FERC staff has issued a positive draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Annova LNG Brownsville project, which would construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal on the Brownsville Ship Channel in Cameron County, TX.

Any adverse environmental impacts of the project would be reduced to less-than-significant levels with the implementation of mitigation measures proposed by Annova and additional measures recommended by staff, according to the 694-page DEIS [CP16-480].

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accepting comments on the DEIS through Feb. 4.

Annova LNG filed at FERC in July 2016 for authorization to construct an LNG export terminal that would receive gas supply from a third-party intrastate pipeline running from Kingsville to Brownsville, TX, planned to be constructed in 2021. Annova, a unit of Exelon Corp., would take custody of the gas from the pipeline at the outlet of the interconnection facilities that the intrastate pipeline operator would construct and operate within the LNG project site.

The DEIS is the latest in a flurry of activity by staff since FERC issued environmental schedules three months ago for a dozen pending LNG terminal projects, including the Annova Project, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to coordinate the siting and safety review of FERC-jurisdictional LNG facilities.

Since then, in addition to the Annova Project, FERC has issued DEIS for Eagle LNG Partners’ Jacksonville project [CP17-41]; the Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project planned for Jackson County, MS [CP15-521]; the Plaquemines LNG and Gator Express Pipeline project 30 miles south of New Orleans [CP17-67]; the Port Arthur, TX Liquefaction Project [CP17-20]; the Driftwood LNG project near Lake Charles, LA [CP17-117 and CP17-118]; Texas LNG Brownsville LLC‘s proposal for an LNG export terminal at the Port of Brownsville [CP16-116]; and NextDecade Corp.’s Rio Grande LNG project at the Port of Brownsville [CP16-454].