Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement/Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Pacific
Energy Crude Oil Marine Terminal on Pier 400 in the Port of Los
Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
[Federal Register: June 25, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 122)]
[Notices]
[Page 35588-35590]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25jn04-67]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement/Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Pacific
Energy Crude Oil Marine Terminal on Pier 400 in the Port of Los
Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: USACE and LAHD previously prepared and certified the Deep
Draft Navigation Improvements, Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, San
Pedro Bay, California Final SEIS/SEIR (Deep Draft EIS/EIR) that in part
analyzed the impacts of creation of Pier 400 from dredge material and
the subsequent construction and operation of a new liquid bulk terminal
on the new Pier 400 land (USACE and LAHD, 1992). LAHD approved the Deep
Draft SEIS/SEIR in its action of November 18, 1992; and the USACE
issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on January 21, 1994. The SEIS/SEIR
being prepared for this specific action is a supplement to the Deep
Draft EIS/EIR. The landside developments will include (1) development
and construction of the liquid bulk marine terminal facilities on Pier
400, (2) construction of product storage terminals on Terminal Island
and/or other suitable sites, (3) construction of a 42-inch pipeline to
connect the Marine Terminal to the Storage Terminals, (4) construction
of two 36-inch pipelines from the Storage Terminals to link with an
existing 36-inch pipeline running between the ExxonMobil Southwest
Terminal on Terminal Island and the Ultramar Liquid Bulk Terminal on
Mormon Island (one of the 36-inch pipelines would deliver product to
the Exxon/Mobil Southwest Terminal and the other would deliver product
to the Ultramar Liquid Bulk Terminal), and (5) construction of a 24-
inch pipeline from the Ultramar Terminal to the Ultramar/Valero
Refinery located north of the Terminal Island Freeway and south of
Anaheim Street.
The primary Federal concern is the dredging and discharging of
materials within waters of the U.S. and potential impacts on the human
environment. Under section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Corps is
authorized to approve discharges of dredged or fill material into
waters of the U.S. Under section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, the
Corps may authorize activities that could affect navigable waters. The
Corps is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to deciding whether
or not to authorize the Proposed Action. The Corps may ultimately make
a determination to permit or deny the Proposed Action, or permit or
deny alternatives to the Proposed Action.
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the
Port will serve as Lead Agency for the preparation of an Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) for its consideration of development approvals
within its jurisdiction. The Corps and the Port have agreed to jointly
prepare a Draft SEIS/SEIR in order to optimize efficiency and avoid
duplication. The Draft SEIS/SEIR is intended to be sufficient in scope
to address Federal, State, and local requirements and environmental
issues concerning the proposed activities and permit approvals.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and Draft SEIS/SEIR can be answered by Mr. Joshua Burnam, Corps Project
Manager, at 213-452-3294. Comments regarding the scope of the Draft
SEIS/SEIR shall be addressed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los
Angeles District, Regulatory Branch, Attn: File Number 2004-00917-JLB,
P.O. Box 532711, Los Angeles, California 90053-2325.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Project Site and Background Information. The proposed marine
terminal portion of this project would be located on the western side
(Face C) and southern side (Face D) of Pier 400 in the Port's Planning
Area 9. The currently identified new storage terminal sites would be
located on Terminal Island and would also be in the Port's Planning
Area 9. The proposed terminal would require approximately 4 million
barrels of storage capacity. Five sites within the port (described
below) with a total storage capacity of approximately 3.5 million
barrels have already been identified. The total storage capacity will
be limited to 3.5 million barrels pending identification of other sites
in or outside the Port that could accommodate the project, in its
entirety or in part, or accommodate the remaining needed capacity
(approximately 500,000 barrels). Pacific Energy's anchor customer plans
to use 1.0 million barrels of capacity and Pacific Energy would use the
other 3.0 million barrels to serve other customers.
[[Page 35589]]
Reeves Avenue/Navy Way Site. The Reeves Avenue/Navy Way Site is a
10.82-acre (4.4-hectare) site that can accommodate four (4) 250,000-
barrel storage tanks plus related manifolds and pumping equipment. The
proposed 42-inch-diameter offloading pipeline from the Pier 400 Marine
Terminal dock would terminate at this site. The property that would be
utilized by Pacific Energy is under the control of the LAHD and
excludes the nearby strip of land controlled by the U.S. Navy.
