[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 145 (Friday, July 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45847-45849]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15966]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number MARAD-2019-0011]


Deepwater Port License Application: SPOT Terminal Services LLC--
Final General Conformity Determination

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Final General Conformity Determination.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard 
(USCG) announce the availability of the Final General Conformity 
Determination to ensure that the air emissions associated with the 
proposed Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) Deepwater Port Project (Project 
or SPOT Project) conform with the Texas State Implementation Plan 
(SIP). The SPOT Project proposes to provide United States (U.S.) crude 
oil loading services on very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and other 
crude oil carriers for export to the global market. A detailed 
description of the proposed project and prior federal action is 
provided under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The SPOT Deepwater Port License Application, the FEIS, this 
Final General Conformity Determination, and other associated documents 
are available for viewing at https://

[[Page 45848]]

www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD-2019-0011 (https://www.regulations.gov/docket/MARAD-2019-0011).
    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 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, MARAD, via telephone 
at (202) 366-9761 or email at [email protected]; and Mr. Matthew Layman, 
USCG, via telephone at (202) 372-1421 or email at 
[email protected]. Include MARAD-2019-0011 in the subject line of 
the message and provide your comments in the body of the email or as an 
attachment.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Prior Federal Action

    A Notice of Application that summarized the SPOT Deepwater Port 
License Application was published in the Federal Register on March 4, 
2019 (84 FR 7413). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting was 
published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2019 (84 FR 8401). A 
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) and Notice of Public Meeting was published in the Federal 
Register on February 7, 2020 (85 FR 7381). A Notice of Availability of 
the Draft General Conformity Determination was published in the Federal 
Register on October 8, 2021 (86 FR 56349). A Notice of Availability of 
the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) and 
Notice of Public Meetings was published in the Federal Register on 
October 29, 2021 (86 FR 60093). A Notice of Availability of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is being published simultaneously 
with this announcement under a separate notice. It is noted that 
comments received on the Draft General Conformity are addressed in the 
following appendices of the SPOT FEIS: Appendix C2--Comments on the 
Supplemental Draft EIS and Appendix V--Final General Conformity 
Determination.

Background

    On January 31, 2019, MARAD and USCG received an application from 
SPOT for all Deepwater Ports related Federal authorizations required 
for a license to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port for the 
export of oil. The proposed deepwater port would be located in Federal 
waters approximately 27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the coast of 
Brazoria County, Texas. Texas was designated as the Adjacent Coastal 
State for the SPOT license application.
    The Federal agencies opened a 30-day public comment period for the 
Draft General Conformity Determination that began on October 8, 2021, 
and ended on November 7, 2021. The purpose of this Final General 
Conformity Determination is to ensure that the air emissions associated 
with the SPOT Project conform with the Texas SIP in accordance with 40 
CFR part 93, subpart B. The Final General Conformity Determination is 
available for public review at the Federal docket website: https://www.regulations.gov under docket number MARAD-2019-0011. As 
aforementioned, a Notice of Availability of the FEIS is being published 
simultaneously with this announcement.
    This review and determination is triggered by air emissions from 
construction activities proposed by SPOT Terminal, LLC (the Applicant) 
that would exceed the applicable General Conformity de minimis 
threshold of 50 tons per year of nitrogen oxides or volatile organic 
compounds set by Determinations of Attainment by the Attainment Date, 
Extensions of the Attainment Date, and Reclassification of Several 
Areas Classified as Moderate for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards, published in the Federal Register on August 23, 2019 
(84 FR 44238), within the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area. The 
HGB area includes Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, 
Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties and extends nine nautical 
miles offshore over state water.

Summary of the License Application

    The proposed SPOT Deepwater Port (DWP) would be located in the U.S. 
Exclusive Economic Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, in Galveston Area Outer 
Continental Shelf lease blocks 463 and A-59, approximately 27.2 to 30.8 
nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas, in water depths 
of approximately 115 feet. The proposed project's onshore components 
would be located in both Brazoria and Harris counties.
    The overall project would consist of both onshore and offshore 
marine components. The onshore components would consist of:
     Modifications to the existing Enterprise Crude Houston 
(ECHO) Terminal, including four electric motor-driven mainline crude 
oil pumps, four electric motor-driven booster crude oil pumps, and one 
measurement skid to support the delivery of crude oil to the proposed 
Oyster Creek Terminal;
     One 50.1-mile, 36-inch-diameter ECHO to Oyster Creek 
Pipeline;
     One pipeline interconnection from the existing Rancho II 
36-inch-diameter pipeline to the ECHO to Oyster Creek Pipeline (Rancho 
II Junction);
     A new Oyster Creek Terminal on approximately 140 acres of 
land, including six electric motor-driven mainline crude oil pumps with 
the capacity to push crude oil to the offshore pipelines at a rate of 
up to 85,000 bph, four electric motor-driven booster crude oil pumps, 
seven aboveground storage tanks (each with a capacity of 685,000 
barrels [600,000 barrels of working storage]) for a total onshore 
storage capacity of approximately 4.8 million barrels (4.2 million 
barrels working storage) of crude oil, metering equipment, two 
permanent and one portable vapor combustion units, and a firewater 
system;
     Two collocated 12.2-mile, 36-inch-diameter Oyster Creek to 
Shore Pipelines; and
     Ancillary facilities for the onshore pipelines, including 
ten mainline valves, of which six would be along the ECHO to Oyster 
Creek Pipeline and four along the Oyster Creek to Shore Pipelines, pig 
launchers for the ECHO to Oyster Creek Pipeline, and pig launchers and 
receivers for the Oyster Creek to Shore Pipelines.
    The offshore and marine components would consist of:
     Two collocated, bi-directional, 46.9-mile, 36-inch-
diameter crude oil offshore pipelines for crude oil delivery from the 
Oyster Creek Terminal to the platform; and
     Nine nautical miles of the above-mentioned forms part of 
the Final General Conformity Determination.
    As stated, the purpose of this notice is to announce the 
availability of the Final General Conformity Determination to ensure 
that the SPOT Project conforms with the Texas SIP.

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

[[Page 45849]]

visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93)

    By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-15966 Filed 7-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P