18 C.F.R. § 380.12
(a) Introduction.
(b) General requirements. As appropriate, each resource report shall:
(c) Resource Report 1—General project description. This report is required for all applications. It will describe facilities associated with the project, special construction and operation procedures, construction timetables, future plans for related construction, compliance with regulations and codes, and permits that must be obtained. Resource Report 1 must:
(2) Identify and describe all nonjurisdictional facilities, including auxiliary facilities, that will be built in association with the project, including facilities to be built by other companies.
(i) Provide the following information:
(ii) Address each of the following factors and indicate which ones, if any, appear to indicate the need for the Commission to do an environmental review of project-related nonjurisdictional facilities.
(3) Provide the following maps and photos:
(5)
(d) Resource Report 2—Water use and quality. This report is required for all applications, except those which involve only facilities within the areas of an existing compressor, meter, or regulator station that were disturbed by construction of the existing facilities, no wetlands or waterbodies are on the site and there would not be a significant increase in water use. The report must describe water quality and provide data sufficient to determine the expected impact of the project and the effectiveness of mitigative, enhancement, or protective measures. Resource Report 2 must:
(7) If underground storage of natural gas is proposed:
(e) Resource Report 3—Fish, wildlife, and vegetation. This report is required for all applications, except those involving only facilities within the improved area of an existing compressor, meter, or regulator station. It must describe aquatic life, wildlife, and vegetation in the vicinity of the proposed project; expected impacts on these resources including potential effects on biodiversity; and proposed mitigation, enhancement or protection measures. Resource Report 3 must:
(f) Resource Report 4—Cultural resources. This report is required for all applications. In preparing this report, the applicant must follow the principles in § 380.14 of this part. Guidance on the content and the format for the documentation listed below, as well as professional qualifications of preparers, is detailed in “ Office of Energy Projects' (OEP) Guidelines for Reporting on Cultural Resources Investigations,” which is available from the Commission Internet home page or from the Commission staff.
(1) Resource Report 4 must contain:
(2) Initial filing requirements. The initial application must include the documentation of initial cultural resource consultation, the Overview and Survey Reports, if required, and written comments from SHPOs, THPOs and land-managing agencies, if available. The initial cultural resources consultations should establish the need for surveys. If surveys are deemed necessary by the consultation with the SHPO/THPO, the survey report must be filed with the application.
(3) The Evaluation Report and Treatment Plan, if required, for the entire project must be filed before a final certificate is issued.
(g) Resource Report 5—Socioeconomics. This report is required only for applications involving significant aboveground facilities, including, among others, conditioning or liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants. It must identify and quantify the impacts of constructing and operating the proposed project on factors affecting towns and counties in the vicinity of the project. Resource Report 5 must:
(h) Resource Report 6—Geological resources. This report is required for applications involving LNG facilities and all other applications, except those involving only facilities within the boundaries of existing aboveground facilities, such as a compressor, meter, or regulator station. It must describe geological resources and hazards in the project area that might be directly or indirectly affected by the proposed action or that could place the proposed facilities at risk, the potential effects of those hazards on the facility, and methods proposed to reduce the effects or risks. Resource Report 6 must:
(2) If an aboveground facility site is greater than 5 acres:
(j) Resource Report 8—Land use, recreation and aesthetics. This report is required for all applications except those involving only facilities which are of comparable use at existing compressor, meter, and regulator stations. It must describe the existing uses of land on, and (where specified) within 0.25 mile of, the proposed project and changes to those land uses that would occur if the project is approved. The report shall discuss proposed mitigation measures, including protection and enhancement of existing land use. Resource Report 8 must:
(1) Describe the width and acreage requirements of all construction and permanent rights-of-way and the acreage required for each proposed plant and operational site, including injection or withdrawal wells.
(k) Resource Report 9—Air and noise quality. This report is required for applications involving compressor facilities at new or existing stations, and for all new LNG facilities. It must identify the effects of the project on the existing air quality and noise environment and describe proposed measures to mitigate the effects. Resource Report 9 must:
(2) Quantitatively describe existing noise levels at noise-sensitive areas, such as schools, hospitals, or residences and include any areas covered by relevant state or local noise ordinances.
