Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port Ambrose Deepwater Port, 74808-74810 [2014-29369]
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74808
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 2014 / Notices
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 document, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). In
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT
solicits comments from the public to
better inform its processes. DOT posts
these comments, without edit, including
any personal information the
commenter provides, to
www.regulations.gov, as described in
the system of records notice (DOT/ALL–
14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at
www.dot.gov/privacy. See also https://
www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice
for the privacy notice of regulations.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC, on December
10, 2014.
Ron Hynes,
Director, Office of Technical Oversight.
[FR Doc. 2014–29397 Filed 12–15–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number USCG–2013–0363]
Deepwater Port License Application:
Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port Ambrose
Deepwater Port
Maritime Administration,
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of
public meeting; request for comments.
AGENCY:
The Maritime Administration
(MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) announce the availability of the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) for the Liberty Natural Gas LLC,
Port Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas
Deepwater Port License Application for
the importation of natural gas.
Please note that this application is
only for the construction and operation
of a deepwater port that could only be
used as a natural gas import facility. The
considerable technical, operational, and
environmental differences between
import and export operations for natural
gas deepwater ports is such that any
licensed deepwater port facility that
proposed to convert from import to
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SUMMARY:
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export operations would be required to
submit a new license application
(including application fee) and conform
to all licensing requirements and
regulations in effect at such time of
application. In addition to payment of
the application fee, licensing
requirements include, but are not
limited to, completion of an extensive
environmental impact assessment and
financial resources review which would
include public participation.
The Port Ambrose application
describes an offshore natural gas
deepwater port facility that would be
located 16.1 nautical miles southeast of
Jones Beach, New York, 24.9 nautical
miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey,
and 27.1 nautical miles from the
entrance to New York Harbor in a water
depth of approximately 103 feet. The
DEIS complies with the Deepwater Port
Act of 1974, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1501
et seq.) (DWPA) and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
(Section 102[2][c]), as implemented by
Council on Environmental Quality
regulations (40 CFR 1500 to 1508).
Publication of this notice begins a 60
day comment period, requests public
participation in the process, provides
information on how to participate in the
process, and announces informational
open houses and public meetings in
New York and New Jersey. Pursuant to
the criteria provided in the DWPA, both
New Jersey and New York are the
Adjacent Coastal States for this
application.
DATES: There will be two public
meetings held in connection with the
application DEIS. The first public
meeting will be held in Jamaica, New
York on Wednesday, January 7, 2015
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The second public
meeting will be held in Eatontown, New
Jersey on Thursday, January 8, 2015
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both public
meetings will be preceded by an open
house from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The
public meeting may end later than the
stated time, depending on the number of
persons wishing to speak. Additionally,
materials submitted in response to the
request for comments must reach the
Docket Management Facility as detailed
below, by close of business Tuesday,
February 10, 2015 or 60 days after this
NOA is published in the Federal
Register whichever is later.
ADDRESSES: The open house and public
meeting in Jamaica, New York will be
held at the Hilton New York JFK
Airport, 144–02 135th Avenue, Jamaica,
New York 11436; phone 718–659–0200
or www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/newyork/hilton-new-york-jfk-airportNYCJFHF/. Parking is
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available at the hotel. Attendees may
submit their parking stubs at the
meeting registration desk for validation.
The open house and public meeting in
Eatontown, New Jersey will be held at
the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel, 6
Industrial Way East, Eatontown, NJ
07724, phone 732–542–6500 or
www.sheratoneatontown.com with free
parking on site.
The license application, comments,
supporting information, and the DEIS
are available for viewing at the Federal
Docket Management System (FDMS)
Web site: https://www.regulations.gov
under docket number USCG–2013–
0363. The Final Environmental Impact
Statement, when published, will be
announced and available at this site as
well.
Docket submissions for USCG–2013–
0363 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: Mr.
Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard,
telephone: 202–372–1451, email:
Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil, or Ms.
Yvette M. Fields, Maritime
Administration, telephone: 202–366–
0926, email: Yvette.Fields@dot.gov. For
questions regarding the Docket, call Ms.
Barbara Hairston, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone 202–366–
9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Meeting and Open House
You are invited to learn about the
proposed Port Ambrose Deepwater Port
at either of the above informational
open houses, and to comment on the
proposed action and the environmental
impact analysis contained in the DEIS at
either of the above public meetings or
directly to the docket.
