Deepwater Port License Application-SPOT Terminal Services LLC, 7381-7383 [2020-02430]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 26 / Friday, February 7, 2020 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. MARAD–2019–0011] Deepwater Port License Application— SPOT Terminal Services LLC Maritime Administration, U.S. 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 SPOT Terminal Services LLC (SPOT) deepwater port license application for the export of oil from the United States to nations abroad. A Notice of Application that summarized the SPOT deepwater port license application was published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2019 (84 FR 7413). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Meetings was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2019 (84 FR 8401). This Notice of Availability incorporates the aforementioned Federal Register notices by reference. The application describes a project that would be located approximately 27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas. Publication of this notice begins a 45-day comment period, requests public participation in the environmental impact review process, provides information on how to participate in the environmental impact review process and announces an informational open house and public meeting in Lake Jackson, Texas. DATES: MARAD and USCG will hold one public meeting in connection with the SPOT DEIS. The public meeting will be held in Lake Jackson, Texas, on February 26, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public meeting will be preceded by an open house from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The public meeting may end later than the stated time, depending on the number of persons who wish to make a comment on the record. Additionally, materials submitted in response to this request for comments on the DEIS must be submitted to the www.regulations.gov website or the Federal Docket Management Facility as detailed in the ADDRESSES section below by the close of business on March 23, 2020. ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting in Lake Jackson, Texas will be held at the Courtyard Marriott Lake Jackson, 159 State Highway 288, Lake Jackson, Texas, 77566, phone: (979) jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:42 Feb 06, 2020 Jkt 250001 297–7300, web address: https:// www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ljncycourtyard-lakejackson/. Free parking is available at the venue. The SPOT deepwater port license application, comments, supporting information and the DEIS are available for viewing at the Regulations.gov website: https://www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD–2019– 0011. The Final EIS (FEIS), when published, will be announced and available at this site as well. The public docket for the SPOT deepwater port license application 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. Comments on the DEIS may be submitted to this address and must include the docket number for this project, which is MARAD–2019–0011. The Federal Docket Management Facility’s telephone number is 202–366– 9317 or 202–366–9826, the fax number is 202–493–2251. We encourage you to submit comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov. If you submit your comments electronically, it is not necessary to also submit a hard copy by mail. If you cannot submit material using https://www.regulations.gov, please contact either Mr. William Nabach, USCG, or Ms. Yvette M. Fields, MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. This section provides alternate instructions for submitting written comments. Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Nabach, Project Manager, USCG, telephone: 202–372–1437, email: William.A.Nabach2@uscg.mil; or Ms. Yvette Fields, Director, Office of Deepwater Ports and Port Conveyance, MARAD, telephone: 202–366–0926, email: Yvette.Fields@dot.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Request for Comments We request public comments or other relevant information related to the DEIS for the proposed SPOT deepwater port. These comments will inform our preparation of the FEIS. We encourage attendance at the open house and public meeting; however, you may submit comments electronically, and it is preferred that comments be submitted electronically. Regardless of the method you use to submit comments or PO 00000 Frm 00117 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 7381 material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal Docket Management Facility website (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 www.regulations.gov website, and the Department of Transportation (DOT) 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 DOT Docket Management Facility or electronically at the www.regulations.gov website. Public Meeting and Open House You are invited to learn about the proposed SPOT deepwater port at the subject informational open house and public meeting. You are also encouraged to provide comments on the proposed action and the environmental impact analysis contained in the DEIS for the proposed SPOT deepwater port. Speakers may register upon arrival and will be recognized in the following order: Elected officials, public agency representatives, then 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 extended, or both. Speakers’ transcribed remarks will be included in the public docket. You may also submit written material for inclusion in the public docket. Written material must include the author’s name. 