[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50880-50882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20929]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD-2019-0095]


Deepwater Port License Application: West Delta LNG LLC

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Application.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard 
(USCG) announce they have received an application from West Delta LNG 
LLC (Applicant) for the licensing of a deepwater port and that the 
application for the West Delta LNG deepwater port (West Delta LNG) 
contains information sufficient to commence processing. This notice 
summarizes the Applicant's plans and the procedures that will be 
followed in considering the application.

DATES: The Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, requires at least 
one public hearing on this application to be held in the designated 
Adjacent Coastal State(s) not later than 240 days after publication of 
this notice, and a decision on the application not later than 90 days 
after the final public hearing(s).

ADDRESSES: The public docket for the West Delta LNG 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-
0095.
    We encourage you to submit comments electronically through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. 
Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the public docket at the 
address listed above or faxed to 202-493-2251. Comments that are sent 
to the docket should include the docket number, which is MARAD-2019-
0095.
    If you submit your comments electronically, it is not necessary to 
also submit a hard copy. 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. If you cannot submit material using 
http://www.regulations.gov, please contact either Mr. Matthew Layman, 
USCG or Ms. Yvette Fields, MARAD, as listed in the following FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Matthew Layman, U.S. Coast Guard, 
telephone: 202-372-1421, email: [email protected], or Ms. 
Yvette Fields, Maritime Administration, 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: 

Receipt of Application

    On August 28, 2019, MARAD and USCG received an application from the 
Applicant for all Federal authorizations required for a license to own, 
construct, and operate a deepwater port for the export of natural gas 
as authorized by the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 
1501 et seq. (the Act), and implemented under 33 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) Parts 148, 149, and 150. After a coordinated 
completeness review by MARAD, the USCG, and other cooperating Federal 
agencies, the application is deemed complete and contains information 
sufficient to initiate processing.

Background

    The Act defines a deepwater port as any fixed or floating manmade 
structure other than a vessel, or any group of such structures, that 
are located beyond State seaward boundaries and used or intended for 
use as a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, and further 
handling of oil or natural gas for transportation to, or from, any 
State. A deepwater port includes all components and equipment, 
including pipelines, pumping or compressor stations, service platforms, 
buoys, mooring lines, and similar facilities that are proposed as part 
of a deepwater port to the extent they are located seaward of the high-
water mark.
    The Secretary of Transportation delegated to the Maritime 
Administrator authorities related to licensing deepwater ports (49 CFR 
1.93(h)). Statutory and regulatory requirements for processing 
applications and licensing appear in 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. and 33 CFR 
part 148. Under delegations from, and agreements between, the Secretary 
of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security, applications 
are jointly processed by MARAD and USCG. Each application is considered 
on its merits.
    In accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1504(f) for all applications, MARAD 
and the USCG, working in cooperation with other involved Federal 
agencies and departments, shall comply with the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), 
the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the 
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), among 
others, participate in the processing of deepwater port applications 
and assist in the NEPA process as described in 40 CFR 1501.6. Each 
agency may participate in scoping and/or other public meeting(s), and 
may incorporate the MARAD/USCG environmental impact review for purposes 
of their jurisdictional permitting processes, to the extent applicable. 
Comments related to this deepwater port application addressed to the 
EPA, USACE, or other federal agencies should note the federal docket 
number, MARAD-2019-0095. Each comment will be incorporated into the 
Department of Transportation (DOT) docket and considered as the 
environmental impact analysis is developed to ensure consistency with 
the NEPA process.
    All connected actions, permits, approvals and authorizations will 
be considered during the processing of the

[[Page 50881]]

