[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 119 (Friday, June 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35345-35346]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14465]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. CP12-509-000; CP12-29-000]

Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG Liquefaction, LLC, FLNG
Liquefaction 2, LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 3, LLC; Notice of Availability
of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Phase II
Modification and Liquefaction Projects

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Freeport LNG Phase II Modification Project and the Liquefaction
Project (Projects) proposed by Freeport LNG Development, L.P., FLNG
Liquefaction LLC, FLNG Liquefaction 2, LLC, and FLNG Liquefaction 3,
LLC (collectively referred to as Freeport LNG) in the above-referenced
dockets. Freeport LNG requests authorization to export up to 13.2
million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year from its proposed
Liquefaction Plant and associated facilities in Brazoria County, Texas
and modify its previously approved Phase II Project facilities within
the Town of Quintana.
    The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Projects in accordance with the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC
staff concludes that approval of the Projects would have some adverse
impacts; however, most of these impacts would be reduced to less than
significant levels with the implementation of Freeport LNG's proposed
mitigation and the additional measures recommended by the FERC staff in
the final EIS.
    The United States Department of Energy (USDOE), United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), United States Department of
Transportation (USDOT), the United States Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Fisheries participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of
the final EIS. 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 USACE, USEPA, and
USDOE can adopt and use the EIS to support their respective permit
decisions after an independent review of the document. The USDOT and
NOAA Fisheries cooperated in the preparation of this final EIS because
of their special expertise with respect to resources potentially
affected by the proposal. Although the cooperating agencies provided
input on the conclusions and recommendations presented in the final
EIS, the agencies will present their own conclusions and
recommendations in their respective Records of Decision or other
determinations for the Projects.
    The proposed Phase II Modification Project includes modification to
the previously authorized, but not constructed, LNG vessel berthing
dock, LNG transfer pipelines, LNG unloading arms; and the access road
system. In addition, Freeport LNG would either eliminate or modify
components of the previously authorized facility.
    The Liquefaction Project consists of multiple components, including
facilities at and adjacent to the existing Quintana Island terminal and
facilities located beyond Quintana Island. The Liquefaction Plant,
located at and adjacent to the existing Quintana Island terminal, would
consist of three propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant liquefaction
trains, each capable of producing a nominal 4.4 million metric tons per
annum of LNG for export, which equates to a total liquefaction capacity
of approximately 1.8 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas.
    To support the Liquefaction Plant, Freeport LNG proposes to
construct a natural gas Pretreatment Plant located about 2.5 miles
north of the existing Quintana Island terminal. The Pretreatment Plant
would process the gas for liquefaction. In addition several
interconnecting pipelines and utility lines including a five-mile-long,
12-inch-diameter boil-off gas feed pipeline from the Quintana Island
terminal to the Pretreatment Plant (referred together as the Pipeline/
Utility Line System). The Liquefaction Plant, the Pretreatment Plant,
and the Pipeline/Utility Line System, together with the associated
appurtenant structures, are collectively referred to as the
Liquefaction Project.
    The FERC staff mailed copies of the EIS 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; newspapers and libraries in the project area; and parties to
this proceeding. Paper copy versions of this EIS were mailed to those
specifically requesting them; all others received a CD version. In
addition, the EIS is available for public viewing on the FERC's Web
site

(www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. A limited number of copies are
available for distribution and public inspection at: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE.,
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426,<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC Web site (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 in the Docket Number field (i.e., CP12-
509, CP12-29). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or toll free at<PHONE_NUMBER>; for TTY,
contact<PHONE_NUMBER>. 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 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 www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.

    Dated: June 16, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-14465 Filed 6-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P