Notice2021-20284
Deepwater Port License Application: Texas GulfLink LLC
Primary source
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Published
September 24, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentMaritime Administration
Abstract
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announce the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Texas GulfLink LLC (GulfLink) deepwater port license application for the export of crude oil from the United States to nations abroad and the re-opening of the public comment period for the DEIS. The DEIS is being reissued to ensure the meaningful engagement of identified Spanish-speaking Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons in the environmental impact review process. Additionally, MARAD and USCG announce a virtual public meeting and virtual open house for the DEIS.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 183 (Friday, September 24, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 183 (Friday, September 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53144-53147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20284]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD-2019-0093]
Deepwater Port License Application: Texas GulfLink LLC
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of availability, Notice of virtual public meeting,
Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard
[[Page 53145]]
(USCG) announce the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the Texas GulfLink LLC (GulfLink) deepwater port
license application for the export of crude oil from the United States
to nations abroad and the re-opening of the public comment period for
the DEIS. The DEIS is being reissued to ensure the meaningful
engagement of identified Spanish-speaking Limited English Proficient
(LEP) persons in the environmental impact review process. Additionally,
MARAD and USCG announce a virtual public meeting and virtual open house
for the DEIS.
DATES: To ensure comments on the DEIS will be considered, materials
submitted in response to this request for comments must be submitted to
the <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> website or the Federal Docket Management
Facility as detailed in the ADDRESSES section below no later than 45
days after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its
notice of availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
GulfLink Deepwater Port License Application MARAD-2019-0093 in the
Federal Register.
MARAD and USCG will hold one virtual public meeting in connection
with the reissuance of the GulfLink DEIS. The public meeting will be
held virtually on October 14, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central
Time. The virtual public meeting may end later than the stated time,
depending on the number of persons who wish to make a comment on the
record.
Anyone that is interested in attending the virtual public meeting
or speaking during the virtual public meeting must register.
Registration information is provided in the Public Meeting and Open
House and Registration sections of this Notice.
ADDRESSES: The virtual public meeting will be held remotely due to the
nationwide impacts of the existing public health emergency under
Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act in response to Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Further, the President's declaration of a
national emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and state and local
actions in response to COVID-19, have impacted the public's ability to
assemble and provide feedback on the GulfLink deepwater port license
application through in-person public meetings.
The GulfLink deepwater port license application, comments,
supporting information and the DEIS are available for viewing at the
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> website: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number
MARAD-2019-0093. The Final EIS (FEIS), when published, will be
announced and available at this site as well.
The public docket for the GulfLink 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. Comments on the DEIS
may be submitted to this address and must include the docket number for
this project, which is MARAD-2019-0093. The Federal Docket Management
Facility's telephone number is 202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826, the fax
number is 202-493-2251. Comments are due to the Federal Docket
Management Facility by 45 days after EPA publishes the notice of
availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
GulfLink Deepwater Port License Application MARAD-2019-0093 in the
Federal Register.
We encourage you to submit comments electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. If you submit
your comments electronically, it is not necessary to also submit a hard
copy by mail. If you cannot submit material using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, please contact either Mr. Patrick W. Clark, USCG,
or Dr. Linden Houston, MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document below. Additionally, if
you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be
notified when comments are posted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Patrick W. Clark, Project Manager,
USCG, telephone: 202-372-1358, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#54043520263d373f7a037a173835263f14212737337a393d38"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="99c9f8edebf0faf2b7ceb7daf5f8ebf2d9eceafafeb7f4f0f5">[email protected]</span></a>; or Dr.
Linden Houston, Transportation Specialist, Office of Deepwater Port
Licensing and Port Conveyance, MARAD, telephone: 202-366-4839, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ace0c5c2c8c9c282e4c3d9dfd8c3c2ecc8c3d882cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c08ca9aea4a5aeee88afb5b3b4afae80a4afb4eea7afb6">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Application that summarized the
GulfLink deepwater port license application was published in the
Federal Register on June 26, 2019 (84 FR 30298-30300). A Notice of
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of
Public Meetings was published in the Federal Register on July 3, 2019
(84 FR 32008-32010). A Notice of Availability; Notice of Virtual Public
Meetings; Request for Comments for the GulfLink deepwater port license
application was published in the Federal Register on November 27, 2020
(85 FR 76157-76159). This Notice of Availability incorporates the
aforementioned Federal Register Notices by reference. The application
describes a project that would include pipelines and a crude oil
storage terminal located onshore in Brazoria County, Texas, and an
offshore pipeline leading to a deepwater port located approximately
26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas.
Publication of this notice announces a 45-day comment period,
requests public participation in the environmental impact review
process, provides information on how to participate in the
environmental impact review process, and announces the informational
open house and public meeting that will take place virtually.
This Federal Register Notice is being published to reissue the DEIS
that was published in the Federal Register on November 27, 2020 (85 FR
76157-76158). Spanish language translation and interpretation services
will be available during the virtual informational open house and
public meeting, but it is requested that you advise MARAD and the USCG
accordingly when registering to participate as noted in the
Registration section of this Notice.
