[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 225 (Thursday, November 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64315-64317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25269]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. CP17-494-000;CP17-495-000]
Jordan Cove Energy Project LP; Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline
L.P.; Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Jordan Cove Energy Project
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission), with the participation of the cooperating agencies listed
below, has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for
the Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas Project proposed by Jordan Cove
Energy Project L.P. (Jordan Cove) and the Pacific Connector Gas
Pipeline Project proposed by Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline, LP
(Pacific Connector) (collectively referred to as the Jordan Cove Energy
Project or Project). Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA),
Jordan Cove requests authorization to construct and operate a liquified
natural gas terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon, capable of liquefying up to
1.04 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day for export to overseas
markets. Pacific Connector seeks a Certificate of Public Convenience
and Necessity under Section 7 of the NGA to construct and operate a
natural gas transmission pipeline providing about 1.2 billion cubic
feet per day of natural gas from the Malin hub to the Jordan Cove
terminal, crossing portions of Klamath, Jackson, Douglas, and Coos
Counties, Oregon.
The final EIS assesses the potential environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the Project in accordance with the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). As
described in the final EIS, the FERC staff concludes that approval of
the Project would result in a number of significant environmental
impacts; however, the majority of impacts would be less than
significant because of the impact avoidance, minimization, and
mitigation measures proposed by Jordan Cove and Pacific Connector and
those recommended by staff in the EIS.
The United States (U.S.) Department of the Interior Bureau of Land
Management, (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and Fish and
Wildlife Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest
Service); U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Commerce National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries
Service; U.S. Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard; the Coquille
Indian Tribe; and the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration participated as cooperating
agencies in preparation of this 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 cooperating agencies provided input into the analyses,
conclusions, and recommendations presented in the EIS. Following
issuance of the final EIS, the cooperating agencies will issue
subsequent decisions, determinations, permits, or authorizations for
the Project in accordance with each individual agency's regulatory
requirements.
The BLM, with the concurrence of the Forest Service and
Reclamation, would adopt and use the EIS to consider issuing a right-
of-way Grant for the portion of the Project on federal lands. Other
cooperating agencies would use this EIS in their regulatory process,
and to satisfy compliance with NEPA and other related federal
environmental laws (e.g., the National Historic Preservation Act).
The BLM and the Forest Service would also use this EIS to evaluate
proposed amendments to their District or National Forest land
management plans that would make provision for the Pacific Connector
pipeline. In order to consider the Pacific Connector right-of-way
grant, the BLM must amend the affected Resource Management Plans
(RMPs). The BLM therefore proposes to amend the RMPs to re-allocate all
lands within the proposed temporary use area and right-of-way to a
District-Designated Reserve, with management direction to manage the
lands for the purposes of the Pacific Connector right-of-way.
Approximately 885 acres would be re-allocated. District-Designated
Reserve allocations establish specific management for a specific use or
to
[[Page 64316]]
protect specific values and resources. In accordance with Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part 36 Sec. 219--Planning, the Forest
Service is considering amendments of Land and Resource Management Plans
(LRMP) for the Umpqua, Rogue River, and Winema National Forests.
Proposed amendments of LRMPs include reallocation of matrix lands to
Late Successional Reserves and site-specific exemptions from 15
standards to allow construction of the Pacific Connector pipeline.
Exemptions from standards include requirements to protect known sites
of Survey and Manage species, changes in visual quality objectives at
specific locations, limitations on detrimental soil conditions, removal
of effective shade at perennial stream crossings and the construction
of utility corridors in riparian areas.
The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability of the
final EIS to federal, state, and local government representatives and
agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups;
Indian Tribes; potentially affected landowners and other interested
individuals and groups; and newspapers and libraries in the Project
area. The final EIS is available in hard copy at libraries in the area
of the Project and in electronic format. It may be viewed and
downloaded from the FERC's website (www.ferc.gov), on the Environmental
Documents page (https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis.asp). In
addition, the final EIS may be accessed by using the eLibrary link on
the FERC's website. Click on the eLibrary link (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp), click on General Search, and enter the
docket number in the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three
digits (i.e., CP17-494 or CP17-495). Be sure you have selected an
appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at [email protected] or toll free at (866) 208-3676,
or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
Questions?
Additional information about the Project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) 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.
In addition, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription that 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.as
Dated: November 15, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
Supplemental Information Regarding Procedures of the BLM and the Forest
Service
Forest Service's Proposed Action
The Forest Service's purpose and need for the proposed action is
to consider and disclose the environmental consequences of
construction and operation of the Pacific Connector pipeline on NFS
lands and to evaluate proposed LRMP amendments. The Forest Service
has determined that the linear nature of the Pacific Connector
Pipeline Project would not be consistent with certain requirements
of the LRMPs of the Umpqua, Rogue River, and Winema National
Forests. To address these inconsistencies, the Forest Service
proposes to amend the LRMPs of the respective National Forests to
make provision for the Project. The Forest Service will use this EIS
to assess substantive requirements of the planning rule that are
likely to be directly related to the amendment. The Forest Service
is also using this EIS process to identify specific stipulations
(including project design features and mitigation measures) related
to resources within their jurisdiction for inclusion in the right-
of-way Grant when considering issuing its concurrence, pursuant to
the Mineral Leasing Act.
