[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73285-73286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28914]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[FE Docket No. 14-179-LNG]
Pieridae Energy (USA) Ltd.; Application for Long-Term
Authorization To Export Domestically Produced Natural Gas Through
Canada to Non-Free Trade Agreement Countries After Liquefaction to
Liquefied Natural Gas for a 20-Year Period
AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of application.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy
(DOE) gives notice of receipt of an application (Application) filed on
October 24, 2014, by Pieridae Energy (USA) Ltd. (Pieridae US) \1\
requesting long-term, multi-contract authorization to export
domestically produced natural gas in a volume up to 292 billion cubic
feet per year (Bcf/yr), or approximately 0.8 Bcf per day (Bcf/d).
Pieridae US proposes to export domestically produced natural gas as
follows: (i) To export the natural gas to Canada at the United States-
Canada border near Baileyville, Maine, at the juncture of the Maritimes
& Northeast (M&N) U.S. Pipeline and the M&N Canada Pipeline; \2\ (ii)
to use a portion of the U.S.-sourced natural gas as feedstock in a
Canadian natural gas liquefaction facility called the Goldboro LNG
Project, to be developed by one or more Pieridae affiliates and to be
located at the Goldboro Industrial Park in Guysborough County, Nova
Scotia, Canada; and (iii) to export a portion of the U.S.-sourced
natural gas in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by vessel from
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). Only Pieridae US's proposed export of
LNG produced from U.S.-sourced natural gas to non-FTA countries is
subject to this Notice. Pieridae US states that it is not proposing to
construct, expand, or modify any pipeline facilities in the United
States in conjunction with its proposed export of natural gas. Pieridae
US requests this non-FTA export authorization for a 20-year term to
commence on the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from
the date the authorization is granted. Pieridae US requests this
authorization on its own behalf.\3\ The Application was filed under
section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). Additional details can be found
in Pieridae US's Application, posted on the DOE/FE Web site at: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/10/f18/14_179_lng.pdf.
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\1\ Pieridae US, a corporation formed under the laws of Canada,
states that it is filing the Application in its capacity as the sole
general partner of Goldboro LNG Limited Partnership II. Both have
their principal place of business in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
\2\ In the Application, Pieridae US also requests authorization
to export LNG to any nation that currently has, or in the future may
enter into, a FTA requiring national treatment for trade in natural
gas (FTA countries). DOE/FE will review Pieridae US's request for a
FTA export authorization separately pursuant to NGA Sec. 3(c), 15
U.S.C. 717b(c).
\3\ The cover letter to the Application indicates Pieridae US's
interest in exporting the proposed volume of LNG on its own behalf
and on behalf of other entities. The Application, however, indicates
(at 12-13) that the natural gas to be exported will be owned by
Pieridae US. Accordingly, the Application has been construed as a
request for Pieridae US to export LNG solely on its own behalf, not
as agent for other entities.
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Protests, motions to intervene, notices of intervention, and
written comments are invited.
DATES: Protests, motions to intervene or notices of intervention, as
applicable, requests for additional procedures, and written comments
are to be filed using procedures detailed in the Public Comment
Procedures section no later than 4:30 p.m., Eastern time, February 9,
2015.
ADDRESSES:
Electronic Filing by email: [email protected].
Regular Mail: U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of Oil and
Gas Global Security and Supply, Office of Fossil Energy, P.O. Box
44375, Washington, DC 20026-4375.
Hand Delivery or Private Delivery Services (e.g., FedEx, UPS,
etc.): U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of Oil and Gas Global
Security and Supply, Office of Fossil Energy, Forrestal Building, Room
3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Larine Moore or Benjamin Nussdorf, U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34),
Office of Oil and Gas Global Security and Supply, Office of Fossil
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9478; (202) 586-7893.
[[Page 73286]]
Edward Myers or Cassandra Bernstein, U.S. Department of Energy Office
of the Assistant General Counsel for Electricity and Fossil Energy,
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585,
(202) 586-3397; (202) 586-9793.
