[Federal Register: November 17, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 221)]
[Notices]
[Page 69774-69775]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17no05-81]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[COTP Mobile-05-050]
Notice, Request for Comments; Letter of Recommendation, LNG Bayou
Casotte Energy LLC Terminal Project, Jackson County, MS
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Request for comments; notice of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements in 33 CFR 127.009, the
U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Mobile, AL is preparing a
letter of recommendation as to the suitability of the Pascagoula Bar,
Horn Island Pass, Lower Pascagoula, and Bayou Casotte Channels for
liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine traffic. The letter of
recommendation is in response to a letter of intent submitted by Bayou
Casotte Energy LLC to operate a LNG facility in Jackson County, MS. The
COTP Mobile, AL is soliciting written comments and related material,
and will hold a public meeting seeking comments, pertaining
specifically to maritime safety and security aspects of the proposed
LNG facilities. In preparation for issuance of a letter of
recommendation and the completion of certain other regulatory mandates,
the COTP Mobile, AL will consider comments received from the public as
input into a formalized risk assessment process. This process will
assess the safety and security aspects of the facility, adjacent port
areas, and navigable waterways.
DATES: All written comments and related material must reach the Coast
Guard on or before December 14, 2005. In addition, a public meeting
will be held December 7, 2005 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Those
who plan to speak at the meeting should provide their name by December
2, 2005 to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) J. Mangum using one of the methods
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The comment period
associated with the public meeting will remain open for seven days
following the meeting. The meeting location is: Pascagoula High School,
1716 Tucker Ave, Pascagoula, MS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments to Commanding Officer, U.S.
Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Brookley Complex, Bldg 102, South Broad
Street, Mobile, AL 36615-1390. Sector Mobile maintains a file for this
notice. Comments and material received will become part of this file
and will be available for inspection and copying at Sector Mobile
between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice,
contact Lieutenant (Junior Grade) J. Mangum at Coast Guard Sector
Mobile by one of the methods listed below:
(1) Phone at 251-441-5940;
(2) E-mail at jmangum@msomobile.uscg.mil;
(3) Fax to 251-441-6169.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Request for Written Comments
We encourage you to submit written comments and related material
pertaining specifically to marine safety and security aspects
associated with the proposed LNG facilities. If you do so, please
include your name and address, identify the docket number for this
notice (COTP Mobile-05-050), and give the reason for each comment. You
may submit your comments and related material by mail, or hand
delivery, as described in ADDRESSES, or you may send them by fax or e-
mail using the contact information under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. To avoid confusion and duplication, please submit your
comments and material by only one means.
If you submit 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. If you submit them by mail and would
like to know that they reached U.S. Coast Guard Sector Mobile, please
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
Public Meeting
Due to the scope and complexity of this project, we have decided to
hold a public meeting to allow the public the opportunity to comment on
the proposed LNG facility. With advance notice, organizations and
members of the public may provide oral statements regarding the
suitability of the Pascagoula Bar, Horn Island Pass, Lower Pascagoula,
and Bayou Casotte Channels for LNG vessel traffic. In the interest of
time and use of the public meeting facility, oral statements should be
limited to five minutes. Persons wishing to make oral statements should
notify Lieutenant (Junior Grade) J. Mangum using one of the methods
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by December 2, 2005.
Written comments may be submitted at the meeting or to the Docket up to
December 14, 2005.
[[Page 69775]]
Background and Purpose
Bayou Casotte Energy LLC submitted a letter of intent on February
10, 2005 to operate an LNG facility in Pascagoula, FL. Bayou Casotte
Energy LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron U.S.A. (CUSA) Inc.
