Scoping Sessions for the Plaquemines Expansion Project (PF25-7-000) (Belle Chasse, LA)

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 [email protected].

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 FERC Online.  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 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 
3. You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to the Commission.  Be sure to reference the project docket number (PF25-7-000) on your letter.  Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to:  Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD  20852.
4. 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:

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 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Central Standard Time.  You may arrive at any time after 5:00 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 7:00 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 6:30 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 Venture Global 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/overview to 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, community organizations, 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 [email protected]. 

Summary of the Planned Project

Venture Global plans to construct and operate one gas gate system; four pretreatment systems; twelve liquefaction blocks; two flare structures; new boil-off, flash, and gas relief systems; new control rooms, one workshop, one warehouse, electrical equipment, and other support structures; one stormwater piping system, one new marine loading berth and LNG carrier loading dock, a new pipe trestle system; and one new elevated roadway.

The general location of the project facilities would expand the existing Plaquemines LNG Terminal and are shown in appendix 2.

Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 560 acres of land for the expansion, marine berth, and workspaces with an additional 586-acre temporary workspace to ease traffic constraints from construction.  Following construction, Venture Global would maintain about 400 acres for permanent operation of the project’s facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and revert to former uses.

[1] The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in the Federal Register.  Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov using the link called “eLibrary.”  For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.  For assistance, contact FERC at [email protected] or call toll free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY (202) 502-8659. 

Any environmental document issued by Commission staff will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the planned project under the relevant general resource areas:

• geology and soils;
• water resources and wetlands;
• vegetation and wildlife;
• threatened and endangered species;
• cultural resources;
• land use;
• socioeconomics;
• air quality and noise; and
• reliability and safety.

Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the planned project or portions of the project and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.  Your comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially eliminate others from further study and discussion in the environmental document.  

Although no formal application has been filed, Commission staff have already initiated a NEPA review under the Commission’s pre-filing process.  The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve issues before the Commission receives an application.  As part of the pre-filing review, Commission staff will contact federal and state agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the preparation of the environmental document.

If a formal application is filed, Commission staff will then determine whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  The EA or the EIS will present Commission staff’s independent analysis of the environmental issues.  If Commission staff prepares an EA, a Notice of Schedule for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment will be issued.  The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period.  The Commission would consider timely comments on the EA before making its determination on the proposed project.  If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS/Notice of Schedule will be issued once an application is filed, which will open an additional public comment period.  Staff will then prepare a draft EIS that will be issued for public comment.  Commission staff will consider all timely comments received during the comment period on the draft EIS, and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS.  Any EA or draft and final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public record through eLibrary[1] and the Commission’s natural gas environmental documents webpage (https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/environment/environmental-documents).  If eSubscribed, you will receive instant email notification when the environmental document is issued. 

With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate in the preparation of the environmental document.[2]  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.  Currently, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 have expressed their intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the environmental document to satisfy their NEPA responsibilities related to this project.

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(s), 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.[3]  The environmental document for this project will document our findings on the impacts on historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under section 106.

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 and includes a mailing address with their comments.  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 planned project.

If you need to make changes to your name/address, or if you would like to remove your name from the mailing list, please complete one of the following steps:

1. Send an email to [email protected] stating your request.  You must include the docket number PF25-7-000 in your request.  If you are requesting a change to your address, please be sure to include your name and the correct address.  If you are requesting to delete your address from the mailing list, please include your name and address as it appeared on this notice.  This e-mail address is unable to accept comments.

OR

2. Return the attached “Mailing List Update Form” (appendix 3).

Becoming an Intervenor

Once Venture Global files its application with the Commission, you may want to become an “intervenor” which is an official party to the Commission’s proceeding.  Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission’s decision and be heard by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission’s final ruling.  An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a request to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).  Motions to intervene are more fully described at https://www.ferc.gov/how-intervene.  Please note that the Commission will not accept requests for intervenor status at this time.  You must wait until the Commission receives a formal application for the project, after which the Commission will issue a public notice that establishes an intervention deadline.

[1] For instructions on connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.

[2] Cooperating agency responsibilities are addressed in Section 107(a)(3) of NEPA (42 U.S. Code § 4336(a)(3)).

[3] The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 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.