Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port Ambrose Deepwater Port; Withdrawal of Application and Termination of Federal Application Review Process, 80454-80455 [2015-32348]
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80454
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 247 / Thursday, December 24, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number USCG–2013–0363]
Deepwater Port License Application:
Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port Ambrose
Deepwater Port; Withdrawal of
Application and Termination of Federal
Application Review Process
Maritime Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of termination of Federal
review.
AGENCY:
The Maritime Administration
(MARAD) announces the termination of
the Liberty Natural Gas LLC (Liberty)
Port Ambrose Deepwater Port License
Application and all related Federal
processing activities required by
applicable provisions of the Deepwater
Port Act of 1974, as amended (Act).
On September 28, 2015, Liberty
submitted to MARAD and the U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) an application under the
Act for a license and all Federal
authorizations required to own,
construct, and operate a deepwater port
for the importation of liquefied natural
gas (LNG) into the United States. The
deepwater port, known as Port
Ambrose, was proposed to be located in
the offshore waters of New York and
New Jersey, in the New York Bight. On
June 14, 2013, MARAD and USCG
deemed the application complete,
designated New York and New Jersey as
adjacent coastal states (ACS) and
commenced the Federal application
review process required under the Act.
This process also included a
comprehensive environmental
assessment, public meetings and
coordination of the application review
process with relevant Federal and State
agencies.
Upon completion of the
environmental review process required
by the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) and the final public
licensing hearings, Governor Andrew M.
Cuomo of the State of New York,
notified the Maritime Administration,
by letter dated November 12, 2015, of
his disapproval of the Liberty Port
Ambrose deepwater port project.
Governor Cuomo’s disapproval was
issued in accordance with the
provisions outlined in 33 U.S.C. Section
1508(c)(8) which state, the Secretary (or
Maritime Administrator by delegated
authority) may issue a deepwater port
license only if the Governor of the ACS
approves or is presumed to approve,
issuance of the license. In light of
Governor Cuomo’s disapproval of the
application, Liberty notified MARAD,
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SUMMARY:
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by letter dated November 18, 2015, of its
withdrawal of the Port Ambrose license
application from the Federal review
process. As a consequence of Liberty’s
withdrawal of its application, the
Federal application review process and
all related Federal processing activities
were terminated on November 18, 2015.
This Federal Register Notice shall serve
as official announcement to the public
that the Federal review and processing
of the Liberty Port Ambrose deepwater
port license application is terminated.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Yvette M. Fields, Director, Office of
Deepwater Ports and Offshore
Activities, Maritime Administration,
telephone 202–366–0926, email:
Yvette.Fields@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
September 28, 2012, Liberty submitted
to MARAD and USCG an application for
a license and all Federal authorizations
required to own, construct, and operate
a natural gas import deepwater port
known as Port Ambrose. Specifically,
the Port Ambrose license application
proposed construction and operation of
an offshore natural gas deepwater port
facility that would have been 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.
As required under the Act, MARAD
and USCG, acting as co-lead agencies,
commenced a formal review of the Port
Ambrose deepwater port license
application. The review included an
application completeness
determination, development of a
comprehensive Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) as required by NEPA,
in-depth review of the financial capacity
of the applicant to construct, operate
and decommission the proposed
deepwater port and assessment of the
applicant’s ability to meet all other
license criteria of the Act. The initial
Port Ambrose deepwater port Notice of
Application (NOA) was published in the
Federal Register on June 14, 2013 (78
FR 36014). The NOA announced
completeness of MARAD’s and USCG’s
initial review of the application and
commencement of the formal
application review process. Thereafter,
the required Notice of Intent to prepare
an EIS and conduct public scoping
meetings was published in the Federal
Register on June 24, 2013 (78 FR 37878).
The required public scoping meetings
were held in Long Beach, New York on
July 9, 2013, and in Edison, New Jersey
on July 10, 2013. Additionally, an NOA
of the Draft EIS (DEIS) was published in
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Fmt 4703
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the Federal Register on December 16,
2014 (79 FR 74808), and subsequent
public meetings seeking public
comments on the DEIS were held in
Jamaica, New York on January 7, 2015,
and in Eatontown, New Jersey on
January 8, 2015. On October 16, 2015,
an NOA of the Final EIS and Notice of
Final Public Licensing Hearings was
published in the Federal Register (80
FR 62596). The final hearings were held
on November 2, 2015 and November 3,
2015 in Long Beach, New York, and on
November 4, 2015 and November 5,
2015 in Eatontown, New Jersey.
