Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 173 / Friday, September 7, 2007 / Notices 51487 

ordered to be published in the Federal 

Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, including a list of 

the exhibit objects, contact Julie 

Simpson, Attorney-Adviser, Office of 

the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of 

State (telephone: (202) 453–8050). The 

address is U.S. Department of State, SA–

44, 301 4th Street, SW., Room 700, 

Washington, DC 20547–0001. 

Dated: August 31, 2007. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department 

of State. 

[FR Doc. E7–17697 Filed 9–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement: El 

Paso County, TX 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Highway 

Administration is issuing this notice to 

advise the public that an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared 

for the proposed Loop 375 Ce ́sar Cha ́vez 

Highway (Border Highway West 

Extension) in El Paso, Texas, to include 

the Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad 

Jua ́rez, Chihuahua Me ́xico border 

region. The proposed project is part of 

an alternate route to provide congestion 

relief for Interstate 10 (I–10), an eastwest facility north of the proposed 

project. The project is a key element in 

the Gateway 2030 Metropolitan 

Transportation Plan (MTP) prepared by 

the El Paso Metropolitan Planning 

Organization (MPO). 

The proposed Border Highway West 

Extension would extend approximately 

13.8 miles and would provide a 

continuous route from I–10 east of State 

Highway (SH) 20 (Mesa Street) to 

Sunland Park Drive continuing on Loop 

375 to end at Untied States Highway 

(US) 54. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Donald Davis, District Engineer (South), 

Federal Highway Administration, Texas 

Division, 300 East 8th Street, Room 826, 

Austin, Texas 78701; Telephone (512) 

536–5960. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

current facility exists as follows: 

• Six-lane expressway from I–10 to 

Sunland Park. 

• Four-lane facility along US 85 from 

New Mexico Route 273 to US 62 

(Paisano Drive). 

• Four-lane boulevard from Paisano 

Drive to Santa Fe Street. 

• Four six-lane boulevard 

transitioning to a six-lane barrier 

separated controlled access facility from 

Santa Fe Street to US 54. 

The proposed project would add 

capacity and upgrade the existing 

facility to a controlled access facility 

through the addition of two to four 

through-lanes (one to two lanes in each 

direction). 

The Border Highway West Extension 

EIS will evaluate build and no-build 

alternatives. In addition to the build and 

no-build/no-action alternatives, 

Transportation System Management 

(TSM)/Transportation Demand 

Management (TDM), mass transit, and 

tolled and non-tolled alternatives will 

be examined. Also, the EIS will study 

potential impacts from construction and 

operation of the proposed roadway 

including, but not limited to, the 

following: transportation impacts 

(construction detours, construction 

traffic, mobility improvements), air and 

noise impacts from construction 

equipment and operation of the 

facilities, water quality impacts from 

construction area and roadway storm 

water runoff, impacts to waters of the 

United States, impacts to historic and 

archeological resources, impacts to 

floodplain, socio-economic resources 

(including Environmental Justice and 

Limited English Proficiency population) 

indirect and cumulative impacts, land 

use, vegetation, wildlife, impacts to 

and/or potential displacement of 

residences and businesses, and aesthetic 

and visual resources. Anticipated 

federal permits, pending selection of 

alternatives and field surveys may 

include, but are not limited to, the 

following: Section 106 (National 

Historic Preservation Act), Section 401/ 

404 (Clean Water Act), and Section 7 

(Endangered Species Act). A Project 

Coordination Plan will be provided in 

accordance with Public Law 109–59, 

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 

Users (SAFETEA–LU), Title VI, Section 

6002, Efficient Environmental Reviews 

for Project Decision Making, August 10, 

2005, to facilitate and document the 

lead agencies; structured interaction 

with the public and other agencies and 

to inform the public and other agencies 

of how the coordination will be 

accomplished. The Project Coordination 

Plan will promote early and continuous 

involvement from stakeholders, 

agencies, and the public as well as 

described the proposed project, the roles 

of the agencies and the public, the 

project need and purpose, schedule, 

level of detail for alternatives analysis, 

methodologies to be used in the 

environmental analysis, and the 

proposed process for coordination and 

communication. 

