[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 45 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8401-8404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04101]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD-2019-0011]


Deepwater Port License Application: SPOT Terminal Services LLC 
(SPOT)

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of intent; Notice of public meeting; Request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), in coordination with the Maritime 
Administration (MARAD), will prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) as part of the environmental review of the SPOT Terminal Services 
LLC (SPOT) deepwater port license application. The application proposes 
the ownership, construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of 
an offshore oil export deepwater port that would be located in Federal 
waters approximately 27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of 
Brazoria County, Texas in a water depth of approximately 115 feet. The 
deepwater port would allow for the loading of Very Large Crude Carriers 
(VLCCs) and other sized crude oil cargo carriers via a single point 
mooring buoy system.
    This Notice of Intent (NOI) requests public participation in the 
scoping process, provides information on how to participate, and 
announces an informational open house and public meeting in Lake 
Jackson, Texas. Pursuant to the criteria provided in the Deepwater Port 
Act of 1974, as amended, Texas is the designated Adjacent Coastal State 
for this application.

DATES: There will be one public scoping meeting held in connection with 
the SPOT deepwater port application. The meeting will be held in Lake 
Jackson, Texas, on March 20, 2019, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The 
public meeting will be preceded by an informational open house from 
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
    The public meeting may end later than the stated time, depending on 
the number of persons wishing to speak. Additionally, materials 
submitted in response to this request for comments on the SPOT 
deepwater port license application must reach the Federal Docket 
Management Facility as detailed below by Friday, April 5, 2019.

ADDRESSES: The open house and public meeting in Lake Jackson, Texas 
will be held at the Courtyard Lake Jackson, 159 State Highway 288, Lake 
Jackson, Texas, 77566, phone: (979) 297-7300, web address: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ljncy-courtyard-lake-jackson/. Free 
parking is available at the venue.
    The public docket for the SPOT deepwater port license application 
is maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Management Facility, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
    The license application is available for viewing at the 
Regulations.gov website: http://www.regulations.gov under docket number 
MARAD-2019-0011.
    We encourage you to submit comments electronically through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If you submit 
your comments electronically, it is not necessary to also submit a hard 
copy. If you cannot submit material using http://www.regulations.gov, 
please contact either Mr. Efrain Lopez, USCG, or Ms. Yvette M. Fields, 
MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section of this document, which also provides alternate instructions 
for submitting written comments. Additionally, if you go to the online 
docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments 
are posted. Anonymous comments will be accepted. All comments received 
will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will 
include any personal information you have provided. The Federal Docket 
Management Facility's telephone number is 202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826, 
the fax number is 202-493-2251.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Efrain Lopez, USCG, telephone: 
202-372-1437, email: [email protected], or Ms. Yvette M. Fields, 
MARAD, telephone: 202-366-0926, email: [email protected]. For 
questions regarding viewing the Docket, call Docket Operations, 
telephone: 202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Meeting and Open House

    We encourage you to attend the informational open house and public 
meeting to learn about, and comment on, the proposed deepwater port. 
You will have the opportunity to submit comments on the scope and 
significance of the issues related to the proposed deepwater port that 
should be addressed in the EIS.
    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 then anyone else who wishes to speak.

[[Page 8402]]

    In order to allow everyone a chance to speak at a public meeting, 
we may limit speaker time, extend the meeting hours, or both. You must 
identify yourself, and any organization you represent by name. Your 
remarks will be recorded and/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 should 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 website (see ADDRESSES).
    Our public meeting location is wheelchair-accessible and compliant 
with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you plan to attend the 
open house or public meeting and need special assistance such as sign 
language interpretation, non-English language translator services or 
other reasonable accommodation, please notify the USCG or MARAD (see 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5 business days in advance of 
the public meeting. Include your contact information as well as 
information about your specific needs.

Request for Comments

    We request public comment on this proposal. The comments may relate 
to, but are not limited to, the environmental impact of the proposed 
action. All comments will be accepted. The public meeting is not the 
only opportunity you have to comment on the SPOT deepwater port license 
application. In addition to, or in place of, attending a meeting, you 
may submit comments directly to the Federal Docket Management Facility 
during the public comment period (see Dates). We will consider all 
comments and material received during the 30-day scoping period.
    The license application, comments and associated documentation, as 
well as the draft and final EISs (when published), are available for 
viewing at the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website: http://www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD-2019-0011.
    Public comment submissions should include:
     Docket number MARAD-2019-0011.
     Your name and address.
    Submit comments or material using only one of the following 
methods:
     Electronically (preferred for processing) to the Federal 
Docket Management System (FDMS) website: http://www.regulations.gov 
under docket number MARAD-2019-0011.
     By mail to the Federal Docket Management Facility (MARAD-
2019-0011), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-
0001.
     By personal delivery to the room and address listed above 
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.
     By fax to the Federal Docket Management Facility at 202-
493-2251.
    Faxed, mailed or hand delivered submissions must be unbound, no 
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches and suitable for copying and electronic 
scanning. The format of electronic submissions should also be no larger 
than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches. If you mail your submission and want to know 
when it reaches the Federal Docket Management Facility, please include 
a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    Regardless of the method used for submitting comments, all 
submissions will be posted, without change, to the FDMS website (http://www.regulations.gov) and will include any personal information you 
provide. Therefore, submitting this information to the docket makes it 
public. You may wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice that is 
available on the FDMS website 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 Federal Docket Management Facility or electronically on the FDMS 
website.

Background

    Information about deepwater ports, the statutes, and regulations 
governing their licensing, including the application review process, 
and the receipt of the current application for the proposed SPOT 
deepwater port appears in the SPOT Notice of Application, March 4, 2019 
edition of the Federal Register. 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 impact on the natural and human 
environment. For the proposed deepwater port, USCG and MARAD are the 
co-lead Federal agencies for determining the scope of this review, and 
in this case, it has been determined that review must include 
preparation of an EIS. This NOI is required by 40 CFR 1501.7. It 
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 EIS to the USCG or MARAD 
project managers identified in this notice (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), (2) evaluation of deepwater port and 
onshore site/pipeline route alternatives or (3) 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 USCG and MARAD have completed the following 
actions:
     Invites the participation of Federal, state, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the applicant, in this case SPOT, 
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;
     Identifies other relevant permitting, 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, USCG and MARAD will prepare a 
draft EIS. When complete, MARAD 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 USCG or MARAD project 
manager identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You will have 
an opportunity to review and comment on the Draft EIS. The USCG, MARAD 
and other appropriate cooperating agencies will consider the received 
comments and then prepare the Final EIS. As with the Draft EIS, we will 
announce the availability of the Final EIS and give you an opportunity

[[Page 8403]]

for review and comment. The Act requires a final public hearing to be 
held in the Adjacent Coastal State. Its purpose is to receive comments 
on matters related to whether or not an operating license should be 
issued. The final public hearing will be held after the Final EIS is 
made available for public review and comment.

