Notice of Intent; Notice of Public Meeting; Request for Comments; Port of Long Beach (POLB or Port) Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Project, 30303-30305 [2019-13549]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 26, 2019 / Notices
booster station. The Bluewater
deepwater port would allow for up to
two (2) very large crude carriers (VLCCs)
or other crude oil carriers to moor at
single point mooring (SPM) buoys and
connect with the deepwater port via
floating connecting crude oil hoses.
During single vessel loading operations,
the proposed project is capable of
loading rates of up to approximately
80,000 barrels per hour (bph) and
during simultaneous vessel loading
operations, the proposed project is
capable of loading rates of 40,000 bph.
The facility is expected to service 16
Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) per
month.
For the purposes of this application,
the proposed Bluewater project is
described in three distinguishable
segments by locality, to include the
onshore components, the inshore
components and the offshore
components.
Onshore components associated with
the proposed Bluewater project are
defined as those components on the
landward side of the western Redfish
Bay Mean High Tide (MHT) line,
located in San Patricio and Aransas
Counties, Texas. The onshore project
components include:
• Approximately 22.20 miles of two
(2) new parallel 30-inch-diameter crude
oil pipelines extending from a planned
multi-use terminal located south of the
City of Taft in San Patricio County,
Texas. The planned multi-use terminal
will consist of multiple inbound and
outbound crude oil pipelines. Two of
those outbound pipelines compose the
proposed pipeline infrastructure that
will extend to the inshore pipeline
which connects to the proposed Harbor
Island Booster Station (Booster Station)
described below.
Inshore components associated with
the proposed Bluewater project are
defined as those components located
between the western Redfish Bay MHT
line and the MHT line located at the
interface of San Jose Island and the
GOM. Inshore project components
include:
• Approximately 7.15 miles of two (2)
new 30-inch-diameter crude oil
pipelines connecting to the onshore
facility, an approximately 19-acre
booster station and a connection to the
offshore pipeline. The onshore pipeline
would be located within San Patricio
County, Texas and Nueces County,
Texas and the Booster Station would be
located on Harbor Island in Nueces
County, Texas.
• The Booster Station will include
approximately 19 acres of land with two
(2) aboveground crude oil storage tanks,
each with a total storage capacity of
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181,000 barrels and two (2) 181,000barrel water storage tanks. The purpose
of water tanks is to allow for the
clearing of the pipeline infrastructure.
During clearing operations, water from
the water storage tanks would be
pumped through the pipelines and back
to the Booster Station. The displaced
crude oil would be placed in the two
crude oil storage tanks.
• Additionally, the Booster Station
will contain equipment and piping to
provide interconnectivity with the
crude oil supply network for the
Bluewater project. This would include
the installation of four (4) 5,500
horsepower electrically powered motors
in a series electronically locked into
operation as two booster pumping
systems delivering approximately
11,000 horsepower to each of the two (2)
30-inch diameter pipelines. Further, the
Booster Station would house the
necessary infrastructure to support the
transport of crude oil through the
proposed pipeline infrastructure to the
deepwater port for the loading of
moored vessels to include a fire water
tank, firewater pumps, stormwater
runoff treatment plant and pumps,
emergency generator, foam and water
monitors and an operations office.
Offshore components associated with
the proposed Bluewater project are
defined as those components located
seaward of the MHT line located at the
interface of San Jose Island and the
GOM. The offshore project components
include:
• Approximately 27.13 miles of two
(2) new 30-inch-diameter crude oil
pipelines extending from the shoreline
crossing at the interface of San Jose
Island to the offshore Bluewater
deepwater port for crude oil delivery to
Single Point Mooring (SPM) buoys.
• Two (2) SPMs in Outer Continental
Shelf Matagorda Island Area TX4 lease
blocks 698 and 699, approximately 15
nautical miles (17.26 statute miles) off
the coast of San Patricio County, Texas
in a water depth of approximately 89
feet.
• A catenary anchor leg mooring
(CALM) system for each SPM buoy
connected to a pipeline end manifold
(PLEM) system, mooring hawsers,
floating hoses, and sub-marine hoses to
allow for the loading of crude oil to
vessels moored at the proposed
deepwater port. The SPM buoy system
will be permanently moored with a
symmetrically arranged six-leg anchor
dual chain configuration extending to
twelve (12) 72-inch-diameter pile
anchors installed on the seafloor.
