Port Dolphin Energy LLC, Port Dolphin Energy Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application; Final Application Public Hearing and Final Environmental Impact Statement, 33509-33511 [E9-16502]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 132 / Monday, July 13, 2009 / Notices
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).
James F. Simons,
Director, Office of Regulatory Analysis and
Evaluation.
[FR Doc. E9–16585 Filed 7–10–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA–2009–0032]
Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review
AGENCY:
Federal Transit Administration,
DOT.
ACTION:
Notice of request for comments.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice
announces that the Information
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted
below has been forwarded to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for
approval. The Federal Register Notice
with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments was published on April 27,
2008. No comments were received in
response to that notice.
DATES: Comments must be submitted
before August 12, 2009. A comment to
OMB is most effective if OMB receives
it within 30 days of publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
LaStar Matthews, Office of
Administration, Office of Management
Planning, (202) 366–2295 or e-mail:
LaStar.Matthews@dot.gov.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Transit Investments in
Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction
Program (OMB Number: 2132–0566).
Abstract: The American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
established the Transit Investments in
Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction
(TIGGER) Program. This program is a
new $100,000,000 discretionary grant
program to support public transit
agencies in making capital investments
that will assist in reducing the energy
consumption or greenhouse gas
emissions of their public transportation
systems.
The information collected is
submitted as part of the application for
grants used to determine eligibility of
applicants and project selection.
Collection of project management
information also provides
documentation that the applicants and
recipients are meeting program
objectives and are complying with FTA
Circular 5010.1D Grant Management
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:36 Jul 10, 2009
Jkt 217001
Requirements and other federal
requirements.
To meet the requirements of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, FTA requested an emergency
approval from OMB for the Transit
Investments in Greenhouse Gas and
Energy Reduction Program. OMB
approved FTA’s emergency request for
approval on March 10, 2009. The OMB
Control Number is 2132–0566. FTA
published a Federal Register Notice for
Solicitation of Comments and Notice of
Availability of Fiscal Year 2009 Funding
for Transit Investments in Greenhouse
Gas and Energy Reduction Grants on
March 24, 2009.
Estimated Total Annual Burden:
32,080 hours.
ADDRESSES: All written comments must
refer to the docket number that appears
at the top of this document and be
submitted to the Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, 725—17th
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503,
Attention: FTA Desk Officer.
Comments Are Invited On: Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; the accuracy of
the Department’s estimate of the burden
of the proposed information collection;
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Issued: July 7, 2007.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. E9–16509 Filed 7–10–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[USCG–2006–28532]
Port Dolphin Energy LLC, Port Dolphin
Energy Liquefied Natural Gas
Deepwater Port License Application;
Final Application Public Hearing and
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Maritime Administration, DOT.
Notice of availability; notice of
public hearing; request for comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration
and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
announce the availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
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33509
for Port Dolphin Energy LLC, Port
Dolphin Energy Liquefied Natural Gas
Deepwater Port license application. The
application describes a project that
would be located approximately 28
miles off the western coast of Florida,
and approximately 42 miles from Port
Manatee, Manatee County, Florida. The
Maritime Administration and Coast
Guard request public comments on the
FEIS and application. Publication of this
notice begins a 45-day comment period
and provides information on how to
participate in the process.
DATES: A public hearing will be held in
Palmetto, Florida on July 28, 2009. The
public hearing will be held from 5 p.m.
to 7 p.m. and will be preceded by an
informational open house from 3 p.m. to
4:30 p.m. The public hearing may end
later than the stated time, depending on
the number of persons wishing to speak.
Material submitted in response to the
request for comments on the FEIS and
application must reach the Docket
Management Facility by August 23,
2009.
Federal and State agencies must also
submit comments, recommended
conditions for licensing, or letters of no
objection by September 11, 2009. Also
by September 11, 2009, the Governor of
Florida (the adjacent coastal state) may
approve, disapprove, or notify the
Maritime Administration of
inconsistencies with State programs
relating to environmental protection,
land and water use, and coastal zone
management for which the Maritime
Administration may condition the
license to make consistent.
The Maritime Administration must
issue a record of decision (ROD) to
approve, approve with conditions, or
deny the DWP license application by
October 26, 2009.
ADDRESSES: The public hearing in
Palmetto will be held at the Manatee
Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd.,
Palmetto, Florida, 34221; telephone:
(941) 722–3244.
