval of the Project would result in 
adverse impacts on the environment. However, with the exception of the 
visual impact on the nearby Driftwood Community which we conclude would 
be significant, impacts on the environment would be reduced to 
acceptable levels with the implementation of Driftwood's proposed 
impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures and the 
additional measures recommended by staff in the draft EIS.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. 
Department of Transportation participated as cooperating agencies in 
the preparation of the EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by 
law or special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected 
by the

[[Page 47919]]

proposal and participate in the NEPA analysis.
    The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of the 
construction and operation of the following project facilities:
     Five LNG plants (each plant consists of one gas pre-
treatment unit, one condensation stabilization unit, and four heavy 
hydrocarbon removal and liquefaction units);
     three LNG storage tanks;
     three marine berths capable of accommodating LNG carriers 
of up to 216,000 cubic meters each;
     74 miles of 48-inch-diameter pipeline, 10.6 miles of 42-
inch-diameter pipeline, and 11.3 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline; 
one 3.4-mile-long, 30-inch-diameter lateral pipeline collocated with 
the mainline pipeline;
     three compressor stations providing a total of 
approximately 275,000 horsepower of compression; and
     six pig launchers and receiver facilities,\1\ 15 meter 
stations, and 17 mainline valves.
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    \1\ A pig is an internal tool that can be used to clean and dry 
a pipeline and/or to inspect it for damage or corrosion.
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    The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability 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; and newspapers and libraries in the project 
area. The draft EIS is only available in electronic format. It may be 
viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the 
Environmental Documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In addition, the draft EIS may be accessed by using 
the eLibrary link on the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link 
(https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General 
Search, and enter the docket number in the ``Docket Number'' field, 
excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP17-117 or CP17-118). Be sure 
you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please 
contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll free 
at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
    Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. Your 
comments should focus on the draft EIS's disclosure and discussion of 
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 consideration of your 
comments on the proposal in the final EIS, it is important that the 
Commission receive your comments on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Time on 
November 5, 2018.
    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. The Commission encourages electronic filing of 
comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or 
[email protected]. 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 website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to 
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting brief, 
text-only comments on the Project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's website (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 numbers 
(CP17-117-000 and CP17-118-000) 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 one of the public comment sessions its 
staff will conduct in the project area to receive comments on the draft 
EIS, scheduled as follows:

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            Date and time                           Location
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Tuesday, October 9 (5 p.m.-7 p.m.      Seven Clans Hotel, 797 Coushatta
 CST).                                  Drive, Kinder, LA 20648 (800)-
                                        584-7263.
Wednesday, October 10 (5 p.m.-7 p.m.   Holiday Inn Opelousas, 5696O-49
 CST).                                  North Service Road, Opelousas,
                                        LA 70570 (337)-407-0004.
Thursday, October 11 (5 p.m.-7 p.m.    West Cal Event Center, 401 Arena
 CST).                                  Road, Sulphur, LA 70665 (337)-
                                        528-9378.
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    The primary goal of these comment sessions is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS. 
Individual verbal comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a 
court reporter. This format is designed to receive the maximum amount 
of verbal comments, in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.
    Each comment session is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CST. You 
may arrive at any time after 5 p.m. There will not be a formal 
presentation by Commission staff when the session opens. If you wish to 
speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your 
arrival. Comments will be taken until 7 p.m. However, if no additional 
numbers have been handed out and all individuals who wish to provide 
comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude the 
session at 6:30 p.m.
    Your verbal comments will be recorded by the court reporter (with 
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public 
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on 
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary). 
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal 
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be 
implemented for each commentor.
    It is important to note that verbal comments hold the same weight 
as written or electronically submitted comments. Although there will 
not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available 
throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the 
environmental review process.
    Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a 
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the

[[Page 47920]]

Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Motions 
to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing or judicial review 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.

Questions?

    Additional information about the Projects is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. The eLibrary link also 
provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the 
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription that 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: September 14, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-20552 Filed 9-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P