Freeport McMoRan Energy L.L.C. Main Pass Energy Hub Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application Amendment; Preparation of Environmental Assessment, 45899-45900 [E6-13097]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices
Rwanda, Malta, Benin, Senegal, Poland,
Oman, France, Uganda, Cape Verde,
Samoa, Tonga, Albania, Madagascar,
Gabon, Indonesia, Uruguay, India,
Paraguay, Maldives, Ethiopia, Thailand,
Mali, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Cameroon and Chad pursuant to
seventh-freedom all-cargo rights granted
in open skies agreements with these
countries. Southern also asks that it be
awarded certificate authority between a
point or points in the United States and
Hong Kong and a point or points in the
U.K. Finally, Southern also requests the
same blanket route integration authority
granted to other carriers by Order 2006–
1–1.
Docket Number: OST–1995–869.
Date Filed: July 27, 2006.
Due Date for Answers, Conforming
Applications, or Motion to Modify
Scope: August 17, 2006.
Description: Application of
Continental Micronesia, Inc. requesting
renewal of its Segment 10 (GuamTokyo) Route 171 certificate authority to
provide scheduled foreign air
transportation of persons, property and
mail between Guam and Tokyo, Japan.
Docket Number: OST–1996–1423.
Date Filed: July 28, 2006.
Due Date for Answers, Conforming
Applications, or Motion to Modify
Scope: August 18, 2006.
Description: Application of
Continental Airlines, Inc. requesting
renewal of Segment 13 of its Route 29–
F certificate authorizing Continental to
provide scheduled foreign air
transportation of persons, property and
mail between New York/Newark and
Madrid and Barcelona. Continental also
requests that its authority be amended
to add the coterminal points Malaga and
Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Docket Number: OST–2006–25517.
Date Filed: July 28, 2006.
Due Date for Answers, Conforming
Applications, or Motion to Modify
Scope: August 18, 2006.
Description: Joint Application of Delta
Air Lines, Inc. (‘‘Delta’’) and United Air
Lines, Inc. (‘‘United’’) requesting that
the Department approve the transfer to
Delta of the route segment on United’s
certificate of public convenience and
necessity for Route 603 authorizing
foreign air transportation of persons,
property and mail between New York,
NY, and London, United Kingdom.
Barbara J. Hairston,
Supervisory Dockets Officer, Alternate
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. E6–13099 Filed 8–9–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P
VerDate Aug<31>2005
21:27 Aug 09, 2006
Jkt 208001
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[USCG–2004–17696]
Freeport McMoRan Energy L.L.C. Main
Pass Energy Hub Liquefied Natural
Gas Deepwater Port License
Application Amendment; Preparation
of Environmental Assessment
Maritime Administration, DOT.
Notice of amended application;
Notice of Intent; Request for comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration
(MARAD), and the U.S. Coast Guard
announce that we have received an
application amendment for the licensing
of the Main Pass Energy Hub (MPEH)
natural gas deepwater port, and that the
application amendment contains the
required information to continue
processing the application. This notice
summarizes the applicant’s plans and
the procedures that will be followed in
considering this application
amendment. The Coast Guard, in
coordination with MARAD, will prepare
an environmental assessment (EA) as
part of the environmental review of this
license application amendment.
Publication of this notice also begins a
public comment period on the
application amendment and on the
procedures and process to be followed
in completing the review.
The application amendment describes
the change in project regassification
technology from the ‘‘open-loop’’
vaporization system originally proposed
for Main Pass Energy Hub to a ‘‘closedloop’’ LNG vaporization system. The
proposed closed-loop vaporization
system is a submerged combustion
vaporization system with selective
catalytic reduction (SCV/SCR). The
proposed facility would be constructed
in the Gulf of Mexico in Main Pass
Lease Block 299 (MP 299),
approximately 16 miles southeast of
Venice, Louisiana. A Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statement were
published on the original application on
June 17, 2005 and March 14, 2006,
respectively.
Material submitted in response
to the request for comment must reach
the Docket Management Facility by
September 11, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the license
application, the Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statements
(DEIS/FEIS), the application
amendment and associated comments
and documentation are available for
viewing at the DOT’s docket
management Web site: https://
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00135
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
45899
dms.dot.gov under docket number
17696. Address docket submissions for
USCG–2004–17696 to: Docket
Management Facility, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001.
The Docket Management Facility
accepts hand-delivered submissions,
and makes docket contents available for
public inspection and copying at this
address in room PL–401 between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is 202–366–9329, the fax
number is 202–493–2251, and the Web
site for electronic submissions or for
electronic access to docket contents is
https://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Roddy C. Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard,
telephone: 202–372–1451, e-mail:
rbachman@comdt.uscg.mil. If you have
questions on viewing the docket, call
Renee V. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone: 202–493–
0402.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Receipt of Application Amendment
On May 31, 2006, the Coast Guard
and MARAD received an amendment
for the Main Pass Energy Hub deepwater
port license application from Freeport
McMoRan Energy L.L.C.
