Notice2022-13869
Notice of Availability for the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Alaska LNG Project
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Published
June 29, 2022
Issuing agencies
Energy Department
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with authorizing Alaska LNG Project LLC (Alaska LNG) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation's (AGDC) proposed Alaska LNG Project. DOE is also announcing a public comment period and a virtual public meeting to receive comments on the Draft SEIS. DOE prepared the Draft SEIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to inform its decision on rehearing under the Natural Gas Act (NGA).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 124 (Wednesday, June 29, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 124 (Wednesday, June 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38730-38731]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13869]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Availability for the Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for the Alaska LNG Project
AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability and virtual public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared a Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the
potential environmental impacts associated with authorizing Alaska LNG
Project LLC (Alaska LNG) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the
Alaska Gasline Development Corporation's (AGDC) proposed Alaska LNG
Project. DOE is also announcing a public comment period and a virtual
public meeting to receive comments on the Draft SEIS. DOE prepared the
Draft SEIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), to inform its decision on rehearing under the Natural Gas
Act (NGA).
DATES: DOE invites the public to comment on the Draft SEIS during the
45-day public comment period, which begins on July 1, 2022, and ends on
August 15, 2022. Beginning July 1, 2022, comments may be submitted
online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> by entering ``Alaska LNG'' into the
search field and following the prompts. Written comments may also be
sent via mail to: U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology
Laboratory, ATTN: Mark Lusk, NEPA Compliance Officer, 3610 Collins
Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26505. DOE will consider all comments
postmarked or received during the public comment period when preparing
the Final SEIS.
DOE will hold a virtual public meeting on Wednesday July 20, 2022,
in which the public may provide verbal comments on the Draft SEIS
during the meeting. See the ADDRESSES section for details on the
meeting process.
ADDRESSES: Questions concerning the Draft SEIS or requests for a paper
copy should be directed to: Mark Lusk via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2a474b584104465f59416a444f5e46044e454f044d455c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f29f938099dc9e878199b29c97869edc969d97dc959d84">[email protected]</span></a> or phone at (304) 285-4145.
Availability of the Draft SEIS: DOE mailed notification letters to
announce the Notice of Availability of the Draft SEIS to federal,
state, and local government representatives and agencies; elected
officials; environmental and public interest groups; Tribes; other
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the
project area.
An electronic copy of the Draft SEIS may be found online on the
following website: <a href="http://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0512-s1-supplemental-environmental-impact-statement-alaska-lng-project">www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0512-s1-supplemental-environmental-impact-statement-alaska-lng-project</a>.
Paper copies of the Draft SEIS are available for public review at
the following locations: Anchorage Public Library (Z.J. Loussac
Library), 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, AK 99503;
[[Page 38731]]
Arctic Interagency Visitor Center, Mile 175 Dalton Highway, P.O. Box
9079, Coldfoot, AK 99701; Charles Evans Community School Library, 299
Antoski Drive, Galena, AK 99741; Noel Wien Public Library, 1215 Cowles
Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701; Kenai Community Library, 163 Main Street
Loop, Kenai, AK 99611; Trapper Creek Library, 8901 East Devonshire
Drive, Trapper Creek, AK 99683; Tri-Valley Community Library, Suntrana
Road, P.O. Box 518, Healy, AK 99743; and Wasilla Public Library, 500
North Crusey Street, Wasilla, AK 99654. Additional copies also can be
requested (see ADDRESSES section for details).
Virtual Public Meeting: DOE will conduct a virtual public meeting
for the Draft SEIS on Wednesday July 20, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00
p.m. AKDT (8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EDT). Members of the public may join
the virtual public meeting from a computer or compatible mobile device
through the Zoom app, clicking `Join a Meeting', and entering the
following information--Meeting ID: 944 3452 6764. The Zoom app may also
be launched from the Zoom website at <a href="https://zoom.us/join">https://zoom.us/join</a>, entering the
Meeting ID, and following the prompts. For members of the public who do
not have access to an internet connection, they may join the meeting
audio by dialing the following number: (301) 715-8592. When prompted,
enter the following information: Meeting ID--944 3452 6764. Then press
the pound (#) key.
The virtual public meeting will begin with a presentation on the
NEPA process and the proposed Project. Following the presentation,
there will be a moderated session during which members of the public
can provide verbal comments on the Draft SEIS. All comments provided
during the virtual public meeting will be transcribed and become part
of the formal record. Commenters will be asked to limit their verbal
comments during the virtual public meeting to 3 minutes. As indicated
previously comments on the Draft SEIS may also be submitted during the
public comment period via the <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> website or mailed by
paper copy (See the DATES section for details). All comments, whether
verbal or written, will be considered by DOE as the SEIS is finalized.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Mark Lusk, via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#91fcf0e3fabffde4e2fad1fff4e5fdbff5fef4bff6fee7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="82efe3f0e9aceef7f1e9c2ece7f6eeace6ede7ace5edf4">[email protected]</span></a> or phone at (304) 285-4145, NEPA Compliance
Officer, if special assistance is needed to participate in the virtual
public meeting (see ADDRESSES section for details).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
DOE's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management \1\ is in the
process of rehearing DOE/FE Order No. 3643-A, issued on August 20,
2020, in Docket No. 14-96-LNG (Alaska LNG Order).\2\ In the Alaska LNG
Order, DOE authorized exports of LNG from the proposed Alaska LNG
Project to countries that do not have a free trade agreement (FTA)
requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which
trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-FTA countries).\3\
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\1\ The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) changed its name to the
Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) on July 4,
2021.