DOE/FE Evaluation
The Application will be reviewed pursuant to section 3(a) of the
NGA, 15 U.S.C. 717b(a), and DOE will consider any issues required by
law or policy. To the extent determined to be relevant, these issues
will include the domestic need for the natural gas proposed to be
exported, the adequacy of domestic natural gas supply, U.S. energy
security, and the cumulative impact of the requested authorization and
any other LNG export application(s) previously approved on domestic
natural gas supply and demand fundamentals. DOE may also consider other
factors bearing on the public interest, including the impact of the
proposed exports on the U.S. economy (including GDP, consumers, and
industry), job creation, the U.S. balance of trade, and international
considerations; and whether the authorization is consistent with DOE's
policy of promoting competition in the marketplace by allowing
commercial parties to freely negotiate their own trade arrangements.
Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental documents:
Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning
Exports of Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 48,132 (Aug. 15,
2014); \4\ and
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\4\ The Addendum and related documents are available at: http://energy.gov/fe/draft-addendum-environmental-review-documents-concerning-exports-natural-gas-united-states.
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Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting
Liquefied Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 32,260 (June 4,
2014).\5\
\5\ The Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Report is available at: http://energy.gov/fe/life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-perspective-exporting-liquefied-natural-gas-united-states.
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Parties that may oppose this Application should address these issues in
their comments and/or protests, as well as other issues deemed relevant
to the Application.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq., requires DOE to give appropriate consideration to the
environmental effects of its proposed decisions. No final decision will
be issued in this proceeding until DOE has met its environmental
responsibilities.
Public Comment Procedures
In response to this Notice, any person may file a protest,
comments, or a motion to intervene or notice of intervention, as
applicable. Due to the complexity of the issues raised by the
Applicant, interested parties will be provided 60 days from the date of
publication of this Notice in which to submit their comments, protests,
motions to intervene, or notices of intervention.
Any person wishing to become a party to the proceeding must file a
motion to intervene or notice of intervention. The filing of comments
or a protest with respect to the Application will not serve to make the
commenter or protestant a party to the proceeding, although protests
and comments received from persons who are not parties will be
considered in determining the appropriate action to be taken on the
Application. All protests, comments, motions to intervene, or notices
of intervention must meet the requirements specified by the regulations
in 10 CFR part 590.
Filings may be submitted using one of the following methods: (1)
Emailing the filing to [email protected], with FE Docket No. 14-179-LNG
in the title line; (2) mailing an original and three paper copies of
the filing to the Office of Oil and Gas Global Security and Supply at
the address listed in ADDRESSES; or (3) hand delivering an original and
three paper copies of the filing to the Office of Oil and Gas Global
Supply at the address listed in ADDRESSES. All filings must include a
reference to FE Docket No. 14-179-LNG.
Please Note: If submitting a filing via email, please include
all related documents and attachments (e.g., exhibits) in the
original email correspondence. Please do not include any active
hyperlinks or password protection in any of the documents or
attachments related to the filing. All electronic filings submitted
to DOE must follow these guidelines to ensure that all documents are
filed in a timely manner. Any hardcopy filing submitted greater in
length than 50 pages must also include, at the time of the filing, a
digital copy on disk of the entire submission.
A decisional record on the Application will be developed through
responses to this notice by parties, including the parties' written
comments and replies thereto. Additional procedures will be used as
necessary to achieve a complete understanding of the facts and issues.
If an additional procedure is scheduled, notice will be provided to all
parties. If no party requests additional procedures, a final Opinion
and Order may be issued based on the official record, including the
Application and responses filed by parties pursuant to this notice, in
accordance with 10 CFR 590.316.
The Application is available for inspection and copying in the
Division of Natural Gas Regulatory Activities docket room, Room 3E-042,
1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. The docket room is
open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. The Application and any filed
protests, motions to intervene or notice of interventions, and comments
will also be available electronically by going to the following DOE/FE
Web address: http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/gasregulation/index.html.
Issued in Washington, DC, on December 4, 2014.
John A. Anderson,
Director, Division of Natural Gas Regulatory Activities, Office of Oil
and Gas Global Security and Supply, Office of Oil and Natural Gas.
[FR Doc. 2014-28914 Filed 12-9-14; 8:45 am]
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