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20 September 2007
[Federal Register: September 18, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 180)]
[Notices]
[Page 53283-53286]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18se07-94]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[USCG-2007-28676]
Clearwater Port Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License
Application; Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of public meeting; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard, in
coordination with the California State Lands Commission (CSLC),
announce their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR), in connection with this
application for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port
(DWP) that would be located in the Pacific Ocean approximately 10.5
miles offshore of Ventura County, California.
The EIS/EIR will be prepared in coordination with the CSLC because
the applicant has filed a land lease application with the CSLC for the
construction, use and maintenance of a 36-inch diameter subsea pipeline
on submerged lands in State waters to deliver natural gas onshore. The
EIS/EIR will meet the requirements of both the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Publication of this notice begins a scoping process that will help
identify and determine the scope of environmental issues addressed in
the EIS/EIR. This notice requests public participation in the scoping
process, provides information on how to participate, and serves as a
notice of preparation (NOP) for the purposes of compliance with CEQA.
DATES: Material submitted in response to the request for comments must
be received by the Docket Management Facility or the CSLC by October
18, 2007 by 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (see Request for Comments and
Addresses for the address and instructions on how to submit comments).
Public meeting dates are October 3, 2007 in Oxnard, California, and
October 4, 2007 in Santa Clarita, California.
ADDRESSES: The public meetings and informational open houses will be
held at the following times and places:
October 3, 2007
Performing Arts and Convention Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard,
California 93030, Telephone: (805) 486-2424.
Public Scoping Meetings: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m.; Open House: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30
p.m.
October 4, 2007
Santa Clarita Activities Center, Santa Clarita Room, 20880 Centre
Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, California 91350, Telephone: (661) 250-
3701.
Public Scoping Meeting: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Open House: 4 p.m. to 6
p.m.
The public docket for USCG-2007-28676 is maintained by the
Department of Transportation Docket Management Facility. You may submit
comments by any of the following methods:
If filing comments by September 27, 2007, please use:
Web Site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for
submitting comments on the Department of Transportation Docket
Management System electronic docket site. No electronic submissions
will be accepted between September 28, 2007, and October 1, 2007.
If filing comments on or after October 1, 2007, use:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Alternatively, you can file comments using the following methods:
Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Instructions: Note that all comments received will be posted
without change to http://dms.dot.gov or http://www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act
heading below.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78).
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://dms.dot.gov until September 27, 2007,
or the street address listed above. The DOT docket may be offline at
times between September 28 through September 30 to migrate to the
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS). On October 1, 2007, the
internet access to the docket will be http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Ray Martin, U.S. Coast Guard,
at (202) 372-1449 or e-mail at Raymond.W.Martin@uscg.mil; Kevin Tone,
U.S. Coast Guard, at (202) 372-1441 or Kevin.P.Tone@uscg.mil; Mr. Scott
Davies, U.S. Maritime Administration, at (202) 366-2763 or
Scott.Davies@dot.gov; or contact Crystal Spurr, located in the
Sacramento, CA office of the California State Lands Commission, at
(916) 574-0748 or e-mail at spurrc@slc.ca.gov.
This public notice may be requested in an alternative format, such
as Spanish translation, audiotape, large print, or Braille by
contacting Crystal Spurr, CSLC, (916) 574-0748 (spurrc@slc.ca.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maritime Administration and the U.S.
Coast Guard, in coordination with the California State Lands Commission
(CSLC), announce their intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR), in connection with
this application for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater
port (DWP) that would be located in the Pacific Ocean approximately
10.5 miles offshore of Ventura County, California. The EIS/EIR will be
prepared with the CSLC because the applicant has filed a land lease
[[Page 53284]]
application with the CSLC for the construction, use and maintenance of
a 36-inch diameter subsea pipeline on submerged lands in State waters
to deliver natural gas onshore. The EIS/EIR will meet the requirements
of both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Publication of this notice begins a
scoping process that will help identify and determine the scope of
environmental review and invites public participation in the scoping
process, and provides information on how to participate. This notice
also serves as a notice of preparation (NOP) for the purposes of CEQA
compliance.
