[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 174 (Friday, September 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53677-53679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17833]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[CGD13-05-017]


Letter of Recommendation, Proposed LNG Project Northern Star 
Natural Gas LLC, Bradwood, Clatsop County, OR

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Request for comments; notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements in 33 CFR 127.009, the 
U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Portland, Oregon is 
preparing a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) as to the suitability of the 
Columbia River for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine traffic. This LOR 
will encompass the marine safety and security aspects associated with 
the proposed Northern Star Natural Gas LLC (Northern Star) LNG 
facility. The LOR is in response to a Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted 
by Northern Star to operate an LNG facility in Bradwood, Clatsop 
County, Oregon. Because the proposed LNG facility would be located in 
state waters, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the 
lead Federal agency for this proposed project. The COTP Portland, OR is 
soliciting written comments and related material, and will join FERC in 
holding a public meeting seeking comments, pertaining specifically to 
maritime safety and security aspects of the proposed LNG facility. In 
preparation for issuance of an LOR and the completion of certain other 
regulatory mandates, the COTP Portland, OR, 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: All written comments and related material must reach the Coast 
Guard on or before October 6, 2005. In addition, a public meeting will 
be held Thursday, September 29, 2005 at 7 p.m. Those who plan to speak 
at the meeting should provide their name by September 22, 2005 to 
Lieutenant Shadrack Scheirman using one of the methods listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The comment period associated with the 
public meeting will remain open for seven days following the meeting. 
The meeting location is: Knappa High School, 41535 Old Highway 30, 
Astoria, OR 97102, 503-458-6166.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments to Commanding Officer, U.S. 
Coast Guard Sector Portland. Sector Portland 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 Sector Portland 
between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
contact Lieutenant Shadrack Scheirman at Sector Portland by one of the 
methods listed below:

(1) Phone at (503) 247-4015
(2) E-mail at [email protected]
(3) Fax to (503) 240-2586

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 Northern Star LNG facility. If you do so, 
please include your name and address, identify the docket number for 
this notice ([CGD13-05-017]), 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 53678]]

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 Sector Portland, please 
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.

Public Meeting

    Due to the scope and complexity of this project, we have decided to 
hold a joint public meeting with FERC to allow the public the 
opportunity to comment on the proposed LNG facility. FERC will issue a 
separate notice for the public meeting listed under DATES above, 
regarding the public's opportunity to comment on the environmental 
aspects of the facility siting.
    With advance notice, organizations and members of the public may 
provide oral statements regarding the suitability of the Columbia River 
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 
Shadrack Scheirman using one of the methods listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT by September 22, 2005. Written comments may be 
submitted at the meeting or to the Docket up to October 6, 2005.

Background and Purpose

    In accordance with the requirements of 33 CFR 127.007, Northern 
Star submitted an LOI on March 16, 2005, to operate an LNG facility in 
Bradwood, Clatsop County, Oregon.
    FERC will be the lead agency for the Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To help 
FERC make sure that the EIS covers the Coast Guard's LOR and other 
actions under this proposal, the Coast Guard will serve as a 
cooperating agency.
    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 165,000 cubic meters 
(m3). 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 100,000 
m3 to 250,000 m3. The larger carriers would 
measure up to approximately 965 feet long with up to approximately a 
150 foot wide beam, and draw 40 feet of water. The Northern Star 
Natural Gas terminal would handle approximately 96 vessels per year, 
depending upon natural gas demand, and carrier size, with shipments 
arriving about every four 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. 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 
recommendation for siting as it pertains to the management of vessel 
traffic in and around the LNG facility.
    Upon receipt of an LOI 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 FERC, the lead Federal agency for authorizing the 
siting and construction of onshore LNG facilities, on safety and 
security aspects of the Northern Star 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 Portland, OR, will be conducting a 
formal risk assessment, evaluating various safety and security aspects 
associated with Northern Star'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 project is available from the 
FERC's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208 FERC (3372) or on the 
FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov). Using the ``eLibrary'' 
link, select ``General Search'' from the eLibrary menu, enter the 
selected date range and the FERC's Docket Number PF05-10, and follow 
the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrases 
``Northern Star'' or ``Bradwood Landing LNG'' in the ``Text Search'' 
field. For assistance with access to eLibrary, the helpline can be 
reached at 1 866 208 3676, TTY (202) 502-8659, or at 
[email protected]. The eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web 
site also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by 
the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rule makings.
    Northern Star has also established an Internet Web site for its 
project at http://www.Northernstar-NG.com. The Web site includes a 
project overview, contact information, regulatory overview, and 
construction procedures.
    For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or to request assistance at the meeting, contact 
Lieutenant Shadrack Scheirman listed under FOR

[[Page 53679]]

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible.

    Dated: August 30, 2005.
Patrick G. Gerrity,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port.
[FR Doc. 05-17833 Filed 9-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P