[Federal Register: December 29, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 250)]
[Notices]
[Page 78423]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP05-420-000]
Bayou Casotte Energy, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the Casotte Landing Lng Project
December 22, 2006.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard);
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE); U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS); U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA
Fisheries); and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR)
has prepared this final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import
terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities, and including operation
of LNG vessels in the waterway from the territorial seas until moored
at the facility, all referred to as the Casotte Landing LNG Project, as
proposed by Bayou Casotte Energy, LLC in the above-referenced docket.
This final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The staff concludes that
approval of the Casotte Landing LNG Project, with appropriate
mitigating measures as recommended, would have limited adverse
environmental impact. The Coast Guard proposed action requiring NEPA,
is issuance of a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) of waterway suitability
for LNG vessel traffic with the conditions referenced in the
Description of the Proposed Action (Section 2.0 in the EIS). The final
EIS evaluates alternatives to the proposed actions (i.e., FERC's
proposed approval of the Project and the Coast Guard's proposed action
of issuing a Letter of Recommendation finding the waterway to be
suitable for LNG vessel traffic with conditions), including the Coast
Guard alternatives, system alternatives, alternative sites for the LNG
import terminal, and pipeline alternatives. The final EIS also contains
our Essential Fish Habitat Assessment.
The general purpose of the Casotte Landing LNG Project is to
provide up to 1.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) of natural gas to
markets in the United States.
The final EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of
construction and operation of the following facilities near the City of
Pascagoula in Jackson County, Mississippi: a ship unloading facility
with a single berth capable of receiving LNG ships with cargo
capacities of up to 200,000 cubic meters (m\3\);
three 160,000 m\3\ (net capacity) full containment LNG
storage tanks;
a closed-loop intermediate fluid vaporizer system
utilizing cooling water from the adjacent Chevron Pascagoula Refinery
as a heat source, sized for a normal sendout of 1.3 Bcfd;
various ancillary buildings and facilities;
five pipeline interconnects originating from a 1.5-mile-
long, 36-inch-diameter spur ;
associated pipeline support facilities, including two
meter stations at interconnects with the existing pipeline systems; and
integrally related nonjurisdictional facilities would
include a natural gas liquid (NGL) extraction system and pipeline,
electric transmission lines, an electric substation, a waste heat water
circulation system, and the relocation of two of the Chevron Pascagoula
Refinery crude oil tanker berths.
The analysis also includes operation of LNG vessels in the waterway
from the territorial seas until moored at the proposed LNG terminal.
The final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and
is available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch,
888 First Street NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
A limited number of copies of the final EIS are available from the
Public Reference and Files Maintenance Branch identified above. In
addition, CD copies of the final EIS have been mailed to Federal,
State, and local agencies; elected officials; public interest groups;
individuals and affected landowners; libraries; newspapers; and parties
to these proceedings.
In accordance with CEQ's regulations implementing NEPA, no agency
decision on a proposed action may be made until 30 days after the EPA
publishes a NOA of the final EIS. However, the CEQ regulations provide
an exception to this rule when an agency decision is subject to a
formal internal process that allows other agencies or the public to
make their views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made
at the same time the notice of the final EIS is published, allowing
both periods to run concurrently. Should the FERC issue authorization
for the Casotte Landing LNG Project for the proposed action, it would
be subject to a 30-day rehearing period. Therefore, the FERC could
issue its decision concurrently with the EPA's NOA.
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission'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
at (202) 502-8659. The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also
provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
Information about the project is also available from the Coast
Guard by contacting Captain James Bjostad, Captain of the Port, Sector
Mobile, at (251) 441-5960.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-22379 Filed 12-28-06; 8:45 am]
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