Speakers may register upon arrival
and will be recognized in the following
order: Elected officials, public agencies,
individuals or groups in the order in
which they registered. In order to
accommodate all speakers, speaker time
may be limited, meeting hours may be
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 2014 / Notices
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extended, or both. Speakers’ transcribed
remarks will be included in the public
docket. Written material may also be
submitted for inclusion in the public
docket. Written material must include
the author’s name and address. We ask
attendees to respect the meeting
procedures in order to ensure a
constructive information-gathering
session. Please do not bring signs or
banners inside the meeting venue. The
presiding officer will use his/her
discretion to conduct the hearing in an
orderly manner.
Public meeting locations are
wheelchair-accessible. However,
attendees who require special assistance
such as sign language interpretation or
other reasonable accommodation, please
notify the USCG (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5
business days in advance. Include
contact information as well as
information about specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other
relevant information on the DEIS for the
proposed deepwater port. These
comments will assist us in the
preparation of the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS). The public
meeting is not the only opportunity you
have to comment. In addition to, or in
place of, attending a meeting, you may
submit comments to the Docket
Management Facility during the public
comment period (see DATES). We will
consider all reasonable comments and
material received during the comment
period.
Submissions should include:
• Docket number USCG–2013–0363.
• Your name and address.
Submit comments or material using
only one of the following methods:
• Electronic submission to the
Federal Docket Management Facility,
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://
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
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Department of Transportation Privacy
Act Notice that appeared in the Federal
Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477), see PRIVACY ACT. You may
view docket submissions at the
Department of Transportation Docket
Management Facility or electronically
on the FDMS Web site (see ADDRESSES).
Background
Information about deepwater ports,
the Deepwater Port Act, other applicable
statutes, regulations governing
deepwater port licensing, including the
application review process, and the
receipt of the current application for the
proposed Port Ambrose liquefied
natural gas deepwater port was
published in the Federal Register on
June 14, 2013, 78 FR 36014. The
‘‘Summary of the Application’’ from
that publication is reprinted below for
your convenience.
The Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS
for the proposed action was published
in the Federal Register at 78 FR 37878,
June 24, 2013. The DEIS, application
materials and associated comments and
supporting information are available on
the docket.
Scoping meetings were conducted in
Long Beach, New York and Edison, New
Jersey on July 9 and 10, 2013.
Transcripts were posted on the docket
(document numbers 0976 and 0977) on
August 28, 2013. An extended 60 day
scoping comment period ended August
22, 2013.
The statutory timeline, as required by
the DWPA, requires final public
hearings be conducted no later than 240
days after notice of the application. This
timeline was suspended by MARAD and
USCG on October 21, 2013, day 129 of
the 240 day timeline. This suspension
was necessary to acquire and analyze
additional information needed to
develop an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) that will satisfy public
and agency requirements and to meet
other responsibilities, including the
independent risk assessment, within the
statutory timeframe required by the
DWPA. Effective this day, with the
publishing of this notice, the suspension
of the statutory timeline is removed.
The period of suspension has not been
counted in determining the date
prescribed by the time limit set forth in
the DWPA. Upon completion of the
FEIS, and following completion of the
final public hearings, the Governors of
the adjacent coastal states of New York
and New Jersey will have 45 days to
approve the application; approve the
application with conditions; or deny the
proposed deepwater port. MARAD then
has 90 days from the close of the
hearings to issue a Record of Decision.
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Though the scoping comment period
ended on August 22, 2013, additional
information has been added to the
docket as it was identified, researched
and analyzed.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The proposed action requiring
environmental review is the Federal
licensing of the proposed deepwater
port described in the ‘‘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 DEIS. While
USCG, in coordination with MARAD, is
the lead Federal agency for the
preparation of the EIS, MARAD is the
Federal licensing agency. You can
address any questions about the
proposed action or the DEIS to USCG or
MARAD project managers identified in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Summary of the Application
Liberty Natural Gas, LLC is proposing
to construct, own, and operate a
liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater
port import facility, 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 16.1 nautical miles southeast of
Jones Beach, New York, 24.9 nautical
miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey,
and 27.1 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 18.8
nautical mile subsea mainline
connecting to the existing Transco
Lower New York Bay Lateral in New
York State waters 2.2 nautical miles
south of Long Beach, New York and
13.1 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
suction anchor 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
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74810
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 2014 / Notices
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 would have three
vaporization units capable of 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, and it is
anticipated that approximately 45
deliveries will occur each year.
