2019-21494. Magnolia LNG, LLC; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Magnolia LNG Production Capacity Amendment

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Production Capacity Amendment, proposed by Magnolia LNG, LLC (Magnolia LNG) in the above-referenced docket. Magnolia LNG requests authorization to increase the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity of the previously authorized Magnolia LNG Project in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (Docket No. CP14-347-000) from 8 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 8.8 MTPA. The increased LNG production capacity would be achieved through the optimization of Magnolia LNG's final design for the terminal, including additional and modified process equipment.

The draft supplemental EIS assesses the potential changes to the air and noise emissions, and our reliability and safety engineering analyses associated with the construction and operation of the Production Capacity Amendment from what was presented in the final EIS in Docket No. CP14-347-000 for the Magnolia LNG Project. The FERC staff concludes that the proposed modifications, with the additional mitigation measures recommended in the supplemental EIS, would continue to avoid or reduce impacts to less than significant levels.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Department of Energy participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the supplemental EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to resources potentially affected by the proposal and participate in the analysis conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Commission mailed a copy of the Notice of Availability 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; and newspapers and libraries in the project area. The draft supplemental EIS is only available 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 draft supplemental 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., CP19-19). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll free at [phone], or for TTY, contact [phone].

Any person wishing to comment on the draft supplemental EIS may do so. Your comments should focus on draft supplemental EIS's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. To ensure consideration of your comments on the proposal in the final supplemental EIS, it is important that the Commission receive your comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 18, 2019.

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 [phone] or [e-mail]. Please carefully follow these instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.

(1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) under the link to Documents and Filings. This 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 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. If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select “Comment on a Filing” as the filing type; 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 (CP19-19-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.

Any person seeking to become a party to the proceeding must file a motion to intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR part 385.214). Motions to intervene are more fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/​resources/​guides/​how-to/​intervene.asp. Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing or judicial review of the Commission's decision. The Commission grants affected landowners and others with environmental concerns intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which no other party can adequately represent. Simply filing environmental comments will not give you intervenor status, but you do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

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.asp.

Dated: September 27, 2019.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,

Deputy Secretary.