Background
Information about deepwater ports, the statutes and regulations
governing licensing, and the receipt of the current application for the
proposed Clearwater Port LNG deepwater port appears at 72 FR 50445,
August 31, 2007.
Consideration of a deepwater port license application and CSLC land
lease application includes review of the proposed environmental
impacts. The U.S. Coast Guard, in coordination with the Maritime
Administration, determines the scope of this review. In this case,
these Federal agencies have determined that review must include
preparation of an EIS. The CSLC, as the State lead agency under the
CEQA, has determined that an EIR is required. Because of the many
similarities between an EIS and an EIR, the U.S. Coast Guard (in
coordination with the Maritime Administration) and the CSLC have agreed
to cooperate in preparing a single document that satisfies both the
NEPA and the CEQA. This notice of intent is required by 40 CFR 1508.22,
and briefly describes the proposed action, possible alternatives, and
the proposed scoping process. For the State of California's purposes,
this notice serves as a notice of preparation, notice of public scoping
meetings, and request for comments as described in CEQA Guidelines
Section 15082. Address any questions about the proposed action, the
scoping process, or the EIS/EIR to the U.S. Coast Guard and CSLC
contact persons identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section. Comments need not be submitted to more than one agency; all
comments received by one agency will be shared with and entered into
the record of the other agencies.
Proposed Action/ Project Description
Clearwater Port LLC (a subsidiary of NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc.)
is proposing to construct Clearwater Port, an offshore liquefied
natural gas receiving terminal and regasification facility located in
federal waters approximately 10.5 miles offshore of the coast of
Oxnard, California in Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Block
OCS-P 0217. Clearwater Port will be comprised primarily of Platform
Grace; an offset dual berth (ODB) Satellite Service Platform that would
be installed adjacent to Platform Grace for docking of the LNG
carriers; and a new 36-inch subsea pipeline to transport vaporized
natural gas from the platform connecting at a junction point onshore to
a Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) pipeline located in Rancho
Santa Clara near Camarillo, California. The pipeline would come ashore
within the Reliant Energy Mandalay Power Generating Station and connect
with a new gas receiving and metering facility.
The onshore components of the project would consist of
approximately 63 miles of new pipeline by expanding the SoCalGas
pipeline system as follows: A 36-inch pipeline extending 12.9 miles
from the Reliant Energy Mandalay Power Generating Station to the
existing Center Road Station; a 36-inch pipeline extending 37 miles to
loop the existing Line 324 for transport of additional capacities from
the Center Road Station to the existing Saugus Station; an 8.75-mile
leg of 36-inch pipeline to loop the existing Line 225 for transport of
additional capacities from the existing Honor Rancho Station to the
Quigley Station; and, a final 4.5-mile leg of 36-inch pipeline to
extend the existing Line 3008 (currently from the Quigley Valve Station
to the Newhall Valve Station) for transport of additional capacities
from the existing Quigley Valve Station to the existing Balboa Station.
Contact Crystal Spurr, CSLC, (916) 574-0748 (spurrc@slc.ca.gov) to
obtain a map of the project location.
The deepwater port would be able to receive approximately 139 LNG
carriers annually and accommodate two LNG carriers ranging from 70,000
m \3\ to 220,000 m \3\ in capacity. The carriers would transfer LNG one
carrier at a time through a conventional marine loading arm system to
the platform via a cryogenic pipe-in-pipe where it would be regasified
by an ambient air vaporizer (AAV) system. The AAV would have the
capacity to achieve an average hourly rate of 2300 m \3\, an average
daily gas send-out of 1.2 Bcfd, and a peak sendout capacity of 1.4
Bcfd. Construction of the deepwater port could be expected to take
three (3) years; with start-up of commercial operations following
construction, should a Federal license and the required California
State lease and permits be issued. The deepwater port would be
designed, constructed and operated in accordance with applicable codes
and standards and would have an expected operating life of
approximately 30 years.