As proposed, the LNGRVs would
access the port inbound from the
Hudson Canyon to Ambrose Traffic
Lane and depart via the Ambrose to
Nantucket Traffic Lane. MARAD and
USCG are aware that Port Ambrose falls
within the proposed area of interest for
the Long Island—New York City
Offshore Wind Collaborative wind
energy project. This project will be
acknowledged and considered in the
cumulative impacts analysis section of
the DEIS based on currently available
information. If approved, the majority of
the port and pipeline construction and
installation would occur in 2017, with
commissioning estimated to be in
December 2017.
In addition, pipelines and structures
such as the STL buoy 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 U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE). Port Ambrose 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.
The new pipeline is included in the
NEPA review as part of the deepwater
port application process. The EPA and
the USACE among others, are
cooperating agencies and will assist in
the NEPA process as described in 40
CFR 1501.6; may participate in the
public meetings; and will incorporate
the EIS into their permitting processes.
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Comments sent to the EPA or USACE
will also be incorporated into the DOT
docket and EIS to ensure consistency
with the NEPA Process.
There have been some proposed
project changes since the original
application was submitted, which are
set forth in materials on the docket and
in the DEIS. (1) The original Application
proposed a plowed mainline pipeline
burial depth of 3 feet. Now the pipeline
is proposed to be plow-buried to 4 feet
with the portion that is within the
Ambrose Anchorage Area buried 7 feet
using jetting. (2) The originally
proposed impact driven mooring pile
anchors are now proposed to be suction
anchors. (3) The original port
construction and commissioning was
proposed to occur in 2015. That has
been amended to occur in 2017
(assuming a license is issued).
Should a license be issued, the
deepwater port would be designed,
fabricated, constructed, commissioned,
maintained, inspected, and operated in
accordance with applicable codes and
standards and with USCG oversight as
regulated under Title 33, Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), subchapter
NN-Deepwater Ports, parts 148, 149, and
150. This also includes applicable
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.
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 1.93)
*
*
*
*
*
Dated: December 10, 2014.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Christine S. Gurland,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014–29369 Filed 12–15–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA—2014–0129]
Notice of Buy America Waiver
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Buy America waiver.
AGENCY:
This notice provides
NHTSA’s finding with respect to a
request from the Texas Department of
Transpiration, Traffic Safety Section
(TxDOT) to waive the requirements of
Buy America. NHTSA finds that a cost
waiver of the Buy America requirements
is appropriate for TxDOT to purchase
Light-Up Magnifier Loupes using
Federal highway safety grant funds
because the cost of domestically
produced products is twenty-five
percent more than the cost of the
foreign-made products.
DATES: The effective date of this waiver
is December 26, 2014. Written
comments regarding this notice may be
submitted to NHTSA and must be
received on or before: December 31,
2014.
SUMMARY:
Written comments may be
submitted using any one of the
following methods:
• Mail: Docket Management Facility,
M–30, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground
Floor, Rm. W12–140, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
• Fax: Written comments may be
faxed to (202) 493–2251.
• Internet: To submit comments
electronically, go to the Federal
regulations Web site at https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Hand Delivery: West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Instructions: All comments submitted
in relation to this waiver must include
the agency name and docket number.
Please note that all comments received
will be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided. You
may also call the Docket at 202–366–
9324.
ADDRESSES:
For
program issues, contact Barbara Sauers,
Office of Regional Operations and
Program Delivery, NHTSA (phone: 202–
366–0144). For legal issues, contact
Andrew DiMarsico, Office of Chief
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 241 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74808-74810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29369]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number USCG-2013-0363]
Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port
Ambrose Deepwater Port
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of public meeting; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) announce the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port Ambrose
Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application for the
importation of natural gas.
Please note that this application is only for the construction and
operation of a deepwater port that could only be used as a natural gas
import facility. The considerable technical, operational, and
environmental differences between import and export operations for
natural gas deepwater ports is such that any licensed deepwater port
facility that proposed to convert from import to export operations
would be required to submit a new license application (including
application fee) and conform to all licensing requirements and
regulations in effect at such time of application. In addition to
payment of the application fee, licensing requirements include, but are
not limited to, completion of an extensive environmental impact
assessment and financial resources review which would include public
participation.