West Delta LNG deepwater port license application.
    MARAD, in issuing this Notice of Application pursuant to 33 U.S.C. 
1504(c), must designate as an ``Adjacent Coastal State'' any coastal 
state which (A) would be directly connected by pipeline to a deepwater 
port as proposed in an application, or (B) would be located within 15 
nautical miles of any such proposed deepwater port (see 33 U.S.C. 
1508(a)(1)). Pursuant to the criteria provided in the Act, Louisiana is 
the designated Adjacent Coastal State for this application. Other 
states may request from the Maritime Administrator designation as an 
Adjacent Coastal State in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1508(a)(2).
    The Act directs that at least one public hearing take place in each 
Adjacent Coastal State, in this case, Louisiana. Additional public 
meetings may be conducted to solicit comments for the environmental 
analysis to include public scoping meetings, or meetings to discuss the 
Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement documents prepared in 
accordance with NEPA.
    MARAD, in coordination with the USCG, will publish additional 
Federal Register notices with information regarding these public 
meeting(s) and hearing(s) and other procedural milestones, including 
the NEPA environmental impact review. The Maritime Administrator's 
decision, and other key documents, will be filed in the public docket 
for the application at docket number MARAD-2019-0095.
    The Act imposes a strict timeline for processing an application. 
When MARAD and USCG determine that an application is complete (i.e., 
contains information sufficient to commence processing), the Act 
directs that all public hearings on the application be concluded within 
240 days from the date the Notice of Application is published.
    Within 45 days after the final hearing, the Governor of the 
Adjacent Costal State, in this case the Governor of Louisiana, may 
notify MARAD of their approval, approval with conditions, or 
disapproval of the application. If such approval, approval with 
conditions, or disapproval is not provided to the Maritime 
Administrator by that time, approval shall be conclusively presumed. 
MARAD may not issue a license without the explicit or presumptive 
approval of the Governor of the Adjacent Coastal State. During this 45-
day period, the Governor may also notify MARAD of inconsistencies 
between the application and State programs relating to environmental 
protection, land and water use, and coastal zone management. In this 
case, MARAD may condition the license to make it consistent with such 
state programs (33 U.S.C. 1508(b)(1)). MARAD will not consider written 
approvals or disapprovals of the application from the Governor of the 
Adjacent Coastal State until after the final public hearing is complete 
and the 45-day period commences following the publication of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement. The Maritime Administrator must render 
a decision on the application within 90 days after the final hearing.
    Should a favorable record of decision be rendered and a license be 
issued, MARAD may include specific conditions related to design, 
construction, operations, environmental permitting, monitoring and 
mitigations, and financial responsibilities. If a license is issued, 
USCG in coordination with other agencies as appropriate, would review 
and approve the deepwater port's engineering, design, and construction; 
operations/security procedures; waterways management and regulated 
navigation areas; maritime safety and security requirements; risk 
assessment; and compliance with domestic and international laws and 
regulations for vessels that may call on the port. The deepwater port 
would be designed, constructed and operated in accordance with 
applicable codes and standards.
    In addition, installation of pipelines and other structures 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 USACE.
    Permits from the EPA may also be required pursuant to the 
provisions of the Clean Air Act, as amended, and the Clean Water Act, 
as amended.

Summary of the Application

    The application proposes the ownership, construction, operation and 
eventual decommissioning of a deepwater port terminal in the Gulf of 
Mexico to export domestically produced natural gas. In the nominal 
design case, the Venice Pretreatment Plant would process approximately 
750 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of feed natural gas 
for the proposed West Delta LNG deepwater port. Based on an estimated 
production unit availability of 95.4 percent and an allowance for 
consumption of feed gas during the liquefaction process, the proposed 
West Delta LNG deepwater port would nominally produce 5.0 MMtpa of 
liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export. In the optimized case, the 
proposed project would process approximately 900 MMscfd of feed natural 
gas to produce approximately 6.1 MMtpa of liquefied natural gas for 
export, or the equivalent of 306 billion standard cubic feet per year 
of LNG.
    The trading carriers calling on the West Delta LNG deepwater port 
would have nominal cargo capacities ranging from 30,000 cubic meters 
(m\3\) to 180,000 m\3\. For trading carriers of 180,000 m\3\ capacity, 
the Applicant anticipates a steady state loading rate of 12,000 m\3\ 
that would allow a 24-hour turnaround period, including time for 
berthing, system connections, and custody transfer administration. For 
LNG trading carriers of 30,000 m\3\ capacity, the Applicant anticipates 
a shorter loading and turnaround time of 14 hours. The overall project 
would consist of offshore components as well as onshore components.