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 meeting 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 five (5) business days in advance. Please include contact information as well as information about specific needs. Background On January 31, 2019, MARAD and USCG received a license application from SPOT for all Federal authorizations required for a license to construct, own, and operate a deepwater port for the export of oil. The proposed deepwater port would be located in Federal waters approximately 27.2 to E:\FR\FM\07FEN1.SGM 07FEN1 7382 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 26 / Friday, February 7, 2020 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas. Texas was designated as the Adjacent Coastal State (ACS) for the SPOT license application. The Federal agencies involved held a public scoping meeting in connection with the SPOT license application. The public scoping meeting was held in Lake Jackson, Texas on March 20, 2019. Transcripts of the scoping meetings are included on the public docket located at www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD–2019–0011–0019. MARAD and USCG issued a regulatory ‘‘stop-clock’’ letter to SPOT on May 31, 2019, which remained in effect until October 23, 2019, when MARAD and USCG determined the agencies received sufficient information to continue the Federal review process. The purpose of the DEIS is to analyze reasonable alternatives to, and the direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of, the proposed action. The DEIS is currently available for public review at the Federal docket website: www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD–2019–0011. Summary of the License Application SPOT is proposing to construct, own, and operate a deepwater port terminal in the Gulf of Mexico to export domestically produced crude oil. Use of the deepwater port would include the loading of various grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 85,000 barrels per hour (bph). The SPOT 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 and a floating vapor recovery hose. The maximum frequency of loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers would be 2 million barrels per day, 365 days per year. The overall project would consist of offshore and marine components as well as onshore components as described below. The SPOT deepwater port offshore and marine components would consist of the following: • One (1) fixed offshore platform with eight (8) piles in Galveston Area Outer Continental Shelf lease block 463, approximately 27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas in a water depth of approximately 115 feet. The fixed offshore platform would be comprised of four (4) decks including: A sump deck with shut-down valves and open drain sump; a cellar deck with pig launchers and receivers, generators, and three (3) vapor combustion units; a main deck with a VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:42 Feb 06, 2020 Jkt 250001 lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) unit, oil displacement prover loop, living quarters, electrical and instrument building, and other ancillary equipment; and a laydown deck with a crane laydown area. • Two (2) single point mooring buoys (SPMs), each having: Two (2) 24-inch inside diameter crude oil underbuoy hoses interconnecting with the crude oil pipeline end manifold (PLEM); two (2) 24-inch inside diameter floating crude oil hoses connecting the moored VLCC or other crude oil carrier for loading to the SPM buoy; one (1) 24-inch inside diameter vapor recovery underbuoy hose interconnecting with the vapor recovery PLEM; and one (1) 24-inch inside diameter floating vapor recovery hose to connect to the moored VLCC or other crude oil carrier for loading. The floating hoses would be approximately 800 feet in length and rated for 300 psig (21-bar). Each floating hose would contain an additional 200 feet of 16-inch ‘‘tail hose’’ that is designed to be lifted and robust enough for hanging over the edge railing of the VLCC or other crude oil vessels. The underbuoy hoses would be approximately 160 feet in length and rated for 300 psig (21-bar). • Four (4) PLEMs would provide the interconnection between the pipelines and the SPM buoys. Each SPM buoy would have two (2) PLEMs—one (1) PLEM for crude oil and one (1) PLEM for vapor recovery. Each crude oil loading PLEM would be supplied with crude oil by two (2) 30-inch outside diameter pipelines, each approximately 0.66 nautical miles in length. Each vapor recovery PLEM would route recovered vapor from the VLCC or other crude oil carrier through the PLEM to the three (3) vapor combustion units located on the platform topside via two (2) 16-inch outside diameter vapor recovery pipelines, each approximately 0.66 nautical miles in length. • Two (2) co-located 36-inch outside diameter, 40.8-nautical mile long crude oil pipelines would be constructed from the shoreline crossing in Brazoria County, Texas, to the SPOT deepwater port for crude oil delivery. These pipelines, in conjunction with 12.2 statute miles of new-build onshore pipelines (described below), would connect the onshore crude oil storage facility and pumping station (Oyster Creek Terminal) to the offshore SPOT deepwater port. The crude oil would be metered at the offshore platform. Pipelines would be bi-directional for the purposes of maintenance, pigging, changing crude oil grades, or evacuating the pipeline with water. PO 00000 Frm 00118 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The SPOT deepwater port onshore storage and supply components would consist of the following: • New equipment and piping at the existing Enterprise Crude Houston (ECHO) Terminal to provide interconnectivity with the crude oil supply network for the SPOT Project. This would include the installation of four (4) booster pumps, one (1) measurement skid, and four (4) crude oil pumps. • An interconnection between the existing Rancho II pipeline and the proposed ECHO to Oyster Creek pipeline consisting of a physical connection as well as ultrasonic measurement capability for pipeline volumetric balancing purposes. • The proposed Oyster Creek Terminal located in Brazoria County, Texas, on approximately 140 acres of land consisting of seven (7) aboveground storage tanks, each with a total storage capacity of 685,000 barrels (600,000 barrels working storage capacity), for a total onshore storage capacity of approximately 4.8 million barrels (4.2 million barrels working storage) of crude oil. The Oyster Creek Terminal also would include: Six (6) electric-driven mainline crude oil pumps; four (4) electric-driven booster crude oil pumps (two (2) per pipeline), working in parallel to move crude oil from the storage tanks through the measurement skids; two (2) crude oil pipeline pig launchers/receivers; one (1) crude oil pipeline pig receiver; two (2) measurement skids for measuring incoming crude oil—one (1) skid located at the incoming pipeline from the existing Enterprise Crude Houston (ECHO) Terminal, and one (1) skid installed and reserved for a future pipeline connection; two (2) measurement skids for measuring departing