2015-17461. Waterway Suitability Assessment for Liquefied Natural Gas Facility; Nikiski, Alaska

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Coast Guard, at Sector Anchorage, announces receipt of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Waterway Suitability Assessment (WSA) for a proposed project to construct a Marine Terminal as part of a Liquefaction Facility in Nikiski, Alaska, to export liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LOI and WSA were submitted by ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC on behalf of the Alaska LNG Project, the participants in which are Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, BP Alaska LNG LLC, ConocoPhillips Alaska LNG Company, ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC, and TransCanada Alaska Midstream LP. The Coast Guard is notifying the public of this action to solicit public comments on the proposed construction of the Marine Terminal.

DATES:

Comments and related material must be received by the Coast Guard on or before October 14, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-2015-0508 using any one of the following methods:

(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

(2) Fax: [phone].

(3) Mail or Delivery: Docket Management Facility, Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Deliveries accepted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329. See the “Public Participation and Request for Comments” portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for further instructions on submitting comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these three methods.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

If you have questions on this notice of availability, call or email LT Eugene Chung, Sector Anchorage Prevention, Coast Guard; telephone [phone], email [e-mail]. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Cheryl Collins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Public Participation and Request for Comments

The Coast Guard encourages public participation. We request that you submit comments and related materials in response to this notice. All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have provided.

1. Submitting Comments

If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice, USCG-2015-0508, and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and related material online at http://www.regulations.gov,, or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online, it will be considered received by the Coast Guard when you successfully transmit the comment. If you fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, it will be considered as having been received by the Coast Guard when it is received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your submission. To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov,, type the docket number (USCG-2015-0508) in the “SEARCH” box and click “SEARCH.” Then click on “Submit a Comment” on the line associated with this notice.

2. Viewing Comments and Documents

To view comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov,, type the docket number (USCG-2015-0508) in the “SEARCH” box and click “SEARCH.” Click on Open Docket Folder on the line associated with this rulemaking.

You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

3. Privacy Act

Anyone can search the electronic form of 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 a Privacy Act notice regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

4. Public Meeting

The Coast Guard does not plan to hold a public meeting; you may submit a request for one using one of the methods specified under ADDRESSES. Please explain why you believe a public meeting would be beneficial. If we determine one would aid this evaluation, we will hold one at a time and place announced by a later notice in the Federal Register.

Discussion

Under 33 CFR 127.007, an owner or operator planning new construction to expand or modify marine terminal operations in an existing facility handling LNG or Liquefied Hazardous Gas (LHG), where the construction, expansion, or modification would result in an increase in the size and/or frequency of LNG or LHG marine traffic on the waterway associated with a proposed facility or modification to an existing facility, must submit an LOI to the Captain of the Port of the zone in which the facility is or will be located. Under 33 CFR 127.009, after receiving an LOI, the Captain of the Port issues a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) as to the suitability of the waterway for LNG or LHG marine traffic to the appropriate jurisdictional authorities. The LOR is based on a series of factors outlined in 33 CFR 127.009 that relate to the physical nature of the affected waterway and issues of safety and security associated with LNG or LHG marine traffic on the affected waterway.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit public comments on the proposed construction of a Marine Terminal as part of a Liquefaction Facility at Nikiski, Alaska, for production of liquefied natural gas for export, as submitted by ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC on behalf of the Alaska LNG Project, the participants in which are Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, BP Alaska LNG LLC, ConocoPhillips Alaska LNG Company, ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC, and TransCanada Alaska Midstream LP. Input from the public may be useful to the COTP with respect to developing the LOR. The Coast Guard requests comments to help assess the suitability of the associated waterway for increased LNG marine traffic as it relates to navigation, safety, and security.

On January 24, 2011, the Coast Guard issued Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 01-2011, Guidance Related to Waterfront Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facilities. NVIC 01-2011 provides guidance for owners and operators seeking approval to construct and operate LNG facilities. The Coast Guard will refer to NVIC 01-2011 for process information and guidance in evaluating the project included in the LOI and WSA submitted by ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC. A copy of NVIC 01-2011 is available for viewing in the public docket for this notice and on the Coast Guard's Web site at http://www.uscg.mil/​hq/​cg5/​nvic/​2010s.asp.

This notice is issued under authority of 33 U.S.C. 1223-1225, Department of Homeland Security Delegation Number 0170.1(70), 33 CFR 127.007 and 127.009.

Dated: June 25, 2015.

Paul Mehler III,

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port, Western Alaska.