Notice2024-02607
Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 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
February 8, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 27 (Thursday, February 8, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 27 (Thursday, February 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8670-8671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02607]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP23-513-000]
Port Arthur Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Availability of the
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Louisiana Connector Pipeline
Amendment
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the
Louisiana Connector Pipeline Amendment, proposed by Port Arthur
Pipeline, LLC (PAPL) in the above-referenced docket. PAPL requests
authorization to make modifications to its previously authorized
Louisiana Connector Project pipeline, construction footprint, and
installation methods in 38 locations. The Louisiana Connector Project
was approved by the Commission on April 18, 2019, in Docket No. CP18-7-
000.
The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Louisiana Connector Pipeline
Amendment in accordance with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval
of the proposed amendment, with appropriate mitigating measures, would
not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the
quality of the human environment.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers participated as a cooperating
agency in the preparation of the EA. Cooperating agencies have
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources
potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the NEPA
analysis.
The proposed amended facilities are specific to 38 locations in
Jefferson County, Texas and Cameron, Calcasieu, Beauregard, and Allen
Parishes, Louisiana (between milepost 0 and milepost 82.5), as detailed
below:
<bullet> modifications to pipeline routes, construction methods,
horizontal directional drill (HDD) entry points, and additional
temporary workspaces to accommodate landowner requests, reduce
environmental impacts, avoid newly identified non-PAPL pipelines and
new structures, and allow for safe construction access;
<bullet> shifting of pipeline permanent easements to abut other
existing easements;
<bullet> addition and modification of access roads for HDD
construction and inspection;
<bullet> modification of storage and staging areas to utilize areas
that were recently and permanently impacted by other parties;
<bullet> modification of access roads due to obstructions and
removal of access roads no longer required;
<bullet> modification to water approaches to use existing boat
ramp/dock improvements;
<bullet> relocation of mainline valves to facilitate operations and
maintenance, provide for safer road access, and access to power and
communication facilities;
<bullet> modification of three waterbody crossings methods from
open cut to an HDD as requested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
<bullet> combination, in two locations, of multiple HDDs into a
single HDD to avoid an open-cut crossing and eliminate an HDD; and
<bullet> modification of HDD alignments to avoid conflicts with
potential future deeper canal depths.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of this
EA to Federal, State, and local government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups;
Native American tribes; potentially affected landowners and other
interested individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the
amended project area. The EA is only available in electronic format. It
may be viewed and downloaded from the FERC's website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>), on
the natural gas environmental documents page (<a href="https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents">https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents</a>). In
addition, the EA may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on the
FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link (<a href="https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search">https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search</a>), select ``General Search'' and enter the docket number
in the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e.,
CP23-513). Be sure you have selected
[[Page 8671]]
an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f6b0938495b9989a9f9893a5838686998482b690938495d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2f694a5d4c60414346414a7c5a5f5f405d5b6f494a5d4c01484059">[email protected]</span></a> or toll free at (866) 208-3676,
or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
The EA is not a decision document. It presents Commission staff's
independent analysis of the environmental issues for the Commission to
consider when addressing the merits of all issues in this proceeding.
Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments should
focus on the EA's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental
effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen
environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that the Commission has the opportunity to
consider your comments prior to making its decision on this amendment,
it is important that we receive your comments in Washington, DC, on or
before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 4, 2024.
For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c583a0b7a68aaba9acaba096b0b5b5aab7b185a3a0b7a6eba2aab3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d3b180f1e3213111413182e080d0d120f093d1b180f1e531a120b">[email protected]</span></a>. Please carefully follow these
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission's website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) under the link to
FERC Online. This is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You can also file your comments electronically using the
eFiling feature on the Commission's website (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>) under the
link to FERC Online. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a
variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your submission.
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on
``eRegister.'' You must select the type of filing you are making. If
you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select
``Comment on a Filing''; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the Commission. Be sure to reference the amended project docket number
(CP23-513-000) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal
Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be
addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status,
but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.
Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of
the Commission's decision. At this point in this proceeding, the
timeframe for filing timely intervention requests has expired. Any
person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion
to intervene out-of-time pursuant to Rule 214(b)(3) and (d) of the
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214(b)(3) and
(d)) and show good cause why the time limitation should be waived.
Motions to intervene are more fully described at <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene">https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene</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. The eLibrary link
also provides access to the texts of all formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
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#77382727371112051459101801"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8dc2ddddcdebe8ffeea3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></a>.
In addition, the Commission 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 <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> to
register for eSubscription.
Dated: February 2, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-02607 Filed 2-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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