[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37104-37106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12732]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[COTP Los Angeles-Long Beach 05-005]


Letter of Recommendation, Liquefied Natural Gas Facility, Long 
Beach, CA

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice; public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces that the Captain of the Port (COTP) 
Los Angeles-Long Beach will hold a public meeting regarding the 
maritime safety and security aspects of the proposed San Pedro Bay, 
California liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. The Coast Guard also 
requests public comments regarding the maritime safety and security 
aspects of the aforementioned proposed LNG facility.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on July 11, 2005 at 6 p.m. at 
the Long Beach Marriott Hotel.
    Comments and related material must reach the Commanding Officer, 
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach on or before July 27, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Long Beach Marriott 
Hotel, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive, Long Beach, CA 90815.
    You may submit written comments identified by Coast Guard docket 
number (COTP LA-LB 05-005) to Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard 
Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, 1001 S. Seaside Ave, San Pedro, CA 
90731. To avoid duplication, please use only one of the following 
methods:
    (1) Mail: To the location described in ADDRESSES.
    (2) E-mail: To [email protected].
    (3) Fax: 310-732-2029.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
contact Lieutenant Peter Gooding, Chief of the Waterways Management 
Division at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA at 310-732-
2020, or E-mail your questions to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for 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 (COTP 
LA-LB 05-005), and give the reason for each comment. To avoid

[[Page 37105]]

confusion and duplication, please submit your comments and material by 
only one means.
    Submitting Comments: If you submit a comment, please include your 
name and address, identify the docket number for this noticed (COTP LA-
LB 05-005) and give the reason for each comment. You may submit your 
comments by electronic means, mail to the address under ADDRESSES, or 
fax; but please submit your comments by only one means. If you submit 
comments by mail, please 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 Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, please enclose a 
stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all 
comments received during the comment period.
    Viewing comments and documents: To view comments, you may visit 
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach at the address under 
ADDRESSES, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

Public Meeting

    Due to the scope and complexity of this project, we have also 
decided to hold a public meeting to allow the public the opportunity to 
comment on the proposed LNG facility. During this public meeting, the 
Coast Guard will not make a decision concerning the letter of 
recommendation or about this LNG project. With advance notice, 
organizations and members of the public may provide oral statements 
regarding the suitability of the San Pedro Bay for LNG vessel traffic. 
Time permitting, the Coast Guard will take comments from the public 
without advance notice. But to ensure an opportunity to speak, you 
should provide your name in advance. 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 Peter Gooding using one of the methods listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by July 8, 2005. The Coast Guard will 
accept written statements at the public meeting submitted in 
conjunction with or in lieu of an oral statement from those persons who 
have provided advance notice of their desire to make an oral statement 
at the meeting.

Background and Purpose

    In accordance with the requirements contained in 33 CFR Part 
127.009, the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Los Angeles-
Long Beach is preparing a letter of recommendation as to the 
suitability of the San Pedro Bay for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine 
traffic. In accordance with the requirements of 33 CFR 127.007, Sound 
Energy Solutions (SES) submitted a letter of intent on April 13, 2005 
to build an LNG facility at Pier T126 in Long Beach, CA. SES is a joint 
venture of Mitsubishi Corporation and ConocoPhillips. SES proposes to 
build an LNG import, storage, and re-gasification facility. LNG 
carriers (ships) would berth at pier T126 and LNG would be transferred 
by pipeline from the carriers to one of two storage tanks, each with a 
net capacity of 160,000 cubic meters (m3) and a gross capacity of 
320,000 m3. The LNG would then be regasified and metered into natural 
gas pipelines. LNG would be delivered to the terminal in double-hulled 
LNG carriers ranging in capacity from 125,000 m3 to 160,000 m3. The 
larger carriers would measure up to approximately 1000 feet long with 
up to approximately a 158 foot wide beam, and draw 40 feet of water. 
The terminal would handle approximately 120 vessels per year, depending 
upon natural gas demand, and carrier size, with shipments arriving 
approximately every 3 days.
    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:
     The physical location and layout of the facility and its 
berthing and mooring arrangements;
     The LNG vessels' characteristics and the frequency of LNG 
shipments to the facility;
     Commercial, industrial, environmentally sensitive, and 
residential areas in and adjacent to the waterway used by the LNG 
vessels en route to the facility;
     Density and character of marine traffic on the waterway;
     Bridges, or other manmade obstructions in the waterway;
     Depth of water;
     Tidal range;
     Natural hazards, including rocks and sandbars;
     Underwater pipelines and cables;
     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 Sound Energy Solutions 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 Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach will be 
conducting a Waterway Suitability Assessment, evaluating various safety 
and security aspects associated with Sound Energy Solution'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 and to FERC's Environmental 
Impact Statement.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the Sound Energy Solutions 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 Peter Gooding listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
as soon as possible.


[[Page 37106]]


    Dated: June 20, 2005.
Commander David Crowley,
Commander, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Captain of the Port Los Angeles-
Long Beach.
[FR Doc. 05-12732 Filed 6-27-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P