Request for Comments
We request public comments or other relevant information related to
the DEIS for the proposed GulfLink deepwater port. These comments will
inform our preparation of the FEIS. We encourage participation in the
virtual public meeting; however, you may submit comments
electronically, and it is preferred that comments be submitted
electronically to the Federal Docket Management Facility website
(<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>). If you are unable to submit electronic
comments, please contact either Mr. Patrick Clark, USCG, or Dr. Linden
Houston, MARAD as listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section. Regardless of the method you use to submit comments or
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the
Federal Docket Management Facility website (<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>), and will include any personal information you
provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You
may wish to read the Privacy and Use Notice that is available on the
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> website, and the Department of Transportation (DOT)
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 DOT Docket Management Facility or electronically at the
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> website.
[[Page 53146]]
Virtual Public Meeting and Open House
You are invited to learn about the proposed GulfLink deepwater port
at the virtual informational open house and to comment on the proposed
action and the environmental impact analysis contained in the DEIS
during the virtual public meeting.
The virtual informational open house website (<a href="http://TexasGulfLinkDWP_EIS.consultation.ai">http://TexasGulfLinkDWP_EIS.consultation.ai</a>) will be available throughout the
public comment period for the Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS), which will end 45 days after the FEIS Notice of Availability
for the Gulflink Deepwater Port License Application is published in the
Federal Register.
The website includes information about the project, including the
DEIS, presented in a virtual open house format. The project docket,
located online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (docket number MARAD-2019-0093)
will be available for viewing during the DEIS public comment period as
well as after the end of the DEIS public comment period.
The public meeting will be a virtual event hosted on the Zoom
platform. The virtual public meeting will be recorded and transcribed
for placement in the public docket for the GulfLink project. The Zoom
program can be accessed online by visiting the Zoom website at
www.zoom.us. Meeting details, such as the virtual room number and
access code, will be provided after registration. See the Registration
section of this Notice for details.
Registration
Interested parties must register to speak during the virtual public
meeting as well as to attend the meeting. You may register at <a href="http://TexasGulfLinkDWP_EIS.consultation.ai">http://TexasGulfLinkDWP_EIS.consultation.ai</a> or obtain help registering by
contacting AECOM toll free at 833-588-1191.
Public meetings are intended to be accessible to all participants.
Individuals who require special assistance such as sign language
services, Spanish language interpreters or other reasonable
accommodation, please indicate your special assistance need when
registering either at <a href="http://TexasGulfLinkDWP_EIS.consultation.ai">http://TexasGulfLinkDWP_EIS.consultation.ai</a> or
toll free at 833-588-1191. Requests for special assistance must be made
at least five business days in advance of the virtual public meeting.
It is requested that you advise AECOM of any language needs (such as
interpretation) when registering. Please include contact information as
well as information about your specific needs. Those requiring special
assistance such as sign language services, Spanish language
interpreters, or other reasonable accommodations will need to attend
the virtual meeting via a computer, tablet, telephone, or smart phone
for these services to be accessible. Instructions for accessing the
meeting will be sent to all registrants via email or will be provided
by AECOM by registrants calling the toll-free number.
Meeting Procedure
Registered speakers will be recognized in the following order:
elected officials, public agency representatives, then individuals or
groups in the order in which they registered. In order to accommodate
all speakers, speaker time may be limited, meeting hours may be
extended, or both. Speakers' transcribed remarks will be included in
the public docket. You may also submit written material for inclusion
in the public docket. Written material must include the author's name.
We ask attendees to respect the meeting procedures to ensure a
constructive information-gathering session. The presiding officer will
use his/her discretion to conduct the meeting in an orderly manner.
Background
On January 31, 2019, MARAD and USCG received a license application
from GulfLink for all Federal authorizations required for a license to
construct, own, and operate a deepwater port for the export of crude
oil. The proposed deepwater port would be located in Federal waters
approximately 26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County,
Texas. Texas was designated as the Adjacent Coastal State (ACS) for the
GulfLink license application.
The Federal agencies involved held a public scoping meeting in
connection with the GulfLink license application. The public scoping
meeting was held in Lake Jackson, Texas on March 20, 2019. The
transcript of the scoping meeting is included in the public docket
located at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number MARAD-2019-0093.
MARAD and USCG issued a regulatory ``stop-clock'' letter to
GulfLink for its application on May 31, 2019, which remained in effect
until October 23, 2019, when MARAD, in consultation with the USCG,
determined the agencies received sufficient information to continue the
Federal review process. A second ``stop clock letter'' was issued to
GulfLink on September 15, 2020 for additional information requests and
remained in effect until November 30, 2020.
On December 16, 2020 and December 17, 2020, MARAD and USCG held
virtual DEIS public meetings for the GulfLink deepwater port license
application. During the December 16, 2020 public meeting, the public
requested Spanish language assistance. MARAD and the USCG provided
limited Spanish language translation at the December 17, 2020 meeting.
