[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53283-53286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-18323]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2007-28676]


Clearwater Port Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License 
Application; Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard, in 
coordination with the California State Lands Commission (CSLC), 
announce their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR), in connection with this 
application for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port 
(DWP) that would be located in the Pacific Ocean approximately 10.5 
miles offshore of Ventura County, California.
    The EIS/EIR will be prepared in coordination with the CSLC because 
the applicant has filed a land lease application with the CSLC for the 
construction, use and maintenance of a 36-inch diameter subsea pipeline 
on submerged lands in State waters to deliver natural gas onshore. The 
EIS/EIR will meet the requirements of both the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
    Publication of this notice begins a scoping process that will help 
identify and determine the scope of environmental issues addressed in 
the EIS/EIR. This notice requests public participation in the scoping 
process, provides information on how to participate, and serves as a 
notice of preparation (NOP) for the purposes of compliance with CEQA.

DATES: Material submitted in response to the request for comments must 
be received by the Docket Management Facility or the CSLC by October 
18, 2007 by 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (see Request for Comments and 
Addresses for the address and instructions on how to submit comments). 
Public meeting dates are October 3, 2007 in Oxnard, California, and 
October 4, 2007 in Santa Clarita, California.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings and informational open houses will be 
held at the following times and places:

October 3, 2007

    Performing Arts and Convention Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, 
California 93030, Telephone: (805) 486-2424.
    Public Scoping Meetings: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 
8:30 p.m.; Open House: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 
p.m.

October 4, 2007

    Santa Clarita Activities Center, Santa Clarita Room, 20880 Centre 
Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, California 91350, Telephone: (661) 250-
3701.
    Public Scoping Meeting: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Open House: 4 p.m. to 6 
p.m.
    The public docket for USCG-2007-28676 is maintained by the 
Department of Transportation Docket Management Facility. You may submit 
comments by any of the following methods:
    If filing comments by September 27, 2007, please use:
     Web Site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the Department of Transportation Docket 
Management System electronic docket site. No electronic submissions 
will be accepted between September 28, 2007, and October 1, 2007.
    If filing comments on or after October 1, 2007, use:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Alternatively, you can file comments using the following methods:
     Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Instructions: Note that all comments received will be posted 
without change to http://dms.dot.gov or http://www.regulations.gov, 
including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act 
heading below.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78).
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://dms.dot.gov until September 27, 2007, 
or the street address listed above. The DOT docket may be offline at 
times between September 28 through September 30 to migrate to the 
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS). On October 1, 2007, the 
internet access to the docket will be http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Ray Martin, U.S. Coast Guard, 
at (202) 372-1449 or e-mail at [email protected]; Kevin Tone, 
U.S. Coast Guard, at (202) 372-1441 or [email protected]; Mr. Scott 
Davies, U.S. Maritime Administration, at (202) 366-2763 or 
[email protected]; or contact Crystal Spurr, located in the 
Sacramento, CA office of the California State Lands Commission, at 
(916) 574-0748 or e-mail at [email protected].
    This public notice may be requested in an alternative format, such 
as Spanish translation, audiotape, large print, or Braille by 
contacting Crystal Spurr, CSLC, (916) 574-0748 ([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maritime Administration and the U.S. 
Coast Guard, in coordination with the California State Lands Commission 
(CSLC), announce their intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR), in connection with 
this application for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater 
port (DWP) that would be located in the Pacific Ocean approximately 
10.5 miles offshore of Ventura County, California. The EIS/EIR will be 
prepared with the CSLC because the applicant has filed a land lease

[[Page 53284]]

application with the CSLC for the construction, use and maintenance of 
a 36-inch diameter subsea pipeline on submerged lands in State waters 
to deliver natural gas onshore. The EIS/EIR will meet the requirements 
of both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California 
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Publication of this notice begins a 
scoping process that will help identify and determine the scope of 
environmental review and invites public participation in the scoping 
process, and provides information on how to participate. This notice 
also serves as a notice of preparation (NOP) for the purposes of CEQA 
compliance.

