Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Deepwater Port License Application: Blue Marlin Offshore Port Project

Deepwater Port License Application: Blue Marlin Offshore Port Project-Final Environmental Impact Statement

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action

BMOP is proposing to construct, own, operate and eventually decommission a Deepwater Port terminal in the Gulf of America to export domestically produced crude oil. Use of the Deepwater Port would include the loading of various grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 80,000 barrels per hour (bph). The BMOP Deepwater Port would allow for up to one Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) or other crude oil carrier to moor at the catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) and connect with the Deepwater Port via floating connecting crude oil hoses. The maximum volume of loading VLCCs or other crude oil carriers would be approximately 2 million barrels per day, 365 days per year.

A Notice of Application that summarized the BMOP Deepwater Port License Application was published in the Federal Register for public comment on November 4, 2020 (85 FR 70233). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Notice of Public Scoping Meeting was published in the Federal Register for public comment on November 5, 2020 (85 FR 70707). A Notice of Availability for the DEIS and Notice of Public Meeting was published in the Federal Register for public comment on February 21, 2025 (90 FR 10444). This Notice of Availability incorporates the aforementioned Federal Register notices by reference.

The Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS previously anticipated a public comment period on the FEIS. However, in keeping with Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, and after reviewing the National Environmental Policy Act's statutory requirements, MARAD has determined that it will not solicit public comments on the FEIS, which is issued as final. Substantive comments received from the public were considered and incorporated, as appropriate, into the FEIS. Public comments generally resulted in the addition of clarifications and analysis, but comments did not identify substantial new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns that have a bearing on the proposed action or its impacts.

All substantive comments received, along with MARAD's responses and considerations, are available on the public docket at MARAD-2020-0127. Please note that the public will have an opportunity to provide comments on the BMOP Deepwater Port Application at the final public hearing and public comment period, announced via separate notice.

Availability of the FEIS

The FEIS and detailed information about the Project can be found on the FDMS website at https://www.regulations.gov and searching for Docket Number MARAD-2020-0127.

Cooperating Agencies

The following Federal agencies and State governmental entities participated as cooperating agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in the preparation of the FEIS: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; National Marine Fisheries Service; Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Texas Park and Wildlife; Louisiana Department of Natural Resources; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; Texas Department of Transportation; Texas General Land Office; Texas Historical Commission (State Historic Preservation Office); Texas Railroad Commission; Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana; Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality; Louisiana Office of State Lands; Louisiana Office of Cultural Development (State Historic Preservation Office); Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority; Native American Tribes.

(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501, et seq.; 49 CFR 1.93(h))