[Federal Register: August 20, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 160)]
[Notices]
[Page 46454-46455]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20au07-50]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP05-91-000; CP05-380-000]
Calhoun LNG, L.P., Point Comfort Pipeline Company, L.P.; Notice
of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Calhoun LNG Terminal and Pipeline Project
August 10, 2007.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and natural gas
pipeline facilities proposed by Calhoun LNG, L.P. and Point Comfort
Pipeline Company, L.P. (collectively referred to as Calhoun Point
Comfort) in the above-referenced dockets. The Calhoun LNG Terminal and
Pipeline Project (Project) would be located in Calhoun and Jackson
Counties, Texas.
The Final EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that
the proposed Project, with the appropriate mitigation measures as
recommended, would have limited adverse environmental impact.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Coast Guard, (Coast
Guard), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA
Fisheries); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) are federal cooperating agencies for
the development of this EIS. A federal cooperating agency has
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any
environmental impact involved with the proposal and is involved in the
NEPA analysis.
The general purpose of the proposed Project is to import, store,
and vaporize on average about 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of
LNG to provide a competitive supply of natural gas to local industrial
customers and to deliver natural gas into existing interstate and
intrastate natural gas pipelines.
The Final EIS addresses the potential environmental impacts from
the construction and operation of the following facilities:
A new marine terminal on the southeastern shore of Lavaca
Bay, south of Point Comfort, in Calhoun County, Texas that could
accommodate about 120 LNG vessels per year;
two full containment LNG storage tanks each with a nominal
working volume of approximately 160,000 m3 (1,006,000
barrels equivalent);
associated LNG vaporization and processing equipment;
an approximately 27.1-mile-long, 36-inch-diameter natural
gas pipeline extending northward from the LNG terminal to natural gas
pipeline interconnects southwest of Edna, Texas;
a 0.25-mile-long, 8-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline
lateral extending from the proposed pipeline to a meter station
servicing the Formosa Hydrocarbons Company (Formosa Lateral);
a 0.25-mile-long, 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline
lateral extending from the proposed pipeline to a meter station
servicing the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation (Transco
Lateral);
ten delivery points/interconnects; and
associated pipeline facilities including pig launcher and
receiver facilities and three mainline valves.
In a separate, but related action, the Calhoun County Navigational
District (CCND) would dredge a turning basin and ship berth affecting
about 49 acres of Lavaca Bay, resulting in the need to dispose of
approximately 2.7 million cubic yards of dredged material. This
activity is essential to the operation of the Calhoun LNG Project.
Calhoun Point Comfort would use the CCND's turning basin to maneuver
its LNG ships.
Dependent upon Commission approval, Calhoun Point Comfort
anticipates it would complete construction and begin operating the
proposed Project in 2010.
The Final EIS has been placed in the public files of the FERC and
is available for public inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE., Room 2A,
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8371.
A limited number of copies of the Final EIS are available from the
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, the Final EIS has
been mailed to affected landowners; various federal, state, and local
government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public
interest groups; Native American tribes; local libraries and
newspapers; intervenors; and other individuals that expressed an
interest in the proposed Project.
In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ)
regulations implementing NEPA, no agency decision on a proposed action
may be made until 30 days after the EPA publishes a notice of
availability of a Final EIS. However, the CEQ regulations provide an
exception to this rule when an agency decision is subject to a formal
internal process that allows other agencies or the public to make their
views known. In such cases, the agency decision may be made at the same
time the notice of the Final EIS is published, allowing both periods to
run concurrently. Should the FERC issue Calhoun Point Comfort
authorizations for the proposed Project, it would be subject to a 30-
day rehearing period. Therefore, the Commission could issue its
decision concurrently with the EPA's notice of availability.
Additional information about the proposed Project is available from
the Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). To access information
via the FERC Web site click on the ``eLibrary'' link then click on
``General Search'' and enter the docket number (CP05-91) excluding the
last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected
an appropriate date range. The ``eLibrary'' link provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders,
notices, and rulemakings. For assistance with ``eLibrary'', please
contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free
at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
[[Page 46455]]
In addition, the Commission now 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
these documents. To learn more about eSubscription and to sign-up for
this service please go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary .
[FR Doc. E7-16252 Filed 8-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P