|
This file is available on a Cryptome DVD offered by Cryptome. Donate $25 for a DVD of the Cryptome 10-year archives of 35,000 files from June 1996 to June 2006 (~3.5 GB). Click Paypal or mail check/MO made out to John Young, 251 West 89th Street, New York, NY 10024. Archives include all files of cryptome.org, cryptome2.org, jya.com, cartome.org, eyeball-series.org and iraq-kill-maim.org. Cryptome offers with the Cryptome DVD an INSCOM DVD of about 18,000 pages of counter-intelligence dossiers declassified by the US Army Information and Security Command, dating from 1945 to 1985. No additional contribution required -- $25 for both. The DVDs will be sent anywhere worldwide without extra cost. | |||
26 October 2006
[Federal Register: October 26, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 207)]
[Notices]
[Page 62657-62659]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26oc06-88]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[USCG-2005-22219]
Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C., Liquefied Natural Gas
Deepwater Port License Application; Final Application Public Hearings
and Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of public hearings; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) announce the availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) for the Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C.,
Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port license application. Also, public
hearings will be held on matters relevant to the approval or denial of
the license application. The application describes a project that would
be located in federal waters of Massachusetts Bay, in Block 125,
approximately 13 miles south-southeast of Gloucester, MA. The Coast
Guard and MARAD request public comments on the FEIS and application.
Publication of this notice begins a 30-day public comment period and
provides information on how to participate in the process.
As a point of clarification, there is another deepwater port
application by Neptune LNG, L.L.C. in the same vicinity. These
applications are being processed and reviewed independently. The
Neptune FEIS should be noticed as available and public hearing
information published on November 3, 2006.
DATES: Public hearings will be held in Gloucester, MA on November 8,
2006 and in Salem, MA on November 9, 2006. Both hearings will be from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be preceded by an informational open house from
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The public hearings may end later than the stated
time, depending on the number of persons wishing to speak.
Material submitted in response to the request for comments on the
FEIS and application must reach the Docket Management Facility by
November 25, 2006 ending the 30-day public comment period.
Federal and State agencies must submit comments, recommended
conditions for licensing, or letters of no objection by December 26,
2006 (45 days after the final public hearings). Also by December 26,
2006, the Governor of Massachusetts (the adjacent coastal state) may
approve, disapprove, or notify MARAD of inconsistencies with State
programs relating to environmental protection, land and water use, and
coastal zone management for which MARAD may condition the license to
make consistent.
MARAD must issue a record of decision (ROD) to approve, approve
with conditions, or deny the DWP license application by February 7,
2007 (90 days after the public hearings).
For dates required by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act
(MEPA) schedule, please see that section at the end of this notice.
ADDRESSES: The public hearing in Gloucester will be held at the
Gloucester High School Auditorium, 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road,
Gloucester, MA, telephone: 617-635-4100. The public hearing in Salem
will be at the Salem State College Library, Charlotte Forten Hall, 360
Lafayette Street, Salem, MA, telephone: 978-542-7192.
The FEIS, the application, comments and associated documentation
are available for viewing at the DOT's Docket Management System Web
site: http://dms.dot.gov under docket number 22219. The FEIS is also
available at public libraries in Beverly, Boston (Central Library),
Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Rockport, and Salem.
Address docket submissions for USCG-2005-22219 to: Docket
Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
The Docket Management Facility accepts hand-delivered submissions,
and makes docket contents available for public inspection and copying
at this address, in room PL-401, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility's telephone
number is 202-366-9329, its fax number is 202-493-2251, and its Web
site for electronic submissions or for electronic access to docket
contents is http://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard,
telephone: 202-372-1451, e-mail: Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil. If you have
questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager,
Docket Operations, telephone: 202-493-0402.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Hearing and Open House
We invite you to learn about the proposed deepwater port at an
informational open house, and to comment at a public hearing on the
proposed action and the evaluation contained in the FEIS. Speaker
registrations will be available at the door. In order to allow everyone
a chance to speak at the public hearings, we may limit speaker time, or
extend the hearing hours, or both. You must identify yourself, and any
organization you represent, by name. Your remarks will be recorded or
transcribed for inclusion in the public docket.
You may submit written material at the public hearing, either in
place of or in addition to speaking. Written material must include your
name and address, and will be included in the public docket.
[[Page 62658]]
Public docket materials will be made available to the public on the
Docket Management Facility's Docket Management System (DMS). See
``Request for Comments'' for information about DMS and your rights
under the Privacy Act.
All of our public hearing locations are wheelchair-accessible. If
you plan to attend an open house or public hearing, and need special
assistance such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable
accommodation, please notify the Coast Guard (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 3 business days in advance. Include your
contact information as well as information about your specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other relevant information on the
FEIS and application. The public hearing is not the only opportunity
you have to comment. In addition to or in place of attending a hearing,
you can submit comments to the Docket Management Facility during the
public comment period (see DATES). The Coast Guard and MARAD will
consider all comments and material received during the comment period.
Submissions should include:
Docket number USCG-2005-22219.
Your name and address.
Your reasons for making each comment or for bringing
information to our attention.
Submit comments or material using only one of the following
methods:
Electronic submission to DMS, http://dms.dot.gov.
Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the Docket Management
Facility (see ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered submissions must be
unbound, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying
and electronic scanning. If you mail your submission and want to know
when it reaches the Facility, include a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope.
Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material,
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the DMS Web site
(http://dms.dot.gov), and will include any personal information you
provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You
may wish to read the Privacy Act notice that is available on the DMS
Web site, or the Department of Transportation Privacy Act Statement
that appeared in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477).
You may view docket submissions at the Docket Management Facility
(see ADDRESSES), or electronically on the DMS Web site.
Background
We published the Notice of Application for the proposed Northeast
Gateway liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port and information on
regulations and statutes governing licensing in the Federal Register at
70 FR 52422, September 2, 2005; the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS
for the proposed action was published at 70 FR 58228, October 5, 2005;
and the Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS was published at 71 FR
29211, May 19, 2006. The FEIS, application materials and associated
comments and documentation are available on the docket. Information
from the ``Summary of the Application'' from previous Federal Register
notices is included below for your convenience.
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), and (2) denying the application, which
for purposes of environmental review is the ``no-action'' alternative.
These alternatives are more fully discussed in the FEIS. The Coast
Guard is the lead Federal agency for the preparation of the EIS. You
can address any questions about the proposed action or the FEIS to the
Coast Guard project manager identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Summary of the Application
Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.L.C. has proposed a facility to
import liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the New England region
providing a base load delivery of 400 million cubic feet per day
(MMcfd) and capable of peak deliveries of approximately 800 MMcfd or
more. The facility would be located offshore in Massachusetts Bay,
approximately 13 miles south-southeast of the city of Gloucester, MA,
in Federal waters approximately 270 to 290 feet in depth, commonly
referred to as Block 125.
Northeast Gateway would deliver natural gas to onshore markets via
a new 24-inch-diameter pipeline, approximately 16.4 miles in length,
from the proposed deepwater port to the existing offshore 30-inch-
diameter Algonquin HubLine Pipeline System. The proposed new pipeline
lateral would be owned and operated by Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC.
The new pipeline is included in the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) review as part of the deepwater port application process.
The Northeast Gateway deepwater port facility would consist of two
subsea submerged turret loading buoys (STL Buoys), two flexible risers,
two pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs), and two subsea flow lines. Each STL
Buoy would connect to a PLEM using the flexible riser assembly, and the
PLEM will connect to the subsea flow line. A fleet of specially
designed Energy Bridge Regasification Vessels (EBRVs), each capable of
transporting approximately 4.9 million cubic feet (138,000 cubic
meters) of LNG, would deliver natural gas to the Northeast Gateway DWP.
The EBRVs will vaporize the LNG in a closed loop mode of recirculating
fresh water on-board requiring no intake or discharge of seawater for
the vaporization process. Natural gas would be used to operate the
regasification facilities as well as to provide vessel electrical needs
in normal operation.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Army Corps of Engineers
Algonquin is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
approval for the proposed 24-inch-diameter- pipeline concurrent with
this deepwater port application. In addition, pipelines within the
three-mile limit require an Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit
under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers
and Harbors Act. Structures such as the moorings and lateral pipelines
beyond the three-mile limit require a Section 10 permit.
As required by their regulations, FERC will also maintain a docket.
This is available at the FERC Web site ( http://www.ferc.gov) using the
``Documents & Filing'' then ``eLibrary'' link and FERC Docket number
CP05-383. The eLibrary helpline is 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail online
support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
As required by their regulations, the USACE has maintained a permit
file. The USACE New England District phone number is 978-318-8338 and
their Web site is http://www.nae.usace.army.mil.
Comments sent to the FERC docket or USACE have been incorporated
into the EIS; will continue to be incorporated into the DOT docket; and
will continue to be considered in the licensing, USACE permitting and
FERC order decisions. FERC and the USACE, among others, are cooperating
agencies and are assisting in the NEPA process as described in 40 CFR
1501.6., and have conducted joint public hearings with the Coast Guard
and MARAD.
[[Page 62659]]
Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA)
Through a Special Review Procedure established by the Massachusetts
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), the USCG and the MEPA
Office are conducting a coordinated NEPA/MEPA review allowing a single
set of documents to serve simultaneously as both the EIS under NEPA and
the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under MEPA. The Certificates
establishing the Special Review Procedure and the Scope for the
Environmental Impact Report can be viewed at http://www.mass.gov/envir/mepa/thirdlevelpages/monitorarchives/archives/25july06.htm.
The EIR was
published in the Environmental Monitor on October 25, 2006; ENF
comments will be due November 14, 2006; ENF decisions will be due
November 24, 2006; the Secretary of Environmental Affairs will accept
written comments on the Environmental Impact Report through November
24, 2006; and the EIR decisions (Certificate) will be due December 1,
2006. Comments may be submitted electronically, by mail, via FAX, or by
hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted on MEPA documents
are public records. The mailing address for comments is: Secretary
Robert W. Golledge, Jr., EOEA, Attn: MEPA Office, Richard Bourre, EOEA
No.13473/13474, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston MA 02114.
Dated: October 23, 2006.
Joel C. Richard,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-17942 Filed 10-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P