Deepwater Port License Application: Texas GulfLink LLC

Published date27 November 2020
Citation85 FR 76157
Record Number2020-25843
SectionNotices
CourtMaritime Administration
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 229 (Friday, November 27, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 229 (Friday, November 27, 2020)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 76157-76159]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-25843]
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                DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
                Maritime Administration
                [Docket No. MARAD-2019-0093]
                Deepwater Port License Application: Texas GulfLink LLC
                AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.
                ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of virtual public meetings;
                request for comments.
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                SUMMARY: 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. 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 two virtual
                public meetings and an informational open house website 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 www.regulations.gov website or the Federal Docket Management
                Facility as detailed in the ADDRESSES section no later than 45 days
                after the Environmental Protection Agency 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 two virtual public meetings in connection
                with the GulfLink DEIS. The first virtual public meeting will be held
                via webinar/teleconference on December 16, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00
                p.m. Central Standard Time. The second virtual public meeting will be
                held via webinar/teleconference on December 17, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to
                8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. The public meetings 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 and/or speaking at the
                virtual public meetings must register. Registration information is
                provided on both the Virtual Open House website, which is located at
                TexasGulfLinkDWP-EIS.consultation.ai, and the Registration part of this
                notice.
                ADDRESSES: The informational open house and virtual public meetings
                will take place virtually (via webinar/teleconference) due to the
                nation-wide public health emergency.
                 The GulfLink deepwater port license application, comments,
                supporting information and the DEIS are available for viewing and
                electronic comment submission at http://www.regulations.gov under
                docket number MARAD-2019-0093. The Final EIS (FEIS), when published,
                will be announced and available at the site as well.
                 If you are unable to provide electronic comments using
                www.regulations.gov, you may submit hard copy comments to include the
                docket number ``MARAD-2019-0093'' by mail to U.S. Department of
                Transportation, Docket Management Facility, West Building, Room W12-
                140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 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 http://www.regulations.gov. If you submit
                your comments electronically, it is not necessary to also submit a hard
                copy by mail. If you are unable to submit electronic comments using
                http://www.regulations.gov, but wish to submit comments electronically,
                please contact either Mr. Patrick W. Clark, USCG, or Mr. Linden
                Houston, MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
                CONTACT section of this document. Additionally, if you go to the public
                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: [email protected]; or Mr.
                Linden Houston, Transportation Specialist, Office of Deepwater Ports
                and Port Conveyance, MARAD, telephone: 202-366-4839, email:
                [email protected].
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Application that summarized the
                GulfLink deepwater port license application for 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 to be located 26.6 nautical miles off the coast of Brazoria
                County, Texas 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).
                Request for Comments
                 MARAD requests public comments or other relevant information
                related to the DEIS for the proposed GulfLink deepwater port. These
                comments will inform preparation of the FEIS. Attendance is encouraged
                at the virtual public meetings. If you are unable to submit electronic
                comments using http://www.regulations.gov, and wish to submit comments
                electronically, please
                [[Page 76158]]
                contact either Mr. Patrick W. Clark, USCG, or Mr. Linden Houston,
                MARAD, as listed in the following FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
                section. All comments and/or material submitted will be posted, without
                change, to the Federal Docket Management Facility website (http://www.regulations.gov), 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
                www.regulations.gov 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
                www.regulations.gov website.
                Virtual Public Meeting and Informational Open House
                 We encourage you to visit the informational open house website and
                attend one of the virtual public meetings to learn about, and to
                comment on the proposed action and the environmental impact analysis
                contained in the DEIS.
                 The informational open house website (TexasGulfLinkDWP-
                EIS.consultation.ai) will be available throughout the public comment
                period, which will end 45 days after the Environmental Protection
                Agency publishes its notice of availability of the DEIS for GulfLink
                Deepwater Port License Application MARAD-2019-0093 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 www.regulations.gov (docket number MARAD-2019-0093)
                will be available for viewing during the public comment period as well
                as after the end of the public comment period.
                 The public meetings will be hosted on the Zoom platform and will be
                accessible via webinar online and by phone. The virtual public meetings
                will be recorded and transcribed for placement in the public docket for
                the GulfLink project. The Zoom platform can be accessed online by
                visiting the Zoom website at www.zoom.us.
                Registration
                 Interested parties wishing to speak during the virtual public
                meetings as well as to attend the meetings must register prior to the
                public meetings. You may register online at TexasGulfLinkDWP-
                EIS.consultation.ai or obtain help registering by contacting AECOM toll
                free at 833-588-1191.
                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 throughout the 45-day comment period. Written
                material must include the author's name. Please respect the meeting
                procedures to ensure a constructive information-gathering session. The
                presiding officer will use their discretion to conduct the meetings in
                an orderly manner.
                 The virtual public meetings are intended to be accessible to all
                participants. Individuals who require special assistance such as sign
                language services, language interpreters or other reasonable
                accommodation, please indicate your special assistance need when
                registering either at TexasGulfLinkDWP-EIS.consultation.ai or contact
                AECOM 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. Please include contact information as well as information
                about your specific needs.
                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 July 17, 2019. Transcripts
                of the scoping meetings are included in the public docket located at
                www.regulations.gov 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 and 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 10, 2020.
                 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: www.regulations.gov 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 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,
                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.
                 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.
                 The fixed offshore platform is connected to VLCC tankers
                for loading by two separate 42-inch diameter
                [[Page 76159]]
                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 A 36.
                 The GulfLink deepwater port onshore storage and supply components
                would consist of the following:
                 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 (4) additional tanks,
                bringing the total to twelve tanks or up to 8.0 million barrels of
                working capacity.
                 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.
                 Two 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 (DOE) facility in Bryan Mound
                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.
                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.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act
                Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
                19477-78), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
                (Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq., 49 CFR 1.93(h)).
                * * * * *
                 Dated: November 18, 2020.
                 By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
                T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
                Secretary, Maritime Administration.
                [FR Doc. 2020-25843 Filed 11-25-20; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 4910-81-P
                

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