The FEIS, the application, comments
and associated documentation are
available for viewing at the Federal
Docket Management System Web site:
https://www.regulations.gov under
docket number USCG–2006–28532. The
FEIS is also available at the following
public libraries:
Central Library—Bradenton, FL 34205
Braden River Library—Bradenton, FL
34203
South Manatee Branch—Bradenton, FL
34207
Palmetto Branch Library—Palmetto, FL
34221
Rocky Bluff Library—Ellenton, FL
34222
E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM
13JYN1
33510
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 132 / Monday, July 13, 2009 / Notices
Island Branch Library—Holmes Beach,
FL 34217
Docket submissions for USCG–2006–
28532 should be addressed to:
Department of Transportation, Docket
Management Facility, West Building,
Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington,
DC 20590–0001.
The Federal Docket Management
Facility accepts hand-delivered
submissions, and makes docket contents
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
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://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ray
Martin, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone:
202–372–1449, e-mail:
Raymond.W.Martin@uscg.mil or Chris
Hanan, U.S. Maritime Administration,
telephone: 202–366–1900, e-mail:
Christopher.Hanan@dot.gov. If you have
questions on viewing the docket, call
Renee V. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone 202–493–
0402.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other
information on the FEIS and
application. The public hearing is not
the only opportunity you have to
comment. In addition to or in place of
attending a hearing, you can submit
comments to the Docket Management
Facility during the public comment
period (see DATES). The Coast Guard and
the Maritime Administration will
consider all comments and material
received during the comment period.
Submissions should include:
• Docket number USCG–2006–28532.
• Your name and address.
Submit comments or material using
only one of the following methods:
• Electronic submission to FDMS,
https://www.regulations.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
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 FDMS Web site (https://
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:36 Jul 10, 2009
Jkt 217001
www.regulations.gov), and will include
any personal information you provide.
Therefore, submitting this information
makes it public. You may wish to read
the Privacy and Use Notice that is
available on the FDMS Web site, and the
Department of Transportation Privacy
Act Notice that appeared in the Federal
Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477), see PRIVACY ACT.
Background
Information about deepwater ports,
the statutes, and regulations governing
their licensing, and the receipt of the
current application for a liquefied
natural gas (LNG) deepwater port was
published in the Federal Register in
Volume 72 FR 34741, on June 25, 2007.
The Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS
for the proposed action was published
in the Federal Register in Volume 72 FR
38116, on July 12, 2007 and the Notice
of Availability of the Draft EIS was
published in Volume 73 FR 21012, on
April 17, 2008. The FEIS, application
materials and associated comments are
available on the docket. Information
from the ‘‘Summary of the Application’’
from previous Federal Register notices
is included below for your convenience.
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’’ 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. These alternatives are more
fully discussed in the FEIS. The Coast
Guard and the Maritime Administration
are the lead Federal agencies for the
preparation of the EIS. You can address
any questions about the proposed action
or the FEIS to the Coast Guard project
manager identified in FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Summary of the Application
Port Dolphin Energy LLC, proposes to
own, construct, and operate a deepwater
port, named Port Dolphin, in the
Federal waters of the Outer Continental
Shelf in the St. Petersburg (PB) blocks:
PB545 and PB589, approximately 28
miles off the west coast of Florida to the
southwest of Tampa Bay, in a water
depth of approximately 100 feet. Port
Dolphin would consist of a permanently
moored unloading buoy system with
two submersible buoys separated by a
distance of approximately three miles.
Each unloading buoy would be
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
permanently secured to eight mooring
lines, consisting of wire rope, chain, and
buoyancy elements, each attached to
anchor points on the seabed. Anchor
points would consist most likely of
driven piles.
The buoys would be designed to moor
specialized type of LNG vessels called
Shuttle and Regasification Vessels
(SRVs) of 145,000 and 217,000 cubic
meter capacities. SRVs are equipped to
vaporize cryogenic LNG cargo to natural
gas through an onboard closed loop
vaporization system, and meter gas for
send-out by means of the unloading
buoy to conventional subsea pipelines.
The SRVs would moor to the unloading
buoys which connect through the hull
of the vessels to specially designed
turrets that would enable the vessels to
weathervane or rotate in response to
prevailing wind, wave, and current
directions. When the vessels are not
present, the buoys would be submerged
on a special landing pad on the seabed,
60–70 feet below the sea surface.
Each unloading buoy would connect
through a 16-inch flexible riser and a
36-inch flowline to a Y intersection and
then a 36-inch pipeline approximately
42 miles in length that would connect
onshore in Port Manatee, Manatee
County, Florida. The pipeline would
connect with the Gulfstream Natural
Gas System, LLC and Tampa Electric
Company (TECO).
