Notice2021-23016
Deepwater Port License Application: SPOT Terminal Services LLC
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 29, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentMaritime Administration
Abstract
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announce the availability of the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the SPOT Terminal Services LLC (SPOT) Deepwater port license application for the export of oil from the United States to nations abroad. A SDEIS was prepared to ensure meaningful engagement of identified Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons in the environmental impact review process. To provide the most current information developed through the environmental review process, the SDEIS responds to comments received on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Additionally, MARAD and USCG announce a virtual public meeting for the SDEIS.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60093-60095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23016]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD-2019-0011]
Deepwater Port License Application: SPOT Terminal Services LLC
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of availability; Notice of public meeting and request
for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) announce the availability of the Supplemental Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the SPOT Terminal Services
LLC (SPOT) Deepwater port license application for the export of oil
from the United States to nations abroad. A SDEIS was prepared to
ensure meaningful engagement of identified Limited English Proficient
(LEP) persons in the environmental impact review process. To provide
the most current information developed through the environmental review
process, the SDEIS responds to comments received on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Additionally, MARAD and USCG
announce a virtual public meeting for the SDEIS.
DATES: MARAD and USCG will hold one virtual public meeting in
connection with the SPOT SDEIS. 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
SPOT deepwater port license application through in-person public
meetings. The public meeting will be held virtually, on November 16,
2021, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (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. 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 Virtual Public Meeting and Registration
sections of this Notice. Additionally, materials submitted in response
to this request for comments on the SDEIS 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 SDEIS for the SPOT Deepwater Port License
Application in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The SPOT Deepwater Port License Application, comments,
supporting information and the SDEIS 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-2019-0011. The Final EIS (FEIS), when published, will be
announced and be available at the <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> website.
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. Comments on the SDEIS may
be submitted to this address and must include the docket number for
this project, which is MARAD-2019-0011. The Federal Docket Management
Facility's telephone number is 202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826, the fax
number is 202-493-2251.
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. Matthew Layman, USCG, or
Dr. Efrain Lopez, MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. This section provides
alternate instructions for submitting written comments. 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. Matthew Layman, U.S. Coast Guard,
[[Page 60094]]
telephone: 202-372-1421, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#92dff3e6e6faf7e5bcd6bcdef3ebfff3fcd2e7e1f1f5bcfffbfe"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90ddf1e4e4f8f5e7bed4bedcf1e9fdf1fed0e5e3f3f7befdf9fc">[email protected]</span></a>, or Dr.
Efrain Lopez, Maritime Administration, telephone: 202-366-9761, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b6d0c4d7dfd898fad9c6d3ccf6d2d9c298d1d9c0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a0c6d2c1c9ce8eeccfd0c5dae0c4cfd48ec7cfd6">[email protected]</span></a>. For questions regarding viewing the Docket, call
Docket Operations, telephone: 202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 Meetings
was published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2019 (84 FR 8401).
This Notice of Availability incorporates the aforementioned Federal
Register Notices by reference. The application describes a project that
would be located approximately 27.2 to 30.8 nautical miles off the
coast of Brazoria County, Texas.
Publication of this notice begins 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 a virtual public meeting.
Virtual Public Meeting
The public meeting will be held virtually, on November 16, 2021,
from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). The virtual
platform of choice is Zoom. We encourage you to visit the informational
virtual open house website (<a href="http://www.SPOTNEPAProcess.com">www.SPOTNEPAProcess.com</a>) and to attend the
virtual public meeting to learn about, and comment on, the proposed
SPOT deepwater port. You will have the opportunity to verbally submit
comments during the virtual public meeting on the scope and
significance of the issues related to the proposed deepwater port that
should be addressed in the SDEIS.
Registration
Speaker and attendee registration are available online at
<a href="http://www.SPOTNEPAProcess.com">www.SPOTNEPAProcess.com</a>. 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
virtual public meeting, we may limit speaker time, extend the meeting
hours, or both. You must identify yourself and any organization you
represent by name. 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 in order to ensure a
constructive information-gathering session. The presiding officer will
use his/her discretion to conduct the meeting in an orderly manner.
Public meetings are intended to be accessible to all participants.
Individuals who require special assistance such as sign language
interpretation, non-English language translation services or other
reasonable accommodations, please notify the USCG or MARAD (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 7 business days in advance of the
virtual public meeting. Include your contact information as well as
information about your specific needs.
Request for Comments
We request public comment on this SDEIS. All comments will be
accepted. The virtual public meeting is not the only opportunity you
have to comment on the SPOT deepwater port license application. In
addition to, or in place of, attending a virtual 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 45-day public comment period.