crude oil; three (3) vapor combustion units—two (2) permanent and one (1) portable; and ancillary facilities to include electrical substation, office, and warehouse buildings. • Three onshore crude oil pipelines would be constructed onshore to support the SPOT deepwater port. These would include: One (1) 50.1 statute mile long 36-inch crude oil pipeline from the existing ECHO Terminal to the Oyster Creek Terminal. This pipeline would be located in Harris County and Brazoria County, Texas; two (2) 12.2 statute mile long, co-located 36inch crude oil export pipelines from the Oyster Creek Terminal to the shore crossing where these would join the above described subsea pipelines supplying the SPOT deepwater port. These pipelines would be located in Brazoria County, Texas. E:\FR\FM\07FEN1.SGM 07FEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 26 / Friday, February 7, 2020 / Notices Privacy Act Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or materials, all submissions will be posted, without change to 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 Security Notice, as well as the User Notice, that is available on the www.regulations.gov website. The Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal Docket Management System is available in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal Register (70 FR 15086). (Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq., 49 CFR 1.93(h)) * * * * * Dated: February 4, 2020. By Order of the Maritime Administrator. T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr., Secretary, Maritime Administration. [FR Doc. 2020–02430 Filed 2–6–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–81–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. MARAD–2020–0031] Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel PELICAN II (Motor Vessel); 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 March 9, 2020. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket Number MARAD–2020–0031 by any one of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Search MARAD–2020–0031 and follow the instructions for submitting comments. • Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility is in the West Building, Ground Floor of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Docket Management Facility location jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:42 Feb 06, 2020 Jkt 250001 address is: U.S. Department of Transportation, MARAD–2020–0031, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your comments, we recommend that you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your submission. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and specific docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see the section entitled Public Participation. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bianca Carr, U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W23–453, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202– 366–9309, Email Bianca.carr@dot.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As described by the applicant the intended service of the vessel PELICAN II is: —Intended Commercial Use of Vessel: ‘‘Carrying of passengers for sightseeing and sunset cruises’’ —Geographic Region Including Base of Operations: ‘‘Virginia’’ (Base of Operations: Charlottesville, VA) —Vessel Length and Type: 33′ motor vessel The complete application is available for review identified in the DOT docket as MARAD–2020–0031 at https:// www.regulations.gov. Interested parties may comment on the effect this action may have on U.S. vessel builders or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag vessels. If MARAD determines, in accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 388, that the issuance of the waiver will have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.vessel builder or a business that uses U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a waiver will not be granted. Comments should refer to the vessel name, state the commenter’s interest in the waiver application, and address the waiver criteria given in section 388.4 of MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 388. Public Participation How do I submit comments? Please submit your comments, including the attachments, following the PO 00000 Frm 00119 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 7383 instructions provided under the above heading entitled ADDRESSES. Be advised that it may take a few hours or even days for your comment to be reflected on the docket. In addition, your comments must be written in English. We encourage you to provide concise comments and you may attach additional documents as necessary. There is no limit on the length of the attachments. Where do I go to read public comments, and find supporting information? Go to the docket online at https:// www.regulations.gov., keyword search MARAD–2020–0031 or visit the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for hours of operation). We recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new submissions and supporting material. Will my comments be made available to the public? Yes. Be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, will be made publicly available. May I submit comments confidentially? If you wish to submit comments under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit three copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim to be confidential business information, to the Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Legislation and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover letter setting forth with specificity the basis for any such claim and, if possible, a summary of your submission that can be made available to the public. Privacy Act In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice, DOT/ALL–14 FDMS, accessible through www.dot.gov/privacy. To facilitate comment tracking and response, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their organization; however, submission of names is completely optional. Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for alternate submission instructions. E:\FR\FM\07FEN1.SGM 07FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 26 (Friday, February 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7381-7383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02430]



[[Page 7381]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD-2019-0011]


Deepwater Port License Application--SPOT Terminal Services LLC

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of availability; Notice of public meeting; Request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard 
(USCG) announce the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for the SPOT Terminal Services LLC (SPOT) deepwater 
port license application for the export of oil from the United States 
to nations abroad. A Notice of Application that summarized the SPOT 
deepwater port license application was published in the Federal 
Register on March 4, 2019 (84 FR 7413). A Notice of Intent to Prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Meetings 
was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2019 (84 FR 8401). 
This Notice of Availability incorporates the aforementioned Federal 
Register notices by reference. The application describes a project that 
would be located approximately 27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the 
coast of Brazoria County, Texas. Publication of this notice begins a 
45-day comment period, requests public participation in the 
environmental impact review process, provides information on how to 
participate in the environmental impact review process and announces an 
informational open house and public meeting in Lake Jackson, Texas.

DATES: MARAD and USCG will hold one public meeting in connection with 
the SPOT DEIS. The public meeting will be held in Lake Jackson, Texas, 
on February 26, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public meeting will be 
preceded by an open house from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The public meeting may 
end later than the stated time, depending on the number of persons who 
wish to make a comment on the record. Additionally, materials submitted 
in response to this request for comments on the DEIS must be submitted 
to the www.regulations.gov website or the Federal Docket Management 
Facility as detailed in the ADDRESSES section below by the close of 
business on March 23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting in Lake Jackson, Texas 
will be held at the Courtyard Marriott Lake Jackson, 159 State Highway 
288, Lake Jackson, Texas, 77566, phone: (979) 297-7300, web address: 
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ljncy-courtyard-lakejackson/. 
Free parking is available at the venue.
    The SPOT deepwater port license application, comments, supporting 
information and the DEIS are available for viewing at the 
Regulations.gov website: https://www.regulations.gov under docket number 
MARAD-2019-0011. The Final EIS (FEIS), when published, will be 
announced and available at this site as well.
    The public docket for the SPOT deepwater port license application 
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. Comments on the DEIS may be 
submitted to this address and must include the docket number for this 
project, which is MARAD-2019-0011. The Federal Docket Management 
Facility's telephone number is 202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826, the fax 
number is 202-493-2251.
    We encourage you to submit comments electronically through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If you submit 
your comments electronically, it is not necessary to also submit a hard 
copy by mail. If you cannot submit material using https://www.regulations.gov, please contact either Mr. William Nabach, USCG, or 
Ms. Yvette M. Fields, MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. This section provides 
alternate instructions for submitting written comments. Additionally, 
if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will 
be notified when comments are posted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Nabach, Project Manager, 
USCG, telephone: 202-372-1437, email: [email protected]; or 
Ms. Yvette Fields, Director, Office of Deepwater Ports and Port 
Conveyance, MARAD, telephone: 202-366-0926, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Request for Comments

    We request public comments or other relevant information related to 
the DEIS for the proposed SPOT deepwater port. These comments will 
inform our preparation of the FEIS. We encourage attendance at the open 
house and public meeting; however, you may submit comments 
electronically, and it is preferred that comments be submitted 
electronically. Regardless of the method you use to submit comments or 
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the 
Federal Docket Management Facility website (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 
www.regulations.gov website, and the Department of Transportation (DOT) 
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 DOT Docket Management Facility or electronically at the 
www.regulations.gov website.

