[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 15 (Monday, January 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4081-4082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01419]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 9422]
Re-Consideration Concerning the Scope of Authorizations in a
Presidential Permit Issued to Plains LPG Services, L.P. in May 2014 for
Existing Pipeline Facilities on the Border of the United States and
Canada Under the St. Clair River
AGENCY: Department of State.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: On May 23, 2014, the Department of State (Department) issued
two Presidential Permits to Plains LPG Services, L.P. (Plains LPG)
based on Plains LPG's acquisition of six existing pipelines under the
St. Clair River and one existing pipeline under the Detroit River.
Plains LPG had applied for new permits reflecting its ownership of the
pipeline facilities, but it did not seek any change or expansion of the
previous authorizations for the pipelines' use. The Presidential
Permits issued in 2014 were intended to mirror previous authorizations
from the 1970s, but the Department's records were incomplete,
particularly with regard to the six pipelines under the St. Clair River
in the vicinity of Marysville, Michigan. While Plains LPG's application
asserted that the appropriate authorization was for the transport of
any ``liquefied hydrocarbons,'' the Department issued one permit in
2014 for all of the St. Clair facilities authorizing the transport of
``light liquid hydrocarbons,'' which reflected the Department's
understanding of how the St. Clair pipelines were actually used in the
1970s and more recently.
After the new permits were issued, Plains LPG provided new
information that alters the Department's understanding of the historic
authorization for two of the six St. Clair pipelines. These two
pipelines were constructed in 1918; they have an outer diameter of
eight inches and have subsequently been fitted with five-inch diameter
liners. Specifically, Plains LPG provided the Department with copies of
correspondence from 1971 between the Department and Dome Petroleum
Corp. (the previous owner). In that correspondence Dome informed the
Department that it had acquired the two St. Clair pipelines and that it
planned to use them to transport ``crude and other liquid
hydrocarbons.'' The Department wrote back to Dome acknowledging the
letter and the company's plans. The 1918 Presidential Permit had
authorized the transport of crude oil.
In light of this additional information, the Department is
revisiting Plains LPG's 2012 application and considering whether to
issue a new permit for these two St. Clair pipelines that would
authorize the transport of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons,
superseding the authorization in the 2014 Presidential Permit for the
transport of only light liquid hydrocarbons. The Department published
in the Federal Register a Notification of Receipt of Application for a
Presidential Permit on December 5, 2012 (Federal Register Citation 77
FR 72430) and solicited public comment on the application for a 30-day
period, during which time it received one public comment requesting the
Department ensure the pipelines are maintained and operated under
government environmental and safety oversight required by law. The
Department notes that it is not reconsidering the scope of
authorization for use of the other four Plains LPG pipelines under the
St. Clair River, or the Plains LPG facilities under the Detroit River.
Plains LPG is a Texas limited partnership with its principal place
of business at 333 Clay Street, Suite 1600, Houston, Texas 77002.
Plains LPG is a subsidiary of Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., a
publicly traded master limited partnership organized under the laws of
the State of Delaware and headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The Department's consideration of the Presidential Permit for the
St. Clair pipeline facilities is pursuant to E.O. 13337, which
delegates to the Secretary of State the President's authority to
receive applications for permits for the construction, connection,
operation, or maintenance of a range of facilities at the borders of
the United States, including pipelines for liquid petroleum products,
and to issue or deny such Presidential Permits upon a national interest
determination. The Department also is soliciting the views of concerned
federal agencies. Consistent with E.O. 13337, the Department will
determine whether issuance of a new Presidential Permit for two of the
St. Clair Pipeline border facilities, as discussed in this notice,
would serve the U.S. national interest.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments within 30 days
of the publication date of this notice on http://www.regulations.gov
with regard to whether issuing a new Presidential Permit for two of the
St. Clair pipelines authorizing the transport of crude and other liquid
hydrocarbons would serve the national interest. To submit a comment, go
to http://www.regulations.gov, enter the title of
[[Page 4082]]
this Notice into the search field and follow the prompts.
Comments are not private. They will be posted on the site. The
comments will not be edited to remove identifying or contact
information, and the State Department cautions against including any
information that one does not want publicly disclosed. The State
Department requests that any party soliciting or aggregating comments
received from other persons for submission to the State Department
inform those persons that the State Department will not edit their
comments to remove identifying or contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Energy Diplomacy, Energy
Resources Bureau (ENR/EDP/EWA) Department of State 2201 C St. NW., Ste
4428, Washington, DC 20520, Attn: Sydney Kaufman, Tel: 202-647-2041.
Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional information concerning the St.
Clair pipeline facilities can be found at http://www.state.gov/e/enr/applicant/applicants/index.htm. Documents related to the Department of
State's review of the application for a Presidential Permit can be
found at http://www.state.gov/e/enr/applicant.
Dated: January 15, 2016.
Chris Davy,
Deputy Director, Energy Resources Bureau, Energy Diplomacy, Bureau of
Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2016-01419 Filed 1-22-16; 8:45 am]
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