[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67738-67740]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26661]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CP20-8-000]

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed ANR Pipeline Company Grand Chenier Xpress Project and Request
for Comments on Environmental Issues

    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 Grand Chenier XPress Project
involving construction and operation of facilities by ANR Pipeline
Company (ANR) in Acadia, Jefferson Davies, and Cameron Parishes,
Louisiana. The Commission will use this EA in its decision-making
process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience
and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies about issues regarding the project. The National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the
environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. NEPA also requires the Commission to discover 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, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of issues
to address in the EA. To ensure that your comments are timely and
properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the Commission
receives them in Washington, DC, on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on
January 6, 2020.
    You can make a difference by submitting your specific comments or
concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid
or lessen environmental impacts. Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the EA. Commission
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the
EA.
    If you sent comments on this project to the Commission before the
opening of this docket on October 28, 2019, you will need to file those
comments in Docket No. CP20-8-000 to ensure they are considered as part
of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and local government
representatives should notify their constituents of this proposed
project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable easement agreement. You
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, that approval conveys with it the right of
eminent domain. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach an
easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be
determined by a judge in accordance with state law.
    ANR provided landowners with a fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ``An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I
Need To Know?'' 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 also available for viewing on
the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) at https://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/gas/gas.pdf.

Public Participation

    The Commission offers a free service called eSubscription which
makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and submittals
regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These instant
email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification and
provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings. To sign up go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to submit
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Please carefully follow these
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov)
under the link to Documents and Filings. Using eComment is an easy
method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling
feature, which is also on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under
the link to Documents and Filings. 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 will be asked to select the type of filing you
are making; a comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment
on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to
the following address. Be sure to reference the project docket number
(CP20-8-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington,
DC 20426.

Summary of the Proposed Project

    ANR's project consist of: (i) Modifications to its existing Eunice
and Grand Chenier Compressor Stations, (ii) construction and operation
of a new greenfield compressor station (Mermentau Compressor Station),
(iii) modifications to ANR's Mermentau River GCX Meter Station,\1\ and
(iv) installation of various appurtenant and auxiliary facilities. The
project would provide an additional 400 million cubic feet per day of
incremental natural gas capacity from ANR's Southeast Head Station \2\
to the Mermentau River GCX Meter Station.
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    \1\ ANR states that the Mermentau River GCX Meter Station will
be installed pursuant to the automatic provisions of its blanket
certificate.
    \2\ ANR's Head Station is a pooling point where natural gas is
aggregated from many receipt points.
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    The Grand Chenier XPress Project would consist of the following
facilities:

 Modifications of ANR's existing Eunice Compressor Station in
Acadia Parish, Louisiana, to increase the total certificated horsepower
(hp) from 24,000 hp to 39,370 hp. The modifications would include:
    [cir] Installing a 23,470 hp Solar Turbine Titan 130 natural gas-
fired compressor;
    [cir] installing 810 feet of new piping (440 feet of aboveground,
and 370 feet of below ground);
    [cir] uprating a Mars 100 natural gas-fired turbine compressor unit
from 12,000 hp to 15,900 hp;
    [cir] placing an existing 12,000 hp reciprocating compressor on
standby; and
    [cir] abandoning in place an existing reciprocating compressor.
 Construction of a new 23,470 hp greenfield compressor station
(Mermentau Compressor Station) in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana.
The compressor station would include:
    [cir] One 23,470 hp Solar Turbine Titan 130 natural gas-fired
turbine compressor, filter separators, fuel gas heater, gas cooling
bays, 3,506 feet of associated piping (1,406 feet of aboveground
piping, and 2,100 feet of below ground piping) and related appurtenant
facilities.

 Restaging the existing Dresser-Rand compressor unit, and
installing 42 feet of aboveground piping at the Grand Chenier
Compressor Station in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and
 Modifications of the Mermentau River GCX Meter Station under
ANR's blanket certificate (CP82-480-000), including the installation of
an additional meter run and related appurtenant facilities in order to
increase the delivery capability from 700million cubic feet per day to
1.1 billion cubic feet per day.
    The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\3\
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    \3\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in
the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to all those
receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov
using the link called ``eLibrary'' 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.
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Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the project would require about 70.7 acres of land
during construction. Permanent (operational) impacts associated with
the installation of proposed aboveground facilities would total about
16.5 acres associated with foundations or impervious surfaces within
the footprint of the planned Mermentau Compressor Station. Following
construction all areas temporarily disturbed by construction would be
graded, restored to pre-construction contours, and revegetated.

The EA Process

    The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general
headings:

     Geology and soils;
     water resources and wetlands;
     vegetation and wildlife;
     threatened and endangered species;
     cultural resources;
     land use;
     air quality and noise;
     public safety; and
     cumulative impacts.

    Commission staff 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.
    The EA will present Commission staffs' independent analysis of the
issues. The EA will be available in electronic format in the public
record through eLibrary \4\ and the Commission's website (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). If eSubscribed, you will
receive instant email notification when the EA is issued. The EA may be
issued for an allotted public comment period. Commission staff will
consider all comments on the EA before making recommendations to the
Commission. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to address
your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in the Public
Participation section, beginning on page [2].
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    \4\ For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the
last page of this notice.
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    With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the
environmental issues of this project to formally cooperate in the
preparation of the EA.\5\ Agencies that would like to request
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this
notice.
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    \5\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 1501.6.
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Consultation Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, the Commission is using this notice to initiate
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office,
and to solicit their views and those of other government agencies,
interested Indian Tribes, and the public on the project's potential
effects on historic properties.\6\ The EA for this project will
document findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize
the status of consultations under section 106.
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    \6\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's regulations
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 800. Those
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic
Places.
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Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local
government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property
may be used temporarily for project purposes, or who own homes within
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits
comments on the project. Commission staff will update the environmental
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that Commission notices
related to this environmental review are sent to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project.
    If the Commission issues the EA for an allotted public comment
period, a Notice of Availability of the EA will be sent to the
environmental mailing list and will provide instructions to access the
electronic document on the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov). If you need
to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove
your name from the mailing list, please return the attached ``Mailing
List Update Form'' (appendix 2).

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC website at www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. Click on the
eLibrary link, click on General Search and enter the docket number in
the Docket Number field, excluding the last three digits (i.e.,

CP20-8). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or<PHONE_NUMBER>, or for TTY, contact (202)
502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and
rulemakings.
    Public sessions or site visits will be posted on the Commission's
calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.

    Dated: December 5, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-26661 Filed 12-10-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P