[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 15, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31741-31743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13224]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD-2025-0096]
Deepwater Port License Application: ST LNG Deepwater Port
Development Project
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 ST LNG, LLC (ST LNG or
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 the ST LNG
Deepwater Port Development Project, which would be in Federal waters
approximately 10.4 nautical miles (19.2 kilometers) offshore Matagorda,
Texas in water depths of approximately 65 to 75 feet (20 to 22 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 open house and public meeting. Pursuant to
the criteria provided in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (DWPA), as
amended, Texas is the designated Adjacent Coastal State (ACS) for this
application.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 14, 2025. MARAD
and USCG will hold one in-person public meeting in connection with
scoping for the ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project.
The public meeting will be held on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Bay
City Civic Center, 201 7th Street, Bay City, Texas 77414, from 6:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT). The public meeting will
be preceded by an open house from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. CDT. 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 ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project 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-2025-0096 by any one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Search MARAD-2025-0096 and follow the instructions
for submitting comments.
Mail or Hand Delivery: The Docket Management Facility is
located at the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. Documents
may be delivered between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays.
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.
[[Page 31742]]
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brian Barton, Maritime
Administration, telephone 202-366-0302, email: [email protected], or
Mr. Patrick Clark, USCG, telephone 202-372-1427, 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 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.
Speakers at the 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.
To allow everyone a chance to speak at the 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 for inclusion in the public docket.
You may submit written material through the docket submission
process 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 USCG (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at
least five 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, reasonable alternatives, and relevant information, studies, or
analyses with respect to the proposed action. All comments will be
accepted. The public meeting is not the only opportunity you have to
comment on the ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project license
application. You may also submit comments directly to the Federal
Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see
DATES). We will consider all substantive comments and material received
during the 30-day scoping period.
The license application, all comments, and associated documentation
are available for viewing at the Federal Docket Management System
(FDMS) website: http://www.regulations.gov identified by the DOT Docket
Number listed above.
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 ST LNG
Deepwater Port Development Project appears in the ST LNG Notice of
Application, published in the July 7, 2025, 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 USCG have determined that such review must include
preparation of an EIS. This NOI briefly describes the proposed action,
reasonable alternatives, and the agencies' 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).
MARAD and USCG will work in cooperation with other involved federal
agencies and departments. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement, and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration, among others, participate in reviewing and
processing deepwater port license applications and assist in the NEPA
process.
Summary of the Application
The application proposes the ownership, construction, operation,
and eventual decommissioning of the ST LNG deepwater port terminal to
be located approximately 10.4 nautical miles (19.2 kilometers) offshore
Matagorda, Texas. When fully realized, the project would involve four
2.1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefaction systems installed in
the Brazos Outer Continental Shelf Lease Block 476 (BA-476), in
approximately 65 to 72 feet of water. The proposed ST LNG deepwater
port would export LNG up to 8.4 MTPA.
The proposed ST LNG deepwater port would consist of fixed and
floating components. These components would include a 5.5-mile 30-inch
pipeline lateral with a connection hub, four feeder lines to the
connection hub, four gas treatment platforms, four liquefaction
platforms, four accommodation and utility platforms, four LNG transfer
platforms, thirty-six mooring dolphins, four converted LNG carriers,
and three tugs.
The LNG would be loaded onto standard LNG carriers with cargo
capacities between 125,000 and 180,000 cubic meters (m\3\) (average
expected size is 146,000 m\3\) for the export of LNG, including to Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) and non-FTA nations.
The project would be completed in four phases. Phase 1 construction
would include three large platforms (a gas treatment platform, an LNG
liquefaction platform, and an accommodations and utility platform), one
LNG transfer platform, nine mooring dolphins, one floating storage unit
(FSU), and interconnected lateral pipelines. Each phase would produce
2.1 MTPA of LNG.
The feed gas supply to the project would originate from the Tres
Palacios Natural Gas Storage and Trading Hub and the Williams Markham
Gas Processing Plant in Texas through the existing Transco 30-inch
pipeline. The gas would be transported to the project via a new 5.5-
mile 30-inch lateral pipeline to an interconnection hub at the
deepwater port. From the hub, four feeder lines would transport the gas
to each phase of the deepwater port.
For more information, please contact either Mr. Brian Barton,
MARAD, or Mr. Patrick Clark, USCG, as listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
[[Page 31743]]
Purpose and Need
The purpose of the ST LNG Deepwater Port (DWP) is to provide a
safe, effective, and reliable facility to liquefy natural gas for the
export of LNG, including to FTA and non-FTA nations.
