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26 October 2007
[Federal Register: October 24, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 205)]
[Notices]
[Page 60345-60347]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24oc07-73]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP07-427-000]
PetroLogistics Natural Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed PetroLogistics Gas
Storage Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
October 17, 2007.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the PetroLogistics Gas Storage
Project involving construction and operation of facilities by
PetroLogistics Natural Gas Storage, LLC (PetroLogistics) in Iberville
Parish, Louisiana.\1\ These facilities would consist of one injection/
withdrawal storage well, various diameter gas header, intereconnect,
and lateral pipelines totaling 13.73 miles, one new 20,000 horsepower
(hp) electric compressor station, five meter stations and two mainline
valves. This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making
process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience
and necessity.
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\1\ PetroLogistics's application was filed with the Commission
under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the
Commission's regulations.
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If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.
The pipeline company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is approved by the Commission, 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 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?'' was attached to the
project notice PetroLogistics provided to landowners. 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.
It is available for viewing on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov
).
Summary of the Proposed Project
PetroLogistics proposes to build and operate a high-deliverability,
multi-cycle natural gas storage facility and appurtenant facilities in
an existing brine cavern in the Choctaw Salt Dome located 4 miles
northwest of the city of Plaquemine, Louisiana. The project would use
one cavern within the Choctaw Salt Dome which currently is the site of
up to nine caverns used as part of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve
operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. This project would provide a
working gas capacity of approximately 9 billion cubic feet and maximum
daily injection and withdrawal capabilities of up to 150 to 300 million
cubic feet per day.
PetroLogistics seeks authority to construct and operate:
One 20,000 hp electric compressor station on a 2 acre
site;
One 350-foot-long 24-inch-diameter interconnect pipeline;
7.3 miles of 24-inch-diameter natural gas header pipeline
connecting the compressor station and the Florida Gas Transmission
Company (FGT), CrossTex LIG Pipeline Company (Crosstex)/Bridgeline
Pipeline System (Bridgeline) and Texas Eastern Transmission Company
(TETCO) interconnects;
5.83 miles of 16-inch-diameter interconnect pipeline from
the Bridgeline/CrossTex tie-in to the Southern Natural Gas Company
(SONAT) pipeline interconnect;
A 0.60-mile-long TETCO lateral from the TETCO Lateral
Meter Station; five meter stations/interconnects (FGT, Bridgeline,
Crosstex, TETCO and SONAT Meter Stations);
And two mainline valves.
PetroLogistics requests certification by December 31, 2007.
The location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.\2\
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\2\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other
than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission's Web site
at the ``eLibrary'' link 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. Copies of the appendices were sent to all
those receiving this notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the proposed facilities would require disturbance
of 137 acres of land, including 47 acres under existing permanent
easement, 40 acres to be added as new permanent easement or ownership,
and 53 acres as temporary construction right-of-way that would be
restored to previous land use following
[[Page 60346]]
construction. PetroLogistics would use a 75-foot-wide construction
right-of-way width 40-foot-wide operational right-of-way for the
installed pipelines.
The EA 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
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 EA on the important
environmental issues. By this Notice of Intent, the Commission staff
requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the
EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the
EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify
their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
In the EA we \3\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
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\3\ ''We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
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Geology and soils;
Water resources;
Wetlands and fisheries;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Threatened and endangered species;
Land use;
Cultural resources;
Air quality and noise;
Reliability and safety; and
Cumulative impacts.
We will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed
project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to
lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be
published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies, public
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners,
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make
our recommendations to the Commission.
To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the
instructions in the public participation section below.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by PetroLogistics. This
preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and
our analysis.
Horizontal directional drill crossing of eight perennial
waterways, including Wilbert's Canal, Bayou Jacob, Bayou Plaquemine,
Bayou Tigre, and other unnamed canals;
Impact of 15 acres of emergent wetlands, 17 acres of
forested wetlands, and 66 acres of agricultural land;
Potential clearing of cypress and tupelo trees;
Potential impacts to a crawfish farm;
Visual impacts of one reworked injection/withdrawal well;
Compressor station operational noise impacts for
residences located northeast of the site; and
Adjacent to crude oil storage caverns operated as part of
the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Preserve.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your
concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission.
You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the
proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative
locations/routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental
impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be.
Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your comments
are received in time and properly recorded:
Send an original and two copies of your letter to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First St., NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas 2.
Reference Docket No. CP07-427-000.
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, DC on or before November 15, 2007.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any
comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and 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. Before you can file comments you will need to create a
free account which can be created online.
We may mail the EA for comment. If you are interested in receiving
it, please return the Information Request (Appendix 3). If you do not
return the Information Request, you will be taken off the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding, or ``intervenor''. To
become an intervenor you must file a motion to intervene according to
Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR
385.214). Intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the
Commission's decision. Motions to Intervene should be electronically
submitted using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov.
Persons without Internet access should send an original and 14 copies
of their motion to the Secretary of the Commission at the address
indicated previously. Persons filing Motions to Intervene on or before
the comment deadline indicated above must send a copy of the motion to
the Applicant. All filings, including late interventions, submitted
after the comment deadline must be served on the Applicant and all
other intervenors identified on the Commission's service list for this
proceeding. Persons on the service list with email addresses may be
served electronically; others must be served a hard copy of the filing.
Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be
granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they
have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be
adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor
status to have your environmental comments considered.
Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within distances defined in the
Commission's regulations of certain aboveground facilities. By this
notice we are also asking governmental
[[Page 60347]]
agencies, especially those in Appendix 2, to express their interest in
becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of the EA.
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, click on ``General Search'' and enter
the docket number excluding the last three digits (i.e., enter PF06-
398) 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 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 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
the documents. Go to http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
Finally, 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.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-20897 Filed 10-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P