The 36-inch gas transmission line will
make landfall on Port Manatee property.
From there, the transmission pipeline
will proceed in a generally easterly
direction to the first interconnection
point with the Gulfstream system at 4
miles. The Gulfstream/TECO
Interconnection Station will occupy an
approximately 3.4-acre site. Up to
approximately 70 percent of the natural
gas is expected to be delivered to the
Gulfstream pipeline and 30 percent to
the TECO pipeline.
Only shuttle and regasification vessels
(SRVs) will call on Port Dolphin.
Offloading should require between 4–8
days and when empty the SRV would
disconnect from the buoy and leave the
port. Port Dolphin would have an
average throughput capacity of 800
MMscfd with a peak capacity of 1200
MMscfd. The two separate buoys would
allow natural gas to be delivered in a
continuous flow, without interruption,
by having a brief overlap between
arriving and departing SRVs.
Port Dolphin Energy LLC is seeking
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) approval for the onshore
pipelines concurrent with this
deepwater port application. As required
by FERC regulations, FERC will also
maintain a docket for the FERC portion
E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 132 / Monday, July 13, 2009 / Notices
of the project. The docket numbers are
CP07–191–000 and CP07–192–000. The
filing may also be viewed on the web at
https://www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the docket number field to access the
document. For assistance, call (866)
208–3767 or TYY, (202) 502–8659.
In addition, pipelines and structures
such as the moorings may require
permits under Section 404 of the Clean
Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers
and Harbors Act which are administered
by the Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE).
Port Dolphin will also require permits
from the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) pursuant to the
provisions of the Clean Air Act, as
amended, and the Clean Water Act, as
amended.
Construction of the deepwater port
would be expected to take
approximately 11 months with startup
of commercial operations following
construction, should a license be issued.
The deepwater port would be designed,
constructed and operated in accordance
with applicable codes and standards.
Privacy Act
The electronic form of all comments
received into the Federal Docket
Management System can be searched by
the name of the individual submitting
the comment (or signing the comment,
if submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). The DOT
Privacy Act Statement can be viewed in
the Federal Register published on April
11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70, pages
19477–78) or you may visit https://
www.regulations.gov.
(Authority 49 CFR 1.66)
Dated: July 2, 2009.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Christine Gurland,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E9–16502 Filed 7–10–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Petition for Waiver of Compliance
In accordance with Part 211 of Title
49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),
notice is hereby given that the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) received
a request for a waiver of compliance
with certain requirements of its safety
standards. The individual petition is
described below; including the party
seeking relief, the regulatory provisions
involved, the nature of the relief being
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:36 Jul 10, 2009
Jkt 217001
requested, and the petitioner’s
arguments in favor of relief.
Kenwood U.S.A. Corporation
[(Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2009–
0059]
Kenwood U.S.A. Corporation
(Kenwood) seeks a waiver of
compliance from certain provisions of
49 CFR part 232, Brake System Safety
Standards for Freight and Other NonPassenger Trains and Equipment.
Specifically, § 232.409(d)—Inspection
and Testing of end-of-train devices,
which requires the telemetry equipment
to be tested for accuracy and calibrated
if necessary at least every 368 days. It
also requires that the date and location
of the last calibration or test, as well as
the name of the person performing the
calibration or test, be legibly displayed
on a weather-resistant sticker or other
marking device affixed to the outside of
both the front and the rear unit.
This waiver will cover all Kenwood
model NX–800–K UHF digital
transceivers manufactured on or after
August 24, 2007. This transceiver is
competitive with a digitally synthesized
radio produced by Wabtec, for which a
similar waiver was granted (see Docket
Number FRA–2004–18895); and
Kenwood requests that its product be
treated in a similar fashion.
Kenwood states that its NX–800–K
device is inherently stable, reflecting the
state of the art in digital synthesized
transceivers. Test results submitted by
Kenwood as part of its Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
authorization process confirm the
extreme frequency stability of this
digital synthesized device. This
compliance meets the (FCC) TIA–603
standard and current FCC Part 90
service rule specifications for railroad
applications. Kenwood states that, as
such, annual re-certification is
unnecessary and administratively
burdensome. Kenwood further states
that the annual re-certification
requirement was developed at the time
when such radios were crystal
controlled and stability was an issue,
and that the rule has no application to
digitally synthesized modern
transceivers. Kenwood believes that the
spirit of the rule is not violated by the
requested waiver inasmuch as the radio
design obviates the need for the annual
certification and measurements.