Summary of the Application

    SPOT is proposing to construct, own, and operate a deepwater port 
terminal in the Gulf of Mexico to export domestically produced crude 
oil. Use of the deepwater port would include the loading of various 
grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 85,000 barrels per hour 
(bph). The SPOT deepwater port would allow for up to two (2) very large 
crude carriers (VLCCs) or other crude oil carriers to moor at single 
point mooring (SPM) buoys and connect with the deepwater port via 
floating connecting crude oil hoses and a floating vapor recovery hose. 
The maximum frequency of loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers 
would be 2 million barrels per day, 365 days per year.
    The overall project would consist of offshore and marine components 
as well as onshore components as described below.
    The SPOT deepwater port offshore and marine components would 
consist of the following:
     One (1) fixed offshore platform with eight (8) piles in 
Galveston Area Outer Continental Shelf lease block 463, approximately 
27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas in 
a water depth of approximately 115 feet. The fixed offshore platform 
would be comprised of four (4) decks including: A sump deck with shut-
down valves and open drain sump; a cellar deck with pig launchers and 
receivers, generators, and three (3) vapor combustion units; a main 
deck with a lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) unit, oil 
displacement prover loop, living quarters, electrical and instrument 
building, and other ancillary equipment; and a laydown deck with a 
crane laydown area.
     Two (2) single point mooring buoys (SPMs), each having: 
Two (2) 24-inch inside diameter crude oil underbuoy hoses 
interconnecting with the crude oil pipeline end manifold (PLEM); two 
(2) 24-inch inside diameter floating crude oil hoses connecting the 
moored VLCC or other crude oil carrier for loading to the SPM buoy; one 
(1) 24-inch inside diameter vapor recovery underbuoy hose 
interconnecting with the vapor recovery PLEM; and one (1) 24-inch 
inside diameter floating vapor recovery hose to connect to the moored 
VLCC or other crude oil carrier for loading. The floating hoses would 
be approximately 800 feet in length and rated for 300 psig (21-bar). 
Each floating hose would contain an additional 200 feet of 16-inch 
``tail hose'' that is designed to be lifted and robust enough for 
hanging over the edge railing of the VLCC or other crude oil carrier. 
The underbuoy hoses would be approximately 160 feet in length and rated 
for 300 psig (21-bar).
     Four (4) PLEMS would provide the interconnection between 
the pipelines and the SPM buoys. Each SPM buoy would have two (2) 
PLEMs--one (1) PLEM for crude oil and one (1) PLEM for vapor recovery. 
Each crude oil loading PLEM would be supplied with crude oil by two (2) 
30-inch outside diameter pipelines, each approximately 0.66 nautical 
miles in length. Each vapor recovery PLEM would route recovered vapor 
from the VLCC or other crude oil carrier through the PLEM to the three 
(3) vapor combustion units located on the platform topside via two (2) 
16-inch outside diameter vapor recovery pipelines, each approximately 
0.66 nautical miles in length.
     Two (2) co-located 36-inch outside diameter, 40.8-nautical 
mile long crude oil pipelines would be constructed from the shoreline 
crossing in Brazoria County, Texas, to the SPOT deepwater port for 
crude oil delivery. These pipelines, in conjunction with 12.2 statute 
miles of new-build onshore pipelines (described below), would connect 
the onshore crude oil storage facility and pumping station (Oyster 
Creek Terminal) to the offshore SPOT deepwater port. The crude oil 
would be metered at the offshore platform. Pipelines would be bi-
directional for the purposes of maintenance, pigging, changing crude 
oil grades, or evacuating the pipeline with water.
    The SPOT deepwater port onshore storage and supply components would 
consist of the following:
     New equipment and piping at the existing Enterprise Crude 
Houston (ECHO) Terminal to provide interconnectivity with the crude oil 
supply network for the SPOT Project. This would include the 
installation of four (4) booster pumps, one (1) measurement skid, and 
four (4) crude oil pumps.
     An interconnection between the existing Rancho II pipeline 
and the proposed ECHO to Oyster Creek pipeline consisting of a physical 
connection as well as ultrasonic measurement capability for pipeline 
volumetric balancing purposes.
     The proposed Oyster Creek Terminal located in Brazoria 
County, Texas, on approximately 140 acres of land consisting of seven 
(7) aboveground storage tanks, each with a total storage capacity of 
685,000 barrels (600,000 barrels working storage capacity), for a total 
onshore storage capacity of approximately 4.8 million barrels (4.2 
million barrels working storage) of crude oil. The Oyster Creek 
Terminal also would include: Six (6) electric-driven mainline crude oil 
pumps; four (4) electric driven booster crude oil pumps--two (2) per 
pipeline to the SPOT deepwater port, working in parallel to move crude 
oil from the storage tanks through the measurement skids; two (2) crude 
oil pipeline pig launchers/receivers; one (1) crude oil pipeline pig 
receiver; two (2) measurement skids for measuring incoming crude oil--
one (1) skid located at the incoming pipeline from the existing 
Enterprise Crude Houston (ECHO) Terminal, and one (1) skid installed 
and reserved for a future pipeline connection; two (2) measurement 
skids for measuring departing crude oil; three (3) vapor combustion 
units--two (2) permanent and one (1) portable; and ancillary facilities 
to include electrical substation, office, and warehouse buildings.
     Three onshore crude oil pipelines would be constructed 
onshore to support the SPOT deepwater port. These would include: One 
(1) 50.1 statute mile long 36-inch crude oil pipeline from the existing 
ECHO Terminal to the Oyster Creek Terminal. This pipeline would be 
located in Harris County and Brazoria County, Texas; two (2) 12.2 
statute mile long, co-located 36-inch crude oil export pipelines from 
the Oyster Creek Terminal to the shore crossing where these would join 
the above described subsea pipelines supplying the SPOT deepwater port. 
These pipelines would be located in Brazoria County, Texas.

Privacy Act

    DOT posts comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as 
described in the system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible 
through www.dot.gov/privacy. To facilitate comment tracking and 
response, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of 
their organization; however, submission of names is completely 
optional. Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely 
comments will be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments 
containing proprietary or confidential information, please contact the 
agency for alternate submission instructions.

(Authority: 49 CFR Sec.  1.93).


[[Page 8404]]


    Dated: March 4, 2019.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-04101 Filed 3-6-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-81-P