(3) Estimate the impact of the project on air quality, including how existing regulatory standards would be met.
(4) Provide a quantitative estimate of the impact of the project on noise levels at noise-sensitive areas, such as schools, hospitals, or residences.
(v) The estimate must demonstrate that the project will comply with applicable noise regulations and show how the facility will meet the following requirements:
(l) Resource Report 10—Alternatives. This report is required for all applications. It must describe alternatives to the project and compare the environmental impacts of such alternatives to those of the proposal. The discussion must demonstrate how environmental benefits and costs were weighed against economic benefits and costs, and technological and procedural constraints. The potential for each alternative to meet project deadlines and the environmental consequences of each alternative shall be discussed. Resource Report 10 must:
(2) Describe alternative routes or locations considered for each facility during the initial screening for the project.
(m) Resource Report 11—Reliability and safety. This report is required for applications involving new or recommissioned LNG facilities. Information previously filed with the Commission need not be refiled if the applicant verifies its continued validity. This report shall address the potential hazard to the public from failure of facility components resulting from accidents or natural catastrophes, how these events would affect reliability, and what procedures and design features have been used to reduce potential hazards. Resource Report 11 must:
(n) Resource Report 12—PCB contamination. This report is required for applications involving the replacement, abandonment by removal, or abandonment in place of pipeline facilities determined to have polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in excess of 50 ppm in pipeline liquids. Resource Report 12 must:
(o) Resource Report 13—Engineering and design material. This report is required for construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, or the recommissioning of existing LNG facilities. If the recommissioned facility is existing and is not being replaced, relocated, or significantly altered, resubmittal of information already on file with the Commission is unnecessary. Resource Report 13 must:
(15) Provide information to demonstrate that the proposed facilities will be sited, designed, constructed, and operated to maintain reliability and will not significantly impact public safety given geotechnical conditions and the occurrence of a natural hazard identified in paragraphs (o)(15)(i) through (iii) of this section. Site information must provide geotechnical studies and natural hazard studies based on the site location, which must provide impacts and magnitude of historical events and projected impacts and magnitude of events based on projected prescriptive/deterministic events and projected probabilistic events corresponding to mean recurrence intervals. Design information must provide the basis of design supported by site information, including design parameters and criteria and preliminary resultant design loads used in the geotechnical and structural design of LNG facilities. Construction and operation information must also include discussion of quality assurance and quality control plans, monitoring programs, and action programs developed in preparation of and response to geotechnical and natural hazards. All information provided must, at a minimum, demonstrate compliance with all applicable Federal requirements and applicable codes and standards, and identify any applicable state and local requirements for the siting, design, construction, testing, monitoring, operation, and maintenance used to safeguard against significant impacts caused by geotechnical conditions and natural hazards.
(i) General information. Provide site information that includes:
(ii) Geotechnical information. Provide a geotechnical investigation that includes:
(iii) Natural hazard information. Provide studies, basis of design, and plans for all natural hazards, including, at a minimum, each natural hazard in paragraphs (o)(15)(iii)(A) through (G) of this section:
(A) Seismic information. Provide a discussion of seismic design and hazards analysis that includes:
(1) The seismic design basis and criteria that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements, and applicable codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) A description of seismic setting and seismic hazard investigation.
(3) A description of seismological characteristics of the geographical region within 100 miles of the site.
(4) A description of capable faults, including any part of a fault within five miles of the site, the fault characteristics in the site vicinity, the methods and techniques used for fault analysis and investigations, and the potential effect of fault displacement on structures, systems, and components.
(5) Derivation of the site class describing the soil conditions and supportive geotechnical studies that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements and applicable codes and standards.
(6) Criteria used to determine potential soil liquefaction, subsidence, fault rupture, seismic slope stability, and lateral spreading.
(7) A historical ground motion analysis, including a description of past seismic events of Modified Mercalli Intensity greater than IV or magnitude greater than 3.0 within 100 miles of the site, including date of seismic events, magnitude of seismic events, distance from site to epicenter of seismic events, depth of seismic events, and resultant ground motions recorded or estimated at site location.