Site 6a. This 9.72-acre (3.9-hectare) site, North of Seaside
Avenue, is narrow and long and would not provide sufficient width for
the construction of 250,000-barrel storage tanks. However, Pacific
Energy could fit 140,000-barrel tanks into this space and would build
four (4) tanks for a total capacity of 560,000 barrels.
Naval Reserve Center Site. The Naval Reserve Center Site is located
east of Terminal Way between Seaside Avenue and Reeves Avenue. Pacific
Energy could build three (3) 250,000-barrel tanks on the property.
Pacific Energy assumes that the easterly half of this property, which
is approximately 11 acres (4.5 hectares), could be used for the
proposed project since this section of the property is either vacant or
is being used for operations which could be easily located elsewhere.
Pacific Energy's design maintains the existing entrance to the
property, the large parking area on the westerly half, and the main
Navy Reserve building in the Northwest corner. LAHD has begun
consultation with the U.S. Navy concerning use of this site.
Seaside Avenue/Terminal Way Site. The Seaside Avenue/Terminal Way
Site is a 12.47-acre (5.0-hectare) triangular shaped piece of property
that is split in half by an active rail system. However, relocation of
the existing rail to the inside edge of the property would allow
Pacific Energy to build three (3) 250,000-barrel tanks at this
location.
Pier 400 Site. Pacific Energy could build one (1) 500,000-barrel
storage tank on the Face D side of Pier 400. This tank would be built
in conjunction with other offloading equipment required for the new
marine terminal such as pumps, manifolds, electrical buildings, and a
small 50,000-barrel surge tank to be used for pumping operations. Use
of this site will require consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the California Department of Fish and Game regarding the
nearby least tern nesting site on Pier 400.
2. Proposed Action. Construction would consist of three primary
activities, i.e., marine terminal construction, storage terminal (tank
farm) construction, and pipeline construction.
Marine Terminal Construction. The principal elements of the
proposed marine terminal project are described below.
1. Construct and operate the following marine structures:
(a) Construct approximately 6000 square feet (SF) of unloading
platform (ULP) with dock house and placement of 8 steel and/or concrete
piles in waters of the U.S.
(b) Construct approximately 8000 SF of breasting dolphins (BD), and
placement of approximately 16 steel and/or concrete piles.
(c) Construct approximately 8000 SF of north and south trestles
(NST) with roadway, and pipe-way, and placement of approximately 20
steel and/or concrete piles.
(d) Construct approximately 270-foot wharf (23,500 SF) along the
existing rock dike and adjoining the NST, and placement of
approximately 70 concrete piles.
(e) Construct approximately 4500 SF of walkway, and placement of
approximately 8 steel and/or concrete piles.
(f) Construct approximately 1500 SF of floating dock and gangway
and placement of approximately 8 concrete piles.
(g) Construct approximately 6 power capstans (shore mooring points)
with approximately 48 concrete piles.
(h) Construct control building.
(i) Construct fire protection system.
(j) Construct spill containment boom.
2. Construct and develop 10 acres of backland area for roadway,
pipelines, buildings and landscaping.
Offloading Berth. The proposed liquid bulk-offloading berth would
be designed to accommodate marine crude oil tankers up to 375,000 DWT,
with a length overall (LOA) of 1,200 ft (366 m) and 2.8 million barrel
capacity. The maximum allowable vessel draught at the proposed Pier 400
Berth is 79.5 ft (24.2 m). The offloading arms would be designed to
deliver crude oil from ships to the proposed storage terminals at rates
that average 52,500 gallons per minute (75,000 barrels per hour [BPH]).
Initially, the marine terminal would deliver an average of about
150,000 barrels per day from vessels to the proposed storage terminals.
Storage Terminal (Tank Farm) Construction. Storage terminals with
3.5 million barrels of capacity would be constructed at the sites
previously described. An additional site with up to 500,000 barrels of
capacity has yet to be identified. This remaining unidentified site may
be located on or off of Port property.
The proposed tanks would be designed for crude oil storage and
service. The total number of tanks will depend on the final selection
of tank sites. It is anticipated that the tanks would be external
floating roof, drain dry, welded steel crude oil storage tanks,
designed and constructed in accordance with the API Standard 650,
Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage. Although the final dimensions of
the tanks would be determined during detailed design, the current
proposed dimensions for a 500,000-barrel tank are nominally 285-ft
(86.9 m) diameter by 48-ft (14.6 m) tall.
Principal components of the storage terminals to be constructed
would be:
(1) External floating roof, drain dry, welded steel crude oil
storage tanks.
(2) Containment structures and dikes including primary containment
structures that encircle all tanks.