Background
The construction and operation of a
deepwater port must be authorized by
the Secretary of Transportation (as
delegated to the Administrator of
MARAD). Before a license decision is
made, the DWPA and the implementing
regulations found at 33 CFR part 148 et
seq. provide for an application review
following requirements set forth in the
DWPA, the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), and other applicable
laws and regulations. To comply with
this requirement, the Coast Guard and
MARAD, as the lead federal agencies for
the license application review process
under the DWPA and NEPA, completed
a Draft EIS that was released on June 17,
2005. Workshops and public hearings
were held in Grand Bay, Alabama, New
Orleans, Louisiana, and Pascagoula,
Mississippi to allow public comment
and involvement. A Final EIS was
released on March 14, 2006 and public
hearings were held in each Adjacent
Coastal State to comply with the
requirements of the DWPA. During this
public interest review process, extensive
public and agency comments were
submitted that discussed the project and
the SCV and open rack vaporization
(ORV) technologies as reasonable
alternatives for the regasification
E:\FR\FM\10AUN1.SGM
10AUN1
rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
45900
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices
technology for the project. For this and
other reasons, the Final EIS included a
robust and detailed discussion and
evaluation of both SCV and ORV
technologies.
The applicant is now proposing in
this application amendment to change
the project to use SCV in the place of
ORV. Although SCV/SCR was fully
evaluated as a reasonable alternative in
sufficient detail to provide an in-depth
public interest review of that
alternative, the SCV/SCR system
described in the FEIS was a somewhat
generic system based on an existing
application of this technology at an
onshore LNG facility. The application
amendment contains the actual design
that would be used, and while very
similar to the more generic system
described in the FEIS, the expanded and
refined information regarding the SCV/
SCR warrants development of additional
environmental evaluation and review.
Following review and coordination of
the amendment between MARAD, the
Coast Guard, EPA, NOAA, and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE),
MARAD and the Coast Guard have
determined that an Environmental
Assessment will provide the appropriate
level of NEPA review and analysis. The
decision is based upon a finding that the
proposed amendment: (i) Does not make
substantial changes in the proposed
action that are relevant to
environmental concerns; and, (ii) there
are no significant new circumstances or
information relevant to environmental
concerns and bearing on the proposed
action or its impacts. Therefore, our
evaluation confirms that the EA is an
appropriate document to satisfy the
DWPA and NEPA requirements in this
situation. This process, preparation of
an EA that describes the project changes
and focuses the evaluation on the
amendment, using and incorporating by
reference the recently published FEIS,
will meet the statutory requirements
and intent of NEPA and the DWPA by
providing a detailed environmental
assessment of the changes. The process
will allow ample opportunity for
meaningful public comment and
involvement. Our initial review of the
changes proposed in the application
amendment indicates a reduction in
impacts in several key resource areas
that were originally identified with the
ORV technology. In addition, a number
of comments from the public, and State
and Federal agencies discussed and
supported SCV as a preferred
alternative.
The Coast Guard will consider
comments on the application
amendment, the proposed changes
(including the level of significance of
VerDate Aug<31>2005
21:27 Aug 09, 2006
Jkt 208001
the changes), and on the determination
and process of using an EA for the
environmental evaluation. Following
completion and release of the EA, there
will be a second public notice and a 45
day public comment period where the
Coast Guard and MARAD will receive
comments on both the EA and the
amended application. Public hearings in
the adjacent coastal states will be held
approximately 2 weeks after release of
the EA. A 45 day comment period will
follow the public hearings during which
the Governors of the adjacent coastal
states may approve, disapprove or
remain silent on the application, and
the EPA Administrator will also be
afforded an opportunity to inform the
MARAD Administrator if the deepwater
port as proposed would not conform
with the applicable provisions of the
Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, or
the Marine Protection, Research and
Sanctuaries Act. Within 90 days of the
final public hearing, MARAD will issue
a record of decision (ROD) on the
application.
You can address any questions about
the proposed action or the EA process
to the Coast Guard project manager
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other
relevant information on the application
amendment and/or the environmental
evaluation process described in this
notice. Please reference the application
amendment and the EIS that are
available on the docket. You can submit
material to the Docket Management
Facility during the public comment
period (see DATES). MARAD and the
Coast Guard will consider all comments
submitted during the public comment
periods. Although MARAD and the
Coast Guard have published a FEIS
providing a full and complete
evaluation of other aspects of the
application, and this EA will focus on
the application amendment, we will
accept and consider comments on any
aspect of the project or the process.
