Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage III, LLC, Corpus Christi Liquefaction, LLC, Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline, L.P.; Notice of Availability of The Environmental Assessment for The Proposed Stage 3 Project

The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for the Stage 3 Project, proposed by Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage III, LLC, Corpus Christi Liquefaction, LLC, and Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline, L.P. (collectively, Cheniere) in the above-referenced dockets. Cheniere requests authorization to expand the liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and storage capacity of the previously approved Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project (Liquefaction Project) (Docket Nos. CP12-507-000 and CP12-508-000), as well as to construct and operate a new interstate natural gas pipeline and associated facilities in San Patricio County, Texas.

The EA assesses the potential environmental effects of the construction and operation of the Stage 3 Project in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FERC staff concludes that approval of the proposed project, with appropriate mitigating measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service participated as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EA. 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 proposed Stage 3 Project includes the following facilities in San Patricio County, Texas:

• Addition of seven mid-scale liquefaction trains capable of producing up to 11.45 million tons per annum of LNG;
• one new 160,000-cubic meter LNG storage tank;
• 21 miles of new 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline;
• addition of two natural gas compressor units at the existing Sinton Compressor Station; and
• appurtenant facilities including, meter and regulator stations, launcher and receiver facilities, and mainline valves.

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 EA 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 EA 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., CP18-512). 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.

Any person wishing to comment on the EA may do so. Your comments should focus on EA's disclosure and discussion of potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that the Commission has the opportunity to consider your comments prior to making its decision on this project, it is important that we receive your comments in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 29, 2019.

For your convenience, there are three methods you can use to file your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 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 also file your comments electronically 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.” You must select the type of filing you are making. If you are filing a comment on a particular project, please select “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 (CP18-512-000 and CP18-513-000) 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 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 may grant 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.

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 which 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.