74808 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 2014 / Notices 

All written communications 

concerning these proceedings are 

available for examination during regular 

business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the 

above facility. All documents in the 

public docket are also available for 

inspection and copying on the Internet 

at the docket facility’s Web site at: 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Anyone is able to search the 

electronic form of any written 

communications and comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the document, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). In 

accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT 

solicits comments from the public to 

better inform its processes. DOT posts 

these comments, without edit, including 

any personal information the 

commenter provides, to 

www.regulations.gov, as described in 

the system of records notice (DOT/ALL– 

14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 

www.dot.gov/privacy. See also http://

www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice 

for the privacy notice of regulations.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 

10, 2014. 

Ron Hynes, 

Director, Office of Technical Oversight. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29397 Filed 12–15–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket Number USCG–2013–0363] 

Deepwater Port License Application: 

Liberty Natural Gas LLC, Port Ambrose 

Deepwater Port 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of 

public meeting; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration 

(MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard 

(USCG) announce the availability of the 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) for the Liberty Natural Gas LLC, 

Port Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas 

Deepwater Port License Application for 

the importation of natural gas. 

Please note that this application is 

only for the construction and operation 

of a deepwater port that could only be 

used as a natural gas import facility. The 

considerable technical, operational, and 

environmental differences between 

import and export operations for natural 

gas deepwater ports is such that any 

licensed deepwater port facility that 

proposed to convert from import to 

export operations would be required to 

submit a new license application 

(including application fee) and conform 

to all licensing requirements and 

regulations in effect at such time of 

application. In addition to payment of 

the application fee, licensing 

requirements include, but are not 

limited to, completion of an extensive 

environmental impact assessment and 

financial resources review which would 

include public participation. 

The Port Ambrose application 

describes an offshore natural gas 

deepwater port facility that would be 

located 16.1 nautical miles southeast of 

Jones Beach, New York, 24.9 nautical 

miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey, 

and 27.1 nautical miles from the 

entrance to New York Harbor in a water 

depth of approximately 103 feet. The 

DEIS complies with the Deepwater Port 

Act of 1974, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1501 

et seq.) (DWPA) and the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

(Section 102[2][c]), as implemented by 

Council on Environmental Quality 

regulations (40 CFR 1500 to 1508). 

Publication of this notice begins a 60 

day comment period, requests public 

participation in the process, provides 

information on how to participate in the 

process, and announces informational 

open houses and public meetings in 

New York and New Jersey. Pursuant to 

the criteria provided in the DWPA, both 

New Jersey and New York are the 

Adjacent Coastal States for this 

application. 

DATES: There will be two public 

meetings held in connection with the 

application DEIS. The first public 

meeting will be held in Jamaica, New 

York on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The second public 

meeting will be held in Eatontown, New 

Jersey on Thursday, January 8, 2015 

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both public 

meetings will be preceded by an open 

house from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The 

public meeting may end later than the 

stated time, depending on the number of 

persons wishing to speak. Additionally, 

materials submitted in response to the 

request for comments must reach the 

Docket Management Facility as detailed 

below, by close of business Tuesday, 

February 10, 2015 or 60 days after this 

NOA is published in the Federal 

Register whichever is later. 

ADDRESSES: The open house and public 

meeting in Jamaica, New York will be 

held at the Hilton New York JFK 

Airport, 144–02 135th Avenue, Jamaica, 

New York 11436; phone 718–659–0200 

or www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/newyork/hilton-new-york-jfk-airportNYCJFHF/index.html. Parking is 

available at the hotel. Attendees may 

submit their parking stubs at the 

meeting registration desk for validation. 

The open house and public meeting in 

Eatontown, New Jersey will be held at 

the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel, 6 

Industrial Way East, Eatontown, NJ 

07724, phone 732–542–6500 or 

www.sheratoneatontown.com with free 

parking on site. 

The license application, comments, 

supporting information, and the DEIS 

are available for viewing at the Federal 

Docket Management System (FDMS) 

Web site: http://www.regulations.gov 

under docket number USCG–2013– 

0363. The Final Environmental Impact 

Statement, when published, will be 

announced and available at this site as 

well. 

Docket submissions for USCG–2013– 

0363 should be addressed to: 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Management Facility, West Building, 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. 

