[Federal Register: September 8, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 174)]
[Notices]
[Page 52037-52038]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08se08-52]
[[Page 52037]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP07-441-000; Docket No. CP07-444-000]
Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline, LP, Jordan Cove Energy Project,
LP; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Proposed Jordan Cove LNG and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline
Project
August 29, 2008.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG)
import terminal and natural gas pipeline facilities proposed by Jordan
Cove Energy Project, LP (Jordan Cove) and Pacific Connector Gas
Pipeline LP (Pacific Connector) in the above-referenced dockets. We \1\
call this the Jordan Cove Energy and Pacific Connector Pipeline (JCE &
PCGP) Project, or simply the Project. The JCE & PCGP Project facilities
would be located in Coos, Douglas, Jackson, and Klamath Counties,
Oregon.
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\1\ The pronouns ``we,'' ``us,'' or ``our'' refer to the
environmental staff of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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The draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. The United States (U.S.) Department
of Agriculture Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Coast Guard, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of
the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation, and Douglas
County, Oregon, are cooperating agencies for the development of this
EIS. A cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law or special expertise
with respect to potential environmental impacts associated with the
proposal and is involved in the NEPA analysis.
Based on the analysis included in the draft EIS, the FERC staff
concludes that the proposed action would have limited adverse
environmental impacts. However, if the Project is constructed and
operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and with
implementation of Jordan Cove's and Pacific Connector's proposed
mitigation measures, and the additional mitigation measures recommended
by staff, environmental impacts would be substantially reduced.
The purpose of the Project is to provide a new import access point
for overseas LNG and provide a new source of natural gas to markets in
the Pacific Northwest, northern Nevada, and northern California. LNG is
natural gas that has been turned into a liquid state by cooling it to
about -260 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce its volume for transport in
specially designed carriers some distance across oceans from its point
of origin to the proposed Jordan Cove LNG import terminal in Coos Bay.
Jordan Cove would off-load and would store the LNG in specially
designed tanks at its terminal, vaporize the LNG back into natural gas,
and provide up to 1.0 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to the
region through the Pacific Connector sendout pipeline and
interconnections with an intrastate pipeline, and four interstate
pipeline systems.
The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects
associated with the construction and operation of the facilities listed
below. Jordan Cove's import terminal, located on the bay side of the
North Spit of Coos Bay, at about Channel Mile 7.5 up the existing Coos
Bay navigation channel, in Coos County, Oregon, would include:
Access channel from the existing Coos Bay navigation
channel and slip;
LNG unloading berth and transfer pipeline;
Two full-containment LNG storage tanks, each with a
capacity 160,000 m\3\ (or 1,006,000 barrels);
Vapor handling system, and vaporization equipment capable
of regasifying the LNG for delivery into the natural gas sendout
pipeline;
Piping, ancillary buildings, safety systems, and other
support facilities;
A natural gas liquids (NGL) extraction facility, with the
NGL to be sold to an entity other than Jordan Cove and likely
transported from the terminal using existing railroad lines;
37-megawatt, natural gas-fired, simple-cycle combustion
turbine powerplant to provide electric power for the LNG terminal; and
Three disposal areas for the storage of excavated and
dredged materials resulting from the construction of the access channel
and slip.
Pacific Connector's natural gas facilities, extending from the
Jordan Cove terminal southeast across Coos, Douglas, Jackson, and
Klamath Counties Oregon, to its terminus near Malin, with
interconnections with Avista Corporation, Williams Northwest Pipeline
Corporation (Williams Northwest), Gas Transmission Northwest
Corporation, Tuscarora Gas Transmission Company, and Pacific Gas and
Electric Company, would include:
229.5-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter welded steel underground
interstate natural gas pipeline;
Natural gas compressor station at Butte Falls, in Jackson
County, consisting of two new 10,310-horsepower (hp) compressor units;
Four natural gas meter stations, including the Jordan Cove
Receipt Meter Station in Coos County, Clarks Branch Delivery Meter
Station in Douglas County, Shady Cove Delivery Meter Station in Jackson
County, and the adjoining Tule Lake, Russell Canyon, and Buck Butte
Meter Stations in Klamath County;
Gas control communication system, consisting of new radio
towers at each meter station and the compressor station, use of an
existing communication site owned by Williams Northwest and leased
space on seven other existing communication towers;
Mainline block valves (MLV) at approximately 16 locations
along the Pacific Connector pipeline; and
Five pig \2\ launchers and receivers, four co-located with
meter stations and the compressor station, and the fifth co-located
with a MLV.
