[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36538-36539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10065]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[CGD13-06-028]


Letter of Recommendation, Proposed LNG Project, Jordan Cove 
Energy Project, LP, Coos County, OR

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Request for comments; notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Portland, 
Oregon is preparing a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) as to the 
suitability of Coos Bay for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine traffic. 
This LOR will encompass the marine safety and security aspects 
associated with the proposed Jordan Cove Energy Project, L.P. (Jordan 
Cove) LNG facility. 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. 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 July 21, 2006. In addition, a public meeting will be 
held Tuesday, July 11, 2006, at 7 p.m. The comment period associated 
with the public meeting will remain open for ten days following the 
meeting. The meeting location is: Southwestern Oregon Community 
College, Hales Performing Arts Center, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, OR 
97420. 541-888-2525.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments to Commanding Officer, U.S. 
Coast Guard Sector Portland, 6767 N. Basin Ave., Portland, OR 97217. 
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) 240-9307
    (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 Jordan Cove LNG facility. If you do so, 
please include your name and address, identify the docket number for 
this notice ([CGD13-06-028]), 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 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.
    Organizations and members of the public may provide oral statements 
regarding the suitability of Coos Bay for LNG vessel traffic. In the 
interest of time and use of the public meeting facility, oral 
statements should be limited to five minutes. Written comments may be 
submitted at the meeting or to the Docket up to July 21, 2006.

Background and Purpose

    In accordance with the requirements of 33 CFR 127.007, Jordan Cove 
submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) on April 10, 2006, to operate an LNG 
facility on the North Spit of Coos Bay, Coos County, Oregon. The Letter 
of Recommendation (LOR) is in response to this LOI submitted by Jordan 
Cove. 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.
    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 and will prepare the Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) mandated by the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA). To help FERC make sure that the EIS covers

[[Page 36539]]

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, re-gasification 
and power generation facility. LNG carriers (ships) would berth at a 
new pier 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). 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 89,000 
m3 to 160,000 m3. The larger carriers would 
measure up to approximately 935 feet long with up to approximately a 
148 foot wide beam, and draw approximately 39 feet of water. The Jordan 
Cove Gas terminal would handle approximately 80 vessels per year, 
depending upon natural gas demand, and carrier size, with shipments 
arriving about every five 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 Jordan Cove 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 Jordan Cove'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 PF06-25, and follow 
the instructions. Searches may also be done using the phrases ``Jordan 
Cove'' or ``Coos Bay 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 website also provides access to the texts of 
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.
    Jordan Cove has also established an Internet Web site for its 
project at http://www.jordancoveenergy.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 FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT as soon as possible.

    Dated: June 10, 2006.
Patrick G. Gerrity,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port.
[FR Doc. E6-10065 Filed 6-26-06; 8:45 am]
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