The Federal Docket Management 

Facility accepts hand-delivered 

submissions and makes docket contents 

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 

telephone number is 202–366–9329, the 

fax number is 202–493–2251, and the 

Web site for electronic submissions or 

for electronic access to docket contents 

is http://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, 

telephone: 202–372–1451, email: 

Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil, or Ms. 

Yvette M. Fields, Maritime 

Administration, telephone: 202–366– 

0926, email: Yvette.Fields@dot.gov. For 

questions regarding the Docket, call Ms. 

Barbara Hairston, Program Manager, 

Docket Operations, telephone 202–366– 

9826. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Meeting and Open House 

You are invited to learn about the 

proposed Port Ambrose Deepwater Port 

at either of the above informational 

open houses, and to comment on the 

proposed action and the environmental 

impact analysis contained in the DEIS at 

either of the above public meetings or 

directly to the docket. 

Speakers may register upon arrival 

and will be recognized in the following 

order: Elected officials, public agencies, 

individuals or groups in the order in 

which they registered. In order to 

accommodate all speakers, speaker time 

may be limited, meeting hours may be 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 2014 / Notices 74809 

extended, or both. Speakers’ transcribed 

remarks will be included in the public 

docket. Written material may also be 

submitted for inclusion in the public 

docket. Written material must include 

the author’s name and address. We ask 

attendees to respect the meeting 

procedures in order to ensure a 

constructive information-gathering 

session. Please do not bring signs or 

banners inside the meeting venue. The 

presiding officer will use his/her 

discretion to conduct the hearing in an 

orderly manner. 

Public meeting locations are 

wheelchair-accessible. However, 

attendees who require special assistance 

such as sign language interpretation or 

other reasonable accommodation, please 

notify the USCG (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5 

business days in advance. Include 

contact information as well as 

information about specific needs. 

Request for Comments 

We request public comments or other 

relevant information on the DEIS for the 

proposed deepwater port. These 

comments will assist us in the 

preparation of the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement (FEIS). The public 

meeting is not the only opportunity you 

have to comment. In addition to, or in 

place of, attending a meeting, you may 

submit comments to the Docket 

Management Facility during the public 

comment period (see DATES). We will 

consider all reasonable comments and 

material received during the comment 

period. 

Submissions should include: 

• Docket number USCG–2013–0363. 

• Your name and address. 

Submit comments or material using 

only one of the following methods: 

• Electronic submission to the 

Federal Docket Management Facility, 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

• Fax, mail, or hand delivery to the 

Docket Management Facility (see 

ADDRESSES). Faxed or hand delivered 

submissions must be unbound, no larger 

than 81⁄2 by 11 inches, and suitable for 

copying and electronic scanning. If you 

mail your submission and want to know 

when it reaches the Facility, include a 

stamped, self-addressed postcard or 

envelope. 

Regardless of the method used for 

submitting comments or material, all 

submissions will be posted, without 

change, to the FDMS Web site (http://

www.regulations.gov), and will include 

any personal information you provide. 

Therefore, submitting this information 

makes it public. You may wish to read 

the Privacy and Use Notice that is 

available on the FDMS Web site, and the 

Department of Transportation Privacy 

Act Notice that appeared in the Federal 

Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477), see PRIVACY ACT. You may 

view docket submissions at the 

Department of Transportation Docket 

Management Facility or electronically 

on the FDMS Web site (see ADDRESSES). 

Background 

Information about deepwater ports, 

the Deepwater Port Act, other applicable 

statutes, regulations governing 

deepwater port licensing, including the 

application review process, and the 

receipt of the current application for the 

proposed Port Ambrose liquefied 

natural gas deepwater port was 

published in the Federal Register on 

June 14, 2013, 78 FR 36014. The 

‘‘Summary of the Application’’ from 

that publication is reprinted below for 

your convenience. 

The Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS 

for the proposed action was published 

in the Federal Register at 78 FR 37878, 

June 24, 2013. The DEIS, application 

materials and associated comments and 

supporting information are available on 

the docket. 

Scoping meetings were conducted in 

Long Beach, New York and Edison, New 

Jersey on July 9 and 10, 2013. 

Transcripts were posted on the docket 

(document numbers 0976 and 0977) on 

August 28, 2013. An extended 60 day 

scoping comment period ended August 

22, 2013. 