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\2\ A ``pig'' is a tool for cleaning and inspecting the inside
of a pipeline.
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Comment Procedures
Any person wishing to comment on the draft EIS may do so. To ensure
consideration prior to the Commission making a decision on the
proposals, it is important that the Commission receives your comments
before December 4, 2008. Please carefully follow the instructions below
so that your comments are properly recorded.
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 Numbers CP07-441-000 and CP07-444-000 with your
submission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and
has dedicated eFiling expert staff available to assist you at 202-502-
8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located on the Commission's internet Web site
at http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. A Quick
Comment is an easy method for interested persons to submit text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
[[Page 52038]]
feature, which is located on the Commission's internet Web site at
http://www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings. eFiling
involves preparing your submission in the same manner as you would if
filing on paper, and then saving the file on your computer's hard
drive. You will attach that file as your submission. New eFiling users
must first create an account by clicking on ``Sign up'' or
``eRegister.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you are
making. A comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment on
a Filing''; or
(3) You may file your comments via mail to the Commission by
sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 3,
PJ-11.3. Mail your comments promptly, so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before December 4, 2008.
In addition to receiving written comments, by mail or
electronically, we will hold a series of public meetings at several
locations near the Project area in southwestern Oregon to take oral
comments on the draft EIS. The FERC will issue a notice in the near
future providing the dates, time, and locations of these public comment
meetings.
After comments on the draft EIS are reviewed, any significant new
issues are investigated, and modifications are made to the EIS text, a
final EIS will be published and distributed. The final EIS will contain
the staff's responses to timely comments received on the draft EIS.
Comments will be considered by the Commission and the cooperating
agencies but will not serve to make the commentor a party to the
proceeding. Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must
file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Only intervenors
have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission's decision. Further
instructions for becoming an intervenor are included in the User's
Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web site (http://
www.ferc.gov). You do not need intervenor status to have your
environmental comments considered.
The draft 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 Room, 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
Volumes 1 and 2 of the draft EIS, containing text of the analysis,
was printed in hard copy. Volume 3, containing the appendices, was
produced as .pdf files on a compact disk (CD) that can be read by a
personal computer with a CD-ROM drive. A limited number of hard copies
and CDs of the draft EIS are available from the FERC's Public Reference
Room, identified above. This draft EIS is also available for public
viewing on the FERC's Internet Web site at http://www.ferc.gov, via the
eLibrary link.
Copies of the draft EIS have been mailed to federal, state, and
local agencies; elected officials; Indian tribes and Native American
organizations with an interest in the project area; interveners;
regional environmental organizations and public interest groups;
affected landowners; local libraries and newspapers; and other
interested parties. Hard copies of volumes 1 and 2 were mailed to
cooperating agencies; other appropriate federal, state, and local
government agencies who participated in interagency meetings;
intervenors; and parties that specifically requested hard copies. All
others on the mailing list were sent a single CD containing all volumes
of the draft EIS.
Additional information about the Project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Go to Documents &
Filings and choose the eLibrary link. Under eLibrary, click on
``General Search,'' and enter the docket number excluding the last
three digits in the field (e.g., CP07-441). 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 call 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.
In addition, the Commission 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 (http://www.ferc.gov/
esubscripenow.htm).
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-20717 Filed 9-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P