[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58228-58229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19951]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2005-22219]


Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C., Liquefied Natural Gas 
Deepwater Port License Application; Preparation of Environmental Impact 
Statement

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

ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of public meeting; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) 
announce that the Coast Guard intends to prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) as part of the environmental review of this 
license application. The application describes a project that would be 
located in Massachusetts Bay, in Block 125, approximately 13 miles 
south-southeast of Gloucester, MA. Publication of this notice begins a 
scoping process that will help identify and determine the scope of 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS. This notice requests 
public participation in the scoping process and provides information on 
how to participate in the process.

DATES: A public meeting will be held in Boston, MA on October 18, 2005. 
There will also be a public meeting in Gloucester, MA on October 19, 
2005. Both meetings will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be preceded 
by an informational open house from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The public 
meetings may end later than the stated time, depending on the number of 
persons wishing to speak. Material submitted in response to the request 
for comments for the scoping process must reach the Docket Management 
Facility by October 31, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting in Boston will be held at Faneuil Hall, 1 
Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, MA, telephone: 617-635-4100. The public 
meeting in Gloucester will be at The Elks at Bass Rocks, 101 Atlantic 
Road, Gloucester, MA, telephone: 978-282-3200.
    Address docket submissions for USCG-2005-22219 to: Docket 
Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    The Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered submissions, 
and makes docket contents available for public inspection and copying 
at this address, in room PL-401, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility's telephone 
number is 202-366-9329, its fax number is 202-493-2251, and its Web 
site for electronic submissions or for electronic access to docket 
contents is http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, 
telephone: 202-267-1752, e-mail: [email protected]. If you have 
questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, 
Docket Operations, telephone: 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Meeting and Open House

    We invite you to learn about the proposed deepwater port at an 
informational open house, and to comment at a public meeting on 
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. Your 
comments will help us identify and refine the scope of the 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS.
    In order to allow everyone a chance to speak at the public meeting, 
we may limit speaker time, or extend the meeting hours, or both. You 
must identify yourself, and any organization you represent, by name. 
Your remarks will be recorded or transcribed for inclusion in the 
public docket.
    You may submit written material at the public meeting, either in 
place of or in addition to speaking. Written material must include your 
name and address, and will be included in the public docket.
    Public docket materials will be made available to the public on the 
Docket Management Facility's Docket Management System (DMS). See 
``Request for Comments'' for information about DMS and your rights 
under the Privacy Act.
    All our public meeting locations are wheelchair-accessible. If you 
plan to attend the open house or public meeting, and need special 
assistance such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable 
accommodation, please notify the Coast Guard (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 3 business days in advance. Include your 
contact information as well as information about your specific needs.

Request for Comments

    We request public comments or other relevant information on 
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The public 
meeting is not the only opportunity you have to comment. In addition to 
or in place of attending a meeting, you can submit comments to the 
Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see 
DATES). We will consider all comments and material received during the 
comment period.
    Submissions should include:
     Docket number USCG-2005-22219.
     Your name and address.
     Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing 
information to our attention.
    Submit comments or material using only one of the following 
methods:
     Electronic submission to DMS, http://dms.dot.gov.
     Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket Management 
Facility (see ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered submissions must be 
unbound, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying 
and electronic scanning. If you mail your submission and want to know 
when it reaches the Facility, include a stamped, self-addressed 
postcard or envelope.
    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site 
(http://dms.dot.gov), and will include any personal information you 
provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You 
may wish to read the Privacy Act notice that is available on the DMS 
Web site, or the Department of Transportation Privacy Act Statement 
that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477).

[[Page 58229]]

    You may view docket submissions at the Docket Management Facility 
(see ADDRESSES), or electronically on the DMS Web site.

Background

    Information about deepwater ports, the statutes, and regulations 
governing their licensing, and the receipt of the current application 
for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port appears at 70 FR 
52422, September 2, 2005. The ``Summary of the Application'' from that 
publication is reprinted below for your convenience.
    Consideration of a deepwater port license application includes 
review of the proposed deepwater port's natural and human environmental 
impacts. The Coast Guard is the lead agency for determining the scope 
of this review, and in this case the Coast Guard has determined that 
review must include preparation of an EIS. This notice of intent is 
required by 40 CFR 1508.22, and briefly describes the proposed action 
and possible alternatives and our proposed scoping process. You can 
address any questions about the proposed action, the scoping process, 
or the EIS to the Coast Guard project manager identified in FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The proposed action requiring environmental review is the Federal 
licensing of the proposed deepwater port described in ``Summary of the 
Application'' below. The alternatives to licensing the proposed port 
are: (1) Licensing with conditions (including conditions designed to 
mitigate environmental impact), and (2) denying the application, which 
for purposes of environmental review is the ``no-action'' alternative.

