Notice2024-18349
Deepwater Port License Application: Texas GulfLink LLC-Final Environmental Impact Statement
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
August 16, 2024
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentMaritime Administration
Abstract
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announce the extension of the comment period for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Texas GulfLink LLC (GulfLink) deepwater port license application for the export of oil from the United States to nations abroad. The GulfLink deepwater port license application describes a project that would be located approximately 26.2 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas. Publication of this notice extends the current comment period for the GulfLink FEIS to end on Friday, August 30, 2024, requests public participation in the final environmental impact review process, provides information on how to participate in the final environmental impact review process and announces a virtual final public hearing.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 159 (Friday, August 16, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 159 (Friday, August 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66757-66760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18349]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD-2019-0093]
Deepwater Port License Application: Texas GulfLink LLC--Final
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of availability; Notice of virtual final public hearing;
Notice of extension; Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) announce the extension of the comment period for the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Texas GulfLink LLC
(GulfLink) deepwater port license application for the export of oil
from the United States to nations abroad. The GulfLink deepwater port
license application describes a project that would be located
approximately 26.2 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria County,
Texas. Publication of this notice extends the current comment period
for the GulfLink FEIS to end on Friday, August 30, 2024, requests
public participation in the final environmental impact review process,
provides information on how to participate in the final environmental
impact review process and announces a virtual final public hearing.
DATES: MARAD and USCG will hold one virtual final public hearing (final
hearing) in connection with the Gulflink deepwater port license
application. The final hearing will be held virtually on September 13,
2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time, due to the impacts of
Hurricane Beryl. The virtual final hearing may end later than the
stated time, depending on the number of persons who wish to comment on
the record. Anyone interested in attending the virtual final hearing or
speaking during the virtual final hearing must register. Registration
information is provided in the Public Participation section of this
Notice.
Due to the impacts of Hurricane Beryl, we are providing an
extension of the comment period for the public to submit comments,
which began with the publication of the Federal Register Notice on July
5, 2024, and will now end on Friday, August 30, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the FEIS must be submitted to the U.S.
Department of Transportation's Docket Management Facility or online to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number MARAD-2019-0093. The address of
the Docket Management Facility is as follows: U.S. Department of
Transportation, MARAD-2019-0093, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. These are the only
methods to submit comments on the GulfLink FEIS. Improperly submitted
comments may not be considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Patrick W. Clark, Project Manager,
USCG, telephone: 202-372-1358, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1b5f7e7e6b6c7a6f7e694b74696f685b4e48585c35767277"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="581c3d3d282f392c3d2a08372a2c2b180d0b1b1f76353134">[email protected]</span></a>; or Dr.
Linden Houston, Transportation Specialist, Office of Deepwater Ports
and Port Conveyance, MARAD, telephone: 202-366-4839, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#96dafff8f2f3f8b8def9e3e5e2f9f8d6f2f9e2b8f1f9e0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="db97b2b5bfbeb5f593b4aea8afb4b59bbfb4aff5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a>.
Please include ``MARAD-2019-0093, GulfLink Comment'' in the subject
line of the message. For written comments and other material
submissions, please follow the directions under the ``How do I submit
comments?'' question in the Public Participation section of this
notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Prior Federal Actions
On May 30, 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 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 ACS for the GulfLink license
application.
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). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting was
published in the Federal Register on July 3, 2019 (84 FR 32008). The
Federal agencies involved held a public scoping meeting in connection
with the evaluation of the GulfLink license application. The public
scoping meeting was held in Lake Jackson, Texas on July 17, 2019. The
transcript of the scoping meeting is included on the public docket
located at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-0047">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-0047</a>. A Federal
Register Notice was published on August 14, 2019 (84 FR 40476) to
extend the public scoping comment period to August 30, 2019.
MARAD and USCG held three virtual public comment meetings to
receive comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). A
Notice of Availability for the DEIS and Notice of Public Meeting was
published in the Federal Register on November 27, 2020 (85 FR 76157).
The first two virtual public comment meetings were held on December 16,
2020, and December 17, 2020. The public comment period for these
meetings began on November 27, 2020, and a Federal Register Notice was
published on December 21, 2020 (85 FR 83142) to extend the comment
period to January 22, 2021. Transcripts of these DEIS virtual public
comment meetings are provided on the public docket at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-0318">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-0318</a>, <a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-0319">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-0319</a>, and <a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-2839">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-2839</a>. A Notice of Availability and Notice of Virtual Public
Meeting was published in the Federal Register on September 24, 2021 (86
FR 53144). The Federal agencies held a third virtual DEIS public
comment meeting to receive comments on the DEIS. The DEIS public
meeting was held virtually on October 14, 2021. The purpose of the
October 14, 2021, virtual public meeting was to reopen the public
comment period for the DEIS and to provide affected communities,
including Limited English Proficient persons, further opportunities to
review and comment on the document. The transcripts from the third DEIS
public comment meeting are included on the public docket at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-2853">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-2853</a>.