Submissions should include:
• Docket number USCG–2004–17696.
• Your name and address.
• Your reasons for making each
comment or for bringing information to
our attention.
Submit comments or material using
only one of the following methods:
• Electronic submission to DMS,
https://dms.dot.gov.
• Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the
Docket Management Facility (see
ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered
submissions must be unbound, no larger
than 81⁄2 by 11 inches, and suitable for
PO 00000
Frm 00136
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
copying and electronic scanning. If you
mail your submission and want to know
when it reaches the Facility, include a
stamped, self-addressed postcard or
envelope. Regardless of the method
used for submitting comments or
material, submissions will be posted,
without change, to the DMS Web site
(https://dms.dot.gov), and will include
any personal information you provide.
Therefore, submitting this information
makes it public. You may wish to read
the Privacy Act notice that is available
on the DMS Web site, or the Department
of Transportation Privacy Act Statement
that appeared in the Federal Register on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477).
You may view docket submissions at
the Docket Management Facility (see
ADDRESSES), or electronically on the
DMS Web site.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Dated: August 7, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E6–13097 Filed 8–9–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Ex Parte No. 661]
Rail Fuel Surcharges
AGENCY:
Surface Transportation Board,
DOT.
Notice of proposed
requiremetns regarding rail fuel
surcharges.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation
Board has instituted a proceeding to
seek public comments on proposed
measures regarding railroad practices
involving fuel surcharges. These
changes are intended to address
concerns raised at the Board’s public
hearing on May 11, 2006, and in written
comments received in this proceeding.
DATES: Comments are due on September
25, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
submitted either via the Board’s e-filing
format or in the traditional paper
format. Any person using e-filing should
comply with the instructions found on
the Board’s https://www.stb.dot.gov Web
site, at the ‘‘E–FILING’’ link. Any person
submitting a filing in the traditional
paper format should send an original
and 10 paper copies of the filing
(referring to STB Ex Parte No. 661) to:
Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–
0001.
E:\FR\FM\10AUN1.SGM
10AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 154 (Thursday, August 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45899-45900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13097]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[USCG-2004-17696]
Freeport McMoRan Energy L.L.C. Main Pass Energy Hub Liquefied
Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application Amendment; Preparation
of Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of amended application; Notice of Intent; Request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD), and the U.S. Coast Guard
announce that we have received an application amendment for the
licensing of the Main Pass Energy Hub (MPEH) natural gas deepwater
port, and that the application amendment contains the required
information to continue processing the application. This notice
summarizes the applicant's plans and the procedures that will be
followed in considering this application amendment. The Coast Guard, in
coordination with MARAD, will prepare an environmental assessment (EA)
as part of the environmental review of this license application
amendment. Publication of this notice also begins a public comment
period on the application amendment and on the procedures and process
to be followed in completing the review.
The application amendment describes the change in project
regassification technology from the ``open-loop'' vaporization system
originally proposed for Main Pass Energy Hub to a ``closed-loop'' LNG
vaporization system. The proposed closed-loop vaporization system is a
submerged combustion vaporization system with selective catalytic
reduction (SCV/SCR). The proposed facility would be constructed in the
Gulf of Mexico in Main Pass Lease Block 299 (MP 299), approximately 16
miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. A Draft and Final Environmental
Impact Statement were published on the original application on June 17,
2005 and March 14, 2006, respectively.
DATES: Material submitted in response to the request for comment must
reach the Docket Management Facility by September 11, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the license application, the Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statements (DEIS/FEIS), the application amendment
and associated comments and documentation are available for viewing at
the DOT's docket management Web site: https://dms.dot.gov under docket
number 17696. Address docket submissions for USCG-2004-17696 to: Docket
Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
The Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered submissions,
and makes docket contents available for public inspection and copying
at this address in room PL-401 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-
366-9329, the fax number is 202-493-2251, and the Web site for
electronic submissions or for electronic access to docket contents is
https://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roddy C. Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard,
telephone: 202-372-1451, e-mail: rbachman@comdt.uscg.mil. If you have
questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone: 202-493-0402.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Receipt of Application Amendment
On May 31, 2006, the Coast Guard and MARAD received an amendment
for the Main Pass Energy Hub deepwater port license application from
Freeport McMoRan Energy L.L.C.
