Expanding the SPR - History of EIS Development
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005), signed by President Bush on August 8, 2005, directed the Secretary of Energy to complete a process for site selection within one year to expand the size of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to its authorized one billion barrel capacity. The Department of Energy (DOE) immediately initiated steps to meet the requirements of the law.
SPR 2005 Expansion Strategy
Expansion would be a major Federal action, requiring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act, before making a decision on site selection.
In order to expand the SPR from the current 727 million barrel capacity to one billion barrels, DOE announced its intent to both expand existing SPR storage sites and develop one new 160 million barrel storage site. This approach would capitalize on existing site infrastructure and operations to minimize costs and to expedite development time. Sites considered for additional storage capacity were Big Hill, TX; Bayou Choctaw, LA; and West Hackberry, LA.
The EPACT 2005 required that a new site must be selected from the group of sites previously assessed in the 1992 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, DOE/EIS-0165-D, or other sites as proposed by a State where a site has been previously studied by the DOE. Candidate sites ultimately considered were Stratton Ridge, TX; Chacahoula, LA; Clovelly, LA; Richton, MS; and Bruinsburg, MS.
Environmental Review Process
The environmental review process involves the following steps to assure public involvement in the site selection decision:
- Notice of Intent (NOI)
- Public Scoping Process
- Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- Final Environmental Impact Statement
Public Scoping Meetings and Opportunity to Comment
DOE scheduled a Notice of Intent (NOI) to be published on September 1, 2005, announcing its plan to have a 45-day public scoping period to conduct local meetings and receive public comments on expansion. Scoping meetings were scheduled in Lake Jackson, TX, Hattiesburg, MS, Pascagoula, MS, and Houma, LA.
Because of the impacts of Hurricane Katrina at the time of publication of the NOI, a subsequent notice was published extending the public scoping period. An additional extension was later announced in order to consider a new Mississippi site at the request of the Governor.
Notices of public meetings were sent to local newspapers and officials. During Fall 2005, four Public Scoping Meetings were held.
A total of 80 people attended and 67 scoping comments were received from the public, companies, organizations, and government agencies as a result of the Fall 2005 meetings. The site ultimately selected for expansion, Richton, was discussed at the Jackson, Mississippi meeting.
Draft EIS and Opportunity to Comment
DOE filed the Draft EIS, "Site Selection for the Expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve," with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday, May 19, 2006. The EPA published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register on Friday, May 26, 2006, starting the 45-day public comment period. Notices were sent to local newspapers and officials that public meetings were scheduled.
DOE conducted five public meetings during June and received comments on the Draft EIS through July 10, 2006. Approximately 105 people attended the meetings. DOE received 93 written comment letters and 21 people testified at the hearings. The Richton site was discussed at meetings in Pascagoula and Richton.
Final EIS and Record of Decision
On December 8, 2006, after a 16-month long proceeding that included extensive public involvement, DOE released the Final Environmental Impact Statement that identified the salt domes at Richton, near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as the preferred site to lead the expansion. DOE had initially proposed to expand capacity at three existing SPR sites; however, the final decision was for expansion of two existing sites.
On February 14, 2007, former Energy Secretary Bodman signed the Record of Decision selecting the following three sites for the expansion of the SPR storage capacity from 727 million barrels to one billion barrels:
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Richton, Mississippi (160 million barrels)
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Big Hill, Texas (80 million barrels)
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Bayou Choctaw, Louisiana (23 million barrels)
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