Upon conclusion of the final public
licensing hearings and completion of
consistency reviews by the relevant
state agencies, New York Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo, by letter dated
November 12, 2015, advised MARAD of
his disapproval of Liberty’s Port
Ambrose deepwater port license
application. Governor Cuomo
disapproved the application in
accordance with his authority as an ACS
Governor, as provided under Section
1508(b)(1) of the Act. Governor Cuomo’s
disapproval was based on concerns
related to his assessment of the
proposed project’s inherent security
risks, impacts of extreme weather
events, disruption of commercial
navigation and fishing activities, and
the potential interference with currently
pending renewable energy projects
proposed for the State of New York.
On November 18, 2015, in light of
Governor Cuomo’s disapproval of the
Port Ambrose license application,
Liberty notified MARAD of its
withdrawal of the application from the
Federal review process. As a
consequence of the withdrawal of the
application, the Federal review process
was terminated on November 18, 2015.
This public notice serves as an official
announcement of the termination of the
Liberty Natural Gas Port Ambrose
deepwater port license application and
all other related Federal processing
activities.
Further, as a result of the termination
of the application and related
processing activities, no Record of
Decision (ROD) will be issued by
MARAD for the Liberty Port Ambrose
license application. It should be noted,
however, that all project related
information compiled and assessed
during the application review will be
incorporated into the final
administrative record for the Liberty
Port Ambrose deepwater license
application.
Additional information regarding the
Liberty Port Ambrose deepwater port
license application, comments,
supporting information and other
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 247 / Thursday, December 24, 2015 / Notices
associated documentation are available
for viewing at the Federal Docket
Management System (FDMS) Web site:
https://www.regulations.gov under
docket number USCG–2013–0363.
(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93)
* * *
The proposed Delfin LNG deepwater
port incorporates onshore components,
which are subject to the jurisdiction of
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC). These facilities are
described in the section of this notice
titled ‘‘FERC Application.’’
Mr.
Roddy Bachman, USCG, telephone:
202–372–1451, email:
Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil, or Ms.
Yvette M. Fields, Director, Office of
Deepwater Ports and Offshore
Activities, MARAD, telephone: 202–
366–0926, email: Yvette.Fields@dot.gov.
For questions regarding viewing the
Federal docket, call Docket Operations,
telephone 202–366–9826.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dated: December 18, 2015.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015–32348 Filed 12–23–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[Docket No. USCG–2015–0472]
Request for Comments
Deepwater Port License Application:
Delfin LNG LLC, Delfin LNG Deepwater
Port
We request public comments on the
amended application for the proposed
deepwater port. You can submit
comments directly to the Docket
Operations Facility during the public
comment period from publication date
of this Notice until Tuesday, January 19,
2016. We will consider all comments
and materials received during the public
comment period. Public comment
submissions must be unbound, no larger
than 81⁄2 by 11 inches and suitable for
copying and electronic scanning. Please
include the docket number (USCG–
2015–0472) and your name and address
on any correspondence.
Submit comments or material using
only one of the following methods:
• Online: Go to www.regulations.gov
and search docket number ‘‘USCG–
2015–0472.’’ Follow the online
instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
• Mail: Send comments to Docket
Operations, M–30; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Room W12–140, West
Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC
20590–0001.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: Bring
comments to Docket Operations in
Room W12–140 of the West Building
Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
• Fax: Fax comments to Docket
Operations at 202–493–2251.
While not required, it is preferred that
comments be submitted electronically,
which facilitates use of computer
software to sort, organize and search the
comments. If you submit your
comments electronically, it is not
necessary to also submit a hard copy.
Maritime Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Receipt of Amended
Application; Request for Comments.
AGENCY:
The Maritime Administration
(MARAD), in cooperation with the U.S.
Coast Guard (USCG), announces the
receipt and availability of the amended
deepwater port license application
submitted by Delfin LNG LLC (Delfin
LNG) on November 19, 2015 (amended
application). The purpose of this
Federal Register Notice is to explain the
changes between the original
application and the amended
application and seek public comments
regarding the amended application.