The statutory timeline, as required by 

the DWPA, requires final public 

hearings be conducted no later than 240 

days after notice of the application. This 

timeline was suspended by MARAD and 

USCG on October 21, 2013, day 129 of 

the 240 day timeline. This suspension 

was necessary to acquire and analyze 

additional information needed to 

develop an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) that will satisfy public 

and agency requirements and to meet 

other responsibilities, including the 

independent risk assessment, within the 

statutory timeframe required by the 

DWPA. Effective this day, with the 

publishing of this notice, the suspension 

of the statutory timeline is removed. 

The period of suspension has not been 

counted in determining the date 

prescribed by the time limit set forth in 

the DWPA. Upon completion of the 

FEIS, and following completion of the 

final public hearings, the Governors of 

the adjacent coastal states of New York 

and New Jersey will have 45 days to 

approve the application; approve the 

application with conditions; or deny the 

proposed deepwater port. MARAD then 

has 90 days from the close of the 

hearings to issue a Record of Decision. 

Though the scoping comment period 

ended on August 22, 2013, additional 

information has been added to the 

docket as it was identified, researched 

and analyzed. 

Proposed Action and Alternatives 

The proposed action requiring 

environmental review is the Federal 

licensing of the proposed deepwater 

port described in the ‘‘Summary of the 

Application’’ below. The alternatives to 

licensing the proposed port are: (1) 

Licensing with conditions (including 

conditions designed to mitigate 

environmental impact), and (2) denying 

the application, which for purposes of 

environmental review is the ‘‘no-action’’ 

alternative. These alternatives are more 

fully discussed in the DEIS. While 

USCG, in coordination with MARAD, is 

the lead Federal agency for the 

preparation of the EIS, MARAD is the 

Federal licensing agency. You can 

address any questions about the 

proposed action or the DEIS to USCG or 

MARAD project managers identified in 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Summary of the Application 

Liberty Natural Gas, LLC is proposing 

to construct, own, and operate a 

liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater 

port import facility, known as Port 

Ambrose, located in the New York 

Bight. The Port Ambrose facility will be 

located at a different proposed location 

and include a different design than the 

previous deepwater port license 

application submitted by Liberty 

Natural Gas, LLC in 2010. Port Ambrose 

would consist of two Submerged Turret 

Loading Buoys (STL Buoys) in Federal 

waters 16.1 nautical miles southeast of 

Jones Beach, New York, 24.9 nautical 

miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey, 

and 27.1 nautical miles from the 

entrance to New York Harbor, in a water 

depth of approximately 103 feet. 

LNG would be delivered from 

purpose-built LNG regasification vessels 

(LNGRVs), vaporized on site and 

delivered through the STL Buoys, 

flexible riser/umbilical, subsea manifold 

and lateral pipelines to a buried 18.8 

nautical mile subsea mainline 

connecting to the existing Transco 

Lower New York Bay Lateral in New 

York State waters 2.2 nautical miles 

south of Long Beach, New York and 

13.1 nautical miles east of Sandy Hook, 

New Jersey. The buoys would be 

lowered to rest on a landing pad when 

not in use and would also include a 

suction anchor mooring array. 

STL Buoy 1 is located at Latitude: 

40°19′24.61′′ N and Longitude: 

73°25′45.33′′ W. STL Buoy 2 is located 

at Latitude: 40°20′09.26′′ N and 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

74810 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 16, 2014 / Notices 

Longitude 73°23′51.92′′ W. The Port 

components would fall in the following 

U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

lease blocks: 

Buoy 1 (6708, 6709, 6758); Buoy 2 

(6709); Lateral 1 (6708); Lateral 2 (6708, 

6709); ‘‘Y’’ Assembly (6708); Mainline 

Pipeline (6708, 6658, 6657, 6607, 6606, 

6556, 6555, 6554, 6504 and 6503). 

The 145,000 cubic meter LNGRVs 

would have onboard closed-loop 

vaporization and metering and odorant 

capability. Each vessel would have three 

vaporization units capable of maximum 

send-out of 750 million standard cubic 

feet per day (MMscfd) (maximum 

pipeline system flow rate is 660 MMscfd 

with two buoys) with annual average 

expected to be 400 MMscfd. The 

LNGRVs have been designed to utilize 

a ballast water cooling system that will 

entirely re-circulate onboard the vessel 

during Port operations, eliminating 

vessel discharges associated with 

regasification while at the Port. 

Deliveries through Port Ambrose would 

be focused during peak demand winter 

and summer months, and it is 

anticipated that approximately 45 

deliveries will occur each year. 

