[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4417-4419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1448]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[USCG-2010-0993]


Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Liberty Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) 
Deepwater Port License Application

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration, in coordination with the U.S. 
Coast Guard, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) as 
part of the environmental review of the Liberty Deepwater Port License 
Application. The application describes an offshore natural gas 
deepwater port facility that would be located approximately 16.2 miles 
off the coast of New Jersey and will connect via offshore pipeline to a 
9.2 mile onshore pipeline. Publication of this notice begins a scoping 
process that will help identify and determine the scope of 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS. This notice requests 
public participation in the scoping process and provides information on 
how to participate.

DATES: There will be a series of three public scoping meetings held in 
connection with the application. The first public meeting will be held 
in Rockaway Park, New York on February 8, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 
p.m., and will be preceded by an open house from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
    The second public meeting will be held in Long Branch, New Jersey 
on February 9, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will be preceded by 
an open house from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
    The third public meeting will be held in Edison, New Jersey on 
February 10, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be preceded by an 
open house from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
    Each of the three public meetings may end later than the stated 
time, depending on the number of persons wishing to speak. 
Additionally, materials submitted in response to the request for 
comments on the license application must reach the Docket Management 
Facility by February 23, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting in Rockaway Park will be 
held at Beach Channel High School, 100-00 Beach Channel Drive, Rockaway 
Park, NY 11694-2818, (718) 945-6900. The New York City Department of 
Education disclaims involvement in the open house and public meeting to 
be held on the premises of Beach Channel High School.
    The open house and public meeting in Long Branch will be held at 
Long Branch Middle School, 350 Indiana Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740-
6198, (732) 229-5533.
    The open house and public meeting in Edison will be held atthe New 
Jersey Convention & Exposition Center at Raritan Center, Edison, 97 
Sunfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837-3810, (732) 417-1400.
    The license application, comments and associated documentation are 
available for viewing at the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) 
Web site: http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USCG-2010-
0993.
    Docket submissions for USCG-2010-0993 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 Federal Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered 
submissions, and makes docket contents available for public inspection 
and copying at the above address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility telephone 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: Mr. Ray Martin, U.S. Coast Guard, 
telephone: 202-372-1449, e-mail: [email protected], or Ms. 
Yvette M. Fields, Director, Office of Deepwater Ports and Offshore 
Activities, Maritime Administration, telephone: 202-366-0926, e-mail: 
[email protected]. If you have questions on viewing the Docket, 
call Ms. Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 
202-493-0402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Meeting and Open House

    We invite you to learn about the proposed deepwater port at any of 
the above informational open houses, and to comment at any of the above 
public meetings 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.
    In order to allow everyone a chance to speak at a public meeting, 
we may limit speaker time, or extend the meeting 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 a 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 Facility (see Request for Comments).
    Our public meeting locations are wheelchair-accessible. If you plan 
to attend an 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

[[Page 4418]]

issues related to the proposed deepwater port. The public meeting is 
not the only opportunity you have to comment. In addition to, or in 
place of attending a meeting, you can submit comments to the Federal 
Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see 
DATES). We will consider all comments and material received during the 
comment period.
    Submissions should include:
     Docket number USCG-2010-0993.
     Your name and address.
    Submit comments or material using only one of the following 
methods:
     Electronic submission to the Federal Docket Management 
Facility, http://www.regulations.gov.
     Fax, mail, or hand deliver to the Federal 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 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 
Department of Transportation 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 Liberty Deepwater Port appears in the November 17, 
2010 Federal Register (75 FR 70350.) 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 U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency for determining the 
scope of this review, and in this case the U.S. Coast Guard has 
determined that review must include preparation of an Environmental 
Impact Statement. This notice of intent is required by 40 CFR 1501.7, 
and briefly describes the proposed action, possible alternatives, and 
our proposed scoping process. You can address any questions about the 
proposed action, the scoping process, or the Environmental Impact 
Statement to the U.S. Coast Guard project manager identified in 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 Environmental 
Impact Statement. Scoping begins with this notice, continues through 
the public comment period (see DATES), and ends when the U.S. Coast 
Guard has 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 provided in 40 
CFR 1501.7(b).
    Once the scoping process is complete, the U.S. Coast Guard will 
prepare a draft EIS, and in conjunction with the Maritime 
Administration, will publish a Federal Register notice announcing 
public availability of the draft EIS. (If you want that notice to be 
sent to you, please contact the Coast Guard project manager identified 
in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.) You will have an opportunity to 
review and comment on the draft EIS. The Coast Guard 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.

Summary of the Application

    Liberty Natural Gas, LLC, proposes to own, construct, and operate a 
natural gas deepwater port, known as Liberty Deepwater Port. It would 
be located approximately 16 miles off the coast of New Jersey to the 
east of Asbury Park in a water depth of approximately 100 to 120 feet. 
It will connect via offshore pipeline to a 9.2 mile onshore pipeline 
that will traverse through Perth Amboy, Woodbridge and Carteret in 
Middlesex County, New Jersey and terminate in Linden, Union County, New 
Jersey.
    Liberty Deepwater Port would receive and transfer natural gas from 
purpose-built LNG regasification vessels (LNGRVs) with a total cargo 
tank capacity of approximately 145,000 m3. The vessels would 
be equipped to vaporize LNG cargo to natural gas through onboard closed 
loop vaporization systems and odorize and meter gas for send-out by 
means of a Submerged Turret Loading\TM\ (STL) Buoy system. When the 
vessels are not present, the buoy would be submerged on a special 
landing pad on the seafloor, 100-120 feet below the sea surface. The 
top of the buoy would be approximately 50-70 feet below the surface of 
the water.
    Liberty Deepwater Port would consist of up to four Submerged Turret 
Loading\TM\ (STL) Buoy systems. Each buoy system would connect to an 
18-inch diameter pipeline, called a Lateral, at a pipeline end manifold 
(PLEM) installed on the seafloor. The Laterals would be approximately 
0.6 miles to 1 mile in length. Natural gas would flow through each 
Lateral to the 36-inch diameter, 44.37 mile long Offshore Pipeline. The 
Offshore Pipeline would connect to a 36-inch diameter, 9.2 mile long 
Onshore Pipeline that would traverse through Perth Amboy, Woodbridge 
and Carteret in Middlesex County, New Jersey and terminate in Linden, 
Union County, New Jersey. The Onshore Pipeline would connect to Transco 
and TETCO pipeline systems.
    The Liberty Deepwater Port would be installed in two phases, with 
the first two Submerged Turret Loading\TM\ (STL) Buoy systems and 
accompanying onshore and offshore pipeline infrastructure proposed to 
be installed and operational by the end of 2013. The second phase, 
consisting of an additional pair of Submerged Turret Loading\TM\ (STL) 
Buoy systems and

[[Page 4419]]

associated Laterals, would be constructed at a later date.
    The Offshore Pipeline ultimately used by four STL Buoy systems will 
have a delivery capacity of approximately 2.4 billion cubic feet per 
day (bcf/d) of natural gas. Each LNGRV will have an average natural gas 
delivery capacity of 600 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) with a 
maximum capacity of 750 MMcf/d.
    Liberty Natural Gas LLC is currently seeking Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval for the onshore pipelines. As 
required by FERC regulations, FERC will also maintain a docket for the 
FERC portion of the project. The docket number is CP11-10. The filing 
may also be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov using the 
``eLibrary'' link. Choose ``General Search'' and enter the docket 
number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to 
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or call (866) 208-3676 or TYY, (202) 502-
8659.
    In addition, pipelines and structures, such as the Submerged Turret 
Loading\TM\ (STL) Buoy systems, may require permits under Section 404 
of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act 
which are administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
    Liberty Deepwater Port may also require permits from the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to the provisions of the 
Clean Air Act, as amended, and the Clean Water Act, as amended.
    The offshore and onshore pipelines will be included in the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review as part of the deepwater port 
application process. FERC, EPA, and the USACE, among others, are 
cooperating agencies and will assist in the NEPA process as described 
in 40 CFR 1501.6. Also, these agencies may participate in the scoping 
meetings and will incorporate the EIS into their permitting processes. 
Comments sent to the FERC docket, or to the EPA, USACE, and/or other 
agencies will be incorporated into the DOT docket and considered as the 
EIS is developed to ensure consistency with the NEPA Process.
    Should a license be issued, construction of the deepwater port 
would be expected to take approximately 18 months over a two-year 
period with startup of commercial operations following construction. 
The deepwater port would be designed, constructed, and operated in 
accordance with applicable codes and standards.

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.

    Dated: January 19, 2011.
Christine Gurland,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-1448 Filed 1-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P