Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas, LLC, Port Ambrose Deepwater Port, 36014-36016 [2013-14203]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 36014 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 115 / Friday, June 14, 2013 / Notices Joliet, MP 37.3, and ends at Chicago Union Station, MP 0.0. The affected trains would operate out of Joliet Yard with cab signals cut out for 1,100 feet up to the wye at UD Tower. To operate with cab signals on HCD trains would require Metra to train approximately 20 engineers on cab signal indications. In order for Metra to test HCD trains, a test loop would need to be installed at Joliet for trains operating in equipped territory less than 1,100 feet. Metra proposes that movement between CP Richards and the wye at UD Tower for HCD trains with the cab signals cut out will be made with an absolute block established in advance of all HCD trains. Additionally, the HCD trains movements will be made at restricted speed across the equipped territory. A copy of the petition, as well as any written communications concerning the petition, is available for review online at www.regulations.gov and in person at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. 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 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 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 by July 29, 2013 will be considered by FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as practicable. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of any written communications and comments VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:03 Jun 13, 2013 Jkt 229001 received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). See https:// www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice for the privacy notice of regulations.gov or interested parties may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477). Issued in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2013. Robert C. Lauby, Deputy Associate Administrator for Regulatory and Legislative Operations. [FR Doc. 2013–14090 Filed 6–13–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. USCG–2013–0363] Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas, LLC, Port Ambrose Deepwater Port Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation. ACTION: Notice of Application. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MarAd) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announce they have received an application for the licensing of a liquefied natural gas deepwater port and that the application contains the required information. This notice summarizes the applicant’s plans and the procedures that will be followed in considering the application. DATES: The Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, requires any public hearing(s) on this application to be held not later than 240 days after publication of this notice, and a decision on the application not later than 90 days after the final public hearing. ADDRESSES: The public docket for USCG–2013–0363 is maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12– 140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 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 Federal Docket Management 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 PO 00000 Frm 00167 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 docket contents is https:// www.regulations.gov. Mr. Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone: 202–372–1451, email: Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil or Ms. Tracey Ford, Maritime Administration, telephone: 202–366–0321, email: Tracey.Ford@dot.gov. For questions regarding viewing the Docket, call Ms. Barbara Hairston, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone: 202–366– 9826. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Receipt of Application On September 28, 2012, MarAd and USCG received an application from Liberty Natural Gas, LLC for all Federal authorizations required for a license to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port authorized under the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. (the Act). The application contains all information required by the Act to initiate the licensing review and approval process. Background According to the Act, a deepwater port is a fixed or floating man-made structure other than a vessel, or a group of structures, including all components and equipment, including pipelines, pumping or compressor stations, service platforms, buoys, mooring lines, and similar facilities that are proposed as part of a deepwater port, located beyond State seaward boundaries and used or intended for use as a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, and further handling of oil or natural gas for transportation to, or from, any State.1 The Maritime Administrator possesses the authority to license a deepwater port (by delegation from the Secretary of Transportation, published on June 18, 2003 [68 FR 36496]). Statutory and regulatory requirements for licensing appear in 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. and 33 CFR part 148. Under delegations from, and agreements between, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security, applications are jointly processed by MarAd and USCG. Each application is considered on its merits. In accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1504(f) for all applications, MarAd and USCG, 1 On December 20, 2012, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 (Title III, Sec. 312) amended Section 3(9)(A) of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1502(9)(A) to insert the words ‘‘or from’’ before the words ‘‘any State’’ in the definition of Deepwater Port. This amendment grants MarAd the authority to license the construction of Deepwater Ports for the export of oil and natural gas from domestic sources within the United States to foreign markets abroad. E:\FR\FM\14JNN1.SGM 14JNN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 115 / Friday, June 14, 2013 / Notices working in cooperation with other Federal agencies and departments, shall comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), among