Department of Energy April 16, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge Reservation. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of receipt of an application (Application), filed on February 25, 2015, by Bear Head LNG Corporation and Bear Head LNG (USA), LLC (collectively, Bear Head),\1\ requesting long-term, multi- contract authorization to export domestically produced natural gas as follows: (i) To export the natural gas by pipeline to Canada at the United States-Canada border (at a point near Calais, Maine, and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, respectively) on the Maritimes & Northeast (M&N) Pipeline in a volume of 440 billion cubic feet per year (Bcf/yr), or approximately 1.2 Bcf per day (Bcf/d); \2\ (ii) to use approximately 42.4 Bcf/yr of the U.S.-sourced natural gas as feedstock in a Canadian natural gas liquefaction and export facility currently being developed by Bear Head within the Point Tupper/Bear Head Industrial Park near the town of Port Hawksbury, on the Straight of Canso, in Richmond County, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada (Project); \3\ and (iii) to export a portion of the U.S.-sourced natural gas in the form of LNG in a volume equivalent to approximately 397.6 Bcf/yr of natural gas (1.1 Bcf/d) by vessel from Nova Scotia, Canada, to one or more countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas and with which trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-FTA countries).\4\ Only Bear Head's proposed export of LNG produced from U.S-sourced natural gas to non-FTA countries is subject to this Notice. Bear Head states that its proposed Project and LNG exports will not involve the construction of any facilities in the United States giving rise to cognizable effects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., but may require modification and expansion of the M&N Pipeline system, which Bear Head expects will interconnect with the Project's proposed pipeline header near Goldboro, Nova Scotia, for the delivery of natural gas feedstock to the Project.\5\ Bear Head requests the authorization for a 25-year term to commence on the earlier of the date of first export or 10 years from the date the authorization is granted. Bear Head seeks to export this LNG on its own behalf and as agent for other entities who hold title to the LNG at the time of export. The Application was filed under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). Additional details can be found in Bear Head's Application, posted on the DOE/FE Web site at: https://cms.doe.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/04/ f21/15_33_lng_fta_nfta.pdf.