[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15825-15828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7954]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2007-28535]


Atlantic Sea Island Group LLC, Safe Harbor Energy Liquefied 
Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; reopening of scoping comment period.

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SUMMARY: By Federal Register notice of January 9, 2009 (74 FR 982-984) 
the Maritime Administration and the Coast Guard announced the intent to 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Atlantic Sea 
Island Group LLC, Safe Harbor Energy liquefied natural gas deepwater 
port license application located in Federal Waters approximately 13.5 
miles south of the City of Long Beach, New York, 19 miles east of 
Highlands, New Jersey, and 23 miles southeast of the Ports of New York 
and New Jersey. The proposed project location is in the area between 
the Ambrose-to-Nantucket and Hudson Canyon-to-Ambrose shipping lanes, 
located at approximately 40[deg]23' N and 73[deg]36 W, in water depth 
of between 60 and 70 feet covering an area known as Cholera Bank.
    The EIS will be prepared with the New York State Department of 
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as a cooperating agency in the 
environmental review with the Coast Guard. The EIS will meet the 
requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). In 
addition, the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration will be 
working with appropriate state agency representatives from New Jersey 
to ensure potential impacts and concerns of New Jersey are addressed in 
the EIS.
    The Maritime Administration and Coast Guard held public scoping 
meetings for the Safe Harbor Energy liquefied natural gas deepwater 
port license application on January 27, 2009 in Eatontown, New Jersey, 
as well as on January 29, 2009 in Long Beach, New York. In addition, 
the scoping comment period was extended an additional 30 days by the 
Maritime Administration and Coast Guard to accommodate several requests 
for the scoping comment period extension. The scoping comment period 
closed on March 11, 2009. However, this notice announces the reopening 
of the scoping comment period, a public meeting to be held in 
connection with the EIS, and request for

[[Page 15826]]

public comments on the scope of the EIS.

DATES: A public meeting will be held in Rockaway, New York on April 19, 
2009. The public meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will be 
preceded by an open house from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The public meeting 
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 
license application must reach the Docket Management Facility by May 3, 
2009.

ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting will be held at: P.S. 114 
Belle Harbor School, 400 Beach 135th Street, Rockaway, NY 11694; 718-
634-3382.
    The license application, comments and associated documentation is 
available for viewing at the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) 
Web site: http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-2007-
28535.
    Docket submissions for USCG-2007-28535 should be addressed to: 
Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West 
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
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 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except for Federal holidays. The facility phone 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://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Prescott, U.S. Coast Guard, 
telephone: 202-372-1440, e-mail: [email protected]; or LT Hannah 
Kawamoto, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone: 202-372-1438, e-mail: 
[email protected]; or Yvette Fields, U.S. Maritime 
Administration, telephone: 202-366-0926, e-mail: [email protected]. 
If you have questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTAL 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 
environmental issues related to the proposed deepwater port. Your 
comments will help us identify and refine the scope of the 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS.
    The purpose of this open house and public meeting is to provide the 
public with factual information on the project and the deepwater port 
license application process and to give the public an opportunity to 
provide comments. Videography and photography will be allowed from 
designated areas inside the public meeting area. Items including 
promotional posters, placards, or banners will not be permitted inside 
the public meeting area.
    Speaker registrations will be available at the door. Speakers at 
the public scoping meeting will be recognized in the following order: 
elected officials, public agencies, individuals or groups in the sign-
up order and anyone else who wishes to speak. Speakers may be asked to 
limit their oral comments to three (3) minutes in order to afford 
everyone an opportunity to speak and if possible the meeting time may 
be extended to accommodate additional comments. Speakers must identify 
themselves and any organization represented, by name. 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 
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) Web site (see Request for 
Comments).
    Our 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 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 license 
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 or to the FDMS Web 
site during the public comment period (see DATES). We will consider all 
comments and material received during the comment period. All previous 
comments submitted to the docket do not need to be resubmitted.
    Submissions should include:
     Docket number USCG-2007-28535.
     Your name and address.
    Submit comments or material using only one of the following 
methods:
     Electronic submission to FDMS: http://www.regulations.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[frac12] 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 FDMS Web site 
(http://www.regulations.gov) and will include any personal information 
you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. 
You may wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice that is available on 
the FDMS Web site, and the Department of Transportation Privacy Act 
Notice that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 
19477), see PRIVACY ACT. You may view docket submissions at the Docket 
Management Facility or electronically on the FDMS Web site (see 
ADDRESSES).

Background

    Information about deepwater ports, the statutes, and regulations 
governing their licensing and the receipt of the current application 
for the proposed Safe Harbor Energy liquefied natural gas (LNG) 
deepwater port appears in the Federal Register on August 27, 2007 (72 
FR 49041), which can be accessed at: edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-16857.pdf. The ``Summary of the Application'' from that publication 
is reprinted below for your convenience.
    Consideration of a deepwater port license application includes 
review of the proposed deepwater port's natural and human environmental 
impacts. The Coast Guard is the lead agency for determining the scope 
of this review and in this case the Coast Guard has determined that 
this review must include preparation of an EIS. This notice is required 
by 40 CFR 1501.7 and briefly describes the proposed action and possible 
alternatives and our proposed scoping process.
    The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has 
determined that the proposed port and subsea pipeline may result in 
significant adverse environmental impacts, as defined under the State 
Environmental

[[Page 15827]]

Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and that compliance with SEQRA requires 
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Because of the 
many similarities in requirements, the Coast Guard, Maritime 
Administration and New York State Department of Environmental 
Conservation (NYSDEC) have agreed to cooperate in preparing a single 
document that satisfies both the NEPA and SEQRA.
    The EIS will be consistent with the Deepwater Port Act (DWPA) of 
1974, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1501-1524); the NEPA (Section 102[2][c]), 
as implemented by Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 
1500-1508); and SEQRA (6 NYCRR Part 617). The environmental review and 
analysis will be completed according to the timeline prescribed by the 
DWPA, which requires a decision within 365 days of the publication of 
the Notice of Application. The period to complete all NEPA/SEQRA 
documents is approximately 240 days. This timeline will govern the 
activities related to the processing of the license application and the 
completion of all NEPA and SEQRA related actions needed to support the 
Maritime Administrator's decision regarding whether to approve, approve 
with conditions, or disapprove the proposed license.
    This notice provides compliance with the requirements of the NEPA 
regulations and also serves as the notice of a scoping session under 
SEQRA. It briefly describes the proposed action, possible alternatives, 
and our proposed scoping process. Address any questions about the 
proposed action, the scoping process, or the EIS to the Coast Guard 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

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), or (2) denying the application, which 
for purposes of environmental review is the ``no-action'' alternative.

Scoping Process

    Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and 
determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Scoping 
begins with this notice, continues through the public comment period 
(see DATES), and ends when the Coast Guard, Maritime Administration and 
NYSDEC have completed the following actions:
     Invites the participation of Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, and other 
interested persons;
     Determines the actions, alternatives, and impacts 
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
     Identifies and eliminates, from detailed study, those 
issues that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
     Allocates responsibility for preparing EIS components;
     Indicates any related environmental assessments or 
environmental impact statements that are not part of the EIS;
     Identifies other relevant environmental review and 
consultation requirements;
     Indicates the relationship between timing of the 
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
     At its discretion, exercises the options for scoping 
provided in 40 CFR 1501.7(b).
    Once the scoping process is complete, the Coast Guard, Maritime 
Administration, and NYSDEC will prepare a draft EIS, and we will 
publish a Federal Register notice announcing its public availability. 
(If you want that notice to be sent to you, please contact the Coast 
Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You will have an 
opportunity to review and comment on the draft EIS. The Coast Guard, 
Maritime Administration, and NYSDEC will consider those comments and 
then prepare the final EIS. As with the draft EIS, we will announce the 
availability of the final EIS and once again give you an opportunity 
for review and comment.

Availability of EIS

    A notice of availability (NOA) will be published in the Federal 
Register when the DEIS is available and NYSDEC will publish a notice of 
completion of Draft EIS, prepared in accordance with SEQRA Sec.  
617.12, in NYSDEC's online Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB). The ENB 
is accessible on NYSDEC's Web site at: dec.state.ny.us. The DEIS in 
hardcopy or electronic format will be distributed to agencies, local 
public libraries and interested parties that have requested copies. 
Anyone who wishes to comment on the draft report will be provided with 
an opportunity to review the DEIS and to offer comments on the 
environmental effects of the proposed project. Comments received during 
the DEIS review period will be available on the public docket and 
responded to in the FEIS. A Notice of Availability of the FEIS will 
also be published in the Federal Register, and NYSDEC will publish a 
notice of completion of the final EIS and file copies of the final EIS 
in accordance with SEQRA Sec.  617.12. Additional public meetings will 
be held after the draft and final documents are published.

Summary of the Application

    Atlantic Sea Island Group LLC (ASIG), proposes to own, construct, 
and operate a deepwater port, named Safe Harbor Energy, in the Federal 
waters of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf in the area known as the 
New York Bight region in MMS lease area NK18-12 block 6655. The 
proposed location is approximately 13.5 miles south of the City of Long 
Beach, New York, 19 miles east of Highlands, New Jersey, and 23 miles 
southeast of the Ports of New York and New Jersey. The proposed project 
location is in the area between the Ambrose-to-Nantucket and Hudson 
Canyon-to-Ambrose shipping lanes, located at approximately 40[deg]23'N 
and 73[deg]36W, in water depth of between 60 and 70 feet covering an 
area known as Cholera Bank.
    The deepwater port, Safe Harbor Energy, consists of three 
components: An island to be constructed of natural sand, gravel, and 
rock materials surrounded by armored breakwaters, consisting of 
prefabricated caissons, armor units, and rock; an LNG receiving, 
storage, and regasification facility; and a subsea pipeline that would 
transport the natural gas to an offshore connection with the 
Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation's pipeline system. The 
pipeline would consist of two parallel 36-inch diameter pipe segments 
extending 12.8 miles from the island. Safe Harbor Energy will include 
berthing and offloading space for two conventional LNG vessels with 
capacity of 70,000 m3 to 270,000 m3. 
Additionally, it will accommodate support vessels including docking/
firefighting tugs and crew support launches. The storage portion would 
include four (4) 180,000 m3 full-containment storage tanks. 
The regasification equipment would be an ambient air heat exchange 
type. Safe Harbor Energy would have an average throughput capacity of 
approximately 1.15 billion cubic standard feet per day (bscfd).
    A shore based facility would be used to facilitate movement of 
personnel, equipment, supplies, and disposable materials between the 
port and shore.
    Construction of the deepwater port would be expected to take 
approximately five (5) years; with startup of commercial operations

[[Page 15828]]

following construction, should a license 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 25 years.

Privacy Act

    The electronic form of all comments received into the Federal 
Docket Management System can 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.). The DOT Privacy Act 
Statement can be viewed in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (Volume 65, Number 70, pages 19477-78) or you may visit http://www.regulations.gov.

(Authority 49 CFR 1.66)

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Murray A. Bloom,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
 [FR Doc. E9-7954 Filed 4-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P