[Federal Register: September 20, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 181)]
[Notices]
[Page 55123-55125]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20se05-51]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PF05-10-000]
Northern Star Natural Gas LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the Bradwood Landing LNG Project,
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of a Joint
Public Meeting, and Site Visit
September 13, 2005.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) and
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard (Coast
Guard) are in the process of evaluating the Bradwood Landing Liquefied
Natural Gas (LNG) Project planned by Northern Star Natural Gas LLC
(Northern Star). The project would consist of an onshore LNG import and
storage terminal, located about 38 miles up the Columbia River from its
mouth, in Clatsop County, Oregon, and an approximately 34-mile-long
natural gas sendout pipeline, extending from the terminal through
Columbia County, Oregon, to an interconnection with the Williams
Northwest Pipeline (Williams Northwest) system in Cowlitz County,
Washington.
As a part of this evaluation, FERC staff will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) that will address the
environmental impacts of the project and the Coast Guard will assess
the safety and security of the project. As described below, the FERC
and the Coast Guard will hold a joint public meeting to allow the
public to provide input to these assessments.
The Commission will use the EIS in its decision-making process to
determine whether or not to authorize the project. This Notice of
Intent (NOI) explains the scoping process we \1\ will use to gather
information on the project from the public and interested agencies and
summarizes the process that the Coast Guard will use. Your input will
help identify the issues that need to be evaluated in the EIS and in
the Coast Guard's safety and security assessment.
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\1\ ``We,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.
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The FERC will be the lead Federal agency in the preparation of an
EIS that will satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). The Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
will serve as cooperating agencies during preparation of the EIS. In
addition, we have invited the U.S. Department of Commerce, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries
Service; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Department
of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; the Oregon Department of
Energy; and the Washington Department of Ecology to serve as
cooperating agencies in preparation of the EIS.
Comments on the project may be submitted in written form or
verbally. Further details on how to submit written comments are
provided in the Public Participation section of this NOI. In lieu of
sending written comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping
meeting scheduled as follows:
Thursday, September 29, 2005, 7 p.m. (PST), Knappa High School,
41535 Old Highway 30, Astoria, OR 97102, 503-458-6166.
The public scoping meeting listed above will be combined with the
Coast Guard's public meetings regarding the safety and security of the
project. At the meeting, the Coast Guard will discuss: (1) the waterway
safety assessment that it will conduct to determine whether or not the
waterway can safely accommodate the LNG carrier traffic and operation
of the planned LNG marine terminal; and (2) the security assessment it
will conduct in accordance with the requirements of the Maritime
Transportation Security Act. The Coast Guard will issue a separate
meeting notice for the safety and security aspects of the project.
This NOI is being sent to Federal, state, and local government
agencies; elected officials; affected landowners; environmental and
public interest groups; Indian tribes and regional Native American
organizations; commentors and other interested parties; and local
libraries and newspapers. We encourage government representatives to
notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
Site Visit
Also, on Thursday, September 29, 2005, starting at 9 a.m., we will
be conducting a site visit to view selected points along the proposed
pipeline route, and the location of the LNG import terminal. Anyone
interested in participating in the site visit should meet at the
parking lot for the Cowlitz County Public Utilities District Building,
961 12th Avenue, Longview, Washington 98632; (telephone: 360-423-2210).
Participants must provide their own transportation. For additional
information, please contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs
at 1-866-208-FERC (3372).
Summary of the Planned Project
Northern Star proposes to construct and operate an LNG import
terminal and storage facility, and associated natural gas sendout
pipeline with a capacity of 1.0 billion cubic feet per day. More
specifically, Northern Star's facilities would consist of:
A marine LNG terminal, including a dredged turning basin
and a single dock, capable of handling about 125 LNG tankers per year,
ranging in size from 100,000 to 200,000 cubic meters (m\3\) per ship;
Four 16-inch-diameter unloading arms on the dock, with an
unloading capacity rate of 12,000 m\3\ of LNG per hour, and 6-inch-
diameter and 30-inch-diameter unloading lines to transfer LNG from the
dock to the storage tanks;
Two insulated LNG storage tanks, each with a capacity of
160,000 m\3\;
Boil-off gas management system, and sendout pumps;
Ambient air vaporizers to convert LNG into natural gas;
[[Page 55124]]
Electric substation and distribution lines and emergency
diesel-fueled generator at the terminal;
Ancillary terminal facilities, including control room,
maintenance shop, warehouse, office, security, and safety systems;
Measurement controls and natural gas metering facilities;
A ca. 34-mile-long, 30 and 36-inch-diameter natural gas
sendout pipeline extending from the LNG terminal to the interconnection
with Williams Northwest;
Delivery points at the Georgia-Pacific paper mill at
Wauna, Oregon, and the Portland General Electric (PGE) Beaver power
plant at Port Westward, Oregon;
Interconnections with the Northwest Natural intrastate
pipeline adjacent to the PGE Beaver delivery point, and with Williams
Northwest; and
A pig launcher at the LNG terminal, pigging facilities
along the pipeline at transitions between 30-inch-diameter and 36-inch-
diameter pipe sizes; and a pig receiver at the eastern end of the
pipeline at its interconnection with Williams Northwest.
A location map depicting Northern Star's proposed facilities is
attached to this NOI as Appendix 1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available on the
Commission's Web site (excluding maps) at the ``e-Library'' link or
from the Commission's Public Reference Room or call (202) 502-8371.
