Deepwater Port License Application: ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project-Draft Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD-2025-0096]

Deepwater Port License Application: ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project—Draft Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY:

Maritime Administration (MARAD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of availability; notice of public meeting; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

MARAD announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project (ST LNG) Deepwater Port License Application. In addition, MARAD announces an informational open house and a public meeting for the DEIS. Publication of this notice announces the availability of the DEIS, requests public comments and participation, provides information on how to participate in the environmental impact review process, and announces the informational open house and public meeting.

DATES:

The open house and public meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The open house will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), and the public meeting will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST. These events will be held at the Bay City Civic Center, 201 7th Street, Bay City, Texas 77414. Responsive materials must be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or to the Federal Docket Management Facility as detailed in the

ADDRESSES

section below no later than 45 days after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its notice of availability of the DEIS in the

Federal Register

.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments to the DOT Docket, DOT Docket Number MARAD-2025-0096 by any one of the following methods:

•

Federal eRulemaking Portal:

Go to

http://www.regulations.gov.

Search “MARAD-2025-0096” and follow the instructions for submitting comments.

•

Mail or Hand Delivery:

The Docket Management Facility is located at the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. Documents may be delivered between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.

Note:

If you mail or hand-deliver your comments, we recommend that you include your name and mailing address, an email address, and/or a telephone number on a cover page so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your submission.

Instructions:

All submissions received must include the agency name and specific docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket at

www.regulations.gov,

including any personal information provided. If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing.

The instructions listed in this section are the only methods in which comments will be accepted for submission to the docket. It is the commenter's responsibility to comply with the instructions above to ensure that their comments are properly submitted for consideration and review. Comments that are not submitted using the specified methods and outlined within this notice will not be considered.

Privacy Act:

Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). For information on DOT's compliance with the Privacy Act, please visit

https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Brian Barton, Maritime Administration, telephone: 202-366-0302, email:

Deepwater.Ports@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Meeting and Open House

We encourage you to attend the informational open house and public meeting to learn about and comment on the ST LNG project. You will have the opportunity to submit comments on the issues related to the ST LNG project, which MARAD and appropriate cooperating agencies will review and address in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

Speakers at the public meeting will be recognized in the following order: first, elected officials, public agencies, individuals, or groups who sign up at the public meeting, to be called on in the order they signed up, and then anyone else who wishes to speak.

To allow everyone a chance to speak at the public meeting, we may limit speaker time, extend the meeting hours, or both. You must identify yourself and any organization you represent by name. Your remarks will be recorded and transcribed for inclusion in the public docket.

You may submit written material through the docket submission process, even if you choose to speak. Written material should include your name and address and will be published on the public docket. Public docket materials will be made available to the public on the DOT Docket (

see

ADDRESSES

).

If you plan to participate in the open house or public meeting and need special assistance such as sign language interpretation, non-English language interpretation services, or other reasonable accommodations, please notify MARAD (

see

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

) at least seven business days in advance of the public meeting. Include your contact information as well as information about your specific needs.

Request for Comments

We request public comments or other relevant information related to the DEIS for the ST LNG project. The comments will inform the preparation of the FEIS. We encourage attendance at the public meeting; however, the public meeting is not the only opportunity you will have to comment on the ST LNG project. You may also submit comments directly to the Federal eRulemaking Portal or the Federal Docket Management Facility during the public comment period (see

DATES

). We will consider all substantive comments and materials that are received no later than 45 days after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its notice of availability of the DEIS. MARAD will consider comments submitted after that comment period to the extent practicable.

The ST LNG application, all comments, and associated documentation are available for viewing at the

Federal eRulemaking Portal

website at

http://www.regulations.gov

and identified by the DOT Docket Number listed above.

Summary of Application

The application proposes the ownership, construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning of the ST LNG deepwater port terminal to be located approximately 10.4 nautical miles (19.2 kilometers) offshore Matagorda, Texas, and capable of exporting up to 8.4 MTPA of liquefied natural gas.

A Notice of Application that summarized the ST LNG Deepwater Port License Application was published in the

Federal Register

on Monday, July 7, 2025 (90 FR 29930). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Public Meeting was published in the

Federal Register

on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (90 FR 31741). This Notice of Availability incorporates those

Federal Register

notices by reference.

Once the DEIS comment period closes, MARAD and other appropriate cooperating agencies will consider substantive comments received and prepare a FEIS. We will announce the availability of the FEIS in the

Federal Register

. The Deepwater Port Act of 1974 requires a final public hearing be held in the Adjacent Coastal State(s), following issuance of the FEIS. The purpose of the final public hearing is to receive comments on matters related to whether the deepwater port license application should be approved by the Maritime Administrator.

(Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1501,

et seq.,

49 CFR 1.93).

By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 2026-07517 Filed 4-16-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-81-P