Offshore and Marine Components of the Deepwater Port

    The West Delta LNG deepwater port offshore and marine components 
would consist of an LNG production and storage unit, a loading platform 
and marine berth unit and support facilities, as described below:
     The proposed deepwater port will consist of thirteen (13) 
fixed bridge connected platforms with piles in Outer Continental Shelf 
West Delta Lease Block 44, approximately 10.5 nautical miles off the 
coast of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana in a water depth of 
approximately 57 to 60 feet, with the gas arrival platform located at 
latitude 29[deg] 04' 56.11'' N and longitude 89[deg] 39' 16.00'' W. 
Eleven (11) bridges would connect the platforms and marine berth and 
provide for piping, electrical, instrument/automation, and personnel 
transit between platforms.
     The LNG production and storage unit will contain a gas 
arrival platform where liquefaction-ready gas would be supplied by the 
Venice Pretreatment Plant described below and a proposed 30-inch subsea 
pipeline that would terminate at the gas arrival platform. The 
production platform will consist of three (3) LNG production platforms 
capable of accommodating a total of six (6) liquefaction trains (two 
[2] trains per platform), with each liquefaction train system 
consisting of one (1) 0.83-MMtpa liquefaction unit and one (1) ethane 
extraction system. Additionally, the West Delta LNG deepwater port 
would have five (5) LNG storage platforms outfitted with three (3) 
20,000 m\3\ FSP storage tanks providing 60,000 m\3\ of LNG per storage 
platform for a total storage capacity of 300,000 m\3\. A flare tripod 
platform equipped with a

[[Page 50882]]

flare stack, smokeless tips, and ignition system(s) and scrubbers would 
be provided to safely burn all vented gas.
     The West Delta LNG loading platform and marine berthing 
facilities will contain a loading arm system located on the LNG loading 
platform that would be used to load LNG onto a single LNG trading 
carrier. The loading and marine berth would be capable of handling LNG 
trading carriers with nominal capacities ranging from 30,000 m\3\ up to 
180,000 m\3\. The West Delta LNG deepwater port would include six (6) 
mooring dolphins and four (4) breasting dolphins. Breasting dolphins 
and mooring dolphins are marine structures used for berthing and 
mooring of vessels.
     The support facilities will contain an accommodation 
platform for West Delta LNG personnel and shall include living quarters 
for up to 36 people, a control station, helideck, and an auxiliary 
command room. All main power and essential power, other than the 
dedicated emergency generator located on the accommodations platform 
would be created and distributed from the utilities platform.
     The loading platform is connected to offshore liquefied 
natural gas tankers with a 180,000 m\3\ nominal capacity for loading by 
two (2) 16-inch (40.6-centimeter) diameter standard liquid arms; one 
(1) hybrid (liquid/vapor) 16-inch diameter arm; and one (1) 16-inch 
diameter standard vapor arm. Depending on manifold restrictions, two 
(2) liquid arms and one (1) vapor arm would be used to load the 30,000 
m\3\ nominal capacity LNG trading carriers.

Onshore Components of the Deepwater Port

    The West Delta LNG deepwater port onshore components would consist 
of the proposed Venice Pretreatment Plant, which would be located in 
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana within the grounds of an existing 121-
acre onshore natural gas processing facility known as the Venice Gas 
Complex. The onshore components are as follows:
     The Venice Pretreatment Plant would receive natural gas 
from offshore Gulf of Mexico midstream pipelines and/or interstate 
pipeline feed gas from pipelines already interconnected with the Venice 
Gas Complex. The natural gas would be pre-treated to meet liquefaction 
specifications, compressed onshore, and sent to the West Delta LNG 
offshore deepwater port.
     The proposed Venice Pretreatment Plant would contain the 
following major components for the pre-treatment and processing of 
sourced natural gas: Cryogenic trains to process offshore-sourced gas, 
natural gas compressors, gas pretreatment packages, power generation 
units driven by gas turbines, waste heat recovery units, utilities to 
support the new gas pretreatment and compression equipment and a flare 
to combust waste gas from the pretreatment process.
    The onshore components connect to the offshore components by a 
single pipeline. This pipeline would be constructed to transfer the 
liquefaction-ready gas from the proposed onshore Venice Pretreatment 
Plant to the West Delta LNG deepwater port. The proposed pipeline's 
outgoing onshore assembly is a 4.3 statute mile 30-inch diameter 
connection from the Venice Pretreatment Plant (measured from the 
proposed pig launcher to the high water mark) where this pipeline 
becomes the subsea pipeline supplying the offshore deepwater port. At 
this point, the pipeline continues, extending 15.5 statute miles beyond 
the high water mark to terminate at the proposed West Delta LNG 
offshore deepwater port.

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 by visiting 
www.regulations.gov.

(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501, et seq.; 49 CFR 1.93(h))

    Dated: September 23, 2019.

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-20929 Filed 9-25-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-81-P