\2\ See Alaska LNG Project LLC, DOE/FE Order No. 3643-A, Docket
14-96-LNG, Final Opinion and Order Granting Long-Term Authorization
to Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Non-Free Trade Agreement Nations
(Aug. 20, 2020), <a href="http://www.energy.gov/fecm/downloads/alaska-lng-project-llc-fe-dkt-no-14-96-lng-0">www.energy.gov/fecm/downloads/alaska-lng-project-llc-fe-dkt-no-14-96-lng-0</a>. For all DOE documents referenced herein,
please see the Alaska LNG docket at: <a href="http://www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/alaska-lng-project-llc-fe-dkt-no-14-96-lng">www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/alaska-lng-project-llc-fe-dkt-no-14-96-lng</a>.
\3\ 15 U.S.C. 717b(a).
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As approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the
Alaska LNG Project involves producing natural gas from resources on the
North Slope of Alaska, transporting the natural gas on a proposed
806.9-mile-long pipeline, and exporting the natural gas in the form of
LNG by vessel from a liquefaction facility to be constructed in the
Nikiski area of the Kenai Peninsula in south central Alaska.\4\ Under
Order No. 3643-A, Alaska LNG is currently authorized to export this LNG
in a volume equivalent to 929 billion cubic feet per year (Bcf/yr) of
natural gas (2.55 Bcf per day), for a term of 30 years.
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\4\ See Alaska Gasline Dev. Corp., Order Granting Authorization
Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, 171 FERC ] 61,134 (May 21,
2020). Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC), an
independent, public corporation of the State of Alaska, holds the
authorization from FERC to site, construct, and operate the proposed
Alaska LNG Project.
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On April 15, 2021, in Order No. 3643-B, DOE announced that it was
granting rehearing of Order No. 3643-A under the NGA for the purpose of
conducting additional environmental analysis.\5\ Subsequently, on July
2, 2021, DOE published a ``Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for the Alaska LNG Project'' under
NEPA.\6\ The Draft SEIS being issued today supplements the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Alaska LNG Project
published by FERC on March 6, 2020, and adopted by DOE on March 16,
2020 (DOE/EIS-0512).
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\5\ See Alaska LNG Project LLC, DOE/FE Order No. 3643-B, Docket
14-96-LNG, Order on Rehearing (Apr. 15, 2021), <a href="http://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/ord3643b.pdf">www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/ord3643b.pdf</a>. DOE's Order on Rehearing granted
a Request for Rehearing filed by Sierra Club. See Id. at 1-2, 5-6
(discussing procedural background).
\6\ 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. See U.S. Dep't of Energy, Notice of
Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for
the Alaska LNG Project, 86 FR 35280 (July 2, 2021); see also
<a href="http://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0512-s1-notice-intent-july-2-2021">www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/doeeis-0512-s1-notice-intent-july-2-2021</a>.
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The Draft SEIS examines the potential upstream environmental
effects associated with incremental natural gas production on the North
Slope of Alaska to support Alaska LNG's exports of LNG. The SEIS also
includes a life cycle analysis (LCA) calculating the greenhouse (GHG)
emissions associated with exporting LNG from the proposed Project.\7\
Specifically, the LCA examines the life cycle GHG emissions for LNG
exported from Alaska by vessel to import markets in Asia (the markets
targeted for exports from Alaska) and potentially in other regions.
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\7\ DOE previously has explained that a LCA is a method of
accounting for cradle-to-grave GHG emissions over a single common
denominator. DOE considers GHG emissions from all processes in the
LNG supply chains--from the ``cradle'' when natural gas is extracted
from the ground, to the ``grave'' when electricity is used by the
consumer. See U.S. Dep't of Energy, Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas
Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas From the United
States: 2019 Update--Response to Comments, 85 FR 72, 76 (Jan. 2,
2020).
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NEPA Process and Public Involvement
DOE prepared the Draft SEIS in accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Parts 1500-1508 (40 CFR 1500-1508) and DOE NEPA
implementing procedures at 10 CFR part 1021. DOE published a Notice of
Intent in the Federal Register on July 2, 2021, announcing its intent
to prepare a SEIS.\8\ DOE is providing opportunities for public review
and comments, including a virtual public meeting, on this Draft SEIS
(see DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this notice).
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\8\ See supra note 6.
Signed in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2022.
Amy Sweeney,
Director, Office of Regulation, Analysis, and Engagement, Office of
Resource Sustainability.
[FR Doc. 2022-13869 Filed 6-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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