[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 66 (Monday, April 7, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16808-16809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8450]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG 2003-14134]


Port Pelican LLC Deepwater Port License Application; Preparation 
of Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS, and Maritime Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent and request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) 
announce their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the project described in the Port Pelican LLC Deepwater Port 
License Application. The plan description in the license application 
calls for construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) Deepwater Port 
known as ``Port Pelican'' and associated anchorage in the Gulf of 
Mexico, approximately 36 miles south southwest of Fresh Water City, 
Louisiana, located in Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Block Vermillion 
140. Port Pelican would deliver natural gas to the U.S. Gulf Coast 
using existing gas supply and gathering systems in the Gulf of Mexico 
and southern Louisiana. Gas would then be delivered to shippers using 
the national pipeline grid though interconnections with major 
interstate and intrastate pipelines. The Coast Guard seeks public and 
agency input on the scope of the EIS. Specifically, the Coast Guard 
requests input on any environmental concerns that the public may have 
related to the proposal to construct a new Deepwater Port, sources of 
relevant data or information, and any suggested analysis methods for 
inclusion in the EIS.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket on or before 
May 7, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in several ways. To make sure your 
comments and related material are not entered more than once in the 
docket, please submit them by only one of the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility (USCG-2003-14134), 
U.S. Department of Transportation, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery to Room PL-401 on the Plaza Level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington DC between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is (202) 366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at (202) 493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments will become part of this docket and will be available 
for inspection or copying in Room PL-401, located on the Plaza Level of 
the Nassif Building at the above address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. You may also view 
this docket, including this notice and comments, on the Internet at 
http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the 
project, you may contact Commander Mark Prescott, U.S. Coast Guard at 
(202) 267-0225 or [email protected]. For questions on viewing or 
submitting materials to the docket, contact Dorothy Beard, Chief, 
Dockets, DOT, at (202) 366-5149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments and related materials on this 
notice. Persons submitting comments should include their names and 
addresses, this notice reference number (USCG-2003-14134), and the 
reasons for each comment. You may submit your comments and materials by 
mail, hand delivery, fax, or electronic means to the Docket Management 
Facility at the address given under ADDRESSES. If you choose to submit 
them by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no 
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying and

[[Page 16809]]

electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know if 
they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed 
postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and materials 
received during the comment period. (For additional information about 
this notice or the EIS, contact Commander Mark Prescott, U.S. Coast 
Guard at (202) 267-0225 or [email protected].)

Background Information

    The Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended (the Act, 33 U.S.C. 1501 
et seq.), defines a deepwater port as any fixed or floating manmade 
structure other than a vessel, or any group of such structures, that 
are located beyond State seaward boundaries and that are used or 
intended for use as a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, 
or further handling of oil or natural gas for transportation to any 
State. The Act provides that an applicant must submit detailed plans 
for a proposed facility to the Secretary of Transportation, along with 
its license application. The Secretary has delegated the processing of 
deepwater port applications to the Coast Guard and the Maritime 
Administration (MARAD). The Act provides ``For all applications, the 
Secretary, in cooperation with other involved Federal agencies and 
departments, shall comply with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332).'' This notice is intended to meet the 
requirements of NEPA and to provide general information about the 
procedure that will be followed in complying with NEPA.

Proposed Action

    The Coast Guard intends to prepare an EIS consistent to the maximum 
extent practicable with the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended (the 
Act, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), NEPA (Section 102(2)(c), as implemented 
by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR Parts 
1500-1508)), Department of Transportation (DOT) Order 5610.1C 
(Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts), and Coast Guard 
Policy (Commandant's Instruction (COMDTINST) M16475.1D). The Coast 
Guard anticipates having one or more cooperating agencies in this 
endeavor.
    NEPA requires Federal agencies to consider environmental impacts 
that may result from a proposed action, to inform the public of 
potential impacts and alternatives, and to facilitate public 
involvement in the assessment process. The EIS describes in detail the 
nature and extent of the environmental impacts of the Proposed Action 
and each alternative and discusses appropriate mitigation measures for 
any adverse impacts. An EIS includes, among other matters, discussions 
of the purpose and need for the Proposed Action, a description of 
alternatives, a description of the affected environment, and an 
evaluation of the environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and 
alternatives.
    The Port Pelican EIS will assess the impacts of the alternatives, 
including approving or not approving (No Action Alternative) the 
license application to construct and operate Port Pelican, on the 
natural and human environment. The application addresses the Port 
Pelican Terminal (the Terminal), an LNG receiving, storage and 
regasification facility, and the Pelican Interconnector Pipeline (PIPL) 
to transport the gas to the existing offshore gas gathering and 
transmission system. Port Pelican would consist of two concrete gravity 
based structure (GBS) units fixed to the seabed, which would include 
integral LNG storage tanks, support deck mounted LNG receiving and 
vaporization equipment and utilities, berthing accommodations for LNG 
carriers, facilities for delivery of natural gas to a pipeline 
transportation system, and personnel accommodations. The Terminal would 
be able to receive the largest LNG carriers currently in service or 
under contract for construction. All marine systems, communication, 
navigation aids and equipment necessary to conduct safe LNG carrier 
operations and receiving of product would be provided at the port.
    The Terminal would be constructed in two phases. Phase I includes 
the installation of the two GBS units with internal storage tanks and 
facilities for LNG offloading, and vaporization capability to deliver a 
peak 1.0 billion standard cubic feet per day (SCFD) of natural gas to 
the pipeline system. Additional vaporization equipment and associated 
support equipment and facilities would be installed during Phase II to 
increase the peak facility vaporization and send out rate to 2.0 
billion SCFD.
    As required by NEPA, the Coast Guard also will analyze the No 
Action Alternative as a baseline for comparing the impacts of the 
proposed project. For the purposes of this project, the No Action 
Alternative is defined as not approving the Port Pelican LLC Deepwater 
Port License Application. The Coast Guard encourages public 
participation in the EIS process. The scoping period will begin upon 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register and continue for a 
period of 30 days. A scoping meeting may be held. If one is held, the 
date and location of the meeting will be announced separately in the 
Federal Register. Multiple methods for providing comments are 
available, including mail, Internet and fax.
    Following the scoping process, the Coast Guard will prepare a draft 
EIS. A Notice of Availability will be published in the Federal Register 
when the draft EIS is available. Public notices will be mailed or 
emailed to those who have requested a copy of the draft EIS. The public 
will be provided an opportunity to review the draft EIS and to offer 
appropriate comments.
    Comments received during the draft EIS review period will be 
available in the public docket and made available in the final EIS. A 
Notice of Availability of the final EIS will also be published in the 
Federal Register.

    Dated: March 31, 2003.
Howard L. Hime,
Acting Director of Standards, Marine Safety, Security, and 
Environmental Protection, U.S. Coast Guard.
Margaret D. Blum,
Associate Administrator, Port, Intermodal, and Environmental 
Activities, U.S. Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-8450 Filed 4-3-03; 8:45 am]
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