The proposed Bayou Casotte Energy LLC Terminal is an LNG import,
storage, and re-gasification facility. LNG carriers (ships) would berth
at a new pier and LNG would be transferred by pipeline from the
carriers to one of three storage tanks, each with a net capacity of
160,000 cubic meters (m3) and a gross capacity of 174,600 m3. The LNG
would then be regasified and metered into natural gas pipelines. LNG
would be delivered to the terminal in double-hulled LNG carriers
ranging in capacity from 125,000 m3 to 165,000 m3. The larger carriers
would measure up to approximately 1092 feet long with up to
approximately a 158 feet wide beam, and draw 40 feet of water. The
Bayou Casotte Energy LLC Terminal would handle approximately 166
vessels per year, depending upon natural gas demand, and carrier size,
with shipments arriving about every 2.2 days.
The U.S. Coast Guard exercises regulatory authority over LNG
facilities which affect the safety and security of port areas and
navigable waterways under Executive Order 10173, the Magnuson Act (50
U.S.C. 191), the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972, as amended (33
U.S.C. 1221, et seq.) and the Maritime Transportation Security Act of
2002 (46 U.S.C. 701). The Coast Guard is responsible for matters
related to navigation safety, vessel engineering and safety standards,
and all matters pertaining to the safety of facilities or equipment
located in or adjacent to navigable waters up to the last valve
immediately before the receiving tanks. The Coast Guard also has
authority for LNG facility security plan review, approval, and
compliance verification as provided in Title 33 CFR Part 105, and
siting as it pertains to the management of vessel traffic in and around
the LNG facility.
Upon receipt of a letter of intent from an owner or operator
intending to build a new LNG facility, the Coast Guard COTP conducts an
analysis that results in a letter of recommendation issued to the owner
or operator and to the state and local governments having jurisdiction,
addressing the suitability of the waterway to accommodate LNG vessels.
Specifically, the letter of recommendation addresses the suitability of
the waterway based on:
The physical location and layout of the facility and its
berthing and mooring arrangements.
The LNG vessels' characteristics and the frequency of LNG
shipments to the facility.
Commercial, industrial, environmentally sensitive, and
residential areas in and adjacent to the waterway used by the LNG
vessels en route to the facility.
Density and character of marine traffic on the waterway.
Bridges or other manmade obstructions in the waterway.
Depth of water.
Tidal range.
Natural hazards, including rocks and sandbars.
Underwater pipelines and cables.
Distance of berthed LNG vessels from the channel, and the
width of the channel.
In addition, the Coast Guard will review and approve the facility's
operations manual and emergency response plan (33 CFR 127.019), as well
as the facility's security plan (33 CFR 105.410). The Coast Guard will
also provide input to other Federal, State, and local government
agencies reviewing the project. Under an interagency agreement the
Coast Guard will provide input to, and coordinate with, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the lead Federal agency for
authorizing the siting and construction of onshore LNG facilities, on
safety and security aspects of the Bayou Casotte Energy LLC Terminal
Project, including both the marine and land-based aspects of the
project. In order to complete a thorough analysis and fulfill the
regulatory mandates cited above, the COTP Mobile, AL will be conducting
a formal risk assessment, evaluating various safety and security
aspects associated with the proposed Bayou Casotte Energy LLC Terminal
Project. This risk assessment will be accomplished through a series of
workshops focusing on the areas of waterways safety, port security, and
consequence management, with involvement from a broad cross-section of
government and port stakeholders with expertise in each of the
respective areas. The workshops will be by invitation only. However,
comments received during the public comment period will be considered
as input into the risk assessment process.
Additional Information
Additional information about the Bayou Casotte Energy LLC Terminal
Project is available from FERC's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-
208-FERC or on the FERC Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using
their eLibrary link. Comments relating to aspects other than marine
safety and security aspects associated with the proposed LNG facility
may be submitted at this Web site. For assistance, please contact FERC
online support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-
3676, or for TTY contact 1-202-502-8659.
Information on Services for Individuals With Disabilities
For information on facilities or services for individuals with
disabilities, or to request assistance at the meeting, contact
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) J. Mangum listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible.
Dated: November 10, 2005.
Steve Venckus,
Chief, Office of Regulations and Administrative Law, Office of the
Judge Advocate General, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 05-22826 Filed 11-14-05; 3:29 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-U