Please note, MARAD and USCG have
determined that this Federal Register
Notice is sufficient for satisfying
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) requirements for public scoping
and seeking public comment on an
agency action. As such, no public
scoping meetings are planned to be held
for the Delfin LNG amended
application.
A Notice of Application that
summarized the original Delfin LNG
license application was published in the
Federal Register on July 16, 2015 (80 FR
42162). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and
Notice of Public Meetings was
published in the Federal Register on
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 (80 FR
45270). This Notice incorporates the
aforementioned Notices by reference
and highlights changes to the proposed
Delfin LNG project made since the
original application was deemed
complete.
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80455
Background
On May 8, 2015, as supplemented on
June 19, 2015, MARAD and USCG
received an application from Delfin
LNG for all Federal authorizations
required for a license to own, construct,
and operate a deepwater port for the
export of natural gas. On Thursday, July
16, 2015, a Notice of Application was
published in the Federal Register (80
FR 42162) advising the public of the
completed original application.
Louisiana and Texas were designated as
adjacent coastal States (ACS) for the
original application.
Two public scoping meetings were
held in connection with the original
Delfin LNG application. The first public
scoping meeting was held in Lake
Charles, Louisiana on August 18, 2015,
and the second public scoping meeting
was held in Beaumont, Texas on August
19, 2015. After the public scoping
meetings concluded, Delfin LNG
advised MARAD and USCG of its intent
to amend the original application.
In anticipation of the amended
application, MARAD and USCG issued
a regulatory ‘‘stop-clock’’ letter to Delfin
LNG on September 18, 2015. That letter
commenced a regulatory ‘‘stop-clock,’’
effective September 18, 2015, which
would remain in effect until MARAD
and USCG received the amended
application and determined it contained
sufficient information to continue the
Federal review process. On November
19, 2015, Delfin LNG submitted its
amended application to MARAD and
USCG.
Working in coordination with
participating Federal and State agencies,
we will commence processing the
amended application and complete a
Draft EIS which analyzes reasonable
alternatives to, and the direct, indirect
and cumulative environmental impacts
of, the proposed action. When the Draft
EIS is complete and ready for public
review, a Notice of Availability will be
published in the Federal Register. The
Notice of Availability will provide for a
public comment period that includes
public meetings in Louisiana and Texas.
The amended application is currently
available for public review at the
Federal docket Web site:
www.regulations.gov under docket
number USCG–2015–0472.
Summary of the Amended Application
The specific project changes from the
original Delfin LNG application are: 1)
the liquefaction capacity of the four
proposed FLNGVs that would service
the proposed Delfin deepwater port is
increased from a base design capacity of
two million metric tons per annum
E:\FR\FM\24DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 247 (Thursday, December 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80454-80455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32348]
[[Page 80454]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number USCG-2013-0363]
Deepwater Port License Application: Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port
Ambrose Deepwater Port; Withdrawal of Application and Termination of
Federal Application Review Process
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of termination of Federal review.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) announces the termination
of the Liberty Natural Gas LLC (Liberty) Port Ambrose Deepwater Port
License Application and all related Federal processing activities
required by applicable provisions of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as
amended (Act).
On September 28, 2015, Liberty submitted to MARAD and the U.S.
Coast Guard (USCG) an application under the Act for a license and all
Federal authorizations required to own, construct, and operate a
deepwater port for the importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) into
the United States. The deepwater port, known as Port Ambrose, was
proposed to be located in the offshore waters of New York and New
Jersey, in the New York Bight. On June 14, 2013, MARAD and USCG deemed
the application complete, designated New York and New Jersey as
adjacent coastal states (ACS) and commenced the Federal application
review process required under the Act. This process also included a
comprehensive environmental assessment, public meetings and
coordination of the application review process with relevant Federal
and State agencies.
Upon completion of the environmental review process required by the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the final public licensing
hearings, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of the State of New York, notified
the Maritime Administration, by letter dated November 12, 2015, of his
disapproval of the Liberty Port Ambrose deepwater port project.