Public Meeting and Open House

    You are invited to learn about the proposed SPOT deepwater port at 
the subject informational open house and public meeting. You are also 
encouraged to provide comments on the proposed action and the 
environmental impact analysis contained in the DEIS for the proposed 
SPOT deepwater port. Speakers may register upon arrival and will be 
recognized in the following order: Elected officials, public agency 
representatives, then 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 extended, or both. Speakers' transcribed 
remarks will be included in the public docket. You may also submit 
written material for inclusion in the public docket. Written material 
must include the author's name. 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 
meeting 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 five (5) business 
days in advance. Please include contact information as well as 
information about specific needs.

Background

    On January 31, 2019, MARAD and USCG received a license application 
from SPOT for all Federal authorizations required for a license to 
construct, own, and operate a deepwater port for the export of oil. The 
proposed deepwater port would be located in Federal waters 
approximately 27.2 to

[[Page 7382]]

30.8 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas. Texas was 
designated as the Adjacent Coastal State (ACS) for the SPOT license 
application.
    The Federal agencies involved held a public scoping meeting in 
connection with the SPOT license application. The public scoping 
meeting was held in Lake Jackson, Texas on March 20, 2019. Transcripts 
of the scoping meetings are included on the public docket located at 
www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD-2019-0011-0019.
    MARAD and USCG issued a regulatory ``stop-clock'' letter to SPOT on 
May 31, 2019, which remained in effect until October 23, 2019, when 
MARAD and USCG determined the agencies received sufficient information 
to continue the Federal review process.
    The purpose of the DEIS is to analyze reasonable alternatives to, 
and the direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of, the 
proposed action. The DEIS is currently available for public review at 
the Federal docket website: www.regulations.gov under docket number 
MARAD-2019-0011.