• Each of the proposed SPM buoy
systems will consist of inner and outer
cylindrical shells subdivided into
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30303
twelve equal-sized watertight radial
compartments. A rotating table will be
affixed to the SPM buoy and allow for
the connection of moored vessels to the
SPM buoy system via mooring hawsers.
Two floating hoses equipped with
marine break-away couplings will be
utilized for the transfer of crude oil from
the SPM buoy systems to the moored
vessel. Floating hoses will be equipped
with strobe lights at 15-foot intervals for
detection at night and low-light
conditions.
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. 1501, et seq.; 49 CFR
1.93(h).
Dated: June 21, 2019.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019–13637 Filed 6–25–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number MARAD–2019–0109]
Notice of Intent; Notice of Public
Meeting; Request for Comments; Port
of Long Beach (POLB or Port) Pier B
On-Dock Rail Support Facility Project
Maritime Administration, DOT.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT), Maritime
Administration (MARAD) will prepare
an environmental impact statement
(EIS) for the Port of Long Beach (POLB
or Port) Pier B On-Dock Rail Support
Facility Project (Project) to support an
application to U.S. Department of
Transportation for Railroad
Rehabilitation & Improvement
Financing (RRIF) and potentially other
federal funding programs. The Project is
designed to address current traffic and
cargo distribution bottlenecks into, out
of, and within the POLB. The Project
also includes consideration for
anticipated future demand for cargo
movement via on-dock rail; maximize
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 26, 2019 / Notices
on-dock intermodal operations to reach
the long-term goal of 30 to 35 percent
of cargo containers to be handled by ondock rail; provide a facility that can
accept and handle longer container
trains; and provide a rail yard that is
cost effective and fiscally prudent. The
Port is applying to the RRIF Program,
and potentially other federal funding
programs, to support the Pier B On-Dock
Rail Support Facility Project.
This Notice of Intent (NOI) requests
public participation in the scoping
process, provides information on how to
participate, and announces an
informational open house and public
meeting in the City of Long Beach,
California.
DATES: The public scoping comment
period begins on the date this notice is
published and ends 30 days later. There
will be one public scoping meeting held
in connection with the Pier B On-Dock
Rail Support Facility Project. The
meeting will be held in City of Long
Beach, CA, at the Port of Long Beach
Administration Building on July 10,
2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The
public meeting will be preceded by an
informational open house from 4:00
p.m. to 6:00 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 this request for comments
on the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support
Facility Project must reach the Federal
Docket Management Facility no later
than 30 days after this notice is
published in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The open house and public
meeting in the City of Long Beach,
California will be held at the Port of
Long Beach Administration Building
Board Room, 4801 Airport Plaza Drive,
phone: (562) 283–7000, www.polb.com.
Free parking is available at the venue.
The public docket for MARAD–2019–
0109 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alan Finio, Office of Environment, at
telephone number: 202–366–8024 or by
email at Alan.Finio.ctr@dot.gov. Persons
who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 to contact the above
individual during business hours. The
FIRS is available twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week, to leave a
message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply
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during normal business hours.
Additionally, if you go to the online
docket and sign up for email alerts, you
will be notified when comments or
other Project documents are posted.
Anonymous comments will be accepted.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Meeting and Open House
We encourage you to attend the
informational open house and public
meeting to learn about, and comment
on, the proposed Pier B On-Dock Rail
Support Facility Project. You will have
the opportunity to submit comments on
the scope and significance of the issues
related to the proposed project that
should be addressed in the EIS.
Speaker registrations will be available
at the door. Speakers at the public
scoping meeting will be recognized in
the following order: Elected officials,
public agencies, individuals or groups
in the sign-up order and then anyone
else who wishes to speak.
In order to allow everyone a chance
to speak at a public meeting, we may
limit speaker time, extend the meeting
hours, or both. You must identify
yourself and any organization you
represent by name. Your remarks will be
recorded and/or transcribed for
inclusion in the public docket.
You may submit written material at a
public meeting, either in place of, or in
addition to, speaking. Written material
must include your name and address
and will be included in the public
docket (https://www.regulations.gov).