Background

    Information about deepwater ports, the statutes and regulations 
governing licensing, and the receipt of the current application for the 
proposed Clearwater Port LNG deepwater port appears at 72 FR 50445, 
August 31, 2007.
    Consideration of a deepwater port license application and CSLC land 
lease application includes review of the proposed environmental 
impacts. The U.S. Coast Guard, in coordination with the Maritime 
Administration, determines the scope of this review. In this case, 
these Federal agencies have determined that review must include 
preparation of an EIS. The CSLC, as the State lead agency under the 
CEQA, has determined that an EIR is required. Because of the many 
similarities between an EIS and an EIR, the U.S. Coast Guard (in 
coordination with the Maritime Administration) and the CSLC have agreed 
to cooperate in preparing a single document that satisfies both the 
NEPA and the CEQA. This notice of intent is required by 40 CFR 1508.22, 
and briefly describes the proposed action, possible alternatives, and 
the proposed scoping process. For the State of California's purposes, 
this notice serves as a notice of preparation, notice of public scoping 
meetings, and request for comments as described in CEQA Guidelines 
Section 15082. Address any questions about the proposed action, the 
scoping process, or the EIS/EIR to the U.S. Coast Guard and CSLC 
contact persons identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section. Comments need not be submitted to more than one agency; all 
comments received by one agency will be shared with and entered into 
the record of the other agencies.

Proposed Action/ Project Description

    Clearwater Port LLC (a subsidiary of NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc.) 
is proposing to construct Clearwater Port, an offshore liquefied 
natural gas receiving terminal and regasification facility located in 
federal waters approximately 10.5 miles offshore of the coast of 
Oxnard, California in Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Block 
OCS-P 0217. Clearwater Port will be comprised primarily of Platform 
Grace; an offset dual berth (ODB) Satellite Service Platform that would 
be installed adjacent to Platform Grace for docking of the LNG 
carriers; and a new 36-inch subsea pipeline to transport vaporized 
natural gas from the platform connecting at a junction point onshore to 
a Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) pipeline located in Rancho 
Santa Clara near Camarillo, California. The pipeline would come ashore 
within the Reliant Energy Mandalay Power Generating Station and connect 
with a new gas receiving and metering facility.
    The onshore components of the project would consist of 
approximately 63 miles of new pipeline by expanding the SoCalGas 
pipeline system as follows: A 36-inch pipeline extending 12.9 miles 
from the Reliant Energy Mandalay Power Generating Station to the 
existing Center Road Station; a 36-inch pipeline extending 37 miles to 
loop the existing Line 324 for transport of additional capacities from 
the Center Road Station to the existing Saugus Station; an 8.75-mile 
leg of 36-inch pipeline to loop the existing Line 225 for transport of 
additional capacities from the existing Honor Rancho Station to the 
Quigley Station; and, a final 4.5-mile leg of 36-inch pipeline to 
extend the existing Line 3008 (currently from the Quigley Valve Station 
to the Newhall Valve Station) for transport of additional capacities 
from the existing Quigley Valve Station to the existing Balboa Station. 
Contact Crystal Spurr, CSLC, (916) 574-0748 ([email protected]) to 
obtain a map of the project location.
    The deepwater port would be able to receive approximately 139 LNG 
carriers annually and accommodate two LNG carriers ranging from 70,000 
m \3\ to 220,000 m \3\ in capacity. The carriers would transfer LNG one 
carrier at a time through a conventional marine loading arm system to 
the platform via a cryogenic pipe-in-pipe where it would be regasified 
by an ambient air vaporizer (AAV) system. The AAV would have the 
capacity to achieve an average hourly rate of 2300 m \3\, an average 
daily gas send-out of 1.2 Bcfd, and a peak sendout capacity of 1.4 
Bcfd. Construction of the deepwater port could be expected to take 
three (3) years; with start-up of commercial operations following 
construction, should a Federal license and the required California 
State lease and permits be issued. 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 30 years.