others, are cooperating agencies and will assist in the NEPA process as described in 40 CFR 1501.6; will participate in scoping meeting(s); and will incorporate the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) into their permitting processes. Comments addressed to the EPA, USACE, or other federal cooperating agencies will be incorporated into the Department of Transportation (DOT) docket and considered as the EIS is developed to ensure consistency with the NEPA process. MarAd, in issuing this Notice of Application pursuant to section 1504(c) of the Act, must designate as an ‘‘Adjacent Coastal State’’ any coastal state which (A) would be directly connected by pipeline to a deepwater port as proposed in an application, or (B) would be located within 15 miles of any such proposed deepwater port (see 33 U.S.C. 1508(a)(1)). On April 30, 2013, MarAd issued a Notice of Policy Clarification Concerning the Designation of Adjacent Coastal States for Deepwater Port License Applications in the Federal Register (78 FR 25349– 25351) advising the public that nautical miles shall be used when determining Adjacent Coastal State status. Pursuant to the criteria provided in the Act, New York and New Jersey are the Adjacent Coastal States for this application. Other states may apply for Adjacent Coastal State status in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1508(a)(2). The Act directs that at least one public hearing take place in each Adjacent Coastal State, in this case, New York and New Jersey. Additional public meetings may be conducted to solicit comments for the environmental analysis to include public scoping meetings, or meetings to discuss the Draft EIS and the Final EIS. MarAd and USCG will publish additional Federal Register notices with information regarding these public meeting(s) and hearing(s) and other procedural milestones, including the NEPA environmental review. The Maritime Administrator’s decision, and other key documents, will be filed in the public docket. The Deepwater Port Act imposes a strict timeline for processing an application. When MarAd and USCG determine that an application contains the required information, the Act directs that all public hearings on the VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:03 Jun 13, 2013 Jkt 229001 application be concluded within 240 days after publication of this Notice of Application. Within 45 days after the final hearing, the Governor(s) of the Adjacent Coastal State(s), in this case the Governors of New York and New Jersey, may notify MarAd of their approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the application. MarAd may not issue a license without the explicit or presumptive approval of the Governor(s) of the adjacent coastal state(s). During this 45 day time period, the Governor(s) may also notify MarAd of inconsistencies between the application and State programs relating to environmental protection, land and water use, and coastal zone management. In this case, MarAd may condition the license to make it consistent with such state programs (33 U.S.C. 1508(b)(1)). MarAd will not consider written approvals or disapprovals of the application from Governors of Adjacent Coastal States until the 45-day period after the final public hearing. The Maritime Administrator must render a decision on the application within 90 days after the final hearing. Should a favorable record of decision be rendered and license be issued, MarAd may include specific conditions related to design, construction, operations, environmental permitting, monitoring and mitigations, and financial responsibilities. If a license is issued, USCG would oversee the review and approval of the deepwater port’s engineering design and construction; operations/security procedures; waterways management and regulated navigation areas; maritime safety and security requirements; risk assessment; and compliance with domestic and international laws and regulations for vessels that may call on the port. The deepwater port would be designed, constructed and operated in accordance with applicable codes and standards. In addition, installation of pipelines and other structures, such as the Submerged Turret Loading buoys, may require permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, which are administered by USACE. Permits from the EPA may also be required pursuant to the provisions of the Clean Air Act, as amended, and the Clean Water Act, as amended. Summary of the Application Liberty Natural Gas, LLC is proposing to construct, own, and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port, known as Port Ambrose, located in the New York Bight. The Port Ambrose PO 00000 Frm 00168 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 36015 facility will be located at a different proposed location and include a different design than the previous deepwater port license application submitted by Liberty Natural Gas, LLC in 2010. Port Ambrose would consist of two Submerged Turret Loading Buoys (STL Buoys) in Federal waters approximately 17 nautical miles southeast of Jones Beach, New York, approximately 24 nautical miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey, and about 27 nautical miles from the entrance to New York Harbor, in a water depth of approximately 103 feet. LNG would be delivered from purpose-built LNG regasification vessels (LNGRVs), vaporized on site and delivered through the STL buoys, flexible riser/umbilical, subsea manifold and lateral pipelines to a buried 19 nautical mile subsea Mainline connecting to the existing Transco Lower New York Bay Lateral in New York State waters approximately 2.2 nautical miles south of Long Beach, New York and 13 nautical miles east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The buoys would be lowered to rest on a landing pad when not in use and would also include a pile-anchored mooring array. STL Buoy 1 is located at Latitude: 40°19′24.61″ N and Longitude: 73°25′45.33″ W. STL Buoy 2 is located at Latitude: 40°20′09.26″ N and Longitude 73°23′51.92″ W. The Port components would fall in the following U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease blocks: Buoy 1 (6708, 6709, 