Our public meeting location is
wheelchair-accessible and compliant
with the Americans with Disabilities
Act. If you plan to attend an open house
or public meeting and need special
assistance such as sign language
interpretation, non-English language
translator services or other reasonable
accommodation, please notify MARAD
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT)
at least 5 business days in advance of
the public meeting. Include your contact
information as well as information
about your specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comment on this
proposal. The comments may relate to,
but are not limited to, the
environmental impact of the proposed
action. All comments will be accepted.
The public meeting is not the only
opportunity you have to comment on
the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support
Facility Project. In addition to, or in
place of, attending a meeting, we
encourage you to submit comments
electronically through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov under docket
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number MARAD–2019–0109. If you
submit your comments electronically, it
is not necessary to also submit a hard
copy. If you cannot submit using https://
www.regulations.gov, please contact
Alan Finio MARAD, as listed in the
contacts section of this NOI (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). For inperson access to the docket, go to Room
W12–401 of the Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal Holidays, and
ask for the MARAD docket number
identified above. If you have questions
on viewing the Docket, call Docket
Operations, telephone: 202–366–9317 or
202–366–9826. Comments can also be
faxed to the Federal Docket
Management Facility at 202–493–2251.
Please submit comments using only one
method.
The comments and associated
documentation, as well as the draft and
final EISs (when published), are
available for viewing at the Federal
Docket Management System (FDMS)
website: https://www.regulations.gov
under docket number MARAD–2019–
0109.
Public comment submissions should
include the Docket number MARAD–
2019–0109.
Faxed, mailed or hand delivered
submissions must be unbound, no larger
than 81⁄2 by 11 inches and suitable for
copying and electronic scanning. The
format of electronic submissions should
also be no larger than 81⁄2 by 11 inches.
If you mail your submission and want
to know when it reaches the Federal
Docket Management Facility, please
include a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope.
Regardless of the method used for
submitting comments, all submissions
will be posted, without change, to the
FDMS website (https://
www.regulations.gov) and will include
any personal information you provide.
Therefore, submitting this information
to the docket makes it public. You may
wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice
that is available on the FDMS website
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
Federal Federal Docket Management
Facility or electronically on the FDMS
website.
Scoping Process
Public scoping is an early and open
process for identifying and determining
the scope of issues to be addressed in
the EIS. Scoping begins with this notice,
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 26, 2019 / Notices
continues through the public comment
period (see DATES), and ends when
MARAD has completed the following
actions:
• Invites the participation of Federal,
state, and local agencies, any affected
Indian tribe, the applicant, in this case
POLB, and other interested persons;
• Determines the actions, alternatives
and impacts described in 40 CFR
1508.25;
• Identifies and eliminates from
detailed study, those issues that are not
significant or that have been covered
elsewhere;
• Identifies other relevant permitting,
environmental review and consultation
requirements;
• Indicates the relationship between
timing of the environmental review and
other aspects of the application process;
and
• At its discretion, exercises the
options provided in 40 CFR 1501.7(b).
Once the scoping process is complete,
MARAD will prepare a draft EIS. When
complete, a Federal Register notice
announcing public availability of the
Draft EIS will be published. If you want
that notice to be sent to you, please
contact the MARAD project manager
identified in this NOI (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT). You will have an
opportunity to review and comment on
the Draft EIS. MARAD and other
appropriate cooperating agencies will
consider the received comments, make
changes where appropriate, and then
prepare the Final EIS. An
announcement will be published when
the Final EIS is available including
instructions for how to review or obtain
a copy of the Final EIS.
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Summary of the Project
The City of Long Beach (COLB),
acting by and through its Board of
Harbor Commissioners (BHC), is
proposing to construct the 12th Street
Alternative in the POLB. The purposes
of the proposed Project for the
reconfiguration and expansion of the
Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility are
to: (a) Provide a sufficient facility to
accommodate the expected demand of
cargo to be moved via on-dock rail into
the foreseeable future; (b) maximize ondock intermodal operations to reach the
long-term goal of 30 to 35 percent of
cargo containers to be handled by ondock rail; (c) provide a facility that can
accept and handle longer container
trains; and (d) provide a rail yard that
is cost effective and fiscally prudent.
The proposed Project would be
constructed in three phases over an
estimated seven years and has an
estimated opening year of 2025.
