Maritime Administration November 28, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Maritime Administration (MARAD), in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), announces: (1) The schedule and locations of public hearings; and (2) the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Delfin LNG, LLC (Delfin LNG) deepwater port license application for the exportation of natural gas. A Notice of Application that summarized the original Delfin LNG deepwater port license application was published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2015 (80 FR 42162). A Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Meetings was published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2015 (80 FR 45270). A Notice of Receipt of Amended Application was published in the Federal Register on December 24, 2015 (80 FR 80455). A Notice of Availability (NOA) and Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register July 15, 2016 (81 FR 46157). This NOA incorporates the aforementioned Notices by reference. The proposed Delfin LNG deepwater port would be located in Federal waters within the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) approximately 37.4 to 40.8 nautical miles off the coast of Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The proposed Delfin LNG deepwater port incorporates onshore components, which are subject to FERC jurisdiction. These facilities are described in the section of this Notice titled ``FERC Application.'' 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 process and announces final public hearings in Cameron, Louisiana and Beaumont, Texas. The Final EIS complies with the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended (33 United States Code (U.S.C.) 1501 et seq.) (DWPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)) (NEPA), as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500 to 1508). MARAD and the USCG request public comments on the Final EIS and the application. Pursuant to the criteria provided in the DWPA, both Louisiana and Texas have been designated as Adjacent Coastal States (ACS) for this application.