6758); Buoy 2 (6709); Lateral 1 (6708); Lateral 2 (6708, 6709); ‘‘Y’’ Assembly (6708); Mainline Pipeline (6708, 6658, 6657, 6607, 6606, 6556, 6555, 6554, 6504 and 6503). The 145,000 cubic meter LNGRVs would have onboard closed-loop vaporization and metering and odorant capability. Each vessel will have three vaporization units capable of a maximum send-out of 750 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) (maximum pipeline system flow rate is 660 MMscfd with two buoys) with annual average expected to be 400 MMscfd. The LNGRVs have been designed to utilize a ballast water cooling system that will entirely recirculate onboard the vessel during Port operations, eliminating vessel discharges associated with regasification while at the Port. Deliveries through Port Ambrose would be focused during peak demand winter and summer months. The Port will receive up to 45 LNGRVs per year. As proposed, the LNGRVs would access the port inbound from the Hudson Canyon to Ambrose Traffic Lane and depart via the Ambrose to E:\FR\FM\14JNN1.SGM 14JNN1 36016 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 115 / Friday, June 14, 2013 / Notices Nantucket Traffic Lane. MarAd and USCG are aware that Port Ambrose falls within the proposed area of interest for the New York Power Authority Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Project. This project will be acknowledged and considered in the processing of the Port Ambrose application and NEPA analysis. If approved, the majority of the port and pipeline construction and installation is proposed to occur in 2015, with commissioning in December 2015. 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 by visiting https:// www.regulations.gov. Authority: 33. U.S.C. 1502, et seq.; 49 CFR 1.93(h). Dated: June 11, 2013. By Order of the Maritime Administrator. Julie Agarwal, Secretary, Maritime Administration. [FR Doc. 2013–14203 Filed 6–13–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–81–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. MARAD–2013 0068] Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel OM; Invitation for Public Comments Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation. ACTION: Notice. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below. DATES: Submit comments on or before July 15, 2013. ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to docket number MARAD–2013–0068. Written comments may be submitted by hand or by mail to the Docket Clerk, VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:03 Jun 13, 2013 Jkt 229001 U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M–30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. You may also send comments electronically via the Internet at https://www.regulations.gov. All comments will become part of this docket and will be available for inspection and copying at the above address between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. An electronic version of this document and all documents entered into this docket is available on the World Wide Web at https:// www.regulations.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Williams, U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W23–453, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202– 366–0903, Email Linda.Williams@dot.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As described by the applicant the intended service of the vessel OM is: Intended Commercial Use of Vessel: ‘‘6 Pack Sunset, harbor cruises, and overnight sails for Instruction Captained by USCG Licensed Captain.’’ Geographic Region: ‘‘North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico.’’ The complete application is given in DOT docket MARAD–2013–0068 at https://www.regulations.gov. Interested parties may comment on the effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.flag vessels. If MARAD determines, in accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR Part 388, that the issuance of the waiver will have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.vessel builder or a business that uses U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a waiver will not be granted. Comments should refer to the docket number of this notice and the vessel name in order for MARAD to properly consider the comments. Comments should also state the commenter’s interest in the waiver application, and address the waiver criteria given in § 388.4 of MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR Part 388. Privacy Act Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 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 PO 00000 Frm 00169 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78). Dated: June 4, 2013. By Order of the Maritime Administrator. Julie P. Agarwal, Secretary, Maritime Administration. [FR Doc. 2013–14212 Filed 6–13–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–81–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [Docket No. PHMSA–2013–0137] Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA invites comments on an information collection under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 2137–0596, titled: National Pipeline Mapping Program. PHMSA will request approval from OMB for a renewal of the current information collection with no revisions. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 13, 2013. ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in the following ways: E-Gov Web site: https:// www.regulations.gov. This site allows the public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any agency. Fax: 1–202–493–2251. Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–001. Hand Delivery: Room W12–140 on the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Instructions: Identify the docket number PHMSA–2010–0088 at the beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. You should know that anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual E:\FR\FM\14JNN1.SGM 14JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 115 (Friday, June 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36014-36016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14203]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. USCG-2013-0363]


Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas, LLC, 
Port Ambrose Deepwater Port

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Application.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MarAd) and the U.S. Coast Guard 
(USCG) announce they have received an application for the licensing of 
a liquefied natural gas deepwater port and that the application 
contains the required information. This notice summarizes the 
applicant's plans and the procedures that will be followed in 
considering the application.

DATES: The Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, requires any public 
hearing(s) on this application to be held not later than 240 days after 
publication of this notice, and a decision on the application not later 
than 90 days after the final public hearing.

ADDRESSES: The public docket for USCG-2013-0363 is maintained by the 
U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West 
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. 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 Federal 
Docket Management 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://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, 
telephone: 202-372-1451, email: Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil or Ms. Tracey 
Ford, Maritime Administration, telephone: 202-366-0321, email: 
Tracey.Ford@dot.gov. For questions regarding viewing the Docket, call 
Ms. Barbara Hairston, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone: 
202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Receipt of Application

    On September 28, 2012, MarAd and USCG received an application from 
Liberty Natural Gas, LLC for all Federal authorizations required for a 
license to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port authorized 
under the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et 
seq. (the Act). The application contains all information required by 
the Act to initiate the licensing review and approval process.

Background

    According to the Act, a deepwater port is a fixed or floating man-
made structure other than a vessel, or a group of structures, including 
all components and equipment, including pipelines, pumping or 
compressor stations, service platforms, buoys, mooring lines, and 
similar facilities that are proposed as part of a deepwater port, 
located beyond State seaward boundaries and used or intended for use as 
a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, and further 
handling of oil or natural gas for transportation to, or from, any 
State.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ On December 20, 2012, the Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation Act of 2012 (Title III, Sec. 312) amended Section 
3(9)(A) of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1502(9)(A) to 
insert the words ``or from'' before the words ``any State'' in the 
definition of Deepwater Port. This amendment grants MarAd the 
authority to license the construction of Deepwater Ports for the 
export of oil and natural gas from domestic sources within the 
United States to foreign markets abroad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Maritime Administrator possesses the authority to license a 
deepwater port (by delegation from the Secretary of Transportation, 
published on June 18, 2003 [68 FR 36496]). Statutory and regulatory 
requirements for licensing appear in 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. and 33 CFR 
part 148. Under delegations from, and agreements between, the Secretary 
of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security, applications 
are jointly processed by MarAd and USCG. Each application is considered 
on its merits.
    In accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1504(f) for all applications, MarAd 
and USCG,

[[Page 36015]]

working in cooperation with other Federal agencies and departments, 
shall comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), among others, are 
cooperating agencies and will assist in the NEPA process as described 
in 40 CFR 1501.6; will participate in scoping meeting(s); and will 
incorporate the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) into their 
permitting processes. Comments addressed to the EPA, USACE, or other 
federal cooperating agencies will be incorporated into the Department 
of Transportation (DOT) docket and considered as the EIS is developed 
to ensure consistency with the NEPA process.
    MarAd, in issuing this Notice of Application pursuant to section 
1504(c) of the Act, must designate as an ``Adjacent Coastal State'' any 
coastal state which (A) would be directly connected by pipeline to a 
deepwater port as proposed in an application, or (B) would be located 
within 15 miles of any such proposed deepwater port (see 33 U.S.C. 
1508(a)(1)). On April 30, 2013, MarAd issued a Notice of Policy 
Clarification Concerning the Designation of Adjacent Coastal States for 
Deepwater Port License Applications in the Federal Register (78 FR 
25349-25351) advising the public that nautical miles shall be used when 
determining Adjacent Coastal State status. Pursuant to the criteria 
provided in the Act, New York and New Jersey are the Adjacent Coastal 
States for this application. Other states may apply for Adjacent 
Coastal State status in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1508(a)(2).
    The Act directs that at least one public hearing take place in each 
Adjacent Coastal State, in this case, New York and New Jersey. 
Additional public meetings may be conducted to solicit comments for the 
environmental analysis to include public scoping meetings, or meetings 
to discuss the Draft EIS and the Final EIS.
    MarAd and USCG will publish additional Federal Register notices 
with information regarding these public meeting(s) and hearing(s) and 
other procedural milestones, including the NEPA environmental review. 
The Maritime Administrator's decision, and other key documents, will be 
filed in the public docket.
    The Deepwater Port Act imposes a strict timeline for processing an 
application. When MarAd and USCG determine that an application contains 
the required information, the Act directs that all public hearings on 
the application be concluded within 240 days after publication of this 
Notice of Application.
    Within 45 days after the final hearing, the Governor(s) of the 
Adjacent Coastal State(s), in this case the Governors of New York and 
New Jersey, may notify MarAd of their approval, approval with 
conditions, or disapproval of the application. MarAd may not issue a 
license without the explicit or presumptive approval of the Governor(s) 
of the adjacent coastal state(s). During this 45 day time period, the 
Governor(s) may also notify MarAd of inconsistencies between the 
application and State programs relating to environmental protection, 
land and water use, and coastal zone management. In this case, MarAd 
may condition the license to make it consistent with such state 
programs (33 U.S.C. 1508(b)(1)). MarAd will not consider written 
approvals or disapprovals of the application from Governors of Adjacent 
Coastal States until the 45-day period after the final public hearing.
    The Maritime Administrator must render a decision on the 
application within 90 days after the final hearing.
    Should a favorable record of decision be rendered and license be 
issued, MarAd may include specific conditions related to design, 
construction, operations, environmental permitting, monitoring and 
mitigations, and financial responsibilities. If a license is issued, 
USCG would oversee the review and approval of the deepwater port's 
engineering design and construction; operations/security procedures; 
waterways management and regulated navigation areas; maritime safety 
and security requirements; risk assessment; and compliance with 
domestic and international laws and regulations for vessels that may 
call on the port. The deepwater port would be designed, constructed and 
operated in accordance with applicable codes and standards.
    In addition, installation of pipelines and other structures, such 
as the Submerged Turret Loading buoys, may require permits under 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and 
Harbors Act, which are administered by USACE.
    Permits from the EPA may also be required pursuant to the 
provisions of the Clean Air Act, as amended, and the Clean Water Act, 
as amended.