After thorough review and consultation with the USCG, MARAD found
that the affected environmental justice communities and Limited English
Proficient persons had not been provided sufficient and adequate
opportunity to fully participate in the complete scope of the
application and environmental review process for the GulfLink Deepwater
Port License application. Therefore, MARAD and USCG are re-opening the
public comment period for the DEIS for an additional 45 days and
hosting this virtual public meeting to provide affected communities,
including Limited English Proficient persons, further opportunity to
review and comment on the DEIS. This Federal Register Notice reissues
the DEIS that was published in the Federal Register on November 27,
2020 (85 FR 76157-76158).
The purpose of the DEIS is to analyze reasonable alternatives to,
and the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of, the
proposed action. The DEIS is currently available for public review at
the Federal docket website: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number
MARAD-2019-0093.
Summary of the License Application
GulfLink is proposing to construct, own, and operate a deepwater
port terminal in the Gulf of Mexico to export domestically produced
crude oil. Use of the deepwater port would include the loading of
various grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 85,000 barrels per
hour (bph). The GulfLink deepwater port would allow for up to two Very
Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) or other crude oil carriers to moor at
single point mooring (SPM) buoys and connect with the deepwater port
via floating connecting crude oil hoses. The maximum frequency of
loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers would be 1.1 million barrels
per day, 365 days per year.
The overall project would consist of offshore and marine components
as well as onshore components as described below.
The GulfLink deepwater port offshore and marine components would
consist of the following:
[[Page 53147]]
<bullet> An Offshore Platform: One fixed offshore platform with
piles in Outer Continental Shelf Galveston Area Lease Block GA-423,
approximately 26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County,
Texas in a water depth of approximately 104 feet. The fixed offshore
platform would have four decks comprising of personal living space,
pipeline metering, a surge system, a pig receiving station, generators,
lease automatic custody transfer unit, oil displacement prover loop,
sample system, radar tower, electrical and instrumentation building,
portal cranes, a hydraulic crane, an Operations/Traffic Room, and
helicopter deck.
<bullet> One 42-inch outside diameter, 28.1-nautical-mile long
crude oil pipeline would be constructed from the shoreline crossing in
Brazoria County, Texas, to the GulfLink deepwater port for crude oil
delivery. This pipeline would connect the proposed onshore Gulflink
Jones Creek Terminal described below to the offshore GulfLink deepwater
port.
<bullet> The fixed offshore platform is connected to VLCC tankers
for loading by two separate 42-inch diameter departing pipelines. Each
pipeline will depart the fixed offshore platform, carrying the crude
oil to a Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM) in approximately 104 feet water
depth located 1.25 nautical miles from the fixed offshore platform.
Each PLEM is then connected through two 24-inch hoses to a Single Point
Mooring (SPM) Buoy. Two 24-inch floating loading hoses will connect the
SPM Buoy to the VLCC or other crude oil carrier. SPM Buoy 1 is in Outer
Continental Shelf Galveston Area Lease Block GA-423 and SPM Buoy 2 is
in Outer Continental Shelf Galveston Area Lease Block GA-A36.
The GulfLink deepwater port onshore storage and supply components
would consist of the following:
<bullet> An Onshore Storage Terminal: The proposed Gulflink Jones
Creek Terminal would be located in Brazoria County, Texas, on
approximately 262 acres of land, consisting of eight above ground
storage tanks, each with a working storage capacity of 708,168 barrels,
for a total onshore storage capacity of approximately 6 million
barrels. The facility can accommodate four additional tanks, bringing
the total to twelve tanks or 8.0 million barrels of shell capacity.
<bullet> The Gulflink Jones Creek Terminal also would include: Six
electric-driven mainline crude oil pumps; three electric driven booster
crude oil pumps; one crude oil pipeline pig launcher; one crude oil
pipeline pig receiver; two measurement skids for measuring incoming
crude oil--one skid located on the Department of Energy's Bryan Mound
facility, and one skid installed for the outgoing crude oil barrels
leaving the tank storage to be loaded on the VLCC; and ancillary
facilities to include an operations control center, electrical
substation, offices, and warehouse building.
<bullet> Two onshore crude oil pipelines would be constructed
onshore to support the GulfLink deepwater port and include the
following items:
[cir] One proposed incoming 9.7 statute mile 36-inch outside
diameter pipeline connected to a leased 40-inch ExxonMobil pipeline
originating at the Department of Energy's Bryan Mound facility with
connectivity to the Houston market.
[cir] One proposed outgoing 12.7 statute mile 42-inch outside
diameter connection from the Gulflink Jones Creek Terminal to the shore
crossing where this becomes the pipeline supplying the proposed
offshore GulfLink deepwater port.
Additional information regarding the proposed Texas GulfLink
Deepwater Port License Application can be found in the public docket
located at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number MARAD-2019-0093.
Privacy Act
Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or materials,
all submissions will be posted, without change, to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>
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 Security Notice, as well as the User Notice,
that is available on the <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> website. The Privacy Act
notice regarding the Federal Docket Management System is available in
the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal Register (70 FR 15086).
(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq., 49 CFR 1.93(h)).
By Order of the Acting Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021-20284 Filed 9-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
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