[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 212 (Thursday, November 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64606-64608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18496]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2005-22611]


Neptune 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 Neptune LNG LLC, 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 8 
miles southeast of Gloucester, MA and 22 miles northeast of Boston, MA. 
The Coast Guard and MARAD request public comments on the FEIS and 
application. Publication of this notice begins a 30 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. FEIS was 
noticed on an earlier date and is available on the Docket at USCG-2005-
22219.

DATES: Public hearings will be held in Gloucester, MA on November 14, 
2006 and in Salem, MA on November 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 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 
December 2, 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 January 2, 2007 
(45 days after the final public hearings). Also by January 2, 2007, 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 13, 
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.

[[Page 64607]]

    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 22611. The FEIS is also 
available at public libraries in Beverly, Boston (Central Library), 
Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, and Salem.
    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, 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.
    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.
    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 materials received during the comment period.
    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

    We published the Notice of Application for the proposed Neptune 
liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port and information on 
regulations and statutes governing licensing in the Federal Register at 
70 FR 58729, October 7, 2005; the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS 
for the proposed action was published at 70 FR 61151, October 20, 2005; 
and the Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS was published at 71 FR 
32382, June 5, 2006. 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

    Neptune LNG LLC 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, 
Massachusetts, 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

[[Page 64608]]

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.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permits

    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, 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 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 and USACE permitting decisions. The 
USACE, among others, is a cooperating agency; is assisting in the NEPA 
process as described in 40 CFR 1501.6., and has conducted 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 EIR will be published in 
the Environmental Monitor on November 8, 2006; ENF comments are due 
November 28, 2006; ENF decisions are due December 8, 2006; the 
Secretary of Environmental Affairs will accept written comments on the 
Environmental Impact Report through December 8, 2006; and the EIR 
decisions (Certificate) is due December 15, 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 30, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
 [FR Doc. E6-18496 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P