After the publication of the DEIS, GulfLink revised its deepwater
license application in response to ongoing consultation with regulatory
agencies and subsequently refined the design of the proposed deepwater
port by adding a vapor control system into the design and operation of
the proposed GulfLink deepwater port. A Notice of Availability; Notice
of Virtual Public Meeting; Request for Comments for the Supplemental
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) was published in the
Federal Register on September 30, 2022 (87 FR 59487) in response to
proposed changes to the GulfLink deepwater port. The public meeting was
held virtually on October 18, 2022. The transcripts of the SDEIS public
comment meetings are also included on the public docket at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-3097">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-3097</a> and
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-3098">www.regulations.gov/document/MARAD-2019-0093-3098</a>. The GulfLink FEIS
was published in the Federal Register Notice on July 5, 2024 (89 FR
55679).
This Notice of Availability incorporates the aforementioned Federal
Register notices by reference.
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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 (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 one 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:
An Offshore Platform: One fixed offshore platform with piles in
Outer Continental Shelf Galveston Area Lease Block GA-423, 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 comprised 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.
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 Jones Creek Terminal
described below to the offshore platform.
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 to a Single Point Mooring (SPM) Buoy
through two 24-inch cargo hoses. Two 24-inch floating cargo hoses will
connect each SPM Buoy to the VLCC (or other crude oil carrier type).
SPM Buoy 1 is positioned in Outer Continental Shelf Galveston Area
Lease Block GA-423 and SPM Buoy 2 is positioned in Outer Continental
Shelf Galveston Area Lease Block GA-A36.
Use of a dynamically positioned third-party Offshore Support
Vessel, equipped with a vapor processing system to control the release
of vapor emissions during the cargo loading operations of the proposed
GulfLink deepwater port.
Onshore storage and supply components for the GulfLink deepwater
port would consist of the following:
An Onshore Storage Terminal: The proposed Jones Creek Terminal
would be located in Brazoria County, Texas, on approximately 319 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 5,655,344 barrels. The facility can
accommodate four additional tanks, bringing the total to twelve tanks
or 8,498,016 barrels of storage capacity.
The 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.
Two onshore crude oil pipelines would be constructed to support the
GulfLink deepwater port and include the following:
One proposed incoming 9.1-statute mile long, 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.
One proposed outgoing 12.1-statute mile long, 42-inch outside
diameter pipeline connecting the Jones Creek Terminal to the shore
crossing, where the offshore portion of this pipeline begins and
supplies the proposed offshore GulfLink deepwater port.
As previously stated, the purpose of this notice is to announce
that the FEIS is currently available for public review and a comment
period that will now end by the close of business on August 30, 2024.
Comments can be submitted through the Federal docket website:
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number MARAD-2019-0093.
Purpose of the Final Environmental Impact Statement
The purpose of the FEIS is to analyze the direct, indirect, and
cumulative environmental impacts of the proposed action, and to
identify and analyze environmental impacts of a reasonable range of
alternatives. The FEIS is currently available for public review and
comment at the Federal docket website: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket
number MARAD-2019-0093.
Request for Comments
You are encouraged to provide comments on the proposed action and
the environmental impact analysis contained in the FEIS for the
proposed GulfLink deepwater port. These comments will inform MARAD's
Record of Decision for the GulfLink deepwater license application. We
encourage you to review the information on the project's docket located
online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under docket number MARAD-2019-0093.
Please see the information in the Public Participation section
below on how to properly submit comments. All comments submitted to the
docket via <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> or delivered to the Federal Docket
Management Facility will be posted, without change, to the Federal
Docket Management Facility website (<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>) and will
include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting
such information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy and
Use Notice 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
section of this Notice. 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.
Final Hearing Information
You are invited to attend the Final Hearing and encouraged to
provide comments on the Gulflink deepwater port application. These
comments will inform MARAD's Record of Decision for the GulfLink
deepwater license application. Speakers are requested to register for
the Final Hearing. Registration instructions are listed under the ``How
do I register to speak at the public hearing?'' section under the
Public Participation section of this notice. Speakers will be
recognized in the following order during the Final Hearing: elected
officials, public agency
[[Page 66759]]
representatives, and then individuals or groups in the order in which
they registered. In order to accommodate all speakers, speakers' 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 their discretion to conduct the
meeting in an orderly manner.
