By ALEXANDREA BAILEY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
On Friday, Sept. 13, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC] announced its intent to prepare a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement [EIS] for the proposed Rio Grande LNG Terminal and Rio Bravo Pipeline Project.
FERC projects a draft of the supplemental EIS will be available by March 2025, opening a 45-day comment period. According to FERC, the final supplemental EIS will be available by July 31, 2025. The Federal Authorization Decision Deadline is Oct. 29, 2025, and the Final Order will be issued by Nov. 20, 2025.
FERC requests public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. The deadline for public comment is Oct. 15, 2024.
There are three methods to submit public comments: electronically using the eComment feature at ferc.gov, e-filing, which allows participants to provide comments in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with the submission also at ferc.gov or by U.S. Postal Service addressed to Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A. Submissions sent via any other mail carrier must be addressed to Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. When filing a paper copy of submissions, participants must be sure to reference the project docket numbers: CP16-454-000; CP16-455-000; and/or CP20-481-000
Some landowners can expect to be contacted by pipeline company representatives regarding the acquisition of an easement.
According to FERC, Rio Grande LNG plans to export 27 million tons per annum (MTPA) of liquified natural gas [LNG]. The terminal would consist of five natural gas liquefaction trains, four LNG storage tanks, two LNG carrier loading berths and one 1,500-foot-diameter turning basin as well as LNG truck loading and unloading facilities with four loading bays; two natural gas liquids truck loading bays; and other administrative, maintenance, and support facilities.
The proposed Rio Bravo Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline system stretching from the Agua Dulce Hub to the Rio Grande LNG Terminal. It would include a two-and-a-quarter-mile-long header system; approximately 136 miles of parallel 48-and 42-inch-diameter mainline pipelines; one compressor station; four metering sites; and other relevant facilities.
Based on FERC’s April 2019 EIS, the construction of the two proposed projects would require temporary disturbance of about 3,633.2 acres of land, and afterward, would encompass about 2,149.2 acres, leaving the remaining 1,484.0 acres to return pre-construction conditions and uses.
“Incorporation of the Rio Bravo Pipeline Amendment (Docket No. CP20-481-000) resulted in a decrease of 48.2 acres of land, while the Rio Bravo Pipeline Route Amendment (Docket No. CP23-519-000) added approximately 123.3 acres to the overall footprint of the Rio Bravo Pipeline Project,” stated FERC.
For some background, on Aug. 6, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals vacated FERC’s original authorization of the proposed projects. FERC says the focus of this new EIS will be issues the court identified as needing further analysis, including environmental justice and air quality impacts. FERC will also recommend ways to lessen or possibly even avoid impacts analyzed in the supplemental EIS.
According to FERC, the EIS will also include an updated alternative analysis, including carbon capture and sequestration [CCS], however, on Aug. 20, 2024, Rio Grande LNG withdrew its application to incorporate CCS into the project.
“For years, we have been saying that Rio Grande LNG’s CCS proposal was a scam that was invented to greenwash the project and attract investors. CCS for LNG is a greenwashing PR campaign to make the Rio Grande LNG fossil fuel corporation appear to be environmentally friendly. In reality, this CCS technology does not limit the high levels of climate-killing greenhouse gas emissions released from fracking, nor does it mitigate the release of dangerous pollutants from Rio Grande LNG which are known to be cancer-causing and harmful to respiratory health. Our community made it clear through letters, protests and communication with public officials that we did not want our low- income region to be used as a testing site for a toxic, experimental, untested and unproven technology like the CCS facility for LNG,” alleged Bekah Hinojosa on behalf of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network.
In response to these allegations, Susan Richardson, Senior Director &; Communications of Next Decade, the parent company of Rio Grande LNG, stated, “The CCS project at Rio Grande LNG is not sufficiently developed to allow FERC review to continue at this time. We remain committed to advancing and lowering the cost of utilizing carbon capture and storage and helping companies reduce their facility emissions and achieving their clean energy goals.”