Background
The construction and operation of a deepwater port must be
authorized by the Secretary of Transportation (as delegated to the
Administrator of MARAD). Before a license decision is made, the DWPA
and the implementing regulations found at 33 CFR part 148 et seq.
provide for an application review following requirements set forth in
the DWPA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other
applicable laws and regulations. To comply with this requirement, the
Coast Guard and MARAD, as the lead federal agencies for the license
application review process under the DWPA and NEPA, completed a Draft
EIS that was released on June 17, 2005. Workshops and public hearings
were held in Grand Bay, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana, and
Pascagoula, Mississippi to allow public comment and involvement. A
Final EIS was released on March 14, 2006 and public hearings were held
in each Adjacent Coastal State to comply with the requirements of the
DWPA. During this public interest review process, extensive public and
agency comments were submitted that discussed the project and the SCV
and open rack vaporization (ORV) technologies as reasonable
alternatives for the regasification
[[Page 45900]]
technology for the project. For this and other reasons, the Final EIS
included a robust and detailed discussion and evaluation of both SCV
and ORV technologies.
The applicant is now proposing in this application amendment to
change the project to use SCV in the place of ORV. Although SCV/SCR was
fully evaluated as a reasonable alternative in sufficient detail to
provide an in-depth public interest review of that alternative, the
SCV/SCR system described in the FEIS was a somewhat generic system
based on an existing application of this technology at an onshore LNG
facility. The application amendment contains the actual design that
would be used, and while very similar to the more generic system
described in the FEIS, the expanded and refined information regarding
the SCV/SCR warrants development of additional environmental evaluation
and review. Following review and coordination of the amendment between
MARAD, the Coast Guard, EPA, NOAA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), MARAD and the Coast Guard have determined that an
Environmental Assessment will provide the appropriate level of NEPA
review and analysis. The decision is based upon a finding that the
proposed amendment: (i) Does not make substantial changes in the
proposed action that are relevant to environmental concerns; and, (ii)
there are no significant new circumstances or information relevant to
environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its
impacts. Therefore, our evaluation confirms that the EA is an
appropriate document to satisfy the DWPA and NEPA requirements in this
situation. This process, preparation of an EA that describes the
project changes and focuses the evaluation on the amendment, using and
incorporating by reference the recently published FEIS, will meet the
statutory requirements and intent of NEPA and the DWPA by providing a
detailed environmental assessment of the changes. The process will
allow ample opportunity for meaningful public comment and involvement.
Our initial review of the changes proposed in the application amendment
indicates a reduction in impacts in several key resource areas that
were originally identified with the ORV technology. In addition, a
number of comments from the public, and State and Federal agencies
discussed and supported SCV as a preferred alternative.
The Coast Guard will consider comments on the application
amendment, the proposed changes (including the level of significance of
the changes), and on the determination and process of using an EA for
the environmental evaluation. Following completion and release of the
EA, there will be a second public notice and a 45 day public comment
period where the Coast Guard and MARAD will receive comments on both
the EA and the amended application. Public hearings in the adjacent
coastal states will be held approximately 2 weeks after release of the
EA. A 45 day comment period will follow the public hearings during
which the Governors of the adjacent coastal states may approve,
disapprove or remain silent on the application, and the EPA
Administrator will also be afforded an opportunity to inform the MARAD
Administrator if the deepwater port as proposed would not conform with
the applicable provisions of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, or
the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. Within 90 days of
the final public hearing, MARAD will issue a record of decision (ROD)
on the application.
You can address any questions about the proposed action or the EA
process to the Coast Guard project manager identified in FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other relevant information on the
application amendment and/or the environmental evaluation process
described in this notice. Please reference the application amendment
and the EIS that are available on the docket. You can submit material
to the Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see
DATES). MARAD and the Coast Guard will consider all comments submitted
during the public comment periods. Although MARAD and the Coast Guard
have published a FEIS providing a full and complete evaluation of other
aspects of the application, and this EA will focus on the application
amendment, we will accept and consider comments on any aspect of the
project or the process.
Submissions should include:
Docket number USCG-2004-17696.
Your name and address.
Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing
information to our attention.
Submit comments or material using only one of the following
methods:
Electronic submission to DMS, https://dms.dot.gov.
Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket Management
Facility (see ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered submissions must be
unbound, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying
and electronic scanning. If you mail your submission and want to know
when it reaches the Facility, include a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope. Regardless of the method used for submitting
comments or material, submissions will be posted, without change, to
the DMS Web site (https://dms.dot.gov), and will include any personal
information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes
it public. You may wish to read the Privacy Act notice that is
available on the DMS Web site, or the Department of Transportation
Privacy Act Statement that appeared in the Federal Register on April
11, 2000 (65 FR 19477).
You may view docket submissions at the Docket Management Facility
(see ADDRESSES), or electronically on the DMS Web site.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Dated: August 7, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-13097 Filed 8-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