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18:47 Jun 25, 2019
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Components of the proposed Project
would include:
• Adding 31 yard tracks and five
arrival/departure tracks, thereby
expanding the yard from an existing 12
tracks (2 main line tracks, 10 yard
tracks, and no arrival/departure tracks)
to a total of 48 tracks (2 main tracks, 41
yard tracks, and five arrival/departure
tracks);
• Providing for up to 10,000-foot long
receiving/departure tracks;
• Widening the existing rail bridge
over Dominguez Channel to
accommodate one additional track; and
• Constructing an area for locomotive
refueling within the yard.
Realignments and closures of some
roadways would be required. Pier B
Street would be realigned to the south,
its geometrics would be improved, and
two lanes of traffic in each direction
would be provided.
• The realignment of Pier B Street
would require the reconstruction of two
intersections, at Anaheim Way and
Edison Avenue.
• The existing at-grade 9th Street
railroad grade crossing would be closed
and the Shoemaker ramps removed.
• Pico Avenue would be realigned to
the west beginning at the I–710 ramps
south to approximately Pier D Street,
allowing space for four additional tracks
between Pico Avenue and the I–710
freeway.
• Areas needed for new rail tracks
would require the closure of portions of
9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th streets and
Edison, Jackson, Santa Fe, Canal,
Caspian, Harbor, and Fashion avenues
between Anaheim Street and Pier B
Street, in the City of Long Beach.
• Portions of Farragut, Foote,
Cushing, Macdonough, and Schley
avenues would be closed in the vicinity
of existing railroad right-of-way (ROW)
in the City of Long Beach.
The proposed Project would be
located in two POLB Planning Districts
(the Northeast Harbor and North
Harbor); the site also includes the
Wilmington-Harbor City Community
Plan Area of the City of Los Angeles.
The Project site is generally situated
between Dominguez Channel to the
west, Interstate 710 (I–710) to the east,
Ocean Boulevard to the south, and
Anaheim Street to the north. The
proposed Project area includes rail
tracks that extend west beyond the
Terminal Island Freeway (State Route
103) to just west of Dominguez Channel,
where they connect with the Alameda
Corridor, and also south as far as Ocean
Boulevard. In addition to privately
owned property, a variety of public
agencies own property within the
Project site and in its vicinity, including
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30305
the POLB, COLB, City of Los Angeles,
Port of Los Angeles, Union Pacific and
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads;
Alameda Corridor Transportation
Authority; Los Angeles County Flood
Control District; and Southern
California Edison.
Privacy Act
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c),
MARAD solicits comments from the
public to better inform its rulemaking
process. MARAD posts these comments,
without edit, including any personal
information the commenter provides to
https://www.regulations.gov, as
described in the syste of records notice
(DOT/ALL–14 FDMS), which can be
reviewed at https://www.dot.gov/privacy.
If you wish to provide comments
containing proprietary or confidential
information, please contact the agency
for alternate submission instructions.
(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., 40 CFR
parts 1500–1508, Department of
Transportation Order 5610.1C, and MARAD
Administrative Order 600–1)
Dated: June 21, 2019.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019–13549 Filed 6–25–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD–2019–0105]
Requested Administrative Waiver of
the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel
HALO (Sailboat); Invitation for Public
Comments
Maritime Administration, DOT.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Secretary of
Transportation, as represented by the
Maritime Administration (MARAD), is
authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.build requirements of the coastwise
trade laws to allow the carriage of no
more than twelve passengers for hire on
vessels, which are three years old or
more. 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 26, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket Number
MARAD–2019–0105 by any one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Search
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30303-30305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13549]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number MARAD-2019-0109]
Notice of Intent; Notice of Public Meeting; Request for Comments;
Port of Long Beach (POLB or Port) Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility
Project
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Maritime
Administration (MARAD) will prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS) for the Port of Long Beach (POLB or Port) Pier B On-Dock Rail
Support Facility Project (Project) to support an application to U.S.
Department of Transportation for Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement
Financing (RRIF) and potentially other federal funding programs. The
Project is designed to address current traffic and cargo distribution
bottlenecks into, out of, and within the POLB. The Project also
includes consideration for anticipated future demand for cargo movement
via on-dock rail; maximize
[[Page 30304]]
on-dock intermodal operations to reach the long-term goal of 30 to 35
percent of cargo containers to be handled by on-dock rail; provide a
facility that can accept and handle longer container trains; and
provide a rail yard that is cost effective and fiscally prudent. The
Port is applying to the RRIF Program, and potentially other federal
funding programs, to support the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility
Project.