Public comment submissions should include:
<bullet> Docket number MARAD-2019-0011.
<bullet> Your name and address.
Submit comments or material using only one of the following
methods:
<bullet> Electronically (preferred for processing) to the Federal
Docket Management System (FDMS) website: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>
under docket number MARAD-2019-0011.
<bullet> By mail to the Federal Docket Management Facility (MARAD-
2019-0011), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground
Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-
0001.
<bullet> By fax to the Federal Docket Management Facility at 202-
493-2251. Faxed, mailed or hand delivered 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 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 to the docket makes it public. You may wish to read
the Privacy and Use Notice that is available on the Federal Docket
Management Facility 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 Federal
Docket Management Facility website.
Background
On January 31, 2019, MARAD and USCG received a license application
from SPOT for all Federal authorizations required for a license to
construct, own, 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 involved held a public scoping meeting in
connection with the evaluation of the SPOT license application. The
public scoping meeting was held in Lake Jackson, Texas on March 20,
2019. The transcript of the scoping meeting is included on the public
docket located at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0011-0019">https://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0011-0019</a>. The Federal agencies also held a Draft EIS public comment meeting
to receive comments on the Draft EIS. The public comment meeting was
held in Lake Jackson, Texas on February 26, 2020. Publication of that
notice began a 45-day public comment period, which began on February 7,
2020 and ended on March 23, 2020. A second 30-day public comment period
due to COVID began on May 1, 2021 and ended on May 31, 2021. The
transcripts of the DEIS public comment meetings are also included on
the public docket at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0011-0019">https://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0011-0019</a>-1192.
The purpose of the SDEIS is to provide language translation for
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons in the Project vicinity. This
action serves as required public engagement with Environmental Justice
(EJ) communities and LEP persons. The SDEIS is currently available for
public review at the Federal docket website:
[[Page 60095]]
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number MARAD-2019-0011.
Summary of the License Application
SPOT 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 SPOT deepwater port would allow for up to two (2) 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 and a floating vapor recovery hose.
The maximum frequency of loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers
would be 2 million barrels per day, 365 days per year.
The proposed SPOT Deepwater Port (DWP) would be located in Federal
waters of 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. Onshore components of the proposed Project
would be located in both Brazoria and Harris counties.
The overall project would consist of both onshore and offshore
components. The onshore components would consist of:
<bullet> 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 delivery of crude oil to the proposed
Oyster Creek Terminal;
<bullet> One 50.1-mile, 36-inch-diameter ECHO to Oyster Creek
Pipeline;
<bullet> One pipeline interconnection from the existing Rancho II
36-inch-diameter pipeline to the ECHO to Oyster Creek Pipeline (Rancho
II Junction);
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> Two collocated 12.2-mile, 36-inch-diameter Oyster Creek to
Shore Pipelines; and
<bullet> 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:
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> One fixed offshore platform with eight piles, four decks,
and three vapor combustion units;
<bullet> Two SPM buoys to concurrently moor two VLCCs or other
crude oil carriers with capacities between 120,000 and 320,000
deadweight tonnage for loading up to 365 days per year, including
floating crude oil and vapor recovery hoses;
<bullet> Four pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs)--two per SPM buoy--to
provide the interconnection between the SPOT DWP and the SPM buoys;
<bullet> Four 0.66-nautical mile, 30-inch-diameter pipelines (two
per PLEM) to deliver crude oil from the platform to the PLEMs;
<bullet> Four 0.66-nautical mile, 16-inch diameter vapor recovery
pipelines (two per PLEM) to connect the VLCC or other crude oil carrier
to the three vapor combustion units on the platform.
<bullet> Three service vessel moorings, located in the southwest
corner of Galveston Area lease block 463; and
<bullet> An anchorage area in Galveston Area lease block A-59,
which would not contain any infrastructure.
The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of the
SDEIS that was prepared to ensure meaningful engagement of identified
LEP persons in the environmental impact review process. Additionally,
MARAD and USCG announce a virtual public meeting for the SDEIS.
Privacy Act
Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or materials,
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> website 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 and the
User Notice that are available at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2005/03/24/05-5823/establishment-of-a-new-system-of-records-notice-for-the-federal-docket-management-system">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2005/03/24/05-5823/establishment-of-a-new-system-of-records-notice-for-the-federal-docket-management-system</a>. 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. 2021-23016 Filed 10-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 29, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.