This Project Coordination Plan is 

designed to be part of a flexible and 

adaptable process. The Plan will be 

available for public review, inputs, and 

comments at public meetings, including 

scoping meetings and hearings held 

throughout the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) evaluation process, 

and upon request at the TxDOT El Paso 

District. Pursuant to 23 U.S.C. Chapter 

1 Subchapter 1 Section 139 of 

SAFETEA–LU, cooperating agencies, 

participating agencies and the public 

will be given an opportunity for input 

in the development of the project. Two 

public scoping meetings, conducted in 

an open house format, are planned to be 

held in October 2007. These will be the 

first in a series of meetings to solicit 

public comments throughout the 

planning process on the proposed action 

as part of the national Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) process. 

The scoping meetings will provide 

opportunities for participating agencies, 

cooperating agencies, and the public to 

be involved in defining the need and 

purpose for the proposed project, and to 

assist in determining the range of 

alternatives for consideration in the EIS 

and alternative evaluation 

methodologies. Notices of the public 

scoping meetings will be published in 

newspapers of general circulation in the 

project area at least 30 days prior to the 

meetings, and again approximately 10 

days prior to the meetings. In addition 

to the public scoping meetings, 

correspondence describing the proposed 

action and soliciting comments to be 

considered during the scoping process 

will be sent to the appropriate federal, 

state, and local agencies, and to 

organizations and individuals who have 

previously expressed or are known to 

have an interest in the project. Public 

scoping meetings and public hearings 

will be held during appropriate phases 

of the project development process. 

Public notices will be given stating the 

date, time and location of each and will 

be published in English as well as 

Spanish. The Draft EIS will be available 

for public and agency review and 

comment prior to a public hearing. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action are 

addressed and all significant issues 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

51488 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 173 / Friday, September 7, 2007 / Notices 

proposed action and the EIS should be 

directed to FHWA at the address 

provided. 

A proposed schedule for completion 

of the environmental review process is 

not available at this time; however, will 

become accessible for public review at 

a futures date. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

program Number 20.205 Highway Planning 

and Construction. The regulations 

implementing Executive Order 12372 

regarding intergovernmental consultation on 

Federal programs and activities apply to this 

program.) 

Donald Davis, 

District Engineer, FHWA texas Division. 

[FR Doc. 07–4375 Filed 9–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[USCG–2006–26844] 

Woodside Natural Gas Inc. OceanWay 

Secure Energy Liquefied Natural Gas 

Deepwater Port License Application 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of application. 

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration 

and the U.S. Coast Guard announce that 

they have received an application for 

the licensing of a natural gas deepwater 

port, and that the application appears to 

contain the required information to 

proceed. This notice summarizes the 

applicant’s plans and the procedures 

that will be followed in considering the 

application. 

DATES: The Deepwater Port Act of 1974, 

as amended, requires any public hearing 

on this application to be held not later 

than 240 days after this notice, and 

requires a decision on the application to 

be made not later than 90 days after the 

final public hearing. 

ADDRESSES: The public docket for this 

application, USCG–2006–26844, is 

maintained by the: Department of 

Transportation, Docket Management 

Facility, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

West Building, Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. 

Docket contents are available for 

public inspection and copying at this 

address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. The Facility’s telephone 

number is 202–366–9329 and the fax 

number is 202–493–2251. The Web site 

for electronic submissions or for 

electronic access to docket contents is 

http://dms.dot.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, 

telephone: 202–372–1752, e-mail: 

Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil. If you 

have questions on viewing the docket, 

call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, 

Docket Operations, telephone: 202–493–

0402. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Receipt of Application 

On August 17, 2006, the Coast Guard 

and the Maritime Administration 

received an application from Woodside 

Natural Gas Inc., a wholly-owned 

subsidiary of Woodside Petroleum LTD., 

for all Federal authorizations required 

for a license to own, construct, and 

operate a deepwater port authorized 

under the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, 

as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. (the 

Act). The City of Los Angeles (City) will 

be a cooperating agency in processing 

this application because Woodside 

Natural Gas, Inc. has filed an 

application for a lease/franchise of 

offshore submerged City lands, an 

onshore pipeline franchise for the 

subsea pipelines through City waters, 

and a pipeline through the City. 

