[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 169 (Friday, August 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53750-53751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21208]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP13-516-000]
EcoEl[eacute]ctrica, L.P.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed LNG Supply Pipeline Project
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the LNG Supply Pipeline Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by
EcoEl[eacute]ctrica, L.P. (EcoEl[eacute]ctrica) at its liquefied
natural gas (LNG) facility in Pe[ntilde]uelas, Puerto Rico. This EA
will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to
determine whether the project is in the public interest.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies on the project. Your input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Comments may be
submitted in written form or verbally. Further details on how to submit
written comments are provided in the Public Participation section of
this notice. Please note that the scoping period will close on
September 23, 2013.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives are asked to notify their constituents of this proposed
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
Summary of the Proposed Project
EcoEl[eacute]ctrica plans to construct and operate facilities at
its LNG facility in order to enable EcoEl[eacute]ctrica to supply LNG
to a proposed adjacent LNG truck loading facility that is not under the
Commission's jurisdiction and that is being developed and permitted by
Gas Natural Puerto Rico, Inc.
The new facilities would consist of an approximately 3,600-foot-
long, 4-inch-diameter LNG transfer pipeline; an approximately 3,600-
foot-long, 6-inch-diameter boil-off gas return pipeline; an
approximately 3,600-foot-long, 1.5-inch-diameter LNG recirculation
pipeline; and associated equipment.
The general location of the project is shown in appendix 1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the Commission's Public
Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call
(202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to
the ``Additional Information'' section at the end of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
EcoEl[eacute]ctrica plans to construct the facilities using
approximately 1 acre of an already disturbed area within its LNG
facility.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers an authorization of a
project. NEPA also requires us \2\ to discover and address concerns the
public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as
``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the
analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this
notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the
issues to address in the EA. We will consider all filed comments during
the preparation of the EA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the EA we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the proposed project under the
general headings of land use, air quality, noise, and public safety. We
do not expect other resource areas to be impacted by the proposed
project, which would take place entirely within an existing industrial-
use facility.
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
The EA will present our independent analysis of the issues. It will
be available in the public record through eLibrary. Depending on the
comments
[[Page 53751]]
received during the scoping process, we may also publish and distribute
the EA to the public for an allotted comment period. We will consider
all comments on the EA before making our recommendations to the
Commission. To ensure we have the opportunity to consider and address
your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public
Participation section below.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction by law
and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues of
this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the
EA.\3\ Agencies that would like to request cooperating agency status
should follow the instructions for filing comments provided under the
Public Participation section of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on
the 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 that your
comments are timely and properly recorded, please send your comments so
that the Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before
September 23, 2013.
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 number (CP13-516-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
eFiling staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or
[email protected].
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's Web site at www.ferc.gov under the link to
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for interested persons to
submit brief, text-only comments on a project;
(2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature on the Commission's Web site at 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.'' You must select the type of filing you are making. If
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select
``Comment on a Filing''; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; other interested parties; and
local libraries and newspapers. This list also includes all affected
landowners (as defined in the Commission's regulations) who own homes
within certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who
submits comments on the project. We will update the environmental
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that we send the
information related to this environmental review to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project.
If we publish and distribute the EA, copies of it will be sent to
the environmental mailing list for public review and comment. If you
would prefer to receive a paper copy of the document instead of the CD
version or would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please
return the attached Information Request (appendix 2).
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are in
the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the Commission's Web
site.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the project docket
number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field
(i.e., CP13-516). 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. The eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription which 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/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Dated: August 22, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-21208 Filed 8-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P