This Notice of Intent (NOI) requests public participation in the
scoping process, provides information on how to participate, and
announces an informational open house and public meeting in the City of
Long Beach, California.
DATES: The public scoping comment period begins on the date this notice
is published and ends 30 days later. There will be one public scoping
meeting held in connection with the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support
Facility Project. The meeting will be held in City of Long Beach, CA,
at the Port of Long Beach Administration Building on July 10, 2019,
from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The public meeting will be preceded by an
informational open house from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 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 this request for comments on the Pier B On-
Dock Rail Support Facility Project must reach the Federal Docket
Management Facility no later than 30 days after this notice is
published in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting in the City of Long Beach,
California will be held at the Port of Long Beach Administration
Building Board Room, 4801 Airport Plaza Drive, phone: (562) 283-7000,
www.polb.com. Free parking is available at the venue.
The public docket for MARAD-2019-0109 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Finio, Office of Environment, at
telephone number: 202-366-8024 or by email at [email protected].
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to
contact the above individual during business hours. The FIRS is
available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a
message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours. Additionally, if you go to the online
docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments
or other Project documents are posted. Anonymous comments will be
accepted.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Meeting and Open House
We encourage you to attend the informational open house and public
meeting to learn about, and comment on, the proposed Pier B On-Dock
Rail Support Facility Project. You will have the opportunity to submit
comments on the scope and significance of the issues related to the
proposed project that should be addressed in the EIS.
Speaker registrations will be available at the door. Speakers at
the public scoping meeting will be recognized in the following order:
Elected officials, public agencies, individuals or groups in the sign-
up order and then anyone else who wishes to speak.
In order to allow everyone a chance to speak at a public meeting,
we may limit speaker time, extend the meeting hours, or both. You must
identify yourself and any organization you represent by name. Your
remarks will be recorded and/or transcribed for inclusion in the public
docket.
You may submit written material at a public meeting, either in
place of, or in addition to, speaking. Written material must include
your name and address and will be included in the public docket (https://www.regulations.gov).
Our public meeting location is wheelchair-accessible and compliant
with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you plan to attend an open
house or public meeting and need special assistance such as sign
language interpretation, non-English language translator services or
other reasonable accommodation, please notify MARAD (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5 business days in advance of the public
meeting. Include your contact information as well as information about
your specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comment on this proposal. The comments may relate
to, but are not limited to, the environmental impact of the proposed
action. All comments will be accepted. The public meeting is not the
only opportunity you have to comment on the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support
Facility Project. In addition to, or in place of, attending a meeting,
we encourage you to submit comments electronically through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov under docket number
MARAD-2019-0109. If you submit your comments electronically, it is not
necessary to also submit a hard copy. If you cannot submit using https://www.regulations.gov, please contact Alan Finio MARAD, as listed in the
contacts section of this NOI (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). For
in-person access to the docket, go to Room W12-401 of the Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays, and
ask for the MARAD docket number identified above. If you have questions
on viewing the Docket, call Docket Operations, telephone: 202-366-9317
or 202-366-9826. Comments can also be faxed to the Federal Docket
Management Facility at 202-493-2251. Please submit comments using only
one method.
The comments and associated documentation, as well as the draft and
final EISs (when published), are available for viewing at the Federal
Docket Management System (FDMS) website: https://www.regulations.gov
under docket number MARAD-2019-0109.
Public comment submissions should include the Docket number MARAD-
2019-0109.
Faxed, mailed or hand delivered submissions must be unbound, no
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches and suitable for copying and electronic
scanning. The format of electronic submissions should also be no larger
than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches. If you mail your submission and want to know
when it reaches the Federal Docket Management Facility, please include
a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
Regardless of the method used for submitting comments, all
submissions will be posted, without change, to the FDMS website (https://www.regulations.gov) and will include any personal information you
provide. Therefore, submitting this information to the docket makes it
public. You may wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice that is
available on the FDMS website 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 Federal Federal Docket Management Facility or electronically on
the FDMS website.
Scoping Process
Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and
determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Scoping
begins with this notice,
[[Page 30305]]
continues through the public comment period (see DATES), and ends when
MARAD has completed the following actions:
Invites the participation of Federal, state, and local
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, in this case POLB,
and other interested persons;
Determines the actions, alternatives and impacts described
in 40 CFR 1508.25;
Identifies and eliminates from detailed study, those
issues that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
Identifies other relevant permitting, environmental review
and consultation requirements;
Indicates the relationship between timing of the
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
At its discretion, exercises the options provided in 40
CFR 1501.7(b).