(8) A site-specific ground motion analysis based on ground motions projected from the U.S. Geological Survey national seismic maps and any deterministic seismic hazard analyses (DSHA) and probabilistic seismic hazard analyses (PSHA).
(9) Derivation of all ground motions used for the Operating Basis Earthquake (OBE), Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE), site-specific design earthquake (DE), site-specific peak ground motion (PGA), and aftershock level earthquake (ALE) that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements and applicable codes and standards.
(10) A list of OBE, SSE, and ALE site-specific ground motion spectral values for 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 5%, 7%, 10%, 15%, and 20% damping during all periods range.
(11) The DE seismic coefficients and seismic design parameters, including the spectral response acceleration and five percent damped design spectral response acceleration parameters at a short-period, at a period of one second, and at other periods; short-period site coefficient and long-period site coefficient; importance factor; component importance factor; fundamental period of the structure; long-period transition period; and response modification coefficient that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements and applicable codes and standards.
(12) A description of site-specific response spectrum analysis method, time history analysis method, or equivalent static load analysis.
(13) A seismic analysis for soil-structure interaction that is, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements and applicable codes and standards, and includes, at a minimum, a discussion of the modeling methods and the factors considered in the modeling methods, including the extent of embedment, the layering of the soil/rock strata, and the boundary of soil-structure model.
(14) A comparison of seismic responses used for each design classification for all structures, systems, and components.
(15) A list of seismic hazard curves of spectral accelerations for all periods for the site.
(16) Vertical response spectra for seismic design and ratio to horizontal response spectra.
(17) Natural frequencies and responses for each LNG tank system and associated safety systems and associated structures, systems, and components.
(18) A description of procedures used for structural analyses, including consideration of incorporating the stiffness, mass, and damping characteristics of the structural systems into the analytical models.
(19) A description of determination of seismic overturning moments and sliding forces for each LNG tank system and associated safety related structures, systems, and components, including consideration of the three components of input motion and the simultaneous action of vertical and horizontal seismic forces.
(20) A description of design procedure for seismically isolated structures, systems, and components.
(21) A description of seismic design basis and criteria for the LNG storage tank(s) and foundation(s). The seismic design basis and criteria must include the flexibility of the tank shell(s) and its influence on the natural frequencies of the tank(s), liquid level, effects of liquid motion or pressure changes; minimum design freeboard; sloshing and impulsive loads; seismic coefficients; importance factor(s); reduction factor(s); slosh height(s); sloshing periods of LNG storage tank(s); global stability of the tank(s) in terms of the potential for overturning and sliding; differential displacement between the tank(s) and the first support; and a total settlement monitoring program for the tank foundation(s).
(22) A description of seismic monitoring system in accordance with, at a minimum, all applicable Federal requirements and applicable codes and standards, including any triaxial ground motion recorder installed to register the free-field ground motion and additional triaxial ground motion recorders on each LNG tank system foundation, LNG tank roof, and associated safety related structures, systems, and components. The proposed seismic monitoring must include the installation locations on a plot plan; description of the triaxial strong motion recorders or other seismic instrumentation; the proposed alarm set points, and operating procedures (including emergency operating procedures) for control room operators in response to such alarms/data obtained from seismic instrumentation; and maintenance procedures.
(23) A cross reference to potential for earthquake generated tsunamis and seiches provided in paragraph (o)(15)(iii)(B) of this section, earthquake generated floods in paragraph (o)(15)(iii)(C) of this section, earthquake generated landslides in paragraph (o)(15)(iii)(G) of this section, and earthquake generated releases and fires in paragraph (m) of this section.
(B) Tsunami and seiche information. Provide a discussion of tsunami and seiche design and hazards that includes:
(1) The tsunami and seismic design basis and criteria with a description of the applicable requirements and guidelines, and generally accepted codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) The seiche design inundation and run-up elevations and corresponding return periods for all structures, systems, and components.
(3) The maximum considered tsunami (MCT) inundation and run-up elevation for the site, including the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) level ground motions at the site if the MCE is the triggering source of the MCT.
(4) A comparison of design loads of seiche water inundation elevations with inundation elevation corresponding to return periods of MCE and MCT for all structures, systems, and components.
