Rules and Regulations. Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment for Public Comment for the Longhorn Pipeline Reversal Project

Agency: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT
Action: Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment for Public Comment for the Longhorn Pipeline Reversal Project
Citation: FR Doc. 2012-18524 · Docket ID PHMSA-2012-0175

Summary

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, and the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations, 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is announcing the availability of and requesting comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for the Longhorn Pipeline Reversal Project (Proposed Project).

Dates

Submit any comments regarding the Draft EA no later than September 14, 2012.

Supplementary Information

The Longhorn Pipeline runs from El Paso, Texas to Houston, Texas and is owned and operated by Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P. (Magellan). The Longhorn Pipeline currently transports refined petroleum products from east to west (Houston to El Paso). The Proposed Project would convert the segment of the Longhorn Pipeline from Crane, Texas to East Houston, Texas to crude oil service and reverse the flow so that crude oil would flow from west to east (Crane to Houston). At Crane, refined products would enter the pipeline and move west to El Paso. The refined products would enter the Longhorn Pipeline via an existing pipeline segment that connects the Longhorn Pipeline to the existing Orion West Pipeline located to the north of the Longhorn Pipeline. The Orion West Pipeline runs from Frost, Texas to El Paso and is also owned and operated by Magellan. PHMSA is responsible for regulating the transportation of hazardous liquids via pipeline. PHMSA issues and enforces pipeline safety regulations that dictate requirements for construction, design, testing, operation, and maintenance of natural gas and hazardous liquid (including crude oil, petroleum products, and anhydrous ammonia) pipelines. PHMSA does not typically serve as lead agency for pipeline construction projects, as it has no authority over pipeline siting and does not issue any approval or authorization to commence a pipeline construction project. However, a settlement agreement specific to this action titled: “The Longhorn Mitigation Plan” (LMP) resulted from litigation associated with changes to the Longhorn Pipeline in 1999. The LMP provides PHMSA with broader responsibility and oversight of the Longhorn Pipeline. The Proposed Project would require upgrades to the pipeline and would include construction of a six-mile pipeline segment in El Paso and a 2.5-mile pipeline segment in Houston. Modifications and upgrades to existing infrastructure to facilitate reversal and increased capacity, such as new pump stations and terminals, would occur at various locations along the Longhorn and Orion Pipelines' right-of-ways. Although not originally included in the LMP, activities along the Orion West Pipeline and the segment from Odessa to Crane that would take place as a result of the Proposed Project are analyzed in this Draft EA as connected actions. This Draft EA analyzes the changes that would take place as a result of the Proposed Project and how the changes could impact the human environment during construction, normal operations, and in the unlikely event of a release. PHMSA has also analyzed the condition of the Longhorn Pipeline and how the change in product and direction would affect the pipeline. Linda Daugherty, Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs. [FR Doc. 2012-18524 Filed 7-30-12; 8:45 am]