Canadian Superior Energy announced this morning that it intends to file federal and state applications for its Liberty LNG deepwater port proposed for offshore New Jersey in the third quarter of 2010.

A spokesperson for New Jersey Governor-elect Chris Christie (R) told the Queens Courier that the governor-elect remains opposed to the Safe Harbor Energy LNG deepwater port proposal off the coasts of New Jersey and New York due to concerns regarding the project's impacts on the state's coastal economy.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced this morning in the Federal Register that the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement prepared for the TORP Bienville LNG deepwater port project is now available in the Regulations.gov system under Docket No. USCG-2006-24644. MARAD also announced that it has scheduled a public meeting  to accept comments on the project in Mobile, Ala., on December 9, 2009.

On July 13, 2009, MARAD and the U.S Coast Guard published notice in the Federal Register of the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement  (FEIS) for the Port Dolphin LNG Deepwater Port license application. The project proposes a deepwater port in the St. Petersburg block of the Outer Continental Shelf. The port would consist of a permanently moored unloading buoy system designed to moor a specialized type of LNG vessel called Shuttle and Regasification Vessels, which have capacities of 145,000 and 217,000 cubic meters. The unloading buoys would connect to a pipeline onshore in Port Manatee, Florida, which would connect with the Gulfstream Natural Gas System and Tampa Electric Company. The project will require approval from FERC for the onshore pipelines, potential permits from the Army Corps of Engineers for the pipeline and structures, and permits from the EPA under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
 
Public hearing will take place in Palmetto, Florida on July 28, 2009. Comments on the FEIS or the application are due by August 23, 2009.  As explained in the notice, the FEIS should be accessible soon  in Docket No. USCG-2006-28532 on www.regulations.gov.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued an incidental harassment of marine mammals authorization to Neptune LNG, LLC for one year until June 30, 2010. The announcement is available in the Federal Register.

Yesterday Calypso LNG, LLC notified the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) that it will suspend work on its previously filed application to construct an LNG deepwater port planned for offshore Florida. Calypso LNG's announcement follows comments by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) that he would oppose the project. MARAD's press release (courtesy of LNGLawBlog) offers additional details.

Governor Charlie Crist (R-FL) pledged yesterday to oppose the proposed Calypso LNG deepwater port planned 10 miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., noting that he believes the project is "already in bed. It's gone." Read more in the Miami Herald.

Woodside Natural Gas announced yesterday that it has suspended its OceanWay LNG deepwater port project proposed for offshore Southern California. A company spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that Woodside plans to revive the project when economic conditions change.