Woodside Natural Gas, Inc. OceanWay Secure Energy Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application; Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, 52607-52611 [E7-18130]

Agencies

• Maritime Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 178 (Friday, September 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52607-52611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-18130]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2007-26844]


Woodside Natural Gas, Inc. OceanWay Secure Energy Liquefied 
Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application; Preparation of 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of public meeting; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard announce 
the intent to prepare an environmental impact statement/environmental 
impact report (EIS/EIR). The application describes a project located in 
the Federal waters of the Santa Monica Basin, approximately 27 miles 
southwest of Los Angeles International Airport.
    The EIS/EIR will be prepared with the City of Los Angeles (City) as 
a cooperating agency in the environmental review with the Coast Guard 
since the applicant has also filed an application for lease/franchise 
of offshore submerged City lands and an onshore pipeline franchise for 
the subsea pipelines through City waters and a pipeline through the 
City. The EIS/EIR will meet the requirements of both the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA).
    Publication of this notice begins a 30 day scoping process that 
will assist in the identification and determination of the 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS/EIR. This notice 
requests public participation in the scoping process and provides 
information regarding how to participate in the process. It announces a 
public meeting to be held in connection with the EIS/EIR; requests 
public comment on the scope of the EIS/EIR; and also serves as a notice 
of intent (NOI) and notice of preparation (NOP) for the purposes of 
California law.

DATES: The Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and the City will 
conduct an informational open house, followed by a public scoping 
meeting Wednesday, September 26, 2007 to receive oral or written 
comments. The informational open house will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6 
p.m. followed by a public meeting from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The time 
may be extended depending on the number of speakers. Comments or 
related material must be received by October 12, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting will be held at the Los 
Angeles Airport Marriott, 5855 West Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 
90045; (310) 641-5700. Please Note: All attendees are requested to 
bring their hotel parking tickets inside the hotel for parking 
validation.
    The public docket for USCG-2007-26844 is maintained by the 
Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001. Docket contents are available for public 
inspection and copying at this address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility's 
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: Questions regarding the proposed 
Project, the license application process, or the EIS/EIR process may be 
directed to Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone: (202) 367-1451, 
e-mail: (Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil), or Linda Moore, City of Los 
Angeles, telephone: (213) 485-5751, e-mail: (Linda.Moore@lacity.org).
    Questions regarding viewing or submitting materials to the docket 
may be directed to, Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket 
Operations, (202-493-0402).
    The DOT Docket Management System also chronologically contains the 
application and related correspondence, public meeting transcripts, 
will contain the Draft and the Final EIS/EIR, and will contain all 
comments submitted whether at public meetings or submitted directly. 
This can be accessed at https://dms.dot.gov, and search for docket 
number 26844.
    Information pertaining to the proposed OceanWay Deepwater Port 
Project is also available online with the City of Los Angeles at: 
https://eng.lacity.org/techdocs/emg/Environmental_Review_
Documents.htm.
    This public notice may be requested from the City of Los Angeles in 
an alternative format such as Spanish translation, audiotape, large 
print, or Braille. Contact the City of Los Angeles at the City project 
Web site listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 52608]]

Public Meeting and Open House

    The Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and City plan to conduct 
an informational open house and public meeting related to preparation 
of an EIS/EIR for the proposed Project. The open house will be an 
informal opportunity to ask questions and receive information regarding 
the Project. The public scoping meeting will be structured to provide 
the public with an opportunity to present comments regarding the 
approach and conduct of the environmental analysis. Comments will help 
us identify and refine the scope of the environmental issues to be 
addressed in the EIS/EIR.
    Speaker registrations will be available at the door. Speakers at 
the public scoping meeting will be recognized in the following order: 
Elected officials, public agencies, individuals or groups in the sign-
up order, and anyone else who wishes to speak. Speakers may be asked to 
limit their oral comments to three (3) minutes in order to afford 
everyone an opportunity to speak and the meeting time may be extended. 
Speakers must identify themselves and any organization represented, by 
name. Remarks will be recorded or transcribed for inclusion in the 
public docket. Public docket materials will be made available to the 
public on the Docket Management Facility's Docket Management System 
(DMS). See ``Request for Comments'' for information about the DMS and 
your rights under the Privacy Act.
    Written comments will also be accepted. You may submit written 
material at the public meeting, either in place of or in addition to 
speaking. Written material must include your name and address, and will 
be included in the public docket.
    Please notify Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone: (202) 
367-1451, e-mail: (Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil) as soon as possible, but 
at least three (3) business days before the scheduled meeting, if 
translation of written materials is required.
    A court reporter will also be available during the open house to 
transcribe oral comments if you wish to speak at the meeting.
    All public scoping meeting spaces will be wheelchair-accessible. 
Individuals may request special accommodations for the public scoping 
meetings, such as real-time translation. Contact the Coast Guard or 
City of Los Angeles (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) if special 
accommodations are required. Requests should be made as soon as 
possible but at least three (3) business days before the scheduled 
meeting. Include the name and telephone number of the contact person, 
the timelines for requesting accommodations, and a TDD number that can 
be used by individuals with hearing impairments.

Request for Comments

    The Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and the City request 
submittal of comments and related material regarding this notice using 
one of the methods described below. The Coast Guard, Maritime 
Administration, and the City most particularly seek comments that 
identify potentially significant impacts, alternatives, or mitigation 
measures that should be taken into account in determining the scope of 
the EIS/EIR.
    We request public comments or other relevant information on 
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The public 
meeting is not the only opportunity to comment. In addition to or in 
place of attending the meeting, comments may be submitted to the Docket 
Management Facility or City of Los Angeles during the public comment 
period (see DATES). The Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and City 
will consider all comments and material received during the comment 
period. It is not necessary to present comments more than once. 
Comments need not be submitted to multiple agencies; all comments 
received will be shared amongst agencies.
    Submissions to the DOT Docket Management System should include:
     Docket number USCG-2007-26844.
     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, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site 
(https://dms.dot.gov), and will include any personal information 
provided. 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.

Background

    A notice of application for the proposed OceanWay DWP was published 
in the Federal Register (FR) on September 7, 2007 (72 FR 51488). 
Consult that notice for additional information regarding the proposed 
DWP, the ship-to-ship transfer locations, the offshore and onshore 
pipelines and the receiving and custody transfer facility. The 
``Summary of the Application/Proposed Action'' from that publication is 
reprinted below for your convenience.
    Congress first authorized DWPs in 1974. Federal law (33 United 
States Code [U.S.C.] 1501 et seq.) defines a DWP as any fixed or 
floating manmade structure other than a vessel, or any group of such 
structures, that is located beyond State seaward boundaries, and that 
is used or intended for use as a port or terminal for the 
transportation, storage, or further handling of oil or natural gas for 
transportation to any state. All DWPs require a license granted by the 
Maritime Administrator based on an application process administered by 
the Coast Guard, in coordination with the Maritime Administration. Part 
of that process involves assessment of the natural and human 
environmental impacts from the port, in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332). The Maritime 
Administration and Coast Guard are the lead Federal agencies for NEPA 
compliance. The Coast Guard, in cooperation with the Maritime 
Administration, determines the scope and completes the environmental 
review of the proposed project. This includes consultation with States 
that are adjacent to the proposed port. For the purposes of the 
OceanWay deepwater port application, California is an adjacent coastal 
state. The Coast Guard and Maritime Administration have determined that 
compliance with the NEPA requires preparation of an EIS.
    The City has determined that the proposed port would require a City 
license/franchise for subsea pipelines through City waters to deliver 
the natural gas to shore, and a new franchise and other approvals for 
the onshore pipeline and receiving and custody transfer station (RCTS) 
to deliver the natural gas into the existing

[[Page 52609]]

pipeline system, and that compliance with the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA) requires preparation of an EIR. Because of the many 
similarities between an EIS and an EIR, the Coast Guard, Maritime 
Administration and the City have agreed to cooperate in preparing a 
single document that satisfies both the NEPA and the CEQA.
    The EIS/EIR will be consistent with the Deepwater Port Act (DWPA) 
of 1974, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.); the NEPA (Section 
102[2][c]), as implemented by Council on Environmental Quality 
regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations 1500 to 1508); and the CEQA 
(California Public Resources Code 21000 et seq.) as implemented by the 
State CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations 15000 et 
seq.). The environmental review and analysis will be completed 
according to the timeline prescribed by the DWPA, which requires a 
decision within 356 days. The period to complete all NEPA/CEQA 
documents is approximately 240 days. This timeline will govern the 
activities related to the processing of the license application and the 
completion of all NEPA and CEQA related actions needed to support the 
decision regarding whether to approve, approve with conditions, or 
disapprove the proposed license/lease/franchise.
    This notice of intent is in compliance with the requirements of the 
NEPA regulations and also serves as the notice of preparation as 
required by CEQA. It briefly describes the proposed action and possible 
alternatives and our proposed scoping process. Address any questions 
about the proposed action, the scoping process, or the EIS/EIR to the 
Coast Guard or City of Los Angeles (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT).

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The proposed action requiring environmental review is the Federal 
licensing of the proposed deepwater port described in ``Summary of the 
Application/Proposed Action/Project'' below. The alternatives to 
licensing the proposed port are: (1) Licensing with conditions 
(including conditions designed to mitigate environmental impact), and 
(2) denying the application, which for purposes of environmental review 
is the ``no-action'' alternative.
    The proposed action requiring environmental review by the City of 
Los Angeles is the granting of a pipeline franchise and appurtenant 
approvals for the same project.

Scoping Process

    Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and 
determining the scope of issues addressed in the EIS/EIR. Scoping 
begins with this notice, continues through the public comment period 
and ends when the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration and the City 
have:
     Invited the participation of Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribes, the applicant, and other 
interested persons;
     Determined the actions, alternatives, and impacts 
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
     Identified and eliminated from detailed study those issues 
that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
     Allocated responsibility for preparing EIS/EIR components;
     Indicated any related environmental assessments or 
environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS;
     Identified other relevant environmental review and 
consultation requirements;
     Indicated the relationship between timing of the 
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
     At the Federal agencies' discretion, exercised the options 
provided in 40 CFR 1501.7 (b).
    Once the scoping process is complete, the Coast Guard and City of 
Los Angeles will prepare a draft EIS/EIR (DEIS/DEIR), and publish a 
Federal Register notice announcing its public availability. To receive 
that notice, please contact those identified in (FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT). An opportunity to review and comment on the draft 
EIS/EIR will be provided. The Coast Guard, Maritime Administration and 
City will consider those comments in the preparation of the final EIS/
EIR (FEIS/FEIR). As with the draft EIS, we will announce the 
availability of the FEIS/FEIR and once again allow an opportunity for 
review and comment.

Availability of EIS/EIR

    A notice of availability (NOA) will be published in the Federal 
Register when the DEIS/DEIR is available, and the City will file a 
notice of completion with the California State Clearinghouse and the 
Los Angeles County Clerk and will publish a notice of availability in 
the ``City of Los Angeles Environmental Notices'' section of the Los 
Angeles Times. The DEIS/DEIR in hardcopy or electronic format will be 
distributed to agencies, local public libraries and interested parties 
that have requested copies. Anyone who wishes to comment on the draft 
report will be provided with an opportunity to review the DEIS/DEIR and 
to offer comments on the environmental effects of the proposed project. 
Comments received during the DEIS/DEIR review period will be available 
in the public docket and responded to in the FEIS/FEIR. An NOA of the 
FEIS/FEIR will also be published in the Federal Register, and the City 
will issue notices of availability and completion. Additional public 
meetings will be held after the draft and final documents are 
published.

