Historic Preservation, Advisory Council July 29, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Maritime Administration (MARAD), in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) as part of the environmental review of the Delfin LNG LLC (Delfin LNG) deepwater port license application. The application proposes the ownership, construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port export facility that would be located in Federal waters within the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) West Cameron Area, West Addition Protraction Area (Gulf of Mexico), approximately 37.4 to 40.8 nautical miles off the coast of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, in water depths ranging from approximately 64 to 72 feet (19.5 to 21.9 meters). The deepwater port would consist of four semi-permanently moored floating liquefaction natural gas vessels (FLNGVs), and would reuse and repurpose two existing offshore natural gas pipelines: The former U-T Operating System (UTOS) pipeline and the High Island Operating System (HIOS) pipeline (see Summary of the Application for additional project specifics). The onshore components of the proposed deepwater port would be located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and would be reviewed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under a separate authorization process (see FERC Docket No. CP15-490-000; 80 FR 30226 (May 27, 2015)). The onshore facility would consist of reactivating approximately 1.1 miles of the existing UTOS pipeline; the addition of 74,000 horsepower of new compression and associated metering and regulation facilities; the installation of new supply header pipelines (which would consist of 0.25 miles of new 42-inch pipeline to connect the former UTOS line to the new meter station); and 0.6 miles of new twin 30-inch pipelines between Transco Station 44 and the new compressor station site. Publication of this Notice of Intent (NOI) begins a 30 day scoping process that will help identify and determine the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS. MARAD and the USCG will consider both the Delfin LNG deepwater port license application and the FERC application to be included in this review. For your convenience, we have included the Delfin LNG application to FERC under docket number USCG-2015-0472. This NOI requests public participation in the scoping process, provides information on how to participate and announces informational open houses and public meetings in Louisiana and Texas. Pursuant to the criteria provided in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. (the Act), both Louisiana and Texas are the Adjacent Coastal States for this application.

This action confirms the effective date of the direct final rule, request for comments, published on May 27, 2015, and dispositions the one public comment received. The rule amends commercial space transportation regulations to allow an applicant for a license, experimental permit, or safety approval the option of submitting an application electronically.