As proposed, the LNGRVs would 

access the port inbound from the 

Hudson Canyon to Ambrose Traffic 

Lane and depart via the Ambrose to 

Nantucket Traffic Lane. MARAD and 

USCG are aware that Port Ambrose falls 

within the proposed area of interest for 

the Long Island—New York City 

Offshore Wind Collaborative wind 

energy project. This project will be 

acknowledged and considered in the 

cumulative impacts analysis section of 

the DEIS based on currently available 

information. If approved, the majority of 

the port and pipeline construction and 

installation would occur in 2017, with 

commissioning estimated to be in 

December 2017. 

In addition, pipelines and structures 

such as the STL buoy moorings may 

require permits under Section 404 of the 

Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the 

Rivers and Harbors Act which are 

administered by the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (USACE). Port Ambrose will 

also require permits from the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

pursuant to the provisions of the Clean 

Air Act, as amended, and the Clean 

Water Act, as amended. 

The new pipeline is included in the 

NEPA review as part of the deepwater 

port application process. The EPA and 

the USACE among others, are 

cooperating agencies and will assist in 

the NEPA process as described in 40 

CFR 1501.6; may participate in the 

public meetings; and will incorporate 

the EIS into their permitting processes. 

Comments sent to the EPA or USACE 

will also be incorporated into the DOT 

docket and EIS to ensure consistency 

with the NEPA Process. 

There have been some proposed 

project changes since the original 

application was submitted, which are 

set forth in materials on the docket and 

in the DEIS. (1) The original Application 

proposed a plowed mainline pipeline 

burial depth of 3 feet. Now the pipeline 

is proposed to be plow-buried to 4 feet 

with the portion that is within the 

Ambrose Anchorage Area buried 7 feet 

using jetting. (2) The originally 

proposed impact driven mooring pile 

anchors are now proposed to be suction 

anchors. (3) The original port 

construction and commissioning was 

proposed to occur in 2015. That has 

been amended to occur in 2017 

(assuming a license is issued). 

Should a license be issued, the 

deepwater port would be designed, 

fabricated, constructed, commissioned, 

maintained, inspected, and operated in 

accordance with applicable codes and 

standards and with USCG oversight as 

regulated under Title 33, Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), subchapter 

NN-Deepwater Ports, parts 148, 149, and 

150. This also includes applicable 

waterways management and regulated 

navigation areas, maritime safety and 

security requirements, risk assessment, 

and compliance with domestic and 

international laws and regulations for 

vessels that may call on the port. 

Privacy Act 

The electronic form of all comments 

received into the Federal Docket 

Management System can be searched by 

the name of the individual submitting 

the comment (or signing the comment, 

if submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). The DOT 

Privacy Act Statement can be viewed in 

the Federal Register published on April 

11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70, pages 

19477–78) or you may visit http://

www.regulations.gov. 

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93) 

* * * * * 

Dated: December 10, 2014. 

By Order of the Maritime Administrator. 

Christine S. Gurland, 

Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29369 Filed 12–15–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA—2014–0129] 

Notice of Buy America Waiver 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Buy America waiver. 

SUMMARY: This notice provides 

NHTSA’s finding with respect to a 

request from the Texas Department of 

Transpiration, Traffic Safety Section 

(TxDOT) to waive the requirements of 

Buy America. NHTSA finds that a cost 

waiver of the Buy America requirements 

is appropriate for TxDOT to purchase 

Light-Up Magnifier Loupes using 

Federal highway safety grant funds 

because the cost of domestically 

produced products is twenty-five 

percent more than the cost of the 

foreign-made products. 

DATES: The effective date of this waiver 

is December 26, 2014. Written 

comments regarding this notice may be 

submitted to NHTSA and must be 

received on or before: December 31, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted using any one of the 

following methods: 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

M–30, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, West Building, Ground 

Floor, Rm. W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

• Fax: Written comments may be 

faxed to (202) 493–2251. 

• Internet: To submit comments 

electronically, go to the Federal 

regulations Web site at http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Hand Delivery: West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Instructions: All comments submitted 

in relation to this waiver must include 

the agency name and docket number. 

Please note that all comments received 

will be posted without change to 

http://www.regulations.gov, including 

any personal information provided. You 

may also call the Docket at 202–366– 

9324. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

program issues, contact Barbara Sauers, 

Office of Regional Operations and 

Program Delivery, NHTSA (phone: 202– 

366–0144). For legal issues, contact 

Andrew DiMarsico, Office of Chief 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES