[Federal Register: October 17, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 199)]
[Notices]
[Page 60325-60327]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17oc05-78]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[FERC Docket No. CP04-58-000, CP04-58-001, CP04-58-002, and CP04-58-
003; POLB Application No. HDP 03-079 SCH No. 2003091130]
Port of Long Beach, Sound Energy Solutions; Notice of
Availability/Completion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Report, Draft General Conformity Determination, and Draft Port Master
Plan Amendment for the Proposed Long Beach LNG Import Project
October 7, 2005.
The environmental staffs of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC or Commission) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) have
prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact
Report (EIS/EIR) on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and
natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Sound Energy Solutions
(SES) in the above-referenced dockets. The draft EIS/EIR was prepared
to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A draft
General Conformity Determination was also prepared by the FERC to
assess the potential air quality impacts associated with construction
and operation of the proposed project and is included as Appendix E of
the draft EIS/EIR.
The draft EIS/EIR includes an Application Summary Report that was
prepared by the POLB pursuant to the requirements of the CEQA, the
certified Port Master Plan (PMP), and the California Coastal Act for
the proposed project. Based on data contained in the draft EIS/EIR and
Application Summary Report, the proposed project is in conformance with
the stated policies of the PMP. An amendment to the PMP would be
necessary, however, to accommodate the LNG facility because LNG is not
an expressly identified ``hazardous cargo'' as permitted within
Terminal Island Planning District 4. The POLB has submitted a draft PMP
amendment (draft PMP Amendment No. 20) to the California Coastal
Commission in conjunction with submittal of the draft EIS/EIR.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is participating as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS/EIR because the
project would require permits pursuant to section 404 of the Clean
Water Act [33 United States Code (U.S.C.) 1344] and section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbors Act (33 U.S.C. 403). The ACOE must comply with the
requirements of NEPA before issuing these permits. The ACOE would adopt
the EIS/EIR per Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section
1506.3 if, after an independent review of the document, it concludes
that its comments and suggestions have been satisfied.
The U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard) within the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security has elected to act as a cooperating agency in the
preparation of the EIS/EIR because it exercises regulatory authority
over LNG facilities that affect the safety and security of port areas
and navigable waterways under Executive Order 10173; the Magnuson Act
(50 U.S.C. 191); the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972, as amended
(33 U.S.C. 1221, et seq.); and the Maritime Transportation Security Act
of 2002 (46 U.S.C. 701). The Coast Guard also has authority for LNG
facility security plan review, approval and compliance verification as
provided in Title 33 CFR part 105, and siting as it pertains to the
management of vessel traffic in and around the LNG facility. As
required by its regulations, the Coast Guard is responsible for issuing
a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) as to the suitability of the waterway
for LNG marine traffic. The Coast Guard plans to adopt the EIS/EIR if
it adequately covers the impacts associated with issuance of the LOR.
SES' proposed facilities would provide up to 1 billion standard
cubic feet per day of natural gas to southern California, supply up to
150,000 gallons per day of LNG vehicle fuel, and provide storage of up
to 320,000 cubic meters of imported LNG to reduce fluctuations in the
local natural gas supply. In order to provide LNG import, storage, and
pipeline transportation services, SES requests authorization to
[[Page 60326]]
construct, install, and operate an LNG import terminal and natural gas
pipeline facilities.
The draft EIS/EIR addresses the potential environmental effects of
the construction and operation of the following facilities:
A 1,100-foot-long LNG ship berth and unloading facility
with unloading arms, mooring and breasting dolphins, and a fendering
system that would be capable of unloading one ship at a time;
Two LNG storage tanks, each with a gross volume of 160,000
cubic meters (1,006,000 barrels) surrounded by a security barrier wall;
20 electric-powered booster pumps;
Four shell and tube vaporizers using a primary, closed-
loop water system;
Three boil-off gas compressors, a condensing system, a
natural gas liquids recovery system, and an export ethane (C
2) heater;
An LNG trailer truck loading facility with a small LNG
storage tank;
A natural gas meter station and odorization system;
Utilities, buildings, and service facilities;
Associated hazard detection, control, and prevention
systems; site security facilities; cryogenic piping; and insulation,
electrical, and instrumentation systems;
A 2.3-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter pipeline and associated
aboveground facilities to transport natural gas from the LNG terminal
to the existing local distribution system; and
A 4.6-mile-long, 10-inch-diameter pipeline and associated
aboveground facilities to transport vaporized C 2 from the
LNG terminal to an existing refinery.
Comment Procedures and Public Meetings
Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS/EIR, draft General
Conformity Determination, and/or draft PMP Amendment No. 20 may do so.
To expedite the receipt and consideration of your comments, electronic
submission of comments is strongly encouraged. See Title 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the FERC's Internet Web
site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the eFiling link and the link to the
User's Guide. Before you can submit comments, you will need to create a
free account by clicking on ``Sign-up'' under ``New User.'' You will be
asked to select the type of submission you are making. This type of
submission is considered a ``Comment on Filing.'' Comments submitted
electronically must be submitted by December 8, 2005.
