[Federal Register: December 3, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 232)]
[Notices]
[Page 70271-70272]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03de04-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[CGD05-04-201]
Notice, Request for Comments; Letter of Recommendation, LNG Crown
Landing LLC, Logan Township, Gloucester County, NJ
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) Philadelphia
is preparing a letter of recommendation as to the suitability of the
Delaware Bay and River waterway for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine
traffic. The letter of recommendation is in response to a letter of
intent submitted by Crown Landing LLC to operate a LNG facility in
Logan Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey. The COTP Philadelphia 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 facility. In
preparation for issuance of a letter of recommendation and the
completion of certain other regulatory mandates, the COTP Philadelphia
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: (1) All written comments and related material must reach the
Coast Guard on or before January 18, 2005.
(2) A public meeting will be held Tuesday, January 11, 2005, from 3
p.m. to 7 p.m.
(3) Those who plan to speak at the meeting should provide their
name by January 7, 2005 to Lieutenant Commander Timothy Meyers using
one of the methods listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments to Commanding Officer, U.S.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, One Washington
Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147. Marine Safety Office/Group
Philadelphia 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 the Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia,
Waterways Management Branch, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
The public meeting location is The Embassy Suites, 9000 Bartram
Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice,
contact Lieutenant Commander Timothy Meyers at Coast Guard Marine
Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, PA, by one of the methods listed
below:
(1) Phone at (215) 271-4860.
(2) E-mail at TMEYERS@msogruphila.uscg.mil.
(3) Fax to (215) 271-4903.
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 facility. If you do so, please include
your name and address, identify the docket number for this notice
(CGD05-04-201), 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
[[Page 70272]]
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 Marine Safety Office/
Group Philadelphia, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard
or envelope.
Public Meeting
Due to the scope and complexity of this project, we plan 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 Delaware Bay and River waterway 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 Commander Timothy Meyers using
one of the methods listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by
January 7, 2005. Written comments may be submitted at the meeting or to
the Docket up to January 18, 2005.
Background and Purpose
In accordance with the requirements of 33 CFR 127.007, Crown
Landing LLC submitted a letter of intent on July 30, 2004 to operate an
LNG facility in Logan Township, Gloucester County, NJ. Crown Landing
LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BP America Production Company.
The proposed 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 150,000 cubic meters
(m\3\) and a gross capacity of 158,000 m\3\. The LNG would then be re-
gasified and metered into natural gas pipelines. LNG would be delivered
to the terminal in double-hulled LNG carriers ranging in capacity from
138,000 m\3\ to 200,000 m\3\. The larger carriers would measure up to
approximately 1,500 feet long with up to approximately a 170 foot wide
beam, and draw 38 feet of water. The Crown Landing terminal would
handle approximately 100-150 vessels per year, depending upon natural
gas demand, and carrier size, with shipments arriving about every three
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. Section 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:
(1) The physical location and layout of the facility and its
berthing and mooring arrangements.
(2) The LNG vessels' characteristics and the frequency of LNG
shipments to the facility.
(3) Commercial, industrial, environmentally sensitive, and
residential areas in and adjacent to the waterway used by the LNG
vessels en route to the facility.
(4) Density and character of marine traffic on the waterway.
(5) Bridges, or other manmade obstructions in the waterway.
(6) Depth of water.
(7) Tidal range.
(8) Natural hazards, including rocks and sandbars.
(9) Underwater pipelines and cables.
(10) 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 Crown
Landing 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 Philadelphia will be conducting a formal
risk assessment, evaluating various safety and security aspects
associated with Crown Landing's proposed 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 Crown Landing LLC, LNG 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. 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 Commander Timothy Meyers listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible.
Dated: November 22, 2004.
Jonathan D. Sarubbi,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port Philadelphia.
[FR Doc. 04-26588 Filed 12-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P