The Final Hearing will be conducted in English and Spanish. Final
Hearing attendees who require special assistance, such as translation
services or other reasonable accommodation, please notify MARAD or the
USCG (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least five business days
in advance. Please include contact information as well as information
about specific needs.
Public Participation
How do I prepare comments?
To ensure that your comments are correctly filed in the Docket,
please include the docket number (MARAD-2019-0093) shown at the
beginning of this document in your comments. If you are submitting
comments electronically as a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) File, MARAD and USCG
ask that the documents be submitted using the Optical Character
Recognition (OCR) process, thus allowing the agencies to search and
copy certain portions of your submissions.
Please note that pursuant to the Data Quality Act, for substantive
data to be relied upon and used by the agency, it must meet the
information quality standards set forth in the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) and Department of Transportation (DOT) Data Quality Act
guidelines. Accordingly, we encourage you to consult the guidelines in
preparing your comments. OMB's guidelines may be accessed at
<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/reproducible.html">www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/reproducible.html</a>. DOT's guidelines may
be accessed at <a href="http://www.bts.gov/programs/statistical_policy_and_research/data_quality_guidelines">www.bts.gov/programs/statistical_policy_and_research/data_quality_guidelines</a>.
How do I submit comments?
You may submit comments for the GulfLink deepwater license
application FEIS (identified by DOT Docket Number MARAD-2019-0093) by
any one of the following methods:
Mail or Hand Delivery: The Docket Management Facility is in the
West Building, Ground Floor of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Docket Management Facility location address is U.S. Department of
Transportation, MARAD-2019-0093, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. Due to flexible work
schedules in response to COVID-19, call 202-493-0402 to determine
facility hours prior to hand delivery.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Search
``MARAD-2019-0093'' and follow the instructions for submitting
comments.
Fax: Comments may be faxed to the Docket Management Facility at
202-493-2251. Your comment must include the docket number (MARAD-2019-
0093) to be placed to the proper docket.
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 on a cover page so that we can contact you if we have
questions regarding your submission. All submissions received must
include the agency name and specific docket number to ensure your
comment is filed in the appropriate docket. All comments received will
be posted without change to the docket at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>,
including any personal information provided. If you submit your
comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic
filing. MARAD may only consider comments and material received during
the comment period. The instructions listed in this section are the
only methods in which comments will be accepted for submission to the
docket. It is the commenter's responsibility to comply with the
instructions above to ensure that their comments are properly submitted
for consideration and review. Comments that are submitted in any other
manner and to any other location may not be considered.
What will happen if I submit comments in any other manner?
Comments that are not submitted directly to the Docket Management
Facility using the methods specified and outlined within this Federal
Register notice may not not be considered. It is the commenter's
responsibility to comply with the instructions above to ensure that
their comments are properly submitted for review.
How long do I have to submit comments?
We are providing an extension of the comment period for the public
to submit comments, which began with the publication of the Federal
Register Notice on July 5, 2024, and will now end on Friday, August 30,
2024.
I provided MARAD and USCG comments on the GulfLink scoping meeting,
DEIS, or SDEIS, orally or in writing, in another forum. May I provide
comments in response to this notice as well?
Yes, MARAD and USCG encourage any member of the public to submit
relevant comments for the docket, including input that has previously
been communicated to the agencies.
How can I be sure that my comments were received?
If you wish for Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of
your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the
envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket
Management will return the postcard by mail.
Will the Agency consider late comments?
MARAD and the USCG will review all substantive comments that Docket
Management receives before the close of business on the comment closing
date indicated above under DATES section. Comments submitted outside
the comment period may not be considered.
How can I read the comments submitted by other people?
You may read the comments received by Docket Management at the
address given above under ADDRESSES section of this Notice. The hours
of the Docket Management Unit are indicated above in the same location.
You may also see the comments on the internet. To read the comments on
the internet, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online instructions
for accessing the dockets.
How do I register to speak at the virtual public hearing?
You may register for the proceedings using the following link:
<a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YRFeRRrNTbSJSzKMPfRP6A">https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YRFeRRrNTbSJSzKMPfRP6A</a>. If
you need assistance with registration, you may call 1-(800) 949-0771,
and leave a message and someone will call you back and assist with
getting you registered. Please note this phone line is not staffed 24/
7.
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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, visit <a href="http://www.transportation.gov/privacy">www.transportation.gov/privacy</a>.
(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501, et seq.; 49 CFR 1.93(h))
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-18349 Filed 8-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
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