Once the scoping process is complete, MARAD will prepare a draft
EIS. When complete, a Federal Register notice announcing public
availability of the Draft EIS will be published. If you want that
notice to be sent to you, please contact the MARAD project manager
identified in this NOI (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You will
have an opportunity to review and comment on the Draft EIS. MARAD and
other appropriate cooperating agencies will consider the received
comments, make changes where appropriate, and then prepare the Final
EIS. An announcement will be published when the Final EIS is available
including instructions for how to review or obtain a copy of the Final
EIS.
Summary of the Project
The City of Long Beach (COLB), acting by and through its Board of
Harbor Commissioners (BHC), is proposing to construct the 12th Street
Alternative in the POLB. The purposes of the proposed Project for the
reconfiguration and expansion of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support
Facility are to: (a) Provide a sufficient facility to accommodate the
expected demand of cargo to be moved via on-dock rail into the
foreseeable future; (b) maximize on-dock intermodal operations to reach
the long-term goal of 30 to 35 percent of cargo containers to be
handled by on-dock rail; (c) provide a facility that can accept and
handle longer container trains; and (d) provide a rail yard that is
cost effective and fiscally prudent.
The proposed Project would be constructed in three phases over an
estimated seven years and has an estimated opening year of 2025.
Components of the proposed Project would include:
Adding 31 yard tracks and five arrival/departure tracks,
thereby expanding the yard from an existing 12 tracks (2 main line
tracks, 10 yard tracks, and no arrival/departure tracks) to a total of
48 tracks (2 main tracks, 41 yard tracks, and five arrival/departure
tracks);
Providing for up to 10,000-foot long receiving/departure
tracks;
Widening the existing rail bridge over Dominguez Channel
to accommodate one additional track; and
Constructing an area for locomotive refueling within the
yard.
Realignments and closures of some roadways would be required. Pier
B Street would be realigned to the south, its geometrics would be
improved, and two lanes of traffic in each direction would be provided.
The realignment of Pier B Street would require the
reconstruction of two intersections, at Anaheim Way and Edison Avenue.
The existing at-grade 9th Street railroad grade crossing
would be closed and the Shoemaker ramps removed.
Pico Avenue would be realigned to the west beginning at
the I-710 ramps south to approximately Pier D Street, allowing space
for four additional tracks between Pico Avenue and the I-710 freeway.
Areas needed for new rail tracks would require the closure
of portions of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th streets and Edison, Jackson,
Santa Fe, Canal, Caspian, Harbor, and Fashion avenues between Anaheim
Street and Pier B Street, in the City of Long Beach.
Portions of Farragut, Foote, Cushing, Macdonough, and
Schley avenues would be closed in the vicinity of existing railroad
right-of-way (ROW) in the City of Long Beach.
The proposed Project would be located in two POLB Planning
Districts (the Northeast Harbor and North Harbor); the site also
includes the Wilmington-Harbor City Community Plan Area of the City of
Los Angeles. The Project site is generally situated between Dominguez
Channel to the west, Interstate 710 (I-710) to the east, Ocean
Boulevard to the south, and Anaheim Street to the north. The proposed
Project area includes rail tracks that extend west beyond the Terminal
Island Freeway (State Route 103) to just west of Dominguez Channel,
where they connect with the Alameda Corridor, and also south as far as
Ocean Boulevard. In addition to privately owned property, a variety of
public agencies own property within the Project site and in its
vicinity, including the POLB, COLB, City of Los Angeles, Port of Los
Angeles, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads;
Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority; Los Angeles County Flood
Control District; and Southern California Edison.
Privacy Act
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), MARAD solicits comments from
the public to better inform its rulemaking process. MARAD posts these
comments, without edit, including any personal information the
commenter provides to https://www.regulations.gov, as described in the
syste of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at
https://www.dot.gov/privacy. If you wish to provide comments containing
proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for
alternate submission instructions.
(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., 40 CFR parts 1500-1508,
Department of Transportation Order 5610.1C, and MARAD Administrative
Order 600-1)
Dated: June 21, 2019.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-13549 Filed 6-25-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
