Los Angeles port move forward on oil terminal project

The Port of Los Angeles, in its second move toward breaking a five-year construction moratorium on major development at the nation's largest port, has released environmental documents for a proposed 4-million-barrel crude-oil terminal.

Port and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials Thursday released the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the Pacific Los Angeles Marine Terminal Project.

The documents were to be released earlier this year, but were delayed so the port could meet in closed sessions with a coalition of environmental groups over the documents. A subsequent deal earlier this year calls for the port to present any development project environmental documents to the coalition before releasing the documents to the public.

Following the 2002 settlement of a lawsuit over development of a container terminal that cost the port nearly $100 million, major construction at the port -- and the neighboring Port of Long Beach --stopped for fear of further lawsuits and settlements. Los Angeles officials recently approved environmental documents for a container terminal expansion with construction set to begin shortly.

The proposed site of the crude-oil facility is on the southeastern tip of the port's Pier 400, an area reserved in the port's master plan for a liquid bulk terminal. APM Terminals, the only other tenant on Pier 400, operates a 484-acre container terminal servicing shipping lines Maersk and Horizon Lines.

The port hopes to construct a new wharf at the proposed site, along with two 250,000-barrel storage tanks. Pipeline connections from the facility would provide the terminal with access to 14 additional 250,000-barrel storage tanks, for a total terminal storage capacity of 4 million barrels. As with most other petroleum terminals at the port and neighboring Port of Long Beach, pipeline connections at the proposed terminal would allow direct connection to nearby refineries.

Under the proposed plan, Pacific Los Angeles Marine Terminal LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Plains All American Pipeline L.P., would operate the terminal under a 30-year lease agreement with the Port of Los Angeles.

The port will present an overview of the project and take public comment on the oil terminal documents at a public hearing at the Port Administration Building in San Pedro on June 26.

The release of the documents also starts the clock on a 60-day public comment period set to end July 29.

Copies of the Draft SEIS/SEIR for the proposed project are available online at the Port of Los Angeles Web site, www.porfoflosangeles.org, or by calling (310) 732-3675. Comments about the project may be submitted at the public hearing, or by e-mail ceqacomments@portla.org. 

 

 

Source: American Shipper