The Port Ambrose application describes an offshore natural gas
deepwater port facility that would be located 16.1 nautical miles
southeast of Jones Beach, New York, 24.9 nautical miles east of Long
Branch, New Jersey, and 27.1 nautical miles from the entrance to New
York Harbor in a water depth of approximately 103 feet. The DEIS
complies with the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended (33 U.S.C.
1501 et seq.) (DWPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
(Section 102[2][c]), as implemented by Council on Environmental Quality
regulations (40 CFR 1500 to 1508).
Publication of this notice begins a 60 day comment period, requests
public participation in the process, provides information on how to
participate in the process, and announces informational open houses and
public meetings in New York and New Jersey. Pursuant to the criteria
provided in the DWPA, both New Jersey and New York are the Adjacent
Coastal States for this application.
DATES: There will be two public meetings held in connection with the
application DEIS. The first public meeting will be held in Jamaica, New
York on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The second
public meeting will be held in Eatontown, New Jersey on Thursday,
January 8, 2015 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both public meetings will be
preceded by an open house from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The public
meeting may end later than the stated time, depending on the number of
persons wishing to speak. Additionally, materials submitted in response
to the request for comments must reach the Docket Management Facility
as detailed below, by close of business Tuesday, February 10, 2015 or
60 days after this NOA is published in the Federal Register whichever
is later.
ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting in Jamaica, New York will
be held at the Hilton New York JFK Airport, 144-02 135th Avenue,
Jamaica, New York 11436; phone 718-659-0200 or www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/new-york/hilton-new-york-jfk-airport-NYCJFHF/. Parking
is available at the hotel. Attendees may submit their parking stubs at
the meeting registration desk for validation. The open house and public
meeting in Eatontown, New Jersey will be held at the Sheraton Eatontown
Hotel, 6 Industrial Way East, Eatontown, NJ 07724, phone 732-542-6500
or www.sheratoneatontown.com with free parking on site.
The license application, comments, supporting information, and the
DEIS are available for viewing at the Federal Docket Management System
(FDMS) Web site: https://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-
2013-0363. The Final Environmental Impact Statement, when published,
will be announced and available at this site as well.
Docket submissions for USCG-2013-0363 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: Mr. Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard,
telephone: 202-372-1451, email: Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil, or Ms. Yvette
M. Fields, Maritime Administration, telephone: 202-366-0926, email:
Yvette.Fields@dot.gov. For questions regarding the Docket, call Ms.
Barbara Hairston, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-
366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Meeting and Open House
You are invited to learn about the proposed Port Ambrose Deepwater
Port at either of the above informational open houses, and to comment
on the proposed action and the environmental impact analysis contained
in the DEIS at either of the above public meetings or directly to the
docket.
Speakers may register upon arrival and will be recognized in the
following order: Elected officials, public agencies, individuals or
groups in the order in which they registered. In order to accommodate
all speakers, speaker time may be limited, meeting hours may be
[[Page 74809]]
extended, or both. Speakers' transcribed remarks will be included in
the public docket. Written material may also be submitted for inclusion
in the public docket. Written material must include the author's name
and address. We ask attendees to respect the meeting procedures in
order to ensure a constructive information-gathering session. Please do
not bring signs or banners inside the meeting venue. The presiding
officer will use his/her discretion to conduct the hearing in an
orderly manner.
Public meeting locations are wheelchair-accessible. However,
attendees who require special assistance such as sign language
interpretation or other reasonable accommodation, please notify the
USCG (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5 business days in
advance. Include contact information as well as information about
specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other relevant information on the
DEIS for the proposed deepwater port. These comments will assist us in
the preparation of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The
public meeting is not the only opportunity you have to comment. In
addition to, or in place of, attending a meeting, you may submit
comments to the Docket Management Facility during the public comment
period (see DATES). We will consider all reasonable comments and
material received during the comment period.
Submissions should include:
Docket number USCG-2013-0363.
Your name and address.
Submit comments or material using only one of the following
methods:
Electronic submission to the Federal Docket Management
Facility, 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. You may view docket submissions at the
Department of Transportation Docket Management Facility or
electronically on the FDMS Web site (see ADDRESSES).
Background
Information about deepwater ports, the Deepwater Port Act, other
applicable statutes, regulations governing deepwater port licensing,
including the application review process, and the receipt of the
current application for the proposed Port Ambrose liquefied natural gas
deepwater port was published in the Federal Register on June 14, 2013,
78 FR 36014. The ``Summary of the Application'' from that publication
is reprinted below for your convenience.
The Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the proposed action was
published in the Federal Register at 78 FR 37878, June 24, 2013. The
DEIS, application materials and associated comments and supporting
information are available on the docket.
Scoping meetings were conducted in Long Beach, New York and Edison,
New Jersey on July 9 and 10, 2013. Transcripts were posted on the
docket (document numbers 0976 and 0977) on August 28, 2013. An extended
60 day scoping comment period ended August 22, 2013.
The statutory timeline, as required by the DWPA, requires final
public hearings be conducted no later than 240 days after notice of the
application. This timeline was suspended by MARAD and USCG on October
21, 2013, day 129 of the 240 day timeline. This suspension was
necessary to acquire and analyze additional information needed to
develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will satisfy
public and agency requirements and to meet other responsibilities,
including the independent risk assessment, within the statutory
timeframe required by the DWPA. Effective this day, with the publishing
of this notice, the suspension of the statutory timeline is removed.
The period of suspension has not been counted in determining the date
prescribed by the time limit set forth in the DWPA. Upon completion of
the FEIS, and following completion of the final public hearings, the
Governors of the adjacent coastal states of New York and New Jersey
will have 45 days to approve the application; approve the application
with conditions; or deny the proposed deepwater port. MARAD then has 90
days from the close of the hearings to issue a Record of Decision.
Though the scoping comment period ended on August 22, 2013,
additional information has been added to the docket as it was
identified, researched and analyzed.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The proposed action requiring environmental review is the Federal
licensing of the proposed deepwater port described in the ``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 DEIS.
While USCG, in coordination with MARAD, is the lead Federal agency for
the preparation of the EIS, MARAD is the Federal licensing agency. You
can address any questions about the proposed action or the DEIS to USCG
or MARAD project managers identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Summary of the Application
Liberty Natural Gas, LLC is proposing to construct, own, and
operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port import facility,
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 16.1 nautical miles southeast of Jones Beach, New York, 24.9
nautical miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey, and 27.1 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 18.8 nautical mile subsea mainline connecting to the
existing Transco Lower New York Bay Lateral in New York State waters
2.2 nautical miles south of Long Beach, New York and 13.1 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 suction
anchor 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
[[Page 74810]]
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 would
have three vaporization units capable of 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, and it is
anticipated that approximately 45 deliveries will occur each year.
As proposed, the LNGRVs would access the port inbound from the
Hudson Canyon to Ambrose Traffic Lane and depart via the Ambrose to
Nantucket Traffic Lane. MARAD and USCG are aware that Port Ambrose
falls within the proposed area of interest for the Long Island--New
York City Offshore Wind Collaborative wind energy project. This project
will be acknowledged and considered in the cumulative impacts analysis
section of the DEIS based on currently available information. If
approved, the majority of the port and pipeline construction and
installation would occur in 2017, with commissioning estimated to be in
December 2017.
In addition, pipelines and structures such as the STL buoy 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
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Port Ambrose 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.
The new pipeline is included in the NEPA review as part of the
deepwater port application process. The EPA and the USACE among others,
are cooperating agencies and will assist in the NEPA process as
described in 40 CFR 1501.6; may participate in the public meetings; and
will incorporate the EIS into their permitting processes. Comments sent
to the EPA or USACE will also be incorporated into the DOT docket and
EIS to ensure consistency with the NEPA Process.
There have been some proposed project changes since the original
application was submitted, which are set forth in materials on the
docket and in the DEIS. (1) The original Application proposed a plowed
mainline pipeline burial depth of 3 feet. Now the pipeline is proposed
to be plow-buried to 4 feet with the portion that is within the Ambrose
Anchorage Area buried 7 feet using jetting. (2) The originally proposed
impact driven mooring pile anchors are now proposed to be suction
anchors. (3) The original port construction and commissioning was
proposed to occur in 2015. That has been amended to occur in 2017
(assuming a license is issued).
Should a license be issued, the deepwater port would be designed,
fabricated, constructed, commissioned, maintained, inspected, and
operated in accordance with applicable codes and standards and with
USCG oversight as regulated under Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR), subchapter NN-Deepwater Ports, parts 148, 149, and 150. This
also includes applicable 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.
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 1.93)
* * * * *
Dated: December 10, 2014.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Christine S. Gurland,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-29369 Filed 12-15-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