Interested parties are invited to
participate in these proceedings by
submitting written views, data, or
comments. FRA does not anticipate
scheduling a public hearing in
connection with these proceedings since
the facts do not appear to warrant a
hearing. If any interested party desires
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33511
an opportunity for oral comment, they
should notify FRA, in writing, before
the end of the comment period and
specify the basis for their request.
All communications concerning these
proceedings should identify the
appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver
Petition Docket Number FRA–2009–
0059) and may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
• Web site: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Operations Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays.
Communications received within 30
days of the date of this notice will be
considered by FRA before final action is
taken. Comments received after that
date will be considered as far as
practicable. All written communications
concerning these proceedings are
available for examination during regular
business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the
above facility. All documents in the
public docket are also available for
inspection and copying on the Internet
at the docket facility’s Web site at https://
www.regulations.gov.
Anyone is able to search the
electronic form of any written
communications and comments
received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT’s complete Privacy Act
Statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (Volume
65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78).
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2009.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety
Standards and Program Development.
[FR Doc. E9–16506 Filed 7–13–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Revenue Procedure 2003–
38
AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM
13JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 132 (Monday, July 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33509-33511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16502]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[USCG-2006-28532]
Port Dolphin Energy LLC, Port Dolphin Energy Liquefied Natural
Gas Deepwater Port License Application; Final Application Public
Hearing and Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of public hearing; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
announce the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) for Port Dolphin Energy LLC, Port Dolphin Energy Liquefied
Natural Gas Deepwater Port license application. The application
describes a project that would be located approximately 28 miles off
the western coast of Florida, and approximately 42 miles from Port
Manatee, Manatee County, Florida. The Maritime Administration and Coast
Guard request public comments on the FEIS and application. Publication
of this notice begins a 45-day comment period and provides information
on how to participate in the process.
DATES: A public hearing will be held in Palmetto, Florida on July 28,
2009. The public hearing will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will be
preceded by an informational open house from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The
public hearing may end later than the stated time, depending on the
number of persons wishing to speak.
Material submitted in response to the request for comments on the
FEIS and application must reach the Docket Management Facility by
August 23, 2009.
Federal and State agencies must also submit comments, recommended
conditions for licensing, or letters of no objection by September 11,
2009. Also by September 11, 2009, the Governor of Florida (the adjacent
coastal state) may approve, disapprove, or notify the Maritime
Administration of inconsistencies with State programs relating to
environmental protection, land and water use, and coastal zone
management for which the Maritime Administration may condition the
license to make consistent.
The Maritime Administration must issue a record of decision (ROD)
to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the DWP license
application by October 26, 2009.
ADDRESSES: The public hearing in Palmetto will be held at the Manatee
Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto, Florida, 34221; telephone:
(941) 722-3244.
The FEIS, the application, comments and associated documentation
are available for viewing at the Federal Docket Management System Web
site: https://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-2006-28532.
The FEIS is also available at the following public libraries:
Central Library--Bradenton, FL 34205
Braden River Library--Bradenton, FL 34203
South Manatee Branch--Bradenton, FL 34207
Palmetto Branch Library--Palmetto, FL 34221
Rocky Bluff Library--Ellenton, FL 34222
[[Page 33510]]
Island Branch Library--Holmes Beach, FL 34217
Docket submissions for USCG-2006-28532 should be addressed to:
Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
The Federal Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered
submissions, and makes docket contents 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 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://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ray Martin, U.S. Coast Guard,
telephone: 202-372-1449, e-mail: Raymond.W.Martin@uscg.mil or Chris
Hanan, U.S. Maritime Administration, telephone: 202-366-1900, e-mail:
Christopher.Hanan@dot.gov. If you have questions on viewing the docket,
call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone
202-493-0402.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other information on the FEIS and
application. The public hearing is not the only opportunity you have to
comment. In addition to or in place of attending a hearing, you can
submit comments to the Docket Management Facility during the public
comment period (see DATES). The Coast Guard and the Maritime
Administration will consider all comments and material received during
the comment period.
Submissions should include:
Docket number USCG-2006-28532.
Your name and address.
Submit comments or material using only one of the following
methods:
Electronic submission to FDMS, https://www.regulations.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 FDMS Web site
(https://www.regulations.gov), and will include any personal information
you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public.
You may wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice that is available on
the FDMS Web site, and the Department of Transportation Privacy Act
Notice that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477), see PRIVACY ACT.