Summary of the Application/Proposed Action/Project

    Woodside Natural Gas proposes to construct, own, and operate a 
deepwater port with associated ship-to-ship transfer (STS) location(s) 
and single point mooring (SPM) buoys for the receiving of 
regasification liquefied natural gas carriers (RLNGCs), offshore and 
onshore natural gas pipelines and a receiving and custody transfer 
facility (RCTS) to deliver natural gas with an annualized rate of 0.4 
billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) and a peak of 1.1 bcf/d into the 
Southern California market on initial development and an annualized 
rate of 1.0 bcf/d and a peak of up to 1.6 bcf/d at full project 
development.
    The deepwater port would be located in the Federal waters of the 
Santa Monica Basin, 21 miles from the nearest point on the mainland of 
Southern California, and 18 miles from the western end of Santa 
Catalina Island, approximately 27 miles southwest of Los Angeles 
International Airport (LAX), in a water depth of approximately 3,000 
feet. It would consist of two single point mooring (SPM) buoys that 
serve as cargo discharge system connections for the RLNGCs, a mooring/
anchoring array, four flexible risers that connect the SPMs to four 
seafloor riser end manifolds, two pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs) and 
two parallel 24-inch pipelines beginning on the seafloor at the PLEMs 
beneath the SPM buoys and continuing to shore. The SPMs would be 
located approximately 5 nautical miles (5.75 miles) outside established 
shipping lanes (SPM NE: Latitude: 33[deg]41'52'' N, Longitude: 
118[deg]48'33'' W and SPM SW: Latitude: 33[deg]39'58'' N, Longitude: 
118[deg]49'15'' W).
    Woodside has proposed three ship-to-ship transfer locations ranging 
from approximately 35 to 90 nautical miles (40 to 104 miles) from shore 
and 55 to 111 nautical miles (63 to 128 miles) from the port where each 
RLNGC is expected to receive LNG cargo at sea from conventional LNG 
carriers

[[Page 52610]]

