[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 207 (Thursday, October 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62657-62659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-17942]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2005-22219]


Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C., Liquefied Natural Gas 
Deepwater Port License Application; Final Application Public Hearings 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard 
(USCG) announce the availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) for the Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C., 
Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port license application. Also, public 
hearings will be held on matters relevant to the approval or denial of 
the 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 FEIS and application. 
Publication of this notice begins a 30-day public 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. The 
Neptune FEIS should be noticed as available and public hearing 
information published on November 3, 2006.

DATES: Public hearings will be held in Gloucester, MA on November 8, 
2006 and in Salem, MA on November 9, 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 hearings 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 
FEIS and application must reach the Docket Management Facility by 
November 25, 2006 ending the 30-day public comment period.
    Federal and State agencies must submit comments, recommended 
conditions for licensing, or letters of no objection by December 26, 
2006 (45 days after the final public hearings). Also by December 26, 
2006, the Governor of Massachusetts (the adjacent coastal state) may 
approve, disapprove, or notify MARAD of inconsistencies with State 
programs relating to environmental protection, land and water use, and 
coastal zone management for which MARAD may condition the license to 
make consistent.
    MARAD must issue a record of decision (ROD) to approve, approve 
with conditions, or deny the DWP license application by February 7, 
2007 (90 days after the public hearings).
    For dates required by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act 
(MEPA) schedule, please see that section at the end of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing in Gloucester will be held at the 
Gloucester High School Auditorium, 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road, 
Gloucester, MA, telephone: 617-635-4100. The public hearing in Salem 
will be at the Salem State College Library, Charlotte Forten Hall, 360 
Lafayette Street, Salem, MA, telephone: 978-542-7192.
    The FEIS, the application, comments and associated documentation 
are available for viewing at the DOT's Docket Management System Web 
site: http://dms.dot.gov under docket number 22219. The FEIS is also 
available at public libraries in Beverly, Boston (Central Library), 
Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Rockport, and Salem.
    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: 202-372-1451, 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 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 FEIS. Speaker 
registrations will be available at the door. In order to allow everyone 
a chance to speak at the public hearings, we may limit speaker time, or 
extend the hearing 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 hearing, 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.

[[Page 62658]]

    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 hearing locations are wheelchair-accessible. If 
you plan to attend an 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 
FEIS and application. The public hearing is not the only opportunity 
you have to comment. In addition to or in place of attending a hearing, 
you can submit comments to the Docket Management Facility during the 
public comment period (see DATES). The Coast Guard and MARAD 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).
    You may view docket submissions at the Docket Management Facility 
(see ADDRESSES), or electronically on the DMS Web site.

Background

    We published the Notice of Application for the proposed Northeast 
Gateway liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port and information on 
regulations and statutes governing licensing in the Federal Register at 
70 FR 52422, September 2, 2005; the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS 
for the proposed action was published at 70 FR 58228, October 5, 2005; 
and the Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS was published at 71 FR 
29211, May 19, 2006. The FEIS, application materials and associated 
comments and documentation 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), and (2) denying the application, which 
for purposes of environmental review is the ``no-action'' alternative. 
These alternatives are more fully discussed in the FEIS. 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 FEIS to the 
Coast Guard project manager identified in 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 would 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 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 at [email protected].
    As required by their regulations, the USACE has maintained 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 have been incorporated 
into the EIS; will continue to be incorporated into the DOT docket; and 
will continue to be considered in the licensing, USACE permitting and 
FERC order decisions. FERC and the USACE, among others, are cooperating 
agencies and are assisting in the NEPA process as described in 40 CFR 
1501.6., and have conducted joint public hearings with the Coast Guard 
and MARAD.

[[Page 62659]]

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 
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 
Environmental Impact Report can be viewed at http://www.mass.gov/envir/mepa/thirdlevelpages/monitorarchives/archives/25july06.htm. The EIR was 
published in the Environmental Monitor on October 25, 2006; ENF 
comments will be due November 14, 2006; ENF decisions will be due 
November 24, 2006; the Secretary of Environmental Affairs will accept 
written comments on the Environmental Impact Report through November 
24, 2006; and the EIR decisions (Certificate) will be due December 1, 
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 
Robert W. Golledge, Jr., EOEA, Attn: MEPA Office, Richard Bourre, EOEA 
No.13473/13474, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston MA 02114.

    Dated: October 23, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-17942 Filed 10-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P