[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29211-29213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7660]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: Maritime Administration, DOT.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) announces the availability 
of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Northeast 
Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C., Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port 
license application. The application describes a project that would be 
located in Federal waters of Massachusetts Bay, in Block 125, 
approximately 13 miles south-southeast of Gloucester, MA. The Coast 
Guard and MARAD request public comments on the DEIS. Publication of 
this notice begins a 45 day comment period and provides information on 
how to participate in the process. As a point of clarification, there 
is another deepwater port application by Neptune LNG, L.L.C. in the 
same vicinity. These applications are being processed and reviewed 
independently.

DATES: Public hearings will be held in Gloucester, MA on June 14, 2006 
and in Salem, MA on June 15, 2006. Both hearings 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 on the DEIS must reach the 
Docket Management Facility by July 3, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting in Gloucester will be held at the 
Gloucester High School Auditorium, 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road, 
Gloucester, MA, telephone: 617-635-4100. The public meeting in Salem 
will be at the Salem State College Library, Charlotte Forten Hall, 360 
Lafayette Street, Salem, MA, telephone: 978-542-7192.
    The DEIS, the application, and associated documentation are 
available for viewing at the DOT Docket Management System Web site: 
http://dms.dot.gov under docket number 22219. The DEIS is also 
available at public libraries in Beverly, MA, Boston, MA, Gloucester, 
MA, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, Marblehead, MA, Rockport, MA, and Salem, 
MA.
    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, the fax number is 202-493-2251, and the 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: 202-372-1451, e-mail: [email protected]. If you have 
questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager,

[[Page 29212]]

Docket Operations, telephone: 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Hearing and Open House

    We invite you to learn about the proposed deepwater port at an 
informational open house, and to comment at a public hearing on the 
proposed action and the evaluation contained in the DEIS. 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 hearing, 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 the 
DEIS. The public hearing 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 and prepare the Final EIS (FEIS). We 
will announce the availability of the FEIS and once again give you the 
opportunity to review and comment. If you want that notice sent 
directly to you please contact representatives at the public hearing or 
the Coast Guard representative identified in this notice under the 
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Written submissions should include the following information:
     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).
    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 Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for 
the proposed action was published in the Federal Register at 70 FR 
58228, October 5, 2005. Application materials and associated comments 
are available on the docket. Information from the ``Summary of the 
Application'' from previous Federal Register notices is included below 
for your convenience.

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), or (2) denying the application, which 
for purposes of environmental review is the ``no-action'' alternative. 
These alternatives are more fully discussed in the DEIS. The Coast 
Guard is the lead Federal agency for the preparation of the EIS. You 
can address any questions about the proposed action or the DEIS to the 
Coast Guard project manager identified in this notice under the section 
titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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 would 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 would 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 would be owned and operated by Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC. 
The new pipeline is included in the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) review as part of the deepwater port application process.
    The Northeast Gateway deepwater port facility would 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 would 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, would 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.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Army Corps of Engineers

    Algonquin is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 
approval for the proposed 24-inch-diameter-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

[[Page 29213]]

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'' links and the FERC Docket 
number CP05-383. The eLibrary helpline is 1-866-208-3676 and the e-mail 
address for online support is [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.
    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.
    FERC and the USACE among others are cooperating agencies and will 
assist in the NEPA process as described in 40 CFR 1501.6 and will 
conduct joint public hearings with the Coast Guard and MARAD.

Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA)

    Through a Special Review Procedure established by the Massachusetts 
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), the USCG and the MEPA 
Office are conducting a coordinated NEPA/MEPA review allowing this 
single set of documents to serve simultaneously as both the EIS under 
NEPA and the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under MEPA. The 
Certificates establishing the Special Review Procedure and the Scope 
for the Draft Environmental Impact Report can be viewed at http://www.mass.gov/envir/mepa/secondlevelpages/recentdecisions.htm. The 
Secretary of Environmental Affairs will accept written comments on the 
Draft Environmental Impact Report through Friday, June 30, 2006. 
Comments may be submitted electronically, by mail, via FAX, or by hand 
delivery. Please note that comments submitted on MEPA documents are 
public records. The mailing address for comments is: Secretary Stephen 
R. Pritchard, EOEA, Attn: MEPA Office, Richard Bourre, EOEA No. 13373/
13374, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston MA 02114.

    Authority: 49 CFR 1.66.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
    Dated: May 16, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-7660 Filed 5-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P