Notice2023-22693
Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for the Louisiana Connector Pipeline Amendment
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 13, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 197 (Friday, October 13, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 197 (Friday, October 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70965-70966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22693]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP23-513-000]
Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Schedule for the Preparation
of an Environmental Assessment for the Louisiana Connector Pipeline
Amendment
On July 14, 2023, Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC (Port Arthur) filed an
application in Docket No. CP23-513-000 requesting a Certificate of
Public Convenience and Necessity pursuant to Section 7(c) of the
Natural Gas Act to construct and operate certain natural gas pipeline
facilities. The proposed project is known as the Louisiana Connector
Pipeline Amendment (Amendment), and would involve 38 modifications to
the pipeline alignment, construction footprint, and installation
methods for the Louisiana Connector Project, which was approved by the
Commission on April 18, 2019, in Docket No. CP18-7-000.
On July 28, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) issued its Notice of Application for the
Amendment. Among other things, that notice alerted agencies issuing
Federal authorizations of the requirement to complete all necessary
reviews and to reach a final decision on a request for a Federal
authorization within 90 days of the date of issuance of the Commission
staff's environmental document for the Amendment.
This notice identifies Commission staff's intention to prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) for the Amendment and the planned
schedule for the completion of the environmental review.\1\
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\1\ 40 CFR 1501.10 (2020).
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Schedule for Environmental Review
Issuance of EA--February 2, 2024
[[Page 70966]]
90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline \2\--May 2, 2024
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\2\ The Commission's deadline applies to the decisions of other
Federal agencies, and State agencies acting under federally
delegated authority, that are responsible for Federal
authorizations, permits, and other approvals necessary for proposed
projects under the Natural Gas Act. Per 18 CFR 157.22(a), the
Commission's deadline for other agency's decisions applies unless a
schedule is otherwise established by Federal law.
If a schedule change becomes necessary, additional notice will be
provided so that the relevant agencies are kept informed of the
project's progress.
Project Description
The proposed amended facilities are specific to 38 locations in
Jefferson County, Texas and Cameron, Calcasieu, Beauregard, and Allen
Parishes, Louisiana (between milepost 0 in Jefferson County, Texas and
milepost 82.5 south of Reeves in Allen Parish, Louisiana), as detailed
below:
<bullet> Modifications to pipeline routes, construction methods,
horizontal directional drill (HDD) entry points, and additional
temporary workspaces to accommodate landowner requests, to reduce
environmental impacts, to avoid newly identified non-Port Arthur
pipelines, to avoid new structures, or to allow for safer construction
access;
<bullet> Shifting of pipeline easements to allow the permanent
easements to abut other existing permanent easements;
<bullet> Addition and modification of access roads for geotechnical
boring access and/or to allow better and safer access to the HDD drill
pad for construction and HDD inspection;
<bullet> Modification of equipment and material storage areas and
staging areas to utilize areas that were recently and permanently
impacted by other parties;
<bullet> Modification to water approaches to use existing boat
ramp/dock improvements;
<bullet> Relocation of mainline valves to reduce the amount of
permanent right-of-way needed, to facilitate operations and
maintenance, to provide for safer access via road, and to allow access
to power and communications to comply with new and anticipated U.S.
Department of Transportation/Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration requirements;
<bullet> Modification of three waterbody crossings methodologies
from open cut to an HDD as requested by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers;
<bullet> Combine, in two locations, multiple HDDs into a single HDD
which would result in avoiding an open-cut crossing and eliminating an
HDD; and
<bullet> Modification of HDD alignments to avoid conflicts with
potential future deeper canal depths.
Background
On August 9, 2023, the Commission issued a Notice of Scoping Period
Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Louisiana
Connector Pipeline Amendment (Notice of Scoping). The Notice of Scoping
was sent to affected landowners; Federal, State, and local government
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups;
Native American tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries
and newspapers. In response to the Notice of Scoping, the Commission
received comments from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The primary issues raised by the EPA are air quality, environmental
justice, and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits.
All substantive comments will be addressed in the EA. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers is a cooperating agency in the preparation of the
EA.
Additional Information
In order to receive notification of the issuance of the EA and to
keep track of formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets, the
Commission offers a free service called eSubscription. This service
provides automatic notification of filings made to subscribed dockets,
document summaries, and direct links to the documents. Go to <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> to register for eSubscription.
The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners,
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e6a9b6b6a680839485c8818990"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="18574848587e7d6a7b367f776e">[email protected]</span></a>.
Additional information about the Amendment is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs at (866) 208-FERC or on the
FERC website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>). Using the ``eLibrary'' link, select
``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the selected date
range and ``Docket Number'' excluding the last three digits (i.e.,
CP23-513), and follow the instructions. For assistance with access to
eLibrary, the helpline can be reached at (866) 208-3676, TTY (202) 502-
8659, or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#aaeceff8e9e5c4c6c3c4cff9dfdadac5d8deeacccfd8c984cdc5dc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8dcbc8dfcec2e3e1e4e3e8def8fdfde2fff9cdebe8ffeea3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></a>. The eLibrary link on the FERC
website also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.
Dated: October 6, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-22693 Filed 10-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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