Public Meeting and Open House

    We invite you to learn about the proposed deepwater port at an 
informational open house and comment at a public meeting on 
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The 
comments will help us identify and refine the scope of the 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS/EIR.
    Written material may be submitted at the public meeting, either in 
place of or in addition to speaking. Written material should include 
your name and address, and will be included in the public docket.
    All public meeting locations are wheelchair-accessible. If you plan 
to attend the open house or public meeting, and need special assistance 
such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodation, 
please notify the U.S. 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 
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The public 
meeting is not the only opportunity to comment. In addition to or in 
place of attending a meeting, comments can be submitted to the Docket 
Management Facility during the public comment period (see DATES). All 
comments and materials received during the comment period will be 
considered. Address comments/docket submissions to either of the 
following agencies:
    Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West 
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590.
    Submit your comments by electronic submission to DMS, http://dms.dot.gov (or to http://www.regulations.gov, if filing comments on or 
after October 1, 2007) or by fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket 
Management Facility. 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. The Docket Management Facility

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accepts hand-delivered submissions, and makes docket contents available 
for public inspection and copying at this address, in room W12-140, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. The Docket Management Facility's telephone is 202-366-9329, 
and its fax is 202-493-2251.
    California State Lands Commission, Attn: Crystal Spurr, 100 Howe 
Avenue, Suite 100 South, Sacramento, California 95825-8202.
    The telephone number at the California State Lands Commission is 
(916) 574-1900, and the fax is (916) 574-1885. You can submit your 
comments by electronic submissions to the CSLC, [email protected]; or 
by fax, mail, or hand delivery to the CSLC. Faxed or hand delivered 
submissions must be unbound, no larger than 81/2 by 11 inches, and 
suitable for copying and electronic scanning. If you mail your 
submission and want to know when it reaches the CSLC, include a 
stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    Submissions should include:
     Docket number USCG-2007-28676.
     Your name and address.
     Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing 
information to our attention.
    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or materials, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site 
(http://dms.dot.gov) (or to http://www.regulations.gov, if filing 
comments on or after October 1, 2007), and will include any personal 
information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes 
it public (see Privacy Act).
    If you have questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone: 202-493-0402. 
Additionally, information pertaining to the proposed Clearwater Port is 
available online at http://dms.dot.gov or http://www.slc.ca.gov.

Scoping Process

    Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and 
determining the scope of issues addressed in the EIS/EIR. Scoping 
begins with this notice, continues through the public comment period 
and ends when the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration and the CSLC 
have:
     Invited the participation of Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, and other 
interested persons;
     Determined the actions, alternatives, and impacts 
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
     Identified and eliminated from detailed study those issues 
that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
     Allocated responsibility for preparing EIS/EIR components;
     Indicated any related environmental assessments or 
environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS;
     Identified other relevant environmental review and 
consultation requirements;
     Indicated the relationship between timing of the 
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
     At the Federal agencies' discretion, exercised the options 
provided in 40 CFR 1501.7 (b).
    Once the scoping process is complete, the Maritime Administration 
and Coast Guard, in cooperation with CSLC, will prepare a draft EIS/EIR 
(DEIS/DEIR), and publish a Federal Register notice announcing its 
public availability. To receive that notice, please contact those 
identified in (FOR FURTHER INFORMATION). An opportunity to review and 
comment on the draft EIS/EIR will be provided. The Maritime 
Administration, Coast Guard, and CSLC will consider those comments in 
the preparation of the final EIS/EIR (FEIS/FEIR). As with the draft 
EIS, we will announce the availability of the FEIS/FEIR and once again 
provide an opportunity for review and comment.

Availability of EIS/EIR

    In addition to the Federal Register notice announcing the 
availability of the DEIS/DEIR, the CSLC will file a notice of 
completion with the California State Clearinghouse. The DEIS/DEIR in 
hardcopy or electronic format will be distributed to agencies, local 
public libraries and interested parties that have requested copies. 
Comments received during the DEIS/DEIR review period will be available 
in the public docket and responded to in the FEIS/FEIR. An NOA of the 
FEIS/FEIR will be published in the Federal Register, and the CSLC will 
issue notices of availability and completion. Additional public 
meetings will be held after the draft and final documents are 
published.

Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    The EIS/EIR for Clearwater Port will discuss, among other issues: 
The purpose and need for this LNG project; project alternatives; the no 
action/no project alternative; the affected environment/baseline; the 
environmental impacts of the proposed action/project and alternatives; 
and proposed mitigation measures. The EIS/EIR will assess the impacts 
of the project and alternatives on the environment, including approving 
or not approving (no action/no project alternative) the state lease and 
the federal license to construct and operate the DWP.
    Environmental issues that will require detailed analysis include, 
but are not necessarily limited to:
     Aesthetics--alter the onshore and offshore viewsheds; 
light and glare;
     Air Quality--onshore and offshore impacts on regional air 
quality; impacts of greenhouse gas emissions;
     Geological Resources and Soils--impacts from seismic 
hazards, erosion, and loss of unique paleontological resources;
     Hazardous Materials--impacts from hazardous material 
spills or pipeline rupture;
     Marine Transportation--impacts on marine traffic;
     Onshore Transportation--impacts from construction traffic 
and temporary lane closures;
     Marine Biology--impacts on sea turtles, marine mammals, 
benthic communities, or other special status species;
     Recreation--impacts on boating and commercial and 
recreational fishing, and impacts on public beach access;
     Hazards and Risk/Safety--impacts from LNG/gas release (The 
EIS/EIR will include an independent, site-specific risk assessment);
     Noise and Vibration--impacts of noise on local residents, 
boaters, passengers on marine vessels, fish, sea turtles, and marine 
mammals;
     Terrestrial Biology--impacts from construction, operation 
and maintenance activities on biological resources;
     Water Quality--impacts from spills, releases of LNG, 
erosion;
     Environmental Justice--potential disproportionate effects 
on minority and low income populations within the Project area;
     Agricultural Resources--impacts on farmland and crops;
     Cultural Resources--impacts on shipwrecks and Native 
American, archaeological, and historic resources;
     Energy and Mineral Resources--Restriction on the future 
availability of exploitable oil and gas resources;
     Land Use--potential conflicts with existing land uses;
     Socioeconomics--impacts on community character, 
population, housing, public services, employment;
     Cumulative Impacts--The EIS/EIR will evaluate the 
cumulative effects of

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the project, if any, associated with each environmental issue area;
     Alternatives--The EIS/EIR will evaluate the No Action/No 
Project Alternative. Other alternatives that may be analyzed include: 
Alternative Offshore Locations; Alternative Onshore Locations; 
Alternative Capacity; Alternative Onshore and Offshore Pipeline Routes; 
Alternative Methodologies; Alternative Technologies and Design 
Concepts.

Agency Involvement

    The major Federal and State permit, approval, and consultation 
requirements for Clearwater Port include, but are not necessarily 
limited to, the following:
    Federal:
     DOT/Maritime Administration-DWP license.
     DHS/U.S. Coast Guard-DWP design and operational 
requirements.
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act 
and Clean Water Act (CWA) permits.
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Clean Water Act 
Section 404 and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permits
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Section 7, Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) consultation.
     U.S. Department of Defense.
     U.S. State Department.
     U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service 
(MMS).
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Section 7, ESA consultation requirements.
     NOAA Fisheries-Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management and 
Conservation Act consultation.
     NOAA Fisheries-Marine Mammal Protection Act consultation.

California

     California Coastal Commission Compliance with California 
Coastal Act and consistency with California Coastal Management Program.
     California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), 
National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 and California historic 
preservation consultation and compliance.

Privacy Act

    The electronic form of all comments received into the DOT docket 
are available to any person and may be searched by the name of the 
individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted 
on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may 
review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register 
published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or 
you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

(Authority 49 CFR 1.66)

    Dated: September 12, 2007.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Daron T. Threet,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
 [FR Doc. E7-18323 Filed 9-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P