For instructions on connecting to e-Library refer to the end of this
notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving
this notice in the mail.
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The EIS Process
The NEPA requires the Commission to take into account the
environmental impacts that could result from an action when it
considers whether or not an LNG import terminal or an interstate
natural gas pipeline should be approved. The FERC will use the EIS to
consider the environmental impacts that could result if it issues
project authorizations to Northern Star under Sections 3 and 7 of the
Natural Gas Act. The NEPA also requires us 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. With this
NOI, the Commission staff is requesting public comments on the scope of
the issues to be addressed in the EIS. All comments received will be
considered during preparation of the EIS.
In the EIS we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
the construction, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of the
proposed project under these general headings:
Geology and soils.
Water resources.
Aquatic resources.
Vegetation and wildlife.
Threatened and endangered species.
Land use, recreation, and visual resources.
Cultural resources.
Socioeconomics.
Marine transportation.
Air quality and noise.
Reliability and safety.
Cumulative impacts.
In the EIS, we will also evaluate possible alternatives to the
proposed project or portions of the project, and make recommendations
on how to lessen or avoid impacts on affected resources.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be included in a draft
EIS. The draft EIS will be mailed to Federal, state, and local
government agencies; elected officials; affected landowners;
environmental and public interest groups; Indian tribes and regional
Native American organizations; commentors; other interested parties;
local libraries and newspapers; and the FERC's official service list
for this proceeding. A 45-day comment period will be allotted for
review of the draft EIS. We will consider all comments on the draft EIS
and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. We
will consider all comments on the final EIS before we make our
recommendations to the Commission. To ensure that your comments are
considered, please follow the instructions in the Public Participation
section of this NOI.
Although no formal application has been filed, the FERC staff has
already initiated its NEPA review under its 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 an
application is filed with the FERC. In addition, the Coast Guard, which
would be responsible for reviewing the safety and security aspects of
the planned project and regulating safety and security if the project
is approved, has initiated its review of the project as well.
With this NOI, we are asking Federal, state, and local agencies
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to
environmental issues, in addition to those agencies that have already
agreed to serve as cooperating agencies (as noted above), to formally
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EIS. These agencies may
choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to
their responsibilities. Additional agencies that would like to request
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this NOI.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified issues that we think deserve attention
based on comment letters received during our pre-filing process,
interagency meetings, a preliminary review of the project area, and the
planned facility information provided by Northern Star. This
preliminary list of issues, which is presented below, may be revised
based on your comments and our continuing analyses.
Impact of LNG ship traffic on other river users, including
recreational boaters and fishing.
Safety issues relating to LNG ship traffic, including
transit over the Columbia River bar.
Potential impacts on the residents of Puget Island,
including safety issues at the import and storage facility, noise, air
quality, and visual resources.
Potential impacts of dredging the LNG marine terminal
turning basin on Clifton Channel and related fishery.
Potential geological hazards at the Bradwood Landing
terminal, including seismic issues and landslides.
Impact of the Bradwood Landing terminal on the railroad
through this site.
Project impacts on threatened and endangered species and
nearby National Wildlife Refuges.
Project impacts on cultural resources.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the planned project. By becoming a
commentor, your concerns will be addressed in the EIS and considered by
the Commission. Your comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives (including alternative
facility sites and pipeline routes), and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that your comments are timely and properly
recorded, please follow these instructions:
[[Page 55125]]
Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie
R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First
St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of your comments for the attention of OEP/
DG2E/Gas Branch 3, PJ-11.3.
Reference Docket No. PF05-10-000 on the original and both
copies.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before October 17, 2005.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any
comments in response to this NOI. For information on electronically
filing comments, please see the instructions on the Commission's Web
site at http://www.ferc.gov under the ``e-Filing'' link and the link to
the User's Guide as well as information in 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii).
Before you can file comments you will need to create a free account,
which can be accomplished on-line.
The public scoping meeting (date, time, and location listed above)
is designed to provide another opportunity to offer comments on the
proposed project. Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to
attend the meeting and to present comments on the environmental issues
that they believe should be addressed in the EIS. A transcript of the
meeting will be generated so that your comments will be accurately
recorded.
Once Northern Star formally files its application with the
Commission, you may want to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an
official party to the 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 a Commission proceeding
by filing a request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an
intervenor are included in the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link
on the Commission's Web site. Please note that you may not request
intervenor status at this time. You must wait until a formal
application is filed with the Commission.
Environmental Mailing List
If you wish to remain on the environmental mailing list, please
return the attached Mailing List Retention Form (Appendix 2 of this
NOI). Also, indicate on the form your preference for receiving a paper
or electronic version of the EIS. If you do not return this form, we
will remove your name from our mailing list.
Additional Information
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.'' Click on the eLibrary link, select ``General Search'' and enter
the project docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., PF05-
10) in the ``Docket Number'' field. Be sure you have selected an
appropriate date range. For assistance with eLibrary, the eLibrary
helpline can be reached at 1-866-208-3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or by e-
mail at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 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
.
Public meetings or site visits will be posted on the Commission's
calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx
along with other related information.
Finally, Northern Star has established an Internet Web site for
this project at http://www.Northernstar-NG.com. The Web site includes a
project overview, status, potential impacts and mitigation, and answers
to frequently asked questions. You can also request additional
information by calling Northern Star directly at 503-914-1905 or 503-
325-3335.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-5127 Filed 9-19-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P