[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3760-3762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00531]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[FE Docket No. 16-144-LNG]
Driftwood LNG, LLC; Application for Long-Term, Multi-Contract
Authorization To Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Non-Free Trade
Agreement Nations
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
September 28, 2016, by Driftwood LNG, LLC (Driftwood LNG), requesting
long-term, multi-contract authorization to export domestically produced
liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a volume equivalent to 1,496.5 billion
cubic feet per year (Bcf/yr) of natural gas (4.1 Bcf per day).
Driftwood LNG seeks authorization to export the LNG by vessel from the
proposed Driftwood LNG Facility to be located in Calcasieu Parish,
Louisiana, approximately five miles south of the town of Carlyss,
Louisiana. Driftwood LNG requests authorization to export LNG to any
nation with which the United States does not have a free trade
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agreement (FTA) that requires national treatment for trade in natural
gas and with which trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-
FTA countries) for a 20-year term to commence on the earlier of the
date of first export or seven years from the date the requested
authorization is issued. Driftwood LNG seeks to export this LNG on its
own behalf and as agent for other entities who hold title to the LNG at
the time of export. The Application was filed under section 3 of the
Natural Gas Act (NGA). Additional details can be found in the
Application, posted on the DOE/FE Web site at: http://www.energy.gov/fe/downloads/driftwood-lng-llc-fe-dkt-16-144-lng. 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, March 13,
2017.
ADDRESSES:
Electronic Filing by email: [email protected].
Regular Mail: U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34), Office of
Regulation and International Engagement, 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 Regulation and
International Engagement, Office of Fossil Energy, Forrestal Building,
Room 3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kyle W. Moorman or Larine Moore, U.S. Department of Energy (FE-34)
Office of Regulation and International Engagement, Office of Fossil
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 3E-042, 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-7970; (202) 586-9578.
Cassandra Bernstein, U.S. Department of Energy (GC-76) Office of the
Assistant General Counsel for Electricity and Fossil Energy, Forrestal
Building1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-
9793.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Application, Driftwood LNG also
requests authorization to export the same cumulative volume of LNG to
any country that currently has, or in the future may enter into, a FTA
requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which
trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (FTA countries) for a
term of 30 years. DOE/FE will review that request separately pursuant
to section 3(c) of the Natural Gas Act, 15 U.S.C. 717b(c). The
requested volumes in the FTA portion and NFTA portion of the
Application are not additive.
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, and U.S. energy
security. DOE may also consider other factors bearing on the public
interest, including the impact of the proposed exports on the U.S.
economy 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. As part of this analysis, DOE will consider the
following two studies examining the cumulative impacts of exporting
domestically produced LNG:
Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas on
U.S. Energy Markets, conducted by the U.S. Energy Information
Administration upon DOE's request (2014 EIA LNG Export Study); \1\
and
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\1\ The 2014 EIA LNG Export Study, published on Oct. 29, 2014,
is available at: https://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/fe/.
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The Macroeconomic Impact of Increasing U.S. LNG
Exports, conducted jointly by the Center for Energy Studies at Rice
University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and Oxford Economics,
on behalf of DOE (2015 LNG Export Study).\2\
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\2\ The 2015 LNG Export Study, dated Oct. 29, 2015, is available
at: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/12/f27/20151113_macro_impact_of_lng_exports_0.pdf.
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Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental
documents:
Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning
Exports of Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 48132 (Aug. 15,
2014); \3\ and
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\3\ The Addendum and related documents are available at: https://energy.gov/fe/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 32260 (June 4,
2014).\4\
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\4\ The Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Report is available at: http://energy.gov/fe/life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-perspective-exporting-liquefied-natural-gas-united-states.
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 persons will be provided 60 days from the date of
publication of this Notice in which to submit 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. 16-144-LNG
in the title line; (2) mailing an original and three paper copies of
the filing to the Office of Regulation and International Engagement at
the address listed in ADDRESSES; or (3) hand delivering an original and
three paper copies of the filing to the Office of Regulation and
International Engagement at the address listed in ADDRESSES. All
filings must include a reference to FE Docket No. 16-144-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,
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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
Office of Regulation and International Engagement 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 January 6, 2017.
John A. Anderson,
Director, Office of Regulation and International Engagement, Office of
Oil and Natural Gas.
[FR Doc. 2017-00531 Filed 1-11-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P