[Federal Register: March 28, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 61)]
[Notices]
[Page 16662-16663]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28mr08-59]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP08-13-000]
Floridian Natural Gas Storage Company, LLC; Notice of
Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Floridian Natural Gas Storage Project
March 21, 2008.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the natural gas facilities proposed by the Floridian Natural
Gas Storage Company, LLC (FGS) under the above-referenced docket. FGS's
proposed Floridian Natural Gas Storage Project (Project) would be
located approximately two miles north of the unincorporated
municipality of Indiantown in Martin County, Florida.
The Draft EIS was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. 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, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are cooperating agencies
for the development of this EIS. A 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 respond to the
growing demand for natural gas and natural gas infrastructure in the
United States, and, more specifically, in Florida. The Project would
enhance access to additional, competitively-priced supplies of natural
gas by providing liquefaction, storage, and vaporization services to
customers in Florida and the southeastern United States.
The Draft EIS addresses the potential environmental effects of
construction and operation of the facilities listed below. FGS proposes
to construct and operate:
An approximately 53.1 acre liquefied natural gas storage
facility;
An approximately 4-mile-long, 12-inch-diameter receiving
pipeline to interconnect with and receive natural gas from the
Gulfstream and/or Florida Power & Light (FPL) lateral pipelines;
An approximately 4-mile-long, 24-inch-diameter sendout
pipeline that would parallel the 12-inch pipeline and interconnect with
and deliver natural gas from the storage facility to the Gulfstream and
the FPL lateral pipelines;
Interconnection points with the Gulfstream pipeline at
milepost (MP) 4.05 and with the FPL lateral at MP 4.18; and
A metering and regulating station.
Dependent upon Commission approval, FGS proposes to have the
facilities installed and operational within 36 months of commencing
construction; however, based on market conditions at the time of
construction, the storage facility construction may be separated into
two phases.
The Draft 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 Draft EIS are available from the
Public Reference Room identified above. In addition, CD-ROM copies of
the Draft EIS have 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. Hard-copies of the Draft EIS have
also been mailed to those who requested that format during the scoping
and comment periods for the proposed Project.
Comment Procedures and Public Meetings
Any person wishing to comment on the Draft EIS may do so. To ensure
consideration prior to a Commission decision on the proposal, it is
important that the Commission receives your comments before the date
specified below. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure
that your comments are received and properly recorded.
Send an Original and two copies of your comments to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20002.
Reference Docket No. CP08-13-000.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 3.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before May 5, 2008.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any
comments, interventions or protests to this
[[Page 16663]]
proceeding. See 18 Code of Federal Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and
the instructions on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov
under the link to ``Documents and Filings'' and ``eFiling.'' eFiling is
a file attachment process and requires that you prepare your submission
in the same manner as you would if filing on paper, and save it to a
file on your hard drive. New eFiling users must first create an account
by clicking on ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister.'' You will be asked to
select the type of filing you are making. This filing is considered a
``Comment on Filing.'' In addition, there is a ``Quick Comment'' option
available, which is an easy method for interested persons to submit
text only comments on a project. The Quick Comment User Guide can be
viewed at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling/quick-comment-
guide.pdf. Quick Comment does not require a FERC eRegistration account;
however, you will be asked to provide a valid e-mail address. All
comments submitted under either eFiling or the Quick Comment option are
placed in the public record for the specified docket or project
number(s).
In lieu of or in addition to sending written comments, you are
invited to attend the public comment meeting the FERC will conduct in
the Project area to receive comments on the Draft EIS. The meeting is
scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 7 p.m. (EST) at the
Indiantown Civic Center, 15675 SW., Osceola Street, Indiantown, FL
34956 (772-597-2886).
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend and
present oral comments on the Draft EIS. Transcripts of the meetings
will be prepared and placed in the public file. After the comments are
reviewed, significant new issues are investigated, and modifications
are made to the Draft EIS, a Final EIS will be published and
distributed by the FERC staff. The Final EIS will contain the staff's
responses to timely comments received on the Draft EIS.
Comments will be considered by the Commission but will not serve to
make the commentor a party to the proceeding. Any person seeking to
become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene
pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214). Only intervenors have the right to seek
rehearing of the Commission's decision. Anyone may intervene in this
proceeding based on this Draft EIS. You must file your request to
intervene as specified above.\1\ You do not need intervenor status to
have your comments considered.
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\1\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC (3372) or on
the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the ``eLibrary
link,'' select ``General Search'' and enter the project docket number
excluding the last three digits (i.e., CP08-13) in the ``Docket
Number'' field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range.
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or TTY (202)
502-8659. The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web site also provides
access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such
as orders, notices, and rule makings.
In addition, the FERC now offers a free service called
eSubscription that 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. To register for this service, go to http://www.ferc.gov/
esubscribenow.htm.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-6311 Filed 3-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P