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- R4012

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1 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 4

Final Determination

Outer Continenta l Shelf Air Permit OCS

- EPA

- R4012

- M1

Statoil Gulf Services, LLC

On July 9, 2014 , the Region 4 office of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested public comment on a draft Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) air permit modification for Statoil

Gulf Services , LLC ( Statoil ). This permit modification revises OCS air quality permit OCS

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- R4012 that the EPA previously issued to Statoil on Oc tober 28, 2013 for the DeSoto Canyon area project. The EPA announced the public comment period and opportunity for public hearing via a public notice published in the Florida Weekly Register

, Mobile Press Register

, Panama City News Herald , and

Pensacola News Journal , in emails to the OCS public notice list, and on www.regulations.gov and the EPA Region 4’s website. No requests for a public hearing were received

. Therefore, the planned public hearing was canceled due to insufficient interest. No comments were received d uring the public comment period, which commenced on July 9, 2014 and ended on August 8, 2014

.

The permit regulate s air pollutant emissions from either the Transocean Discoverer Americas drillship

or the Maersk Developer drill rig and support vessels , which Statoil intend s to operate within its DeSoto Canyon area lease locations on the OCS in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 160 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and greater than 200 miles south west of Panama City, Florida. The exploratory drilling operation will last up to 18 0 days per year at multiple locations within the lease blocks for approximately 5 to 10 years. Neither the original permit nor the revision authorizes the establishment of any permanent facilities.

The EPA prepared a preliminary determination and statement of basis document as well as a summary

fact sheet that explain s the permit modifications

. Th ese documents , the public notice, the application, and all supporting documentation are available on the EPA Region 4’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/ocs permits/ocspermits.html

. The Administrative Record is available at the EPA Region 4 office and can be accessed through the EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/pe rmits/ocspermits/ocspermits.html and www.regulations.gov (docket

EPA

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The permit incorporates applicable requirements from the federal Prevention of Significant Deterioration preconstruction and title V operating permit programs, New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollu tants (NESHAP), as required by the OCS Air Quality Regulations at 40 Code of Federal Regulations ( CFR ) part 55.

A fter consideration of the expressed view of all interested persons, the pertinent federal statutes and regulations, the application and supple mental information submitted by the applicant, and additional material relevant to the application and contained in the administrative record, EPA has made a final

determination in accordance with title 40 CFR p art 55 to issue an air permit to Statoil for exploratory drilling operation s in the DeSoto Canyon OCS lease b lock area

. T he final permit modification does not differ significantly from the draft permit modification offered for public comment.FD

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Summary of Changes to the draft Permit Modification

The condition listed below was changed to clarify that notification of changes to a previously submitted drill site notification may be communicated to the EPA electronically versus being submitted through the regular mail. The change notification is requi red to be submitted by the permittee to the EPA no less than 24 hours prior to construction or operation. The revised condition in the final permit is as follows :

6.1 Drill Site Notification

6.1.1 At least 10 days prior to entering the drill site, the permittee shall notify the EPA in writing, in accordance with Condition 5.16.7 of this permit, of the following

information:

 The location of the proposed drill site, using coordinates in latitude/longitude and Universal Transverse Mercator grid system for mats;

 The proposed date that the drilling vessel will enter the lease block and commence construction or operation and the probable duration of operation at that location; and

 The certification of maintenance and no physical changes required by Condition 6.5.1.1 (if applicable).

6.1.2 Not less than 24 hours prior to commencing construction or operation, the permittee shall notify the EPA of any changes to information provided by the permittee in Condition 6.1.1. This notification of changes may be provided to

t he EPA electronically.

Typographical and Grammatical Errors

Other minor changes have been made to the permit to correct typographical or grammatical errors. These changes have no impact on the emissions or the required monitoring. All changes made to the draft permit can be found in the a dministrative r ecord refere nced above

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