Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Borrego Pipeline in Webb County, Texas, 70476-70477 [2016-24630]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70476-70477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24630]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 9754]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Borrego Pipeline in Webb County, Texas

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Borrego Crossing Pipeline, LLC (Borrego) has applied to the 
U.S. Department of State (Department) for a Presidential Permit 
authorizing the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of 
facilities at the border of the United States for the export of refined 
petroleum products from the United States to markets in northern Mexico 
(Borrego Pipeline). The Department receives and considers applications 
for Presidential Permits for such energy-related pipelines pursuant to 
authority delegated to it by the President under E.O. 13337 of April 
30, 2004 (69 FR 25299), as amended. To issue a Permit, the Department 
must find that issuance would serve the national interest.
    With respect to the application submitted by Borrego, the 
Department is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform the public 
that it will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) consistent with 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (as implemented by 
the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations found at 40 CFR parts 
1500-1508) to evaluate the potential impacts of the Borrego Pipeline to 
inform the national interest determination. This NOI informs the public 
about the proposed project and solicits participation and comments from 
interested federal, tribal, state, and local government entities as 
well as the public to help inform the scope and content of the EA.

DATES: The Department invites the public, governmental agencies, tribal 
governments, and all other interested parties to comment on the scope 
of the EA. All such comments should be provided within the 30-day 
public scoping period, which starts with the publication of this Notice 
in the Federal Register and will continue until November 14, 2016. The 
Department will give equal weight to written, electronic, and oral 
comments, and the Department will consider all comments received or 
postmarked by the closing date. The Department will consider comments 
received or postmarked after that date to the extent practicable.
    All comments received during the scoping period may be made public, 
no matter how initially submitted. Comments are not private and will 
not be edited to remove identifying or contact information. Commenters 
are cautioned against including any information that they would not 
want publicly disclosed. Any party soliciting or aggregating comments 
from other persons is further requested to direct those persons not to 
include any identifying or contact information, or information they 
would not want publicly disclosed, in their comments.

[[Page 70477]]


ADDRESSES: Commenters can submit remarks electronically at 
www.regulations.gov by entering the title of this Notice into the 
search field and following the prompts. The Department will accept 
comments by mail at the following address: Borrego Project Manager, 
Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues (OES/EQT), 
Room 2726, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC 
20520. All comments from agencies or organizations should indicate a 
contact person for the agency or organization.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Description

    Borrego submitted an application on August 12, 2016 for a new 
Presidential Permit under E.O. 13337 to authorize the construction, 
connection, operation, and maintenance of pipeline facilities at the 
United States-Mexico border for the export of refined petroleum 
products, including but not limited to gasoline, ultra-low sulfur 
diesel (ULSD), and jet fuel. The requested Presidential Permit, if 
issued, would authorize an approximately 0.25-mile segment of 20-inch 
pipeline from the first check meter station near 27[deg]38'42.28'' N., 
99[deg]36'13.62'' W. to the United States-Mexico border at a location 
approximately 9.2 miles northwest of Laredo, Texas. However, consistent 
with NEPA, the Department's EA will analyze environmental effects 
associated with the entire U.S. portion of the proposed pipeline. In 
the United States, the Borrego Pipeline would consist of approximately 
13 miles of new pipeline (0.25 miles of 20-inch pipeline at the border 
segment and 12.9 miles of 16-inch pipeline from a terminal in Laredo, 
Texas to the border segment). The Borrego Pipeline would have the 
design capacity to transport approximately 150,000 barrels per day 
(bpd) of refined petroleum products.

Environmental Effects

    The environmental review will describe the potential environmental 
impacts of the proposed action; any adverse environmental impacts that 
cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented; the reasonable 
alternatives to the proposed action and a no action alternative; 
comparison between short-term and long-term impacts on the environment; 
any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of natural, physical or 
other resources that would occur if the proposed action is implemented; 
and any proposed mitigation measures if needed. The analysis will focus 
on air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and 
soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, 
potential accidents and spills, hydrology and water quality, noise, 
socioeconomics, environmental justice, transportation, and any other 
relevant topics that arise during scoping.

Scoping Period

    The Department invites the public, governmental agencies, tribal 
governments and all other interested parties to comment on the scope of 
the EA. All such comments should be provided in writing, within thirty 
(30) days of the publication of this notice, at the ADDRESSES listed 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information contact the Borrego 
Project Manager at the address listed in ADDRESSES, by email at 
BorregoReview@state.gov or by fax at (202) 647-5947. Information on the 
proposed project details, Presidential Permit application, status of 
the environmental review, etc. may be found at: https://www.state.gov/e/enr/applicant/applicants/borregopipeline/index.htm.

    Dated: October 3, 2016.
Barton Putney,
 Director, Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2016-24630 Filed 10-11-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-P