If you wish to mail comments on the draft EIS/EIR, draft General
Conformity Determination, and/or draft PMP Amendment No. 20, please
mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on
or before December 8, 2005 and carefully follow these instructions:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to:
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426;
Reference FERC Docket No. CP04-58-000, et al. and POLB
Application No. HDP 03-079 on the original and both copies;
Label one copy of your comments for the attention of the
Gas Branch 1, DG2E;
Send an additional copy of your letter to: Robert Kanter,
Ph.D., Planning Division, 925 Harbor Plaza, Port of Long Beach, Long
Beach, CA 90802.
In lieu of or in addition to sending written comments, we invite
you to attend the joint public comment meeting that the staffs of the
FERC and the POLB (Agency Staffs) will conduct in the project area to
receive comments on the draft EIS/EIR, draft General Conformity
Determination, and draft PMP Amendment No. 20. The joint meeting is
scheduled as follows: Monday, November 14, 2005, 6 p.m. (PST), City of
Long Beach, City Council Chambers, 333 W. Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach,
CA 90802. (562) 570-6555.
The joint meeting will be posted on the FERC's calendar located at
http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx. Interested groups
and individuals are encouraged to attend and present oral comments on
the draft EIS/EIR, draft General Conformity Determination, and/or draft
PMP Amendment No. 20. A transcript of the meeting will be prepared.
In accordance with the POLB's new protocols for preparing
environmental documents, the POLB will hold three additional public
comment meetings for interested groups and individuals to attend and
present oral comments on the draft EIS/EIR and/or draft PMP Amendment
No. 20. Transcripts of these meetings will be prepared. The additional
meetings are scheduled as follows:
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Date Location
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Tuesday, November 15, 2005, 6 David Starr Jordan High School, 6550
p.m. (PST). Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90805.
(562) 423-1471.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005, Robert A. Millikan High School, 2800
6 p.m. (PST). Snowden Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815.
(562) 425-7441.
Thursday, December 1, 2005, 6 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School, 2001
p.m. (PST). Santa Fe Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90810.
(562) 951-7700.
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After the comments from the meetings are reviewed, any significant
new issues are investigated, and modifications are made to the draft
EIS/EIR and draft General Conformity Determination, a final EIS/EIR,
including a final General Conformity Determination, will be published
and distributed. The final EIS/EIR will contain the Agency Staffs'
responses to timely comments received on the draft EIS/EIR and draft
General Conformity Determination.
In addition, the POLB will consider comments on draft PMP Amendment
No. 20 and prepare a final PMP amendment. The final PMP amendment will
be presented to the Board of Harbor Commissioners for consideration of
adoption when the final EIS/EIR is presented for certification. If the
Board of Harbor Commissioners adopts the PMP amendment and certifies
the final EIS/EIR, the PMP amendment will be submitted to the
California Coastal Commission for review and certification. The POLB
draft PMP Amendment No. 20 proposes to allow for the development of an
LNG import terminal at Berth 126 on Pier T in the Terminal Island
District (Planning District 4) of the POLB. The proposed project, if
approved, is appealable to the California Coastal Commission. Copies of
draft PMP Amendment No. 20 and the draft EIS/EIR are available to the
public at the Harbor Department Administration Building or requests may
be made to the Harbor Department, Planning Division at (562) 590-4158.
Comments on the draft EIS/EIR, draft General Conformity
Determination, and draft PMP Amendment No. 20 will be considered by the
FERC and the POLB but will not serve to make the commentor a party to
the proceeding.
[[Page 60327]]
Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a
motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the FERC's Rules of
Practice and Procedures (Title 18 CFR part 385.214).
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on the draft EIS/EIR.
You must file your request to intervene as specified above.\1\ You do
not need intervenor status to have your comments considered and
responded to.
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\1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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The draft EIS/EIR, including the draft General Conformity
Determination, has been placed in the public files of the FERC and the
POLB and is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. (202) 502-8371 and Port of Long Beach,
Planning Division, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90802. (562) 590-
4160.
The draft EIS/EIR, including the draft General Conformity
Determination, is also available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web
site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link (see instructions
for using eLibrary below).
A limited number of copies are available from the FERC's Public
Reference Room and as .pdf files on compact disk (CD) from the POLB as
identified above. Copies of draft PMP Amendment No. 20 are available
from the POLB as identified above. In addition, copies of the draft
EIS/EIR, including the draft General Conformity Determination, have
been mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American tribes;
affected landowners; POLB tenants; intervenors in the FERC's
proceeding; local libraries and newspapers; and other interested
parties.
To reduce printing and mailing costs the final EIS/EIR will be
issued in both CD and hard-copy formats. In a separate mailing, the
parties on the current mailing list for the draft EIS/EIR will be sent
a postcard providing an opportunity for them to select which format of
the final EIS/EIR they wish to receive. The FERC and the POLB are
strongly encouraging the use of the CD format in their publication of
large documents. If you wish to receive a paper copy of the final EIS/
EIR instead of a CD, you must return the postcard indicating that
choice.
Additional information about the project is available from the
FERC's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the FERC
Internet Web site (http://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. Be
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or
toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. The
eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the FERC, such as orders, notices,
and rulemakings.
In addition, the FERC now 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. To register for this service, go to the eSubscription
link on the FERC Internet Web site.
Information about the project is also available from the POLB by
calling the POLB Environmental Planning Division at (562) 590-4160.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-5706 Filed 10-14-05; 8:45 am]
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