[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 151 (Friday, August 5, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51874-51876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18580]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF14-21-000]
Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, BP Alaska LNG LLC, Conoco
Phillips Alaska LNG Company, ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC; Supplemental
Notice Requesting Comments on the Denali National Park and Preserve
Alterative for the Planned Alaska LNG Project
As previously noticed on March 4, 2015, the staff of the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) is preparing an
environmental impact statement (EIS) that will discuss the
environmental impacts of the Alaska LNG Project that could result from
construction and operation of facilities by Alaska Gasline Development
Corporation; BP Alaska LNG LLC; Conoco Phillips Alaska LNG Company; and
ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC (Applicants) in Alaska. This notice explains
the additional scoping process that will be used to gather input from
the public and interested agencies on a route alternative to be
evaluated for crossing the Denali National Park and Preserve (DNPP).
The route currently planned by Alaska LNG is closely aligned with
the Parks Highway, but deviates from the highway where the Parks
Highway passes through the DNPP entrance area (see figure in appendix
1.\1\) In response to scoping comments, and in working with federal and
state regulating agencies, as well as the local communities, Alaska LNG
has identified an alternative route (the DNPP Alternative) that passes
directly through the DNPP entrance area and is closely aligned with the
Parks Highway (see figure in appendix 1). In this general area, the
planned route would be 8.05 miles long and not enter the DNPP, while
the corresponding segment of the DNPP Alternative would be 8.50 miles
long (6.16 miles of which would pass through the DNPP).
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\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of the 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 last page of this notice.
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This Supplemental Notice announces the opening of a limited scoping
period to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the
DNPP Alternative route. You can make a difference by providing us with
your specific comments or concerns about the DNPP Alternative route.
Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects,
reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental
impacts. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what
issues they need to evaluate in the EIS. 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 25,
2016.
This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should
[[Page 51875]]
notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if
the Commission approves the project, that approval conveys with it the
right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to
produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with
state law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for
viewing on the FERC Web site (www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses
a number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
Public Participation
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 (PF14-21-000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert
staff available to assist you at (202) 502-8258 or [email protected].
Please carefully follow these instructions so that your comments are
properly recorded.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's Web site (www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. This is an easy method for submitting 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 (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.'' If you are filing a comment on a particular project,
please select ``Comment on a Filing'' as the filing type; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number
(PF14-21-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426.
In addition, if you have questions regarding the FERC process and
our review of the alternative, FERC staff will be available to answer
questions on Tuesday, August 23, 2016, between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. at
the Murie Dining Hall within Denali National Park (next to the Murie
Science and Learning Center),
Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 2.
Summary of the Planned Project
The Applicants are planning to transport and liquefy supplies of
natural gas from the production fields at the Point Thomson and Prudhoe
Bay Units (PTU and PBU, respectively) on Alaska's North Slope for
export and potential in-state deliveries. To do this, the Alaska LNG
Project would consist of a new Gas Treatment Plant (GTP) on the North
Slope and associated pipelines to deliver the gas from the PTU and PBU
to the GTP, as well as a pipeline to deliver natural gas processing
byproducts from the GTP back to the PBU. The GTP would treat/process
the natural gas for delivery to an approximately 800-mile-long, 42-
inch-diameter pipeline that would transport the natural gas to a new
planned liquefaction facility on the eastern shore of Cook Inlet in the
Nikiski area of the Kenai Peninsula. Alaska LNG anticipates starting
construction in late 2019, with construction and startup taking
approximately 8 years. On this basis, the full planned Project system
would be placed into service about 2027.
As previously described, the alternative we are scoping involves an
alternative route directly through the DNPP entrance area and closely
aligned with the Parks Highway (see figure in appendix 1). We are
requesting input from stakeholders on both the DNPP Alternative route
and the current route that is located outside the park.
The EIS 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 the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. 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 EIS on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EIS. We will
consider all filed comments during the preparation of the EIS.
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\2\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
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In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction and operation of the planned project under these
general headings:
Alternatives
Geology and soils;
Land use;
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
Cultural resources;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Air quality and noise;
Endangered and threatened species;
Transportation;
Socioeconomics;
Public safety; and
Cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the planned project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Although no formal application has been filed, we have already
initiated our NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing process.
The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement
of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before
the FERC receives an application. As part of our pre-filing review, we
have already met with the Applicants, jurisdictional agencies, Alaska
Native tribes, local officials, and other interested stakeholders to
discuss the project and identify issues/impacts and concerns before the
FERC receives an application.
In October and November 2016, FERC conducted a total of 12 scoping
meetings throughout Alaska. During the scoping meetings, we garnered
feedback from the local communities, including residents, elected
officials, tribal leaders, community leaders, and other interested
stakeholders.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the
EIS. The draft EIS will be published and distributed for public review
and comment. We will consider all timely comments and revise the
document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. To ensure your
comments are considered, please carefully follow the instructions in
the Public Participation section of this notice.
[[Page 51876]]
Environmental Mailing List
The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or 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
planned project.
Copies of the completed draft EIS 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 3).
Becoming an Intervenor
Once the Applicants file their application with the Commission, 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 ``efiling'' link on the Commission's Web
site. Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until the Commission
receives a formal application for the project.
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 docket number,
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., PF14-
21). 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
Further, 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. Finally,
additional information about the project can be seen from the
Applicant's Web site at http://ak-lng.com.
Dated: July 27, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-18580 Filed 8-4-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P