[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 107 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32382-32384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8632]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2005-22611]


Neptune LNG, 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.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) announces the availability 
of

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the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Neptune LNG, 
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 8 miles southeast of 
Gloucester, MA and 22 miles northeast of Boston, 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 Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, 
L.L.C. in the same vicinity. These applications are being processed and 
reviewed independently. The Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C. 
DEIS was noticed May 19, 2006 and is available on the Docket at USCG-
2005-22219.

DATES: Public meetings will be held in Salem, MA on June 21, 2006 and 
in Gloucester, MA on June 22, 2006. 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 on the DEIS must reach the 
Docket Management Facility by July 17, 2006.

ADDRESSES: 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 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 DEIS, the application, and associated documentation is 
available for viewing at the DOT's Docket Management System Web site: 
http://dms.dot.gov under docket number 22611. The DEIS is also 
available at public libraries in Beverly, MA, Boston, MA (Central 
Library), Gloucester, MA, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, Marblehead, MA, 
and Salem, MA.
    Address docket submissions for USCG-2005-22611 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, 
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 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 of 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 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 materials 
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 a notice sent directly 
to you, please contact representatives at the public hearing or the 
Coast Guard representative identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    Submissions should include:
     Docket number USCG-2005-22611.
     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 
58729, October 7, 2005. The Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the 
proposed action was published in the Federal Register at 70 FR 61151, 
October 20, 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

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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. These alternatives are more fully 
discussed in the DEIS. The Coast Guard is the lead Federal agency for 
the preparation of the EIS/EIR. You can address any questions about the 
proposed action or the DEIS to the Coast Guard project manager 
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Summary of the Application

    Neptune LNG, L.L.C. proposes to own, construct, and operate a 
deepwater port, named Neptune, in the Federal waters of the Outer 
Continental Shelf on blocks NK 19-04 6525 and NK 19-04 6575, 
approximately 8 miles southeast of Gloucester, MA and 22 miles 
northeast of Boston, MA, in a water depth of approximately 250 feet. 
The Neptune deepwater port would be capable of mooring up to two 
approximately 140,000 cubic meter capacity LNG carriers by means of a 
submerged unloading buoy system.
    The LNG carriers, or shuttle and regasification vessels (SRVs), 
would be equipped to store, transport and vaporize LNG, and to odorize 
and meter natural gas which would then be sent out by conventional 
subsea pipelines. Each SRV would have insulated storage tanks located 
within its hull. Each tank would be equipped with an in-tank pump to 
circulate and transfer LNG to the vaporization facilities located on 
the deck of the SRV. The proposed vaporization system would be a 
closed-loop water-glycol heat exchanger heated by steam from natural 
gas-fired boilers.
    The major fixed components of the proposed deepwater port would be 
an unloading buoy system, eight mooring lines consisting of wire rope 
and chain connecting to anchor points on the seabed, eight suction pile 
anchor points, approximately 2.3 miles of natural gas flow line with 
flexible pipe risers and risers manifolds, and approximately 11 miles 
of 24-inch natural gas transmission line to connect to the existing 
Algonquin HubLine.
    Neptune would have an average throughput capacity of 500 million 
standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) and a peak capacity of 
approximately 750 MMscfd. Natural gas would be sent out by means of two 
flexible risers and subsea flowlines leading to a 24-inch gas 
transmission pipeline. The transmission pipeline would connect the 
deepwater port to the existing 30-inch Algonquin HubLine. No onshore 
components or storage facilities are associated with the proposed 
deepwater port application. Construction of the deepwater port 
components would be expected to take 36 months, with a startup of 
commercial operations in late 2009. The deepwater port would be 
designed, constructed and operated in accordance with applicable codes 
and standards and would have an expected operating life of 
approximately 20 years.
    As required by their regulations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(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 USACE will also be incorporated into the DOT 
docket and EIS to ensure consistency with the NEPA process. 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 a single 
document 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 July 17, 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 30, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-8632 Filed 6-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P