(3) Control, switchgear, and storage buildings.
(4) Electrical substation and electrical power system.
(5) Fire suppression and emergency response systems.
Pipeline Construction. Pipelines to be constructed would include a
42-inch pipeline from the Pier 400 Marine Terminal to the Storage
Terminals, two 36-inch pipelines from the Storage Terminals to connect
to the existing Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMEP) 36-inch pipeline
at a point on Terminal Island, between ExxonMobil Southwest Terminal,
and the Ultramar Liquid Bulk Terminal on Mormon Island. A new 24-inch
pipeline would be constructed from the Ultramar Liquid Bulk Terminal on
Mormon Island, to the Ultramar/Valero Refinery.
Proposed Action Operation: Activities and system elements that
would be associated with the operation of the Marine Terminal, the
Storage Terminals, and the Pipelines are listed below.
(1) Site access and security.
(2) Process control and safety systems.
(3) Vapor and leak monitoring/detection.
(4) Spill detection and containment.
(5) Storm water drainage and treatment system.
(6) Wastes/waste handling.
(7) Chemical storage (lubricating oil, hydraulic fluid, water based
solvents, fire fighting foam surfactant, oil drag reducing agents,
corrosion inhibitors, etc.).
(8) Lighting.
(9) Product transfer operations.
(10) Fire detection and suppression.
(11) Cathodic protection system.
3. Issues: There are several potential environmental issues that
will be
[[Page 35590]]
addressed in the SEIS/SEIR. Additional issues may be identified during
the scoping process. Issues initially identified as potentially
significant include:
(1) Impacts to air quality from new air emissions;
(2) Potential for cultural impacts due to pipeline disturbance of
historical resources;
(3) Geological issues, including risks from known seismic activity
and the presence of expansive soils;
(4) Potential for hazardous materials impacts through transport and
use of crude oil products and risk of upset or accident;
(5) Impacts to hydrology, including known risks due to seiches and
tsunamis;
(6) Potential impacts on public health and safety;
(7) Potential impacts on aesthetics due to light and glare;
(8) Potential impacts on biological resources, in particular impact
to the least tern nesting area on Pier 400;
(9) Potential noise impacts during both construction and operation
phases;
(10) Impacts to marine vessel traffic, including marine navigation;
and
(11) Cumulative impacts.
Alternatives: Alternatives initially being considered for the
proposed project include the following:
(1) Proposed Action as described above (does not require dredging
activity).
(2) Expansion of other crude oil terminals within the POLA.
(3) Development of a new landfill and/or terminal within the POLA.
(4) Expansion or construction of a crude oil terminal outside of
the POLA.
(5) Lightering of crude from deep-water locations in the Inner or
Outer Harbor.
(6) Development of a deepwater offshore mooring site with
connection to onshore storage facilities via underwater pipeline.
(7) Combination marine terminal/lightering operation.
(8) Near-shore dredging with wharf setback.
(9) No Project (no physical changes).
(10) Relocation of existing liquid bulk facilities with wharf
construction.
(11) No Federal Action (no structures or dredging in waters of the
U.S.).
5. Scoping Process. The Corps and the Port will jointly conduct a
scoping meeting for the proposed project. English and Spanish
translation services will be provided at the meeting. The public
scoping meeting will be held to receive public comment and assess
public concerns regarding the appropriate scope of the Draft SEIS/SEIR.
Participation in the public meeting by Federal, State and local
agencies and other interested organizations and persons are encouraged.
Parties interested in being added to the Corps' electronic mail
notification list for Port projects in Los Angeles District can
register at: http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/regulatory/register.html.
This list will be used in the future to notify the public about
scheduled hearings and availability of future public notices.
The Corps of Engineers will also be consulting with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act and Fish and
Wildlife Coordination Act, and with the National Marine Fisheries
Service under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Additionally, the SEIS/SEIR
will assess the consistency of the proposed Action with the Coastal
Zone Management Act and potential water quality impacts pursuant to
section 401 of the Clean Water Act.
The public scoping meetings will be held July 8th, 2003 at the
Banning's Landing Recreation Center in Wilmington beginning at 6:30
p.m. Written comments will be received until July 16, 2003.
6. Availability of the Draft SEIS/SEIR. The Draft SEIS/SEIR is
expected to be published and circulated in the Spring of 2005, and a
Public Hearing will be held after its publication.
Dated: May 27, 2004.
David E. Hurley,
Major, U.S. Army, Acting Deputy District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 04-14397 Filed 6-24-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-92-P
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