(LNGCs): STS1 Santa Rosa (Latitude 33[deg]39' N, Longitude 
119[deg]56'30'' W), STS2 Inshore San Clemente (Latitude 33[deg]05' N, 
Longitude 118[deg]10' W) and STS3 Skaugen Offshore (Latitude 32[deg]15' 
N, Longitude 120[deg]0' W). Only one transfer location would be used at 
a time. The RLNGCs, with storage capacity of 224,000 m\3\ of LNG would 
be capable of receiving LNGCs with storage capacities of up to 216,000 
m\3\ of LNG.
    As proposed, LNG would be delivered from overseas by LNGCs and 
transferred to a Woodside RLNGC at one of the three STS locations. The 
RLNGC would then be sailed and moored to a SPM, where the LNG would be 
regasified into natural gas and delivered to shore via two new parallel 
24-inch pipelines. The RLNGC would then return to a STS location.
    The RLNGCs would use a turret system with the SPMs to allow the 
RLNGC to weathervane (rotate) around the buoy. Onboard utilities and 
systems associated with RLNGC operations would include electric power 
generation and distribution, instrumentation and controls, and fire and 
safety systems. The RLNGC would include all marine systems, 
communications, navigation aids and equipment necessary to safely 
conduct RLNGC carrier operations receive and vaporize the product.
    The RLNGCs would use a forced draft ambient air LNG vaporization 
system employing a combination of intermediate fluid and direct ambient 
air with heat provided by ambient air called the Woodside Hybrid Air 
Vaporization (WHAV) concept.
    Natural gas would be delivered onshore via two 24-inch parallel 
pipelines, approximately 35 miles in length. These pipelines would come 
onshore on the north end of LAX at Dockweiler Beach. It is proposed 
that horizontal directional drilling be used to install the pipelines 
beneath land and seabed in offshore City waters and underneath the 
beach and adjacent dunes from a point about 1000 feet inland from the 
high tide mark just east of Vista del Mar on LAX property.
    Woodside would lease/franchise from the City a 300 foot wide 
corridor on submerged City lands out to the 3 nautical mile (3.45 mile) 
offshore limit of the City boundary. On-shore pipelines would be 
constructed on City-owned land from the high tide line to Pershing 
Drive, passing under the beach and the El Segundo Dunes, and 
underground through City streets. The route would include Westchester 
Parkway/Arbor Vitae Street, then south on Bellanca Avenue to the 
receiving and custody transfer station (RCTS) and adjacent Inert Gas 
Injection Facility (IGIF) located at 5651 96th Street, Los Angeles, 
about 4 miles inland. A single 36-inch pipeline would run approximately 
a quarter of a mile back north on Bellanca Avenue to Arbor Vitae, then 
to the existing Southern California Gas natural gas pipeline 
infrastructure with Tie-in 1 at the intersection of Aviation 
Boulevard and Arbor Vitae Street. A second stage, with development 
depending on demand, may include additional pipelines and tie-ins that 
are an approximate 11-mile single 24-inch line from Tie-in 1 
along Arbor Vitae, Prairie, Manchester, Firestone, and California to 
Tie-in 3 at Santa Ana Street and Otis Avenue in South Gate and 
approximate 1 mile single 24-inch line from Manchester Street to 
Central Ave to Tie-in 2 at the intersection of S. Central 
Avenue and E. Century Boulevard. These pipeline routes include areas 
within the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, and South Gate. At full 
development, Southern California Gas would own and operate the system 
downstream of the RCTS.
    The application also includes an alternative DWP location in the 
Gulf of Santa Catalina approximately 30 miles from Huntington Beach at 
latitude 117[deg]56'28.53'' west, longitude 33[deg]13'24.88'' north 
with a 30-mile pipeline running north to a shore crossing at the AES 
power plant in Huntington Beach. It would cross through the cities of 
Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa 
Ana, and Orange. It would be trenched through city streets traveling 
north along Newland Street towards Bolsa Avenue; turn east at Bolsa 
Ave. (1st Street); turn north at the OCTA Metrolink Right of Way and 
join Lincoln Ave; east on Fairhaven Ave.; north at Cambridge Street; 
and finally west on Palm Ave., where it would connect to the SCG tie-in 
in Orange.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The NEPA and CEQA processes require agencies to consider 
environmental impacts that may result from a proposed action, to inform 
the public of potential impacts and alternatives, and to facilitate 
public involvement in the assessment process. Additionally, CEQA 
requires measures to avoid or lessen the significant impacts of a 
project when granting an approval, unless it finds certain benefits of 
the project outweigh those significant effects.
    The EIS/EIR for the OceanWay DWP will describe the nature and 
extent of environmental impacts of the proposed action and each 
alternative, and will discuss appropriate mitigation measures for any 
adverse impacts. The EIS/EIR will include, among other matters, 
discussions of the purpose and need for the proposed action, a 
description of alternatives, a description of the affected environment, 
an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the proposed action and 
alternatives, and explanations of proposed mitigation. The EIS/EIR will 
assess the impacts of the alternatives on the natural and human 
environment, including the no-action/no project alternative, which for 
this Project would mean that the Maritime Administration would not 
approve the application or the City would not approve the application 
for the lease/franchise of the offshore pipelines in City waters, the 
RCTS, and onshore pipelines. Regardless of geographic or other 
jurisdictional boundaries, the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration and 
the City will consider the entire proposed Project. Environmental 
issues that will require detailed analysis include, but are not 
necessarily limited to:
    Aesthetics: Alteration of the view shed by construction and 
operations.
    Air Quality: Impacts on regional air quality, including visibility 
and other resources in sensitive Federal Class I areas (e.g., Channel 
Islands National Park).
    Geological Resources and Soils: Impacts on facilities from seismic 
hazards; Impacts on onshore facilities from liquefaction; and erosion 
and dust.
    Hazardous/Toxic Materials and Wastes: Impacts from HAZMAT spills 
including petroleum, LNG, other hydrocarbons, fuels, lubricant, urea, 
paints, solvents, and sanitary or other hazardous/toxic materials or 
waste.
    Marine Transportation: Disruption in marine transportation 
affecting existing ship traffic to and from the ports of Los Angeles 
and Long Beach or other ports; potential navigational hazards to marine 
traffic; and increase in tanker travel to and from the single point 
mooring locations that could impact existing marine traffic.
    Marine Biology: Vessels potentially striking sea turtles and marine 
mammals; crushing and displacement of benthic communities during 
construction; effects of ``cold water'' resulting from LNG release to 
marine mammals; and effects of increases in turbidity and changes in 
water quality, lights, and noise.
    Terrestrial and Freshwater Biology: Impacts from construction or 
operation on wetlands and other habitats, and sensitive species, within 
the proposed pipeline landing and corridor areas.
    Recreation: Impacts on boating and commercial and recreational 
fishing

[[Page 52611]]

opportunities; recreational areas potentially impacted by noise or dust 
generated during construction; access to the beach or ocean; and 
permanent and temporary areas of restricted access around the RLNGC.
    Hazards and Risk/Safety: LNG releases resulting in potential 
impacts on third parties from fire, radiant energy, or ignitable gas 
clouds (mainly to passengers of small craft operating near the RLNGC); 
and effects of pipeline failures on humans, property, and marine and 
terrestrial ecosystems. The EIS/EIR will include an independently 
prepared, site-specific risk assessment.
    Noise: Potential increases in noise levels due to project 
construction and operation; and effects of noise on local residents, 
recreational visitors, passengers and crews on marine vessels, and 
marine mammals.
    Water Quality: Impacts from LNG or spills, increases in turbidity, 
or unearthing of contaminated sediments; and increases in shoreline 
erosion during construction and operation.
    Environmental Justice: Potential disproportionate effects on 
minority and low-income populations within the Project area. The EIS/
EIR will identify any relevant populations that might be 
disproportionately affected by the proposed Project.
    Cultural Resources: Potential effects on known and as yet 
unidentified cultural resources, offshore and onshore.
    Energy and Mineral Resources: Restriction of future availability of 
exploitable oil and gas resources due to infrastructure development and 
restricted access.
    Land Use and Traffic: Impacts to existing land uses, especially in 
coastal areas designated for recreational purposes; impacts on marine 
resources off the coast of Los Angeles, including Catalina Island, the 
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National 
Park; and disruptions to traffic use and patterns.
    Population and Housing: Impacts on the existing community character 
and development, population, housing, infrastructure and social 
services, employment, and the regional economic base.
    Cumulative Impacts: The EIS/EIR will evaluate the cumulative 
effects of the project within each resource area examined. These 
include the incremental effects of past projects, other current and 
proposed projects, and reasonably foreseeable future projects.
    No-Action/No Project Alternative: The EIS/EIR will examine the 
impacts of not approving the DWP license/lease/franchise application.
    Alternative Offshore Locations: The EIS/EIR will consider an 
alternative location in the vicinity of the proposed Project and other 
locations adjacent to the California coast.
    Land-Based Alternatives: The California Legislature mandated the 
evaluation of land-based LNG sites. Land-based alternatives previously 
considered by California agencies will be considered.
    Alternative Technologies: Alternative Project technologies, 
including open rack vaporizers and a hybrid vaporization system and 
alternative facility designs will also be evaluated.
    Alternative Pipeline Routes: The EIS/EIR will also evaluate an 
alternative submarine pipeline route and an alternative onshore 
pipeline route.
    Federal, State, and City Permit, Approval, and Consultation: The 
major federal and city permit, approval, and consultation requirements 
for OceanWay include, but are not necessarily limited to, the 
following:

Federal

     DOT/Maritime Administration--DWP license.
     DHS/U.S. Coast Guard--DWP design and operational 
requirements.
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Title V Federal 
air operating permit; Clean Water Act (CWA) storm water and wastewater 
discharge permits.
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)--Clean Water Act 
Section 404 and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permits.
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--Section 7, Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) consultation.
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Section 7, ESA consultation requirements.
     NOAA Fisheries--Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management and 
Conservation Act consultation.
     NOAA Fisheries--Marine Mammal Protection Act consultation.

California

     California Coastal Commission Compliance with California 
Coastal Act and consistency with California Coastal Management Program.
     California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), 
National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 and California historic 
preservation requirements, consultation and compliance.

City of Los Angeles

     Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB)--
CWA Section 401 certification.
     Los Angeles RWQCB--Hydrostatic test water discharge 
permit.
     Pipeline franchise and lease or easement approvals.
     Local coastal development permit in compliance with the 
California Coastal Act.

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.66)

    Dated: September 10, 2007.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Daron T. Threet,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-18130 Filed 9-13-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P