Summary of the Application

    Liberty Natural Gas, LLC is proposing to construct, own, and 
operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port, known as Port 
Ambrose, located in the New York Bight. The Port Ambrose facility will 
be located at a different proposed location and include a different 
design than the previous deepwater port license application submitted 
by Liberty Natural Gas, LLC in 2010. Port Ambrose would consist of two 
Submerged Turret Loading Buoys (STL Buoys) in Federal waters 
approximately 17 nautical miles southeast of Jones Beach, New York, 
approximately 24 nautical miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey, and 
about 27 nautical miles from the entrance to New York Harbor, in a 
water depth of approximately 103 feet.
    LNG would be delivered from purpose-built LNG regasification 
vessels (LNGRVs), vaporized on site and delivered through the STL 
buoys, flexible riser/umbilical, subsea manifold and lateral pipelines 
to a buried 19 nautical mile subsea Mainline connecting to the existing 
Transco Lower New York Bay Lateral in New York State waters 
approximately 2.2 nautical miles south of Long Beach, New York and 13 
nautical miles east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The buoys would be 
lowered to rest on a landing pad when not in use and would also include 
a pile-anchored mooring array. STL Buoy 1 is located at Latitude: 
40[deg]19'24.61'' N and Longitude: 73[deg]25'45.33'' W. STL Buoy 2 is 
located at Latitude: 40[deg]20'09.26'' N and Longitude 
73[deg]23'51.92'' W. The Port components would fall in the following 
U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease blocks:
    Buoy 1 (6708, 6709, 6758); Buoy 2 (6709); Lateral 1 (6708); Lateral 
2 (6708, 6709); ``Y'' Assembly (6708); Mainline Pipeline (6708, 6658, 
6657, 6607, 6606, 6556, 6555, 6554, 6504 and 6503).
    The 145,000 cubic meter LNGRVs would have onboard closed-loop 
vaporization and metering and odorant capability. Each vessel will have 
three vaporization units capable of a maximum send-out of 750 million 
standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) (maximum pipeline system flow rate 
is 660 MMscfd with two buoys) with annual average expected to be 400 
MMscfd. The LNGRVs have been designed to utilize a ballast water 
cooling system that will entirely re-circulate onboard the vessel 
during Port operations, eliminating vessel discharges associated with 
regasification while at the Port. Deliveries through Port Ambrose would 
be focused during peak demand winter and summer months. The Port will 
receive up to 45 LNGRVs per year.
    As proposed, the LNGRVs would access the port inbound from the 
Hudson Canyon to Ambrose Traffic Lane and depart via the Ambrose to

[[Page 36016]]

Nantucket Traffic Lane. MarAd and USCG are aware that Port Ambrose 
falls within the proposed area of interest for the New York Power 
Authority Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Project. This project 
will be acknowledged and considered in the processing of the Port 
Ambrose application and NEPA analysis.
    If approved, the majority of the port and pipeline construction and 
installation is proposed to occur in 2015, with commissioning in 
December 2015.

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 by visiting https://www.regulations.gov.

    Authority:  33. U.S.C. 1502, et seq.; 49 CFR 1.93(h).

    Dated: June 11, 2013.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Julie Agarwal,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-14203 Filed 6-13-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
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