Issued on: January 23, 2008
DOE to Prepare Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for New SPR Site at Richton, Mississippi
Consultations with State and Federal Officials Result in Proposed Changes
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy has notified Mississippi officials that it intends to move forward with the preparation of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the planned Strategic Petroleum Reserve expansion site at Richton, MS.
In the next few weeks, DOE will publish a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register defining the scope and content of the Supplemental EIS, which will cover modifications of the initial plan made to accommodate earlier public comment.
After those details are published there will be a public comment period during which interested agencies, organizations, Native American tribes, and members of the public will be encouraged to provide input and submit comments regarding the issues and impacts to be addressed and alternatives to be considered. The Department plans to conduct public meetings in the Gulf Coast region, including in Jackson County, Mississippi, to ensure full public participation and involvement.
Through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress directed the Department of Energy to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its authorized one billion barrel capacity. This requires DOE to expand from the current storage capacity of 727 million barrels and to select sites necessary to enable oil acquisition to the one billion barrel volume.
In December 2006, after a 16-month long proceeding that included multiple public meetings and involvement, DOE released the Final Environmental Impact Statement that identified the salt domes at Richton, near Hattiesburg, MS, as the preferred site to lead the expansion. In February of last year, DOE issued a Record of Decision naming the Richton site as well expansion of two existing SPR sites to expand SPR capacity to 1 billion barrels of import protection in cases of severe supply disruption.
The Department selected Richton for its large and undeveloped salt dome, potential oil distribution capabilities, and inland location with reduced potential hurricane impacts. Since selection, DOE has consulted further with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other governmental entities on the site.
As a result, DOE is considering the need to relocate a proposed raw water intake structure and proposed oil terminal in Pascagoula to further minimize potential environmental impacts and accommodate local economic development goals. Relocation of these facilities would require revisions to pipelines and pipeline routes analyzed in the December 2006 Environmental Impact Statement. Additions to the Reserve will happen in stages over the next two decades to coincide with the construction and expansion of facilities. DOE's goal is to have the expansion completed by 2027.
The SPR is the largest stockpile of government-owned emergency crude oil in the world and provides the United States with an emergency source of petroleum to reduce the impacts of oil supply disruptions and to carry out the obligations of the United States under the International Energy Program. Established in the aftermath of the 1973-74 oil embargo, the SPR provides the President with a powerful response option should a disruption in commercial oil supplies threaten the U.S. economy. It also allows the United States to meet part of its International Energy Agency obligation to maintain emergency oil stocks, and it provides a national defense fuel reserve.
- End of Techline
For more information, contact: |
- Megan Barnett, DOE Office of Public Affairs, 202-586-4940
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