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DRAFT EA Issuance of a ROW Permit to Annova

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DRAFT EA Issuance of a ROW Permit to Annova DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Issuance of a Right-of-Way Permit for a 0.5-Mile Road Segment to Annova LNG Common Infrastructure, LLC Boca Chica Tract Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge Cameron County, Texas 78521 August 2019 Table of Contents 1.0 PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR PROPOSED ACTION .............................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Location ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Refuge Overview .................................................................................................................................. 1 Description of the Existing Access Road through Refuge Property ..................................................... 3 Consultation between the Service and Annova..................................................................................... 3 Purpose of the Action ............................................................................................................................ 4 Need for the Action ............................................................................................................................... 6 Regulatory Compliance ......................................................................................................................... 8 Scoping/Public Involvement ............................................................................................................... 10 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES......................................................................................... 10 2.1 Alternative A – No Action - Deny the Permit ......................................................................... 13 2.2 Alternative B – Proposed Action - Issue the Permit ................................................................ 16 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ....................... 18 3.1 Physical Environment .............................................................................................................. 19 3.2 Biological Environment .......................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Human Environment ............................................................................................................... 36 3.4 Assessment of Cumulative Impacts......................................................................................... 38 3.5 Environmental Justice ............................................................................................................. 39 3.6 Indian Trust Assets .................................................................................................................. 39 3.7 Unavoidable Adverse Effects .................................................................................................. 39 3.8 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources ....................................................... 39 3.9 Summary of Environmental Consequences ............................................................................. 40 4.0 CONSULTATION, COORDINATION, AND DOCUMENT PREPARATION ......................... 41 5.0 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 41 Figures Figure 1. Location of Existing Access Road ................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Access Road Alternatives Identified for Detailed Analysis .......................................................... 5 Figure 3. Land Ownership ............................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 4. Proposed Access Road Cross-Section ......................................................................................... 12 Figure 5. Mapped Soil Types within Access Road Survey Corridors ........................................................ 21 Figure 6. Waters of the U.S. within Access Road Survey Corridors .......................................................... 24 Figure 7. Habitat Types within Access Road Survey Corridors ................................................................. 28 Draft Environmental Assessment – Issuance of a Right-of-Way Permit, Annova LNG, LLC; Boca Chica Tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron County, Texas ii Tables Table 1. Potential Impacts to Waters of the U.S. ........................................................................................ 25 Table 2. Mapped Habitat Types .................................................................................................................. 26 Table 3. Potential Impacts to Habitat Types for Alternative A – No Action .............................................. 29 Table 4. Potential Impacts to Habitat Types along Alternative B – Proposed Action ................................ 30 Table 5. Listed and Candidate Species within the Survey Corridors .......................................................... 31 Table 6. Community Profile for Access Road Vicinity .............................................................................. 37 Table 7. Summary of Environmental Effects by Alternative ...................................................................... 40 Acronyms and Abbreviations Acronym or Definition or Meaning Abbreviation Annova LNG Brownsville A, LLC; Annova LNG Brownsville B, Annova LLC; and Annova LNG Brownsville C, LLC (collectively) B&A Blanton & Associates, Inc. BND Brownsville Navigation District BSC Brownsville Ship Channel CFR Code of Federal Regulations DMPA Dredged material placement area EA Environmental Assessment FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC application Application for Authorization Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act LNG Liquefied natural gas LNG Project Annova LNG Brownsville Project LOD Limits of disturbance mmhos/cm milliMhos per centimeter NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHL National Historic Landmark NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWR National Wildlife Refuge Refuge System National Wildlife Refuge System refuge Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge Service United States Fish and Wildlife Service SH State Highway SHPO State Historic Preservation Officer THC Texas Historical Commission TPWD Texas Parks and Wildlife Department USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers U.S.C. United States Code Draft Environmental Assessment – Issuance of a Right-of-Way Permit, Annova LNG, LLC; Boca Chica Tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron County, Texas iii 1.0 PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR PROPOSED ACTION Introduction The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is proposing the issuance of a right-of-way (ROW) permit for construction and use of an access road on the Boca Chica Tract of the Service’s Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (NWR or refuge) in Cameron County, Texas to Annova Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Common Infrastructure, LLC; Annova LNG Brownsville A, LLC; Annova LNG Brownsville B, LLC; and Annova LNG Brownsville C, LLC (collectively, Annova). If approved, this request for a 25-year term ROW permit would be processed in accordance with 50 CFR § 29.21. In addition, a special use permit (SUP) would be issued for short-term road construction activities. The proposed project is the construction, and use of a road segment on the refuge as part of the main access route for construction and operation of the proposed Annova LNG Brownsville Project (LNG Project). Location The existing access road is located off State Highway (SH) 4, approximately 6.5 miles east of the U.S. Border Patrol Fort Brown Checkpoint Facility (25.9623°N, -97.2837°W) (WGS84). From SH 4, the road extends northward for approximately 0.5 miles across Service property on the Boca Chica Tract of the refuge, and then continues on Brownsville Navigation District (BND) property for approximately 2.5 miles to Annova’s LNG Project site, the Brownsville Ship Channel (BSC), and various dredged material placement areas (DMPAs). Figure 1 shows the location of the existing unpaved access road between SH 4 and the LNG Project site and the BSC. Background This Environmental Assessment (EA) is being prepared to evaluate the effects associated with the Service’s proposal to issue a ROW permit to allow Annova to improve, and use an existing access road through the refuge, and complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in accordance with Council on Environmental Quality regulations [40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1500-1509], and Department of the Interior (516 DM 8) and Service (550 FW 3) policies. See the regulatory compliance section below for a list of additional regulations with which this EA complies. Refuge Overview Refuge history can be found in the Service’s Final Lower Rio Grande Valley and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuges Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Service 1997). The refuge was established in 1979 when the Service initiated a long-term
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