Forest Service's Draft Record of Decision and Objection Procedures
The Pacific Connector pipeline may be implemented across
National Forest System (NFS) land if the BLM grants the right-of-way
for the Pacific Connector pipeline to cross the Umpqua, Rogue River,
and Winema National Forests and the Forest Service amends the
respective National Forest LRMPs (Forest Plans). The Forest
Supervisor of the Umpqua National Forest, as responsible official
for the LRMP amendments, adopts the environmental analysis conducted
by FERC (in accordance with 40 CFR 1506.3(a) and (c)) to support the
decision to amend the Umpqua, Rogue River, and Winema National
Forests LRMPs. She has determined that three parts of the Forest
Plans, where 15 standards and two plan-level land allocation
adjustments would be modified by a Forest Plan amendment (section
4.7 of the final EIS), meet the substantive requirements of the
Forest Service planning regulations (36 CFR part 219); and can be
implemented without impairing the long-term productivity of NFS
lands. With the amended LRMPs, the Pacific Connector pipeline would
be consistent with the Forest Plans. The draft decision is based on
a review of the environmental analysis disclosed in the final EIS,
the project record, Pacific Connector's proposed Plan of
Development, comments from the public, partners, and other agencies,
and a consideration of the 36 CFR part 219 requirements for amending
a Forest Plan.
Decisions by the Forest Service to approve ``plan level''
amendments to Land Management Plans (proposed amendments UNF-4 and
RRNF-7) are subject to the Pre-Decisional Administrative Review
Process Regulations at 36 CFR 219 Subpart B. The term ``plan level''
refers to plan amendments that would apply to future management
actions. Refer to the applicable administrative review regulations
for eligibility requirements. Objections to the Forest Service
decision must be filed within 60 calendar days from the publication
date of the legal notice of the opportunity to object in the
newspapers of record for the Umpqua, Rogue River, and Umpqua
National Forests (News-Review, Mail Tribune, Herald and News,
respectively).
Decisions by the Forest Service to approve ``project-specific''
plan amendments (proposed amendments FS-1, UNF-1, UNF-3, RRNF-2 thru
RRNF-6, and WNF-1 thru WNF-5) are subject to the Administrative
Review Process of 36 CFR 218 Subpart A and B, in accordance with 36
CFR 219.59 (b). The term ``project specific'' refers to amendments
that would only apply to the proposed project and would not apply to
any future management actions. Refer to the applicable
administrative review regulations for eligibility requirements.
Refer to the applicable administrative review regulations for
eligibility requirements. Objections to the Forest Service decision
must be filed within 45 calendar days from the publication date of
the legal notice of the opportunity to object in the in the
newspapers of record for the Umpqua, Rogue River, and Umpqua
National Forests (News-Review, Mail Tribune, Herald and News,
respectively).
The legal notices contain the details of the objection process.
The Forest Service must respond to all objections received before it
makes a final decision on the proposed Forest Plan amendments. The
final decision on the Forest Plan amendments and the final EIS
analysis will inform the Forest Service concurrence to the BLM for
its Right-of-Way Grant.
A copy of the Forest Service draft Record of Decision (ROD) and
of the legal notice for objections can be obtained by any of the
following methods:
FERC's eLibrary;
Internet website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=28132;
email: [email protected];
or regular mail: David Krantz, Project Manager, Rogue
River-Siskiyou National Forest, 3040 Biddle Rd., Medford, OR 97504;
telephone 541-618-2082.
BLM Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendments and Protest Procedures
BLM planning regulations state that any person who participated
in the planning process and has an interest which is or may be
adversely affected may protest the BLM's Proposed Resource
Management Plan Amendments. A person who meets the conditions and
files a protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date
that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register.
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as
[[Page 64317]]
amended, the BLM has actively participated as a Cooperating Agency
in the preparation of the Jordan Cove Energy Project Final EIS. This
final EIS includes the BLM Proposed Plan Amendments to the Northwest
and Coastal Oregon Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan
(2016) and the Southwestern Oregon Record of Decision and Resource
Management Plan (2016) and Proposed right-of-way Actions, in
response to an Application for right-of-way submitted by Pacific
Connector Gas Pipeline, LP.
In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the BLM Proposed Plan Amendments are subject to
administrative protest. The Proposed Plan Amendments are described
in section 2.1.1.1 of the final EIS and incorporate several specific
FERC-recommended conditions and one route variation. BLM planning
regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-2, describe the protest procedures and
state that any person who meets the conditions may protest the BLM's
Proposed RMP Amendments. All protests must be filed within 30 days
of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its
Notice of Availability of the final EIS in the Federal Register.
The FERC-prepared final EIS is available on the FERC docket and
on BLM's ePlanning project website at https://go.usa.gov/xEt7B.
Click the Documents link on the left side of the screen to find the
electronic version of these materials.
All protests must be in writing and filed with the BLM Director,
either as a hard copy or electronically via the BLM's ePlanning
project website listed previously. To submit a protest
electronically, go to the ePlanning project website and follow the
protest instructions highlighted at the top of the home page. If
submitting a protest in hard copy, it must be mailed to one of the
following addresses:
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Regular mail: Overnight delivery:
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BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest BLM Director (210),
Coordinator, P.O. Box 71383, Washington, Attention: Protest
DC 20024-1383. Coordinator, 20 M Street
SE, Room 2134LM,
Washington, DC 20003.
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Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the Proposed Plan Amendments may be found online at
https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be
in writing and mailed to the appropriate address or submitted
electronically through the BLM ePlanning project website as
described above. Protests submitted electronically by any means
other than the ePlanning project website protest section will be
invalid unless a protest is also submitted in hard copy. Protests
submitted by fax will also be invalid unless also submitted either
through ePlanning project website protest section or in hard copy.
Before including your phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be
aware that your entire protest--including your personally
identifiable information--may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask us in your protest to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR
1610.5.
[FR Doc. 2019-25269 Filed 11-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P