Governor Cuomo's disapproval was issued in accordance with the
provisions outlined in 33 U.S.C. Section 1508(c)(8) which state, the
Secretary (or Maritime Administrator by delegated authority) may issue
a deepwater port license only if the Governor of the ACS approves or is
presumed to approve, issuance of the license. In light of Governor
Cuomo's disapproval of the application, Liberty notified MARAD, by
letter dated November 18, 2015, of its withdrawal of the Port Ambrose
license application from the Federal review process. As a consequence
of Liberty's withdrawal of its application, the Federal application
review process and all related Federal processing activities were
terminated on November 18, 2015. This Federal Register Notice shall
serve as official announcement to the public that the Federal review
and processing of the Liberty Port Ambrose deepwater port license
application is terminated.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Yvette M. Fields, Director, Office
of Deepwater Ports and Offshore Activities, Maritime Administration,
telephone 202-366-0926, email: Yvette.Fields@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 28, 2012, Liberty submitted to
MARAD and USCG an application for a license and all Federal
authorizations required to own, construct, and operate a natural gas
import deepwater port known as Port Ambrose. Specifically, the Port
Ambrose license application proposed construction and operation of an
offshore natural gas deepwater port facility that would have been
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.
As required under the Act, MARAD and USCG, acting as co-lead
agencies, commenced a formal review of the Port Ambrose deepwater port
license application. The review included an application completeness
determination, development of a comprehensive Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) as required by NEPA, in-depth review of the financial
capacity of the applicant to construct, operate and decommission the
proposed deepwater port and assessment of the applicant's ability to
meet all other license criteria of the Act. The initial Port Ambrose
deepwater port Notice of Application (NOA) was published in the Federal
Register on June 14, 2013 (78 FR 36014). The NOA announced completeness
of MARAD's and USCG's initial review of the application and
commencement of the formal application review process. Thereafter, the
required Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS and conduct public scoping
meetings was published in the Federal Register on June 24, 2013 (78 FR
37878). The required public scoping meetings were held in Long Beach,
New York on July 9, 2013, and in Edison, New Jersey on July 10, 2013.
Additionally, an NOA of the Draft EIS (DEIS) was published in the
Federal Register on December 16, 2014 (79 FR 74808), and subsequent
public meetings seeking public comments on the DEIS were held in
Jamaica, New York on January 7, 2015, and in Eatontown, New Jersey on
January 8, 2015. On October 16, 2015, an NOA of the Final EIS and
Notice of Final Public Licensing Hearings was published in the Federal
Register (80 FR 62596). The final hearings were held on November 2,
2015 and November 3, 2015 in Long Beach, New York, and on November 4,
2015 and November 5, 2015 in Eatontown, New Jersey.
Upon conclusion of the final public licensing hearings and
completion of consistency reviews by the relevant state agencies, New
York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, by letter dated November 12, 2015,
advised MARAD of his disapproval of Liberty's Port Ambrose deepwater
port license application. Governor Cuomo disapproved the application in
accordance with his authority as an ACS Governor, as provided under
Section 1508(b)(1) of the Act. Governor Cuomo's disapproval was based
on concerns related to his assessment of the proposed project's
inherent security risks, impacts of extreme weather events, disruption
of commercial navigation and fishing activities, and the potential
interference with currently pending renewable energy projects proposed
for the State of New York.
On November 18, 2015, in light of Governor Cuomo's disapproval of
the Port Ambrose license application, Liberty notified MARAD of its
withdrawal of the application from the Federal review process. As a
consequence of the withdrawal of the application, the Federal review
process was terminated on November 18, 2015. This public notice serves
as an official announcement of the termination of the Liberty Natural
Gas Port Ambrose deepwater port license application and all other
related Federal processing activities.
Further, as a result of the termination of the application and
related processing activities, no Record of Decision (ROD) will be
issued by MARAD for the Liberty Port Ambrose license application. It
should be noted, however, that all project related information compiled
and assessed during the application review will be incorporated into
the final administrative record for the Liberty Port Ambrose deepwater
license application.
Additional information regarding the Liberty Port Ambrose deepwater
port license application, comments, supporting information and other
[[Page 80455]]
associated documentation are available for viewing at the Federal
Docket Management System (FDMS) Web site: https://www.regulations.gov
under docket number USCG-2013-0363.
(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93)
* * *
Dated: December 18, 2015.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-32348 Filed 12-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