Background
Information about deepwater ports, the statutes, and regulations
governing their licensing, and the receipt of the current application
for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port was published in the
Federal Register in Volume 72 FR 34741, on June 25, 2007. The Notice of
Intent to Prepare an EIS for the proposed action was published in the
Federal Register in Volume 72 FR 38116, on July 12, 2007 and the Notice
of Availability of the Draft EIS was published in Volume 73 FR 21012,
on April 17, 2008. The FEIS, application materials and associated
comments are available on the docket. Information from the ``Summary of
the Application'' from previous Federal Register notices is included
below for your convenience.
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'' 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.
These alternatives are more fully discussed in the FEIS. The Coast
Guard and the Maritime Administration are the lead Federal agencies for
the preparation of the EIS. You can address any questions about the
proposed action or the FEIS to the Coast Guard project manager
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Summary of the Application
Port Dolphin Energy LLC, proposes to own, construct, and operate a
deepwater port, named Port Dolphin, in the Federal waters of the Outer
Continental Shelf in the St. Petersburg (PB) blocks: PB545 and PB589,
approximately 28 miles off the west coast of Florida to the southwest
of Tampa Bay, in a water depth of approximately 100 feet. Port Dolphin
would consist of a permanently moored unloading buoy system with two
submersible buoys separated by a distance of approximately three miles.
Each unloading buoy would be permanently secured to eight mooring
lines, consisting of wire rope, chain, and buoyancy elements, each
attached to anchor points on the seabed. Anchor points would consist
most likely of driven piles.
The buoys would be designed to moor specialized type of LNG vessels
called Shuttle and Regasification Vessels (SRVs) of 145,000 and 217,000
cubic meter capacities. SRVs are equipped to vaporize cryogenic LNG
cargo to natural gas through an onboard closed loop vaporization
system, and meter gas for send-out by means of the unloading buoy to
conventional subsea pipelines. The SRVs would moor to the unloading
buoys which connect through the hull of the vessels to specially
designed turrets that would enable the vessels to weathervane or rotate
in response to prevailing wind, wave, and current directions. When the
vessels are not present, the buoys would be submerged on a special
landing pad on the seabed, 60-70 feet below the sea surface.
Each unloading buoy would connect through a 16-inch flexible riser
and a 36-inch flowline to a Y intersection and then a 36-inch pipeline
approximately 42 miles in length that would connect onshore in Port
Manatee, Manatee County, Florida. The pipeline would connect with the
Gulfstream Natural Gas System, LLC and Tampa Electric Company (TECO).
The 36-inch gas transmission line will make landfall on Port
Manatee property. From there, the transmission pipeline will proceed in
a generally easterly direction to the first interconnection point with
the Gulfstream system at 4 miles. The Gulfstream/TECO Interconnection
Station will occupy an approximately 3.4-acre site. Up to approximately
70 percent of the natural gas is expected to be delivered to the
Gulfstream pipeline and 30 percent to the TECO pipeline.
Only shuttle and regasification vessels (SRVs) will call on Port
Dolphin. Offloading should require between 4-8 days and when empty the
SRV would disconnect from the buoy and leave the port. Port Dolphin
would have an average throughput capacity of 800 MMscfd with a peak
capacity of 1200 MMscfd. The two separate buoys would allow natural gas
to be delivered in a continuous flow, without interruption, by having a
brief overlap between arriving and departing SRVs.
Port Dolphin Energy LLC is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) approval for the onshore pipelines concurrent with
this deepwater port application. As required by FERC regulations, FERC
will also maintain a docket for the FERC portion
[[Page 33511]]
of the project. The docket numbers are CP07-191-000 and CP07-192-000.
The filing may also be viewed on the web at https://www.ferc.gov using
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For
assistance, call (866) 208-3767 or TYY, (202) 502-8659.
In addition, pipelines and structures such as the moorings may
require permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10
of the Rivers and Harbors Act which are administered by the Army Corps
of Engineers (USACE).
Port Dolphin will also require permits from the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to the provisions of the Clean Air
Act, as amended, and the Clean Water Act, as amended.
Construction of the deepwater port would be expected to take
approximately 11 months with startup of commercial operations following
construction, should a license be issued. The deepwater port would be
designed, constructed and operated in accordance with applicable codes
and standards.
Privacy Act
The electronic form of all comments received into the Federal
Docket Management System can be searched by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). The DOT Privacy Act
Statement can be viewed in the Federal Register published on April 11,
2000 (Volume 65, Number 70, pages 19477-78) or you may visit https://www.regulations.gov.
(Authority 49 CFR 1.66)
Dated: July 2, 2009.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Christine Gurland,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-16502 Filed 7-10-09; 8:45 am]
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