Summary of the License Application

    SPOT is proposing to construct, own, and operate a deepwater port 
terminal in the Gulf of Mexico to export domestically produced crude 
oil. Use of the deepwater port would include the loading of various 
grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 85,000 barrels per hour 
(bph). The SPOT 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 and a floating vapor recovery hose. 
The maximum frequency of loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers 
would be 2 million barrels per day, 365 days per year.
    The overall project would consist of offshore and marine components 
as well as onshore components as described below.
    The SPOT deepwater port offshore and marine components would 
consist of the following:
     One (1) fixed offshore platform with eight (8) piles in 
Galveston Area Outer Continental Shelf lease block 463, approximately 
27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas in 
a water depth of approximately 115 feet. The fixed offshore platform 
would be comprised of four (4) decks including: A sump deck with shut-
down valves and open drain sump; a cellar deck with pig launchers and 
receivers, generators, and three (3) vapor combustion units; a main 
deck with a lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) unit, oil 
displacement prover loop, living quarters, electrical and instrument 
building, and other ancillary equipment; and a laydown deck with a 
crane laydown area.
     Two (2) single point mooring buoys (SPMs), each having: 
Two (2) 24-inch inside diameter crude oil underbuoy hoses 
interconnecting with the crude oil pipeline end manifold (PLEM); two 
(2) 24-inch inside diameter floating crude oil hoses connecting the 
moored VLCC or other crude oil carrier for loading to the SPM buoy; one 
(1) 24-inch inside diameter vapor recovery underbuoy hose 
interconnecting with the vapor recovery PLEM; and one (1) 24-inch 
inside diameter floating vapor recovery hose to connect to the moored 
VLCC or other crude oil carrier for loading. The floating hoses would 
be approximately 800 feet in length and rated for 300 psig (21-bar). 
Each floating hose would contain an additional 200 feet of 16-inch 
``tail hose'' that is designed to be lifted and robust enough for 
hanging over the edge railing of the VLCC or other crude oil vessels. 
The underbuoy hoses would be approximately 160 feet in length and rated 
for 300 psig (21-bar).
     Four (4) PLEMs would provide the interconnection between 
the pipelines and the SPM buoys. Each SPM buoy would have two (2) 
PLEMs--one (1) PLEM for crude oil and one (1) PLEM for vapor recovery. 
Each crude oil loading PLEM would be supplied with crude oil by two (2) 
30-inch outside diameter pipelines, each approximately 0.66 nautical 
miles in length. Each vapor recovery PLEM would route recovered vapor 
from the VLCC or other crude oil carrier through the PLEM to the three 
(3) vapor combustion units located on the platform topside via two (2) 
16-inch outside diameter vapor recovery pipelines, each approximately 
0.66 nautical miles in length.
     Two (2) co-located 36-inch outside diameter, 40.8-nautical 
mile long crude oil pipelines would be constructed from the shoreline 
crossing in Brazoria County, Texas, to the SPOT deepwater port for 
crude oil delivery. These pipelines, in conjunction with 12.2 statute 
miles of new-build onshore pipelines (described below), would connect 
the onshore crude oil storage facility and pumping station (Oyster 
Creek Terminal) to the offshore SPOT deepwater port. The crude oil 
would be metered at the offshore platform. Pipelines would be bi-
directional for the purposes of maintenance, pigging, changing crude 
oil grades, or evacuating the pipeline with water.
    The SPOT deepwater port onshore storage and supply components would 
consist of the following:
     New equipment and piping at the existing Enterprise Crude 
Houston (ECHO) Terminal to provide interconnectivity with the crude oil 
supply network for the SPOT Project. This would include the 
installation of four (4) booster pumps, one (1) measurement skid, and 
four (4) crude oil pumps.
     An interconnection between the existing Rancho II pipeline 
and the proposed ECHO to Oyster Creek pipeline consisting of a physical 
connection as well as ultrasonic measurement capability for pipeline 
volumetric balancing purposes.
     The proposed Oyster Creek Terminal located in Brazoria 
County, Texas, on approximately 140 acres of land consisting of seven 
(7) aboveground storage tanks, each with a total storage capacity of 
685,000 barrels (600,000 barrels working storage capacity), for a total 
onshore storage capacity of approximately 4.8 million barrels (4.2 
million barrels working storage) of crude oil. The Oyster Creek 
Terminal also would include: Six (6) electric-driven mainline crude oil 
pumps; four (4) electric-driven booster crude oil pumps (two (2) per 
pipeline), working in parallel to move crude oil from the storage tanks 
through the measurement skids; two (2) crude oil pipeline pig 
launchers/receivers; one (1) crude oil pipeline pig receiver; two (2) 
measurement skids for measuring incoming crude oil--one (1) skid 
located at the incoming pipeline from the existing Enterprise Crude 
Houston (ECHO) Terminal, and one (1) skid installed and reserved for a 
future pipeline connection; two (2) measurement skids for measuring 
departing crude oil; three (3) vapor combustion units--two (2) 
permanent and one (1) portable; and ancillary facilities to include 
electrical substation, office, and warehouse buildings.
     Three onshore crude oil pipelines would be constructed 
onshore to support the SPOT deepwater port. These would include: One 
(1) 50.1 statute mile long 36-inch crude oil pipeline from the existing 
ECHO Terminal to the Oyster Creek Terminal. This pipeline would be 
located in Harris County and Brazoria County, Texas; two (2) 12.2 
statute mile long, co-located 36- inch crude oil export pipelines from 
the Oyster Creek Terminal to the shore crossing where these would join 
the above described subsea pipelines supplying the SPOT deepwater port. 
These pipelines would be located in Brazoria County, Texas.

[[Page 7383]]

Privacy Act

    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or materials, 
all submissions will be posted, without change to 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 Security Notice, as well as the User Notice, 
that is available on the www.regulations.gov website. The Privacy Act 
notice regarding the Federal Docket Management System is available in 
the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal Register (70 FR 15086).

(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq., 49 CFR 1.93(h))
* * * * *

    Dated: February 4, 2020.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-02430 Filed 2-6-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
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