Public Meeting and Open House
We invite you to learn about the proposed deepwater port at an
informational open house and comment at a public meeting on
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The
comments will help us identify and refine the scope of the
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS/EIR.
Written material may be submitted at the public meeting, either in
place of or in addition to speaking. Written material should include
your name and address, and will be included in the public docket.
All public meeting locations are wheelchair-accessible. If you plan
to attend the open house or public meeting, and need special assistance
such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodation,
please notify the U.S. Coast Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT) at least 3 business days in advance. Include your contact
information as well as information about your specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other relevant information on
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The public
meeting is not the only opportunity to comment. In addition to or in
place of attending a meeting, comments can be submitted to the Docket
Management Facility during the public comment period (see DATES). All
comments and materials received during the comment period will be
considered. Address comments/docket submissions to either of the
following agencies:
Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC 20590.
Submit your comments by electronic submission to DMS, http://dms.dot.gov (or to http://www.regulations.gov, if filing comments on or
after October 1, 2007) or by fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket
Management Facility. Faxed or hand delivered submissions must be
unbound, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying
and electronic scanning. If you mail your submission and want to know
when it reaches the Facility, include a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope. The Docket Management Facility
[[Page 53285]]
accepts hand-delivered submissions, and makes docket contents available
for public inspection and copying at this address, in room W12-140,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. The Docket Management Facility's telephone is 202-366-9329,
and its fax is 202-493-2251.
California State Lands Commission, Attn: Crystal Spurr, 100 Howe
Avenue, Suite 100 South, Sacramento, California 95825-8202.
The telephone number at the California State Lands Commission is
(916) 574-1900, and the fax is (916) 574-1885. You can submit your
comments by electronic submissions to the CSLC, spurrc@slc.ca.gov; or
by fax, mail, or hand delivery to the CSLC. Faxed or hand delivered
submissions must be unbound, no larger than 81/2 by 11 inches, and
suitable for copying and electronic scanning. If you mail your
submission and want to know when it reaches the CSLC, include a
stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
Submissions should include:
Docket number USCG-2007-28676.
Your name and address.
Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing
information to our attention.
Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or materials,
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site
(http://dms.dot.gov) (or to http://www.regulations.gov, if filing
comments on or after October 1, 2007), and will include any personal
information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes
it public (see Privacy Act).
If you have questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright,
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone: 202-493-0402.
Additionally, information pertaining to the proposed Clearwater Port is
available online at http://dms.dot.gov or http://www.slc.ca.gov.
Scoping Process
Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and
determining the scope of issues addressed in the EIS/EIR. Scoping
begins with this notice, continues through the public comment period
and ends when the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration and the CSLC
have:
Invited the participation of Federal, State, and local
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, and other
interested persons;
Determined the actions, alternatives, and impacts
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
Identified and eliminated from detailed study those issues
that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
Allocated responsibility for preparing EIS/EIR components;
Indicated any related environmental assessments or
environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS;
Identified other relevant environmental review and
consultation requirements;
Indicated the relationship between timing of the
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
At the Federal agencies' discretion, exercised the options
provided in 40 CFR 1501.7 (b).
Once the scoping process is complete, the Maritime Administration
and Coast Guard, in cooperation with CSLC, will prepare a draft EIS/EIR
(DEIS/DEIR), and publish a Federal Register notice announcing its
public availability. To receive that notice, please contact those
identified in (FOR FURTHER INFORMATION). An opportunity to review and
comment on the draft EIS/EIR will be provided. The Maritime
Administration, Coast Guard, and CSLC will consider those comments in
the preparation of the final EIS/EIR (FEIS/FEIR). As with the draft
EIS, we will announce the availability of the FEIS/FEIR and once again
provide an opportunity for review and comment.
Availability of EIS/EIR
In addition to the Federal Register notice announcing the
availability of the DEIS/DEIR, the CSLC will file a notice of
completion with the California State Clearinghouse. The DEIS/DEIR in
hardcopy or electronic format will be distributed to agencies, local
public libraries and interested parties that have requested copies.
Comments received during the DEIS/DEIR review period will be available
in the public docket and responded to in the FEIS/FEIR. An NOA of the
FEIS/FEIR will be published in the Federal Register, and the CSLC will
issue notices of availability and completion. Additional public
meetings will be held after the draft and final documents are
published.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
The EIS/EIR for Clearwater Port will discuss, among other issues:
The purpose and need for this LNG project; project alternatives; the no
action/no project alternative; the affected environment/baseline; the
environmental impacts of the proposed action/project and alternatives;
and proposed mitigation measures. The EIS/EIR will assess the impacts
of the project and alternatives on the environment, including approving
or not approving (no action/no project alternative) the state lease and
the federal license to construct and operate the DWP.
Environmental issues that will require detailed analysis include,
but are not necessarily limited to:
Aesthetics--alter the onshore and offshore viewsheds;
light and glare;
Air Quality--onshore and offshore impacts on regional air
quality; impacts of greenhouse gas emissions;
Geological Resources and Soils--impacts from seismic
hazards, erosion, and loss of unique paleontological resources;
Hazardous Materials--impacts from hazardous material
spills or pipeline rupture;
Marine Transportation--impacts on marine traffic;
Onshore Transportation--impacts from construction traffic
and temporary lane closures;
Marine Biology--impacts on sea turtles, marine mammals,
benthic communities, or other special status species;
Recreation--impacts on boating and commercial and
recreational fishing, and impacts on public beach access;
Hazards and Risk/Safety--impacts from LNG/gas release (The
EIS/EIR will include an independent, site-specific risk assessment);
Noise and Vibration--impacts of noise on local residents,
boaters, passengers on marine vessels, fish, sea turtles, and marine
mammals;
Terrestrial Biology--impacts from construction, operation
and maintenance activities on biological resources;
Water Quality--impacts from spills, releases of LNG,
erosion;
Environmental Justice--potential disproportionate effects
on minority and low income populations within the Project area;
Agricultural Resources--impacts on farmland and crops;
Cultural Resources--impacts on shipwrecks and Native
American, archaeological, and historic resources;
Energy and Mineral Resources--Restriction on the future
availability of exploitable oil and gas resources;
Land Use--potential conflicts with existing land uses;
Socioeconomics--impacts on community character,
population, housing, public services, employment;
Cumulative Impacts--The EIS/EIR will evaluate the
cumulative effects of
[[Page 53286]]
the project, if any, associated with each environmental issue area;
Alternatives--The EIS/EIR will evaluate the No Action/No
Project Alternative. Other alternatives that may be analyzed include:
Alternative Offshore Locations; Alternative Onshore Locations;
Alternative Capacity; Alternative Onshore and Offshore Pipeline Routes;
Alternative Methodologies; Alternative Technologies and Design
Concepts.
Agency Involvement
The major Federal and State permit, approval, and consultation
requirements for Clearwater Port include, but are not necessarily
limited to, the following:
Federal:
DOT/Maritime Administration-DWP license.
DHS/U.S. Coast Guard-DWP design and operational
requirements.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act
and Clean Water Act (CWA) permits.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Clean Water Act
Section 404 and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permits
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Section 7, Endangered
Species Act (ESA) consultation.
U.S. Department of Defense.
U.S. State Department.
U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service
(MMS).
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Section 7, ESA consultation requirements.
NOAA Fisheries-Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management and
Conservation Act consultation.
NOAA Fisheries-Marine Mammal Protection Act consultation.
California
California Coastal Commission Compliance with California
Coastal Act and consistency with California Coastal Management Program.
California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO),
National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 and California historic
preservation consultation and compliance.
Privacy Act
The electronic form of all comments received into the DOT docket
are available to any person and may 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.). You may
review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or
you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
(Authority 49 CFR 1.66)
Dated: September 12, 2007.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Daron T. Threet,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-18323 Filed 9-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P