The need for U.S. LNG exports to supply global markets is presently
high and expected to continue to rise for the foreseeable future. In
the Energy Information Administration's 2023 Annual Energy Outlook, the
reference case predicts that growing international demand coupled with
falling U.S. domestic natural gas consumption will cause domestic LNG
exports to more than double by 2040. Similarly, the International
Energy Agency's 2022 World Energy Outlook reports that, under currently
stated energy policies, LNG export capacity beyond that which exists or
is under construction will be required in the next 10 to 15 years.
Proposed Action and Reasonable Alternatives
The proposed action requiring environmental review is the Federal
licensing of the proposed deepwater port described in ``Summary of the
Application'' above. The alternatives to licensing the proposed
deepwater port are: (1) licensing with conditions (including conditions
designed to mitigate environmental impacts); (2) evaluation of the
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.
Project Schedule
The DWPA at 33 U.S.C. 1504(g) requires that a final public hearing
be held no later than 240 days after the publication of the Notice of
Application (NOA) in the Federal Register. The NOA was published on
July 7, 2025 (see Federal Register/Vol. 90, No. 127/Monday, July 7,
2025). The DWPA at 33 U.S.C. 1508(b)(1)(C), gives the Governor of the
ACS, for this application Texas, 45 days after the final public hearing
to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the deepwater port
license application. Finally, in accordance with the DWPA at 33 U.S.C.
1504(i)(1), MARAD will issue a Record of Decision 90 days after the
final public hearing. The environmental review for the proposed action
is anticipated to be completed prior to the final public hearing.
The Project Schedule can be found in the Applicant's deepwater port
license application at Volume II, Figure 1.6-1 ``Project Schedule.''
List of Permits and Approvals
The list of anticipated permits and approvals for the project can
be found in the Applicant's deepwater port license application at
Volume II, Appendix C, ``List of Permits and Approvals.''
USCG--Approves Port Operations Manual; oversees
post[hyphen]licensing design, construction, and operations approval;
and certifies that navigational aids for the deepwater port meet the
applicable requirements.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--Issues concurrence with,
or a Biological Opinion on, MARAD's effect determinations for
threatened and endangered species and designated critical habitat;
issues a Letter of Authorization or Incidental Harassment Authorization
for the take of listed species; and issues a Depredation Permit under
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, if necessary.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--Issues Clean Water
Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit to discharge process wastewater, including hydrostatic test
water for the deepwater port; issues the Clean Air Act (CAA) Title V
Operating permit for the deepwater port, if necessary; and issues the
CAA Prevention of Significant Deterioration Air permit for the
deepwater port, if necessary.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries)--Issues
concurrence with, or a Biological Opinion on, MARAD's effect
determinations for threatened and endangered species and designated
critical habitat; issues concurrence with MARAD's effect determination
for essential fish habitats; and issues a Letter of Authorization or
Incidental Harassment Authorization for the take of listed species.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Issues the CWA Section 404
permit; and issues the Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 authorization
to prevent obstructions to navigation in navigable waters of the United
States, including infrastructure located on the seabed to the seaward
limit of the Outer Continental Shelf.
Governor of Texas--The governor of the ACS must approve,
approve with conditions, or disapprove the application within 45 days
of the final public hearing.
Texas Historical Commission--Issues the National Historic
Preservation Act Section 106 concurrence with MARAD's effect
determination for historic properties and cultural resources.
Texas General Land Office--Issues a Coastal Zone
Management Act (CZMA) Consistency Certification and CZMA Consistency
Approval.
Summary of Potential Impacts
It is anticipated that the proposed project may result in impacts
to the following resource categories: water quality; marine
environment; commercial and recreational fisheries; wildlife and
protected species; cultural resources; socioeconomics; geological
resources; visual resources; air quality; noise and vibration; and
safety and security. A detailed discussion of potential impacts can be
found in Volume II of the Applicant's deepwater port license
application.
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 NOI, continues through the public comment period (see
Dates), and ends when USCG and MARAD have completed the following
actions:
Invited the participation of federal, state, and local
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, the Applicant, and other
interested persons;
Considered public comment on alternatives, impacts, and
related information, studies, or analyses with respect to the proposed
agency action;
Identified and eliminated from detailed study those issues
that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
Identified other relevant permitting, environmental
review, and consultation requirements; and
Indicated the relationship between timing of the
environmental review and other aspects of the application process.
Once the scoping process is complete, USCG, MARAD, and other
appropriate cooperating agencies will consider the comments received
and prepare an EIS. We will announce the availability of the EIS when
it is published. The DWPA requires a final public hearing be held in
the ACS. The purpose of the final public hearing is to receive comments
on matters related to whether the deepwater port license application
should be approved by the Maritime Administrator.
(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501, et seq., 49 CFR 1.93).
By Order of the Maritime Administration.
Gabriel Chavez,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-13224 Filed 7-14-25; 8:45 am]
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