Revisions to the application were 

received on December 27, 2006; on July 

9, 2007; and again on August 20, 2007. 

As of the date of this notice, the 

Maritime Administration and the Coast 

Guard have determined that the 

application appears to contain all 

information required by the Act to 

proceed with the application process. 

The application is now available for 

viewing on the docket (see ADDRESSES). 

Background 

According to the Deepwater Port Act, 

a deepwater port is a fixed or floating 

manmade structure other than a vessel, 

or a group of structures, located beyond 

State seaward boundaries and used or 

intended for use as a port or terminal for 

the transportation, storage, and further 

handling of oil or natural gas for 

transportation to any State. 

Deepwater ports require a license 

issued by the Maritime Administrator 

(by delegated authority from the 

Secretary of Transportation, published 

on June 18, 2003 (68 FR 36496)). 

Statutory and regulatory requirements 

for licensing appear in 33 U.S.C. 1501 

et seq. and in 33 CFR Part 148. Under 

delegations from the Secretary of 

Transportation and the Secretary of 

Homeland Security, applications are 

processed by the Coast Guard and the 

Maritime Administration. Each 

application is considered on its merits. 

The Act provides deadlines for 

processing applications. After 

determining that an application 

contains the required information, 

public hearings on the application must 

be held within 240 days, and the 

Maritime Administrator must render a 

decision on the application within 330 

days. Additional Federal Register 

notices will be published throughout 

the application review process to 

provide notice of public hearings and 

other procedural milestones. The 

Maritime Administrator’s decision, and 

other key documents, will be filed in the 

public docket. 

At least one public hearing will take 

place in each adjacent coastal State. For 

purposes of the Act, California is the 

adjacent coastal State for this 

application. Other States can apply for 

adjacent coastal State status in 

accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1508(a)(2). 

Summary of the Application/Proposed 

Action/Project 

Woodside Natural Gas proposes to 

construct, own, and operate a deepwater 

port with associated ship-to-ship 

transfer (STS) location(s) and single 

point mooring (SPM) buoys for the 

receiving of regasification liquefied 

natural gas carriers (RLNGCs), offshore 

and onshore natural gas pipelines, and 

a receiving and custody transfer facility 

(RCTS) to deliver natural gas with an 

annualized rate of 0.4 billion cubic feet 

per day (bcf/d) and a peak of 1.1 bcf/d 

into the Southern California market on 

initial development and an annualized 

rate of 1.0 bcf/d and a peak of up to 1.6 

bcf/d at full project development. 

The deepwater port would be located 

in the Federal waters of the Santa 

Monica Basin, 21 miles from the nearest 

point on the mainland of Southern 

California and 18 miles from the 

western end of Santa Catalina Island, 

approximately 27 miles southwest of 

Los Angeles International Airport 

(LAX), in a water depth of 

approximately 3,000 feet. It would 

consist of two single point mooring 

(SPM) buoys that serve as cargo 

discharge system connections for 

RLNGCs, a mooring/anchoring array, 

four flexible risers that connect the 

SPMs to four seafloor riser end 

manifolds, two pipeline end manifolds 

(PLEMs) and two parallel 24-inch 

pipelines beginning on the seafloor at 

the PLEMs beneath the SPM buoys and 

continuing to shore. The SPMs would 

be located approximately 5 nautical 

miles (5.75 miles) outside established 

shipping lanes (SPM NE: Latitude: 

33°41′52′′ N, Longitude: 118°48′33′′ W 

and SPM SW: Latitude: 33°39′58′′ N, 

Longitude: 118°49′15′′ W). 

Woodside has proposed three ship-toship transfer locations ranging from 

approximately 35 to 90 nautical miles 

(40 to 104 miles) from shore and 55 to 

111 nautical miles (63 to 128 miles) 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES