[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 98 (Monday, May 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27091-27093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-12490]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment of Decommissioning 
the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Weeks Island Facility, Iberia Parish, 
Louisiana

AGENCY: Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment and to 
conduct public scoping.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has determined that, pursuant 
to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) should be prepared to assess the potential 
environmental consequences of decommissioning the Strategic Petroleum 
Reserve (SPR) Weeks Island Facility in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. A 
groundwater leak has compromised the containment integrity of the 
facility, which currently stores 73 million barrels of crude oil 
underground in a salt dome. In December 1994, DOE concluded that the 
integrity of the Weeks Island mine cannot be assured and that it is 
unsuitable for continued crude oil storage. The agency plans to move 
Weeks Island's crude oil inventory to other SPR storage sites in 
Louisiana and Texas beginning in October 1995 and then decommission the 
facility, completing in June 1999. The range of proposed 
decommissioning actions and associated environmental issues that have 
been identified are described below. DOE is requesting comments, 
suggestions, and any information that interested parties may have that 
would assist the agency in identifying additional alternatives and 
environmental issues to consider in the EA.

DATES: A public meeting will be held in New Iberia, Louisiana on 
Thursday, June 8, 1995, at 7 p.m. Speakers may pre-register in writing, 
by telephone or by facsimile by close of business June 1, 1995. Written 
comments must be received by June 21, 1995.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the New Iberia Senior High 
School auditorium, 1301 East Admiral Doyle Drive, New Iberia, 
Louisiana. Inquiries, written comments and suggestions, and requests to 
speak at the scoping meeting, to review the draft EA when it becomes 
available, and/or to receive the approved EA should be labeled ``Weeks 
Island EA'' and submitted to Ms. Durinda L. Robinson, Office of Public 
Affairs (FE-445.2), Department of Energy, 900 Commerce Road East, New 
Orleans, Louisiana 70123. Requests to speak will also be accepted by 
telephone at (504) 734-4312 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 
p.m. CDT, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, or by 
facsimile, (504) 734-4427.
    A transcript of the meeting will be prepared and will be made 
available for inspection at the following locations:
     New Iberia Public Library, 445 E. Main Street, New Iberia, 
Louisiana 70560 (ATTN: Ms. Vicki Chrisman)
     Dupre Library, 302 East St. Mary Blvd., U. of Southwestern 
Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504 (ATTN: Ms. Sandy Himel)
     New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division, 219 Loyola 
Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70140
     DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations Co., Technical Library, 
800 Commerce Rd. W., Suite 102, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123 (ATTN: Ms. 
Cindi Nelson)
     Freedom of Information Reading Room, Department of Energy, 
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 
20585

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE DOE NEPA PROCESS, CONTACT: Ms. Carol 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-4.2), 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 
20585, telephone (202) 586-4600 or toll-free (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The SPR Weeks Island Facility is in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, about 
15 miles south of the city of New Iberia. It is a conventional room-
and-pillar salt mine in a salt dome that was converted by DOE for the 
long-term storage of crude oil. It was filled to capacity with 73 
million barrels of oil and has been in a standby mode since 1982. The 
mine and surface property were acquired from the [[Page 27092]] Morton 
Salt Company who continues to mine salt adjacent to DOE on the salt 
dome.
    In May 1992, a sinkhole was discovered which was vertically aligned 
above the southeast boundary of the upper level of the storage chamber. 
The sinkhole was backfilled with sand and monitored through 1993. An 
intensive geotechnical investigation was conducted through 1994 which 
confirmed that a subsurface crevasse extends into the salt formation 
and that groundwater was leaking into the mine.
    In December 1994, DOE concluded that the integrity of the Weeks 
Island mine cannot be assured and that it is unsuitable for continued 
crude oil storage. DOE decided to move the oil to other SPR sites in 
Texas and Louisiana and decommission the facility. As an interim 
measure, DOE has implemented a groundwater control program which 
includes freezing the ground around the sinkhole to interdict 
groundwater flow into the crevasse. In February 1995, DOE determined 
that in accordance with NEPA and with 10 CFR 1021, DOE NEPA 
Implementing Procedures, an EA of the decommissioning actions should be 
prepared to determine whether a Finding of No Significant Impact is 
supported or an Environmental Impact Statement will be required.

Preliminary Description of Alternatives

1. Proposed Action

    The proposed action consists of stabilizing the storage chambers by 
filling them with brine, sealing off the underground facilities, and 
decommissioning (i.e., removing from SPR service) the onsite surface 
facilities and the 36-inch-diameter 67-mile crude oil pipeline to DOE's 
St. James Terminal in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Project completion 
is scheduled for June 1999.
     Underground Facilities
    DOE would flood the storage chamber, drifts (i.e., connecting 
tunnels), and manifold room with brine. The Markel mine, an adjacent 
abandoned Morton salt works which is accessible from Weeks Island mine, 
would also be flooded unless it is decided to maintain it for 
inspection of the seal separating Weeks Island from Morton's active 
mine. The production and service shafts, vent hole, and both fill holes 
would be plugged in accordance with State regulations. If it is decided 
to keep the Markel mine accessible for inspections, the production 
shaft would be kept open for access.
    Three alternatives are being considered for obtaining the 80 
million barrels of brine that are needed. One alternative is to produce 
brine by leaching existing DOE salt caverns at the SPR Bayou Choctaw 
Facility in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, 13 miles southwest of Baton 
Rouge. The brine would be transported via DOE's 36-inch-diameter, 37-
mile crude oil pipeline from Bayou Choctaw to St. James Terminal, 
thence by DOE's crude oil pipeline from St. James to Weeks Island. 
Weeks Island brine fill at 200,000 barrels per day would take about 13 
months with an additional two months required for oil skimming and 
recovery.
    An alternative that will be assessed is a services contract to 
produce brine from a new well on Morton property on Weeks Island salt 
dome. Water for leaching would be obtained from the adjacent 
Intracoastal Waterway. Construction and operation of temporary water 
and brine pipelines of up to nominally one mile each would be required. 
The third alternative is to award a competitive contract for brine from 
another source. This alternative is unassessable because of its 
undefined character. If DOE intends to pursue this alternative further, 
NEPA compliance would be addressed separately under the competitive 
procurement provisions of 10 CFR 1021.216.
     Surface Facilities
    It was suggested at a March 2, 1995, public meeting in New Iberia 
that the site be donated for salt dome geological research with a 
special interest in ``post closure'' uses for Louisiana's coastal salt 
domes where subsidence and other geophysical concerns have occurred 
subsequent to mineral extraction. The alternative to a DOE-directed 
donation of the property would be to transfer it to the General 
Services Administration (GSA). Improvements that could be transferred 
to GSA include paved roads and parking lots, central plant fencing, 
fire protection and sanitation systems, and central plant buildings 
with their associated electrical distribution systems, such as the 
administration building, control center, laboratory, warehouse, 
pumphouses, and guard house.
    Usable equipment, spare parts and materials would be transferred to 
other SPR sites. All mechanical and electrical process systems and 
equipment for crude oil handling would be removed and transferred to 
other DOE facilities or salvaged. Associated piping, cable, and conduit 
above and below grade within the fenced perimeter and oily water 
handling systems would be removed and disposed at an approved facility. 
Buildings associated with the shafts would be demolished. Surface 
decommissioning operations are estimated to require 27 months.
 Crude Oil Pipeline
    At least part of the Weeks Island-to-St. James crude oil pipeline 
potentially has value as either a private or a common carrier pipeline 
because of its interconnection with the commercial crude oil 
distribution network. If DOE could not sell it, the pipeline would be 
abandoned in place in accordance with Federal and State regulations.

2. The No Action Alternative

    The no action alternative will be assessed to provide a baseline 
for comparison with the environmental effects of the proposed action. 
Under the no action alternative, the mine would not be refilled with 
oil, brine, or other fluid and no other stabilizing actions would be 
taken. Efforts to control groundwater flow would continue. To the 
extent that these fail to stop the leak, the mine would be allowed to 
fill naturally. Actions would be taken as necessary to maintain the 
mine at acceptable pressure. DOE would staff and maintain the surface 
facilities in a standby state in perpetuity.

Identification of Environmental Issues

    DOE has identified the issues listed below as topics to be 
addressed in the EA. Public scoping may identify additional issues.
    1. Risk of long-term oil contamination of Vermilion Bay and the 
Gulf of Mexico that could impact the human environment.
    2. Risk of contaminating groundwater adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico 
with residual oil after the mine is filled with brine.
    3. Risk of surface subsidence on Morton Salt Company's adjacent 
mining operations.
    4. Brine spill risk in sensitive environments, especially in the 
Atchafalaya floodway.
    5. Potential impacts on the protected Louisiana black bear.
    A November 1994 study concluded that the ultimate loss of the 
site's approximately 100 permanent jobs would have a negligible 
socioeconomic impact on the region. DOE has not identified any 
involvement of the project with floodplains or wetlands. As the site is 
located within the Louisiana Coastal Zone, a determination of 
consistency with the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program may be 
required.

Public Scoping Meeting and Invitation To Comment

    In the spirit of improving the quality of the agency's decisions, 
DOE believes that, for the circumstances of this proposed action, it is 
appropriate to enhance public participation in the EA 
[[Page 27093]] process with a public scoping meeting. DOE invites 
written and oral comments on the scope from all interested parties. 
Preregistration to speak and written comments should be submitted 
according to the instructions provided above under DATES and ADDRESSES. 
Written and oral comments will be given equal weight in defining the 
scope of the EA.
    A separate registration is required for each speaker. Registrants 
should confirm the time they are scheduled to speak at the registration 
desk at the meeting. Persons who have not preregistered may register at 
the door and will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis 
to the extent time allows. To ensure that as many persons as possible 
have the opportunity to speak, five minutes will be allotted to each.
    Basic procedures for conducting the meeting will be announced by 
the presiding officer at the start of the meeting. A brief presentation 
will be made by DOE officials on the proposed action and the EA 
process. The meeting will not be an evidentiary hearing ; there will be 
no cross-examination of speakers. However, DOE officials conducting the 
meeting will be permitted to ask clarifying questions of statements 
made at the meeting.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on May 17, 1995.
Patricia Fry Godley,
Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 95-12490 Filed 5-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P