Scoping Meeting for the DeLa Express Project (PF24-4-000)
Docket No. PF24-4-000
Date and Time
Location
Monday, September 16, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pmCentral Time
Kurten Community Center
13055 E. State Highway 21
Kurten, TX 77862
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss the environmental impacts of the DeLa Express Project involving construction and operation of facilities by DeLa Express LLC (DeLa Express) in Reeves, Loving, Andrews, Ward, Winkler, Ector, Midland, Upton, Glasscock, Sterling, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown, Mills, Hamilton, Coryell, McLennan, Falls, Bell, Robertson, Milam, Brazos, Grimes, Montgomery, Walker, San Jacinto, Liberty, Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange Counties, Texas and Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The Commission will use this environmental document 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 regarding the project. As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, the Commission takes into account concerns the public may have about proposals and the environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. This gathering of public input is referred to as “scoping.” The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental document on the important environmental issues. Additional information about the Commission’s NEPA process is described below in the NEPA Process and Environmental Document section of this notice.
By this notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of issues to address in the environmental document. 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 5:00pm Eastern Time on September 23, 2024. Comments may be submitted in written or oral form. Further details on how to submit comments are provided in the Public Participation section of this notice.
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 environmental document. Commission staff will consider all written or oral comments during the preparation of the environmental document.
If you submitted comments on this project to the Commission before the opening of this docket on April 2, 2024, you will need to file those comments in Docket No. PF24-4-000 to ensure they are considered.
This notice is being sent to the Commission’s current environmental mailing list, as described in the Environmental Mailing List section of this notice. State and local government representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 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 planned 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, the Natural Gas Act conveys the right of eminent domain to the company. 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. The Commission does not subsequently grant, exercise, or oversee the exercise of that eminent domain authority. The courts have exclusive authority to handle eminent domain cases; the Commission has no jurisdiction over these matters.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled “An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?” addresses typically asked questions, including the use of eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission’s proceedings. This fact sheet along with other landowner topics of interest are available for viewing on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) under the Natural Gas, Landowner Topics link.
There are four methods you can use to submit your comments to the Commission. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your comments are properly recorded. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
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 FERC Online. Using eComment is an easy method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling feature, which is located on the Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) 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 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
In lieu of sending written comments, the Commission invites you to attend one of the public scoping sessions its staff will conduct in the project area, scheduled as follows:
Date and Time
Location
Monday, September 9, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Harvest Event Center
9775 Highway 146 N.
Liberty, TX 77575
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Cleveland Civic Center
210 Peach Avenue
Cleveland, TX 77327
Thursday, September 12, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Huntsville Public Library
1219 13th Street
Huntsville, TX 77340
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Ballinger Community Center
200 Crosson Avenue
Ballinger, TX 76821
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Sterling County Senior Citizens Center
410 Stadium Street
Sterling City, TX 76951
Thursday, September 12, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Lawndale Community Center
9201 Rainbow Drive
Odessa, TX 79765
Monday, September 16, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Kurten Community Center
13055 E. State Highway 21
Kurten, TX 77862
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Westphalia Parish Hall
114 County Road 3000
Lott, TX 76656
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Windmill Hill Venue
1808 Bridge Street
Gatesville, TX 76528
Thursday, September 19, 2024
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Adams Street Community Center
511 E. Adams Street
Brownwood, TX 76801
The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be considered in the environmental document. Individual oral comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter. This format is designed to receive the maximum amount of oral comments in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.
Each scoping session is scheduled from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Central. You may arrive at any time after 4:30 pm. There will not be a formal presentation by Commission staff when the session opens. If you wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your arrival. Comments will be taken until 6:30 pm. However, if no additional numbers have been handed out and all individuals who wish to provide comments have had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude the session at 6:00 pm. Please see appendix 1 for additional information on the session format and conduct.[1]
Your scoping comments will be recorded by a court reporter (with FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on FERC’s eLibrary system (see the last page of this notice for instructions on using eLibrary). If a significant number of people are interested in providing oral comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of 5 minutes may be implemented for each commentor.
It is important to note that the Commission provides equal consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form or provided orally at a scoping session. Although there will not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available throughout the scoping session to answer your questions about the environmental review process. Representatives from DeLa Express will also be present to answer project-specific questions.
Additionally, 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. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overviewto 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 OPP@ferc.gov.
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. Click on the eLibrary link, click on “General Search” and enter the docket number in the “Docket Number” field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, 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 https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/events along with other related information.
