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Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Environment Protection Agency - Region 4

*** PUBLIC NOTICE ***

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Outer Continental Shelf Air Permit OCS-EPA-R4005

For Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

Natural Gas Exploration

Public Comment Period: March 25, 2011 – April 25, 2011

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on a proposed Clean Air Act (CAA) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) air permit for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko), 1201 Lake Robbins Road, The Woodlands, Texas 77380. The proposed permit will regulate air pollutant emissions from the Transocean Discover Spirit drill ship that Anadarko proposes to operate within its current lease block, Lloyd Ridge 410, on the OCS in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The drill site is located approximately 160 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, 200 miles southwest of Panama City, Florida and 270 miles west of Tampa Bay, Florida. Anadarko proposes to drill a single exploratory well to determine if natural gas reserves are present at this location. The operation will last less than 92 days.

EPA Region 4 is the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing CAA requirements for OCS sources in the GOM east of 87’30”. Pursuant to Section 328 of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. § 7627, and the air quality regulations applicable to OCS sources set forth in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 55, an OCS source is required to obtain an air quality permit before beginning construction. EPA has completed review of Anadarko’s air permit application and supplemental material and is soliciting comments on our proposal to issue Permit No. OCS-EPA-R4005 to Anadarko for their exploratory natural gas drilling project subject to the terms and conditions described in the permit.

EPA has prepared a draft permit for public comment, as well as a preliminary determination/statement of basis document that explains the derivation of the permit conditions. These documents are available on EPA Region 4’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/OCSPermits/OCSpermits.html. To request a copy of these documents or to be added to our Anadarko permit mailing list, please contact: Ms. S. Elaine Knight, Permit Support Specialist at: [phone], or [e-mail]. For questions on the proposed permit, please contact: Mr. Sean Lakeman at [phone] or [e-mail].

Send comments on the proposed permit and requests for a public hearing to:

Sean Lakeman

EPA Region 4, APTMD

61 Forsyth Street, S.W.

Atlanta, GA 30303

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Public Comments must be received by email or postmarked by April 25, 2011.

Public Hearing requests must be received by EPA by e-mail or mail by April 25, 2011.

Project Emissions: The maximum potential annual emissions in tons per year (TPY) from the Transocean Discover Spirit drilling rig and its support vessels are summarized in the following table. Anadarko’s exploration drilling program is a major source under the applicable Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting requirements, because emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) exceed the major source applicability threshold of 250 TPY, and no other pollutant exceeds the significant emission rate. Hence, Anadarko is required to apply Best Available Control Technology for NOx (as both a criteria pollutant and precursor to ozone).

 

Pollutant	Potential to Emit Tons per Year	Significant Emission Rate, Tons per year	PSD Review Required
CO	59.5	100	No
NOx1	491.6	40	Yes
VOC1	10.6	40	No
PM	13.0	25	No
PM10	6.4	15	No
PM2.52	6.9	10	No
SO2	7.5	40	No
CO2e	21,343	75,000	No

 

1VOC and NOx are the measured precursors for the criteria pollutant Ozone.

2 The sum of PM 2.5 emissions plus Sulfuric Acid Mist (Sulfate PM)

Class I Area Air Quality Impacts: Anadarko has requested an air quality permit for a maximum of 92 days of potential exploratory natural gas drilling activity in the Lloyd Ridge 410 lease block in the GOM. Due to the limited duration, this project qualifies as a temporary source under the applicable PSD regulations. The impact related criteria that must be met for a temporary source include a demonstration that the project emissions will not impact any PSD Class I area. The nearest PSD Class I area to Lloyd Ridge lease block 410 is Breton National Wildlife Refuge located on the southeast coast of Louisiana. Lease block 410 is approximately 278 km from Breton PSD Class I area. The applicant performed a screening impact assessment to demonstrate that the proposed project’s impact to the PSD Class I increment would not be significant. This analysis is available in the application and is discussed in EPA’s preliminary determination and statement of basis.

Public Comments: Any interested person may submit written comments on the draft permit during the public comment period. If you believe any condition of the permit is inappropriate, you must raise all reasonably ascertainable issues and submit all reasonably available arguments supporting your position by the end of the comment period. Any documents supporting your comments must be included in full and may not be incorporated by reference unless they are already part of the record for this permit or consist of state or federal statutes or regulations, EPA documents of general applicability, or other generally available reference materials.

Comments should focus on the proposed air quality permit, the permit terms, and the air quality aspects of the project. The objective of the OCS air quality program, including the PSD requirements to which this source is subject, is to prevent significant adverse environmental impact from air emissions by a new or modified OCS source. If you have more general concerns regarding things such as leasing, non-air quality impacts, drilling safety, discharge, etc., these should be addressed during the leasing and permitting proceedings of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, which is the lead permitting agency for this project.

All timely comments will be considered in making the final decision, included in the record, and responded to by EPA. EPA may group similar comments together in our response, and will not respond to individual commenters directly.

All comments on the proposed permit must be received by email or postmarked by April 25, 2011. An extension of the 30-day comment period may be granted if the request for an extension adequately demonstrates why additional time is required to prepare comments. Comments must be sent or delivered in writing to the address above. All comments will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available to the public, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Information that you consider CBI or otherwise protected should be clearly identified as such and should not be submitted through e-mail. If you send e-mail directly to EPA, your e-mail address will be captured automatically and included as part of the public comment. Please note that an e-mail or postal address must be provided with your comments if you wish to receive direct notification of EPA’s final decision regarding the permit and responses to comments submitted during the public comment period.

Public Hearing: EPA has discretion to hold a Public Hearing if we determine there is a significant amount of public interest in the proposed permit. Requests for a Public Hearing must be received by EPA by e-mail or mail by April 25, 2011, and state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. You may submit oral or written comments on the proposed permit at the public hearing. You do not need to attend the public hearing to submit written comments. You may send written comments to the above address, postmarked by April 25, 2011. If there is significant public interest, a public hearing will be held on May 4, 2011, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the following location:

Bay County Public Library

Northwest Regional Library System

898 W. 11th Street

Panama City, FL 32412-0625 

[phone]

If a public hearing is held, the public comment period shall automatically be extended to the close of the public hearing. If no request for a public hearing is received by April 25, 2011, or EPA determines that there is not significant interest, the hearing will be cancelled. An announcement of cancellation will be posted on EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/OCSPermits/OCSpermits.html, or you may call EPA at the contact number above to determine if the public hearing has been requested.

Permit Documents: EPA’s draft permit, EPA’s preliminary determination and statement of basis, Anadarko’s application and supporting documentation, and comments received from the public, other government agencies, and the applicant during the public comment period become part of the administrative record for the permit. All data submitted by the applicant is available as part of the administrative record. The administrative record is available to the public and is available at the following locations (please call in advance for available viewing times):

Bay County Public Library

Northwest Regional Library System

898 W. 11th Street

Panama City, FL 32412-0625 

[phone]

 

EPA Region 4 Office

61 Forsyth Street, S.W. 

Atlanta, GA 30303 

Phone: [phone]

The administrative record is also available on EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/OCSPermits/OCSpermits.html.

Final Determination: A final decision to issue a permit, or to deny the application for the permit, shall be made after all comments have been considered. Notice of the final decision shall be sent to each person who has submitted written comments or requested notice of the final permit decision, provided EPA has adequate contact information.