[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24613-24615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08857]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD-2022-0076]


Deepwater Port License Application: New Fortress Energy Louisiana 
FLNG LLC

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 New Fortress Energy 
Louisiana FLNG LLC (Applicant) deepwater port license application. The 
application proposes the ownership, construction, operation and 
eventual decommissioning of an offshore natural gas export deepwater 
port, known as New Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG, that would be 
located in Federal waters approximately 16 nautical miles off the 
southeast coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana in a water depth of 
approximately 30 meters. The deepwater port would allow for the loading 
of liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading carriers. This Notice of Intent 
(NOI) requests public participation in the scoping process, provides 
information on how to participate and announces an informational 
virtual open house and virtual public meeting. Pursuant to the criteria 
provided in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, Louisiana is 
the designated Adjacent Coastal State (ACS) for this application.

DATES: The public meeting will be held virtually, on May 11, 2022, from 
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). The virtual public 
meeting will be preceded by a virtual open house from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 
p.m. CST. The public meeting may end later than the stated time, 
depending on the number of persons who wish to make a comment on the 
record. Additionally, materials submitted in response to this request 
for comments on the New Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG deepwater port 
license application must be submitted to the www.regulations.gov 
website or the Federal Docket Management Facility as detailed in the 
ADDRESSES section below by the close of the comment period.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket Number 
MARAD-2022-0076 by any one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Search MARAD-2022-0076 and follow the instructions 
for submitting comments.
     Mail or Hand Delivery: The Docket Management Facility is 
in the West Building, Ground Floor of the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. The Docket Management Facility location address is U.S. 
Department of Transportation, MARAD-2022-0076, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. Due to flexible 
work schedules in response to COVID-19, call 202-493-0402 to determine 
facility hours prior to hand delivery.
    Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your comments, we recommend that 
you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, and/or a 
telephone number in a cover page so that we can contact you if we have 
questions regarding your submission.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and specific docket number. All comments received will be posted 
without change to the docket at www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. For detailed instructions on submitting 
comments, see the section entitled Public Participation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brian Barton, Maritime 
Administration, telephone 202-366-0302, email: [email protected], or 
Ms. Galia Kaplan, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone: 202-372-1567, email: 
[email protected]. For questions regarding viewing the Docket, call 
Docket Operations, telephone: 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Meeting and Open House

    We encourage you to attend the informational open house and virtual 
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 registration is available online http://louisianaflngnepaprocess.com/ or by calling 1-877-589-8895. Speakers at 
the virtual public 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.
    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 though docket submission or by 
contacting the MARAD or USCG project manager identified in FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT 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).
    If you plan to participate in 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 MARAD or the USCG (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 New Fortress Energy 
Louisiana FLNG 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-2022-0076.

[[Page 24614]]

    Public comment submissions should include:
     Docket number MARAD-2022-0076.
     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-2022-0076.
     By mail to the Federal Docket Management Facility (MARAD-
2022-0076), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-
0001.
     By fax to the Federal Docket Management Facility at 202 
366-9826.
    Faxed or mailed 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 New 
Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG deepwater port appears in the New 
Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG Notice of Application, April 26, 2022 
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, MARAD and the USCG 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 MARAD or USCG 
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 proposed deepwater 
port and onshore site/pipeline route alternatives or (3) denying the 
application, which for purposes of environmental review is the ``no-
action'' alternative.

Summary of the Application

    The application proposes the ownership, construction, operation, 
and eventual decommissioning of the New Fortress Energy (``NFE'') 
Louisiana FLNG deepwater port (``DWP'') terminal to be located 
approximately 16 nautical miles off the southeast coast of Grand Isle, 
Louisiana. The project proposes to source domestic natural gas from 
multiple supply hubs in the Southeast Louisiana local market, liquify, 
and export as LNG up to 2.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), from a 
deepwater port located in federal waters off Louisiana.
    The project will involve the installation of two nominal 1.4 MTPA 
liquefaction systems (FLNG1 and FLNG2) installed in the West Delta 
Outer Continental Shelf Lease Block 38 (``WD-38'') in approximately 30 
meters (98 feet) of water. Each system will contain three platforms 
consisting of natural gas processing, natural gas liquefaction, and 
utilities and accommodations. FLNG1 will incorporate self-elevating 
platforms (otherwise known as jack-up platforms or rigs), and FLNG2, 
which will be located adjacent to FLNG1, will utilize fixed platform 
structures. An additional self-elevating platform will house feed gas 
compressors. Other than temporary construction staging areas, there are 
no onshore facilities associated with the Project. Staging for 
construction, if needed, will utilize existing staging, laydown, and 
warehouse space near Port Fourchon, Port Sulphur, or Venice.
    The feed gas supply to the project will be transported to the WD-38 
site via the existing Kinetica Energy Express, LLC (``Kinetica'') 
offshore natural gas pipeline system and two newly constructed, 24-inch 
pipeline laterals connecting the Kinetica pipeline system to the 
Project. The Kinetica pipeline has been in continuous natural gas 
service since it was placed in service. The pipeline pressure is 
currently operating at 750 pounds per square inch (``psi'') with an 
onshore Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (``MAOP'') of 1,000 psi 
and an offshore MAOP of 1,250 psi.
    Both FLNG1 and FLNG2 will be connected to a single Floating LNG 
Storage Unit (``FSU'') via a flexible, partially submerged, 220-meter 
cryogenic hose transfer system. The FSU will be positioned 
approximately 107 meters (350 feet) from the FLNGs. To export the LNG, 
the FSU will receive one (1) commercially traded LNG carrier (LNGC) at 
a time, which will have a nominal cargo capacity of approximately 
125,000 m3 to 160,000 m3. The LNGCs will berth along the starboard side 
of the FSU and receive the LNG cargo through a ship-to-ship transfer 
cargo transfer system. The LNGC will approach the DWP and depart from 
the DWP using an extension to the established safety fairway, which 
serves maritime traffic calling at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port. 
Approximately 40 LNGCs will call on the Project per year.
    For more information, please contact either Mr. Brian Barton, 
MARAD, or Ms. Galia Kaplan, as listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this document.

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, 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;

[[Page 24615]]

     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 MARAD or USCG project 
manager identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You will have 
an opportunity to review and comment on the Draft EIS. MARAD, the USCG, 
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 
for review and comment. The Act requires a final public hearing be held 
in the ACS. Its purpose is to receive comments on matters related to 
whether or not a deepwater port license should be issued to the 
applicant by the Maritime Administrator. The final public hearing will 
be held after the Final EIS is made available for public review and 
comment.

Privacy Act

    Anyone can 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.). For information on DOT''s compliance with 
the Privacy Act, please visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93).

    By Order of the Acting Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-08857 Filed 4-25-22; 8:45 am]
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