(5) The Tsunami Risk Category for the site and a description of potential tsunami generation by seismic sources, and the prevention and mitigation plan for potential tsunami and seiche hazards.
(6) A cross reference to potential tsunami and seiche generated floods in paragraph (o)(15)(iii)(C) of this section, tsunami and seiche generated landslides in paragraph (o)(15)(iii)(G) of this section, and tsunami and seiche generated releases and fires in paragraph (m) of this section.
(C) Flood information. Provide a discussion of flood design criteria and hazards that includes:
(1) The floods design basis and criteria with references to applicable requirements and guidelines, and generally accepted codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) A description of flooding potential in the region surrounding the site due to one or more natural causes such as storm surge, tides, wind generated waves, meteorological tsunamis or seiches, extreme precipitation, or other natural hazard events that have a common cause.
(3) A comparison of flood design loads corresponding to return periods of 10,000-year, 5,000-year, 1,000-year, 500-year, and 100-year for all structures, systems, and components.
(4) A discussion of final designed site elevations and storm surge walls or floodwalls for the site that includes tsunami considerations, flood design considerations, site total settlements, sea level rise, subsidence.
(D) Hurricane information. Provide a discussion of hurricanes and other meteorological events design criteria and hazards that includes:
(1) The wind and storm surge design basis and criteria that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements, and applicable codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) A comparison of design wind loads for both sustained and three-second gusts and storm surge elevations, including consideration for still water, wind/wave run-up effects, and crest elevations, with hurricanes and other meteorological events at the site location corresponding to return periods of 10,000-year, 5,000-year, 1,000-year, 500-year, and 100-year for all structures, systems, and components.
(3) A discussion of historic hurricane frequencies and hurricane categories equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale at the site and associated wind speeds and storm surge.
(4) The design regional subsidence that includes a discussion of the elevation change used to account for regional subsidence for the design life of the facilities at the site.
(E) Tornado information. Provide a discussion of tornado design criteria and hazards that includes:
(1) The tornadoes design basis and criteria that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements, and applicable codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) A comparison of tornado design loads corresponding to return periods of 10,000-year, 5,000-year, 1,000-year, 500-year, and 100-year for all structures, systems, and components.
(3) A discussion of historic tornado frequencies and tornado categories as classified on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale at the site and associated wind speeds.
(4) A discussion of tornado loads determination and design procedure.
(5) A comparison of impact between wind loads and tornado loads for the site.
(F) Rain, ice, snow, and related precipitation information. Provide a discussion of rain, ice, snow, and related precipitation design criteria and hazards that includes:
(1) The rain, ice, and snow design basis and criteria that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements, and applicable codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) The identification of stormwater flows, outfalls, and stormwater management systems for all surfaces, including spill containment system with sump pumps or other water removal systems.
(3) The comparison of rain, ice, and snow design loads with rainfall rates, snow loads, and ice loads corresponding to return periods of 10,000-year, 5,000-year, 1,000-year, 500-year, and 100-year for all structures, systems, and components.
(4) A discussion of historic ice and blizzard events and frequencies and other ice and snow events at the site and associated loads.
(G) Landslides, wildfires, volcanic activity, and geomagnetism information. Provide a discussion of landslides, wildfires, volcanic activity, and geomagnetism design criteria and hazards that includes:
(1) The landslides, wildfires, volcanic activity, and geomagnetism design basis and criteria that are, at a minimum, in accordance with all applicable Federal requirements, and applicable codes, standards, and specifications used as basis of design.
(2) A discussion of historic landslide, wildfire, volcano activity, and geomagnetic disturbance risks and intensities at the site.
(3) A description of capable volcanoes, volcanic characteristics of the region, and a discussion of potentially hazardous volcanic phenomena considerations.
[Order 603, 64 FR 26611, May 14, 1999, as amended by Order 603-A, 64 FR 54537, Oct. 7, 1999; Order 609, 64 FR 57392, Oct. 25, 1999; Order 699, 72 FR 45328, Aug. 14, 2007; Order 756, 77 FR 4895, Feb. 1, 2012; Order 900, 88 FR 74042, Oct. 30, 2023]