Scoping Process

    Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and 
determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Scoping 
begins with this notice, continues through the public comment period 
(see DATES), and ends when the Coast Guard has completed the following 
actions:
     Invites the participation of Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, and other 
interested persons;
     Determines the actions, alternatives, and impacts 
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
     Identifies and eliminates from detailed study those issues 
that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
     Allocates responsibility for preparing EIS components;
     Indicates any related environmental assessments or 
environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS;
     Identifies other relevant environmental review and 
consultation requirements;
     Indicates the relationship between timing of the 
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
     At its discretion, exercises the options provided in 40 
CFR 1501.7(b).
    Once the scoping process is complete, the Coast Guard will prepare 
a draft EIS, and we will publish a Federal Register notice announcing 
its public availability. (If you want that notice to be sent to you, 
please contact the Coast Guard project manager identified in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.) You will have an opportunity to review 
and comment on the draft EIS. The Coast Guard will consider those 
comments and then prepare the final EIS. As with the draft EIS, we will 
announce the availability of the final EIS and once again give you an 
opportunity for review and comment.

Summary of the Application

    Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C. has proposed a facility to 
import liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the New England region 
providing a base load delivery of 400 million cubic feet per day 
(MMcfd) and capable of peak deliveries of approximately 800 MMcfd or 
more. The facility will be located offshore in Massachusetts Bay, 
approximately 13 miles south-southeast of the city of Gloucester, MA, 
in federal waters approximately 270 to 290 feet in depth, commonly 
referred to as Block 125.
    Northeast Gateway will deliver natural gas to onshore markets via a 
new 24-inch-diameter-pipeline, approximately 16.4 miles in length, from 
the proposed deepwater port to the existing offshore 30-inch-diameter 
Algonquin HubLine Pipeline System. The proposed new pipeline lateral 
will be owned and operated by Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC. 
Algonquin is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 
approval for the pipeline concurrent with this deepwater port 
application. In addition, pipelines within the three-mile limit require 
an Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit under Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. 
Structures such as the moorings and lateral pipelines beyond the three-
mile limit require a Section 10 permit.
    As required by their regulations, FERC will also maintain a docket. 
This is available at the FERC Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the 
``Documents & Filing'' then ``eLibrary'' link and FERC Docket number 
CP05-383. The eLibrary helpline is 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail online 
support is at [email protected]. As required by their 
regulations, the USACE will maintain a permit file. The USACE New 
England District phone number is 978-318-8338 and their Web site is 
http://www.nae.usace.army.mil.
    The new pipeline will be included in the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) review as part of the deepwater port application 
process. FERC and the USACE among others are cooperating agencies and 
will assist in the NEPA process as described in 40 CFR 1501.6; will be 
participating in the scoping meetings; and will conduct joint public 
meetings with the Coast Guard and MARAD when the draft EIS is released 
for public comment. Comments sent to the FERC docket or USACE will also 
be incorporated into the DOT docket and EIS to ensure consistency with 
the NEPA Process.
    The Northeast Gateway deepwater port facility will consist of two 
subsea submerged turret loading buoys (STL Buoys), two flexible risers, 
two pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs), and two subsea flow lines. Each STL 
Buoy will connect to a PLEM using the flexible riser assembly, and the 
PLEM will connect to the subsea flow line. A fleet of specially 
designed Energy Bridge Regasification Vessels (EBRVs), each capable of 
transporting approximately 4.9 million cubic feet (138,000 cubic 
meters) of LNG, will deliver natural gas to the Northeast Gateway DWP.
    The EBRVs will vaporize the LNG in a closed loop mode of 
recirculating fresh water on-board requiring no intake or discharge of 
seawater for the vaporization process. Natural gas will be used to 
operate the regasification facilities as well as to provide vessel 
electrical needs in normal operation.

    Dated: September 28, 2005.
Howard L. Hime,
 Acting Director of Standards, Marine Safety, Security, and 
Environmental Protection, U.S. Coast Guard.
H. Keith Lesnick,
Senior Transportation, Specialist, Deepwater and Ports Program Manager, 
U.S. Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-19951 Filed 10-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-M