[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 232 (Friday, December 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70271-70272]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26588]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[CGD05-04-201]


Notice, Request for Comments; Letter of Recommendation, LNG Crown 
Landing LLC, Logan Township, Gloucester County, NJ

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Philadelphia 
is preparing a letter of recommendation as to the suitability of the 
Delaware Bay and River waterway for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine 
traffic. The letter of recommendation is in response to a letter of 
intent submitted by Crown Landing LLC to operate a LNG facility in 
Logan Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey. The COTP Philadelphia is 
soliciting written comments and related material, and will hold a 
public meeting seeking comments, pertaining specifically to maritime 
safety and security aspects of the proposed LNG facility. In 
preparation for issuance of a letter of recommendation and the 
completion of certain other regulatory mandates, the COTP Philadelphia 
will consider comments received from the public as input into a 
formalized risk assessment process. This process will assess the safety 
and security aspects of the facility, adjacent port areas, and 
navigable waterways.

DATES: (1) All written comments and related material must reach the 
Coast Guard on or before January 18, 2005.
    (2) A public meeting will be held Tuesday, January 11, 2005, from 3 
p.m. to 7 p.m.
    (3) Those who plan to speak at the meeting should provide their 
name by January 7, 2005 to Lieutenant Commander Timothy Meyers using 
one of the methods listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments to Commanding Officer, U.S. 
Coast Guard Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, One Washington 
Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147. Marine Safety Office/Group 
Philadelphia maintains a file for this notice. Comments and material 
received will become part of this file and will be available for 
inspection and copying at the Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, 
Waterways Management Branch, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    The public meeting location is The Embassy Suites, 9000 Bartram 
Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
contact Lieutenant Commander Timothy Meyers at Coast Guard Marine 
Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, PA, by one of the methods listed 
below:
    (1) Phone at (215) 271-4860.
    (2) E-mail at [email protected].
    (3) Fax to (215) 271-4903.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Request for Written Comments

    We encourage you to submit written comments and related material 
pertaining specifically to marine safety and security aspects 
associated with the proposed LNG facility. If you do so, please include 
your name and address, identify the docket number for this notice 
(CGD05-04-201), and give the reason for each comment. You may submit 
your comments and related material by mail, or hand delivery, as 
described in ADDRESSES, or you may send them by fax or e-mail using the 
contact information under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. To avoid 
confusion and duplication, please

[[Page 70272]]

submit your comments and material by only one means.
    If you submit comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an 
unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would 
like to know that they reached U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office/
Group Philadelphia, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard 
or envelope.

Public Meeting

    Due to the scope and complexity of this project, we plan to hold a 
public meeting to allow the public the opportunity to comment on the 
proposed LNG facility. With advance notice, organizations and members 
of the public may provide oral statements regarding the suitability of 
the Delaware Bay and River waterway for LNG vessel traffic. In the 
interest of time and use of the public meeting facility, oral 
statements should be limited to five minutes. Persons wishing to make 
oral statements should notify Lieutenant Commander Timothy Meyers using 
one of the methods listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by 
January 7, 2005. Written comments may be submitted at the meeting or to 
the Docket up to January 18, 2005.

Background and Purpose

    In accordance with the requirements of 33 CFR 127.007, Crown 
Landing LLC submitted a letter of intent on July 30, 2004 to operate an 
LNG facility in Logan Township, Gloucester County, NJ. Crown Landing 
LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BP America Production Company.
    The proposed terminal is an LNG import, storage, and re-
gasification facility. LNG carriers (ships) would berth at a new pier 
and LNG would be transferred by pipeline from the carriers to one of 
three storage tanks, each with a net capacity of 150,000 cubic meters 
(m\3\) and a gross capacity of 158,000 m\3\. The LNG would then be re-
gasified and metered into natural gas pipelines. LNG would be delivered 
to the terminal in double-hulled LNG carriers ranging in capacity from 
138,000 m\3\ to 200,000 m\3\. The larger carriers would measure up to 
approximately 1,500 feet long with up to approximately a 170 foot wide 
beam, and draw 38 feet of water. The Crown Landing terminal would 
handle approximately 100-150 vessels per year, depending upon natural 
gas demand, and carrier size, with shipments arriving about every three 
days.
    The U.S. Coast Guard exercises regulatory authority over LNG 
facilities which affect the safety and security of port areas and 
navigable waterways under Executive Order 10173, the Magnuson Act (50 
U.S.C. 191), the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972, as amended (33 
U.S.C. 1221, et seq.) and the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 
2002 (46 U.S.C. Section 701). The Coast Guard is responsible for 
matters related to navigation safety, vessel engineering and safety 
standards, and all matters pertaining to the safety of facilities or 
equipment located in or adjacent to navigable waters up to the last 
valve immediately before the receiving tanks. The Coast Guard also has 
authority for LNG facility security plan review, approval, and 
compliance verification as provided in Title 33 CFR part 105, and 
siting as it pertains to the management of vessel traffic in and around 
the LNG facility.
    Upon receipt of a letter of intent from an owner or operator 
intending to build a new LNG facility, the Coast Guard COTP conducts an 
analysis that results in a letter of recommendation issued to the owner 
or operator and to the state and local governments having jurisdiction, 
addressing the suitability of the waterway to accommodate LNG vessels. 
Specifically, the letter of recommendation addresses the suitability of 
the waterway based on:
    (1) The physical location and layout of the facility and its 
berthing and mooring arrangements.
    (2) The LNG vessels' characteristics and the frequency of LNG 
shipments to the facility.
    (3) Commercial, industrial, environmentally sensitive, and 
residential areas in and adjacent to the waterway used by the LNG 
vessels en route to the facility.
    (4) Density and character of marine traffic on the waterway.
    (5) Bridges, or other manmade obstructions in the waterway.
    (6) Depth of water.
    (7) Tidal range.
    (8) Natural hazards, including rocks and sandbars.
    (9) Underwater pipelines and cables.
    (10) Distance of berthed LNG vessels from the channel, and the 
width of the channel.
    In addition, the Coast Guard will review and approve the facility's 
operations manual and emergency response plan (33 CFR 127.019), as well 
as the facility's security plan (33 CFR 105.410).
    The Coast Guard will also provide input to other Federal, State, 
and local government agencies reviewing the project. Under an 
interagency agreement the Coast Guard will provide input to, and 
coordinate with, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the 
lead Federal agency for authorizing the siting and construction of 
onshore LNG facilities, on safety and security aspects of the Crown 
Landing project, including both the marine and land-based aspects of 
the project.
    In order to complete a thorough analysis and fulfill the regulatory 
mandates cited above, the COTP Philadelphia will be conducting a formal 
risk assessment, evaluating various safety and security aspects 
associated with Crown Landing's proposed project. This risk assessment 
will be accomplished through a series of workshops focusing on the 
areas of waterways safety, port security, and consequence management, 
with involvement from a broad cross-section of government and port 
stakeholders with expertise in each of the respective areas. The 
workshops will be by invitation only. However, comments received during 
the public comment period will be considered as input into the risk 
assessment process.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the Crown Landing LLC, LNG project is 
available from FERC's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-FERC or 
on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using their 
eLibrary link. For assistance, please contact FERC online support at 
[email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY 
contact 1-202-502-8659.

Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities

    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or to request assistance at the meeting, contact 
Lieutenant Commander Timothy Meyers listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible.

    Dated: November 22, 2004.
Jonathan D. Sarubbi,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Philadelphia.
[FR Doc. 04-26588 Filed 12-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P