Chukchi Sea Air Permit | Region 10 | US EPA

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Chukchi Sea Air Permit

Comment period on the proposed permit extended to October 20, 2009. Send your comments to:

Shell Chukchi OCS Air Permit
EPA Region 10
1200 6th Ave, Ste. 900
Mail Stop: AWT-107
Seattle, Washington 98101
Fax: 206-553-0110
R10ocsairpermits@epa.gov

Have questions about the proposed permit? Contact:

Pat Nair, Permit Writer
EPA Region 10
Phone: 208-378-5754
Fax: 208-378-5744
Email: nair.pat@epa.gov

On this page:
Air Quality Permit Proposed for Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc. to Operate the Frontier Discoverer Drillship in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska

EPA is currently reviewing public comment on the proposed Clean Air Act permit for Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc. (Shell) to operate the Frontier Discoverer and its associated support vessels to explore for oil and gas within it’s current leases on the Chukchi Sea. The lease areas to be explored are all beyond 25 miles from Alaska’s seaward boundary west of Wainwright (162 W longitude) and north of Point Lay (71 N latitude) (see map of current Shell leases in the Chukchi Sea Lease Sale Area 193 (PDF) (1 pp., 2MB). The proposed permit will allow Shell to operate the Frontier Discoverer drillship and its fleet for a multi-year exploratory oil and gas drilling program within its current lease blocks from lease sale 193 on the Chukchi Sea outer continental shelf (OCS), beyond 25 miles from Alaska’s seaward boundary. Because the drillship operations are a “major” source, the permit must ensure that the operations meet the requirements of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. The proposed permit is based on non-guideline ISC3-PRIME modeling system used to predict air pollutant concentrations.

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Materials presented at Public Information meetings in Barrow, AK on September 23, 2009 and Anchorage, AK on September 25, 2009

Power Point Presentation (PDF) (18pp., 476KB)
Poster - Air Permit Presentation (PDF) (4pp., 1,000KB )
Poster - Shell Chukchi Sea lease area 193 map (PDF) (1pp., 2.3MB)
Poster - PSD-OCS agency jurisdictions (PDF) (1pp., 13KB)
Poster - Shell PSD-OCS air permit process (PDF) (1pp., 64KB)

Barrow, AK Public Hearing
Barrow public hearing sign-in sheet (PDF) (2pp., 1.8MB)
Barrow public hearing testimony (PDF) (46pp., 84KB)

Anchorage, AK Public Hearing
Anchorage public hearing sign-in sheet (PDF) (2pp., 1.8MB)
Anchorage public hearing testimony (PDF) (41pp., 78KB)

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Proposed Permit Documents:

2009 Public Comments:

CommenterSubmittal DateComments
Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc.September 18, 2009Shell comments on Proposed Discoverer/Chukchi OCS/PSD Permit (PDF) (67 pp. 756K)
Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc.September 18, 2009Wainwright Near-Term Ambient Air Quality Monitoring 3rd Quarter Data Report May-July 2009 (PDF) (82 pp. 3.2MB)
Cora AkpikSeptember 22, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 51K)
Marjorie AngashukSeptember 22, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 22K)
Linda LearySeptember 25, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 35K)
EarthJusticeSeptember 28, 2009Request for extension of October 5 deadline for written comments (PDF) (2pp., 24KB)
Dave HarbourSeptember 28, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (12 pp. 116K)
Doreen LampeSeptember 28, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 33K)
Native Village of Point HopeSeptember 28, 2009Request for extension of deadline for written comments (PDF) (1 page 17K)
Representative Charisse MillettSeptember 28, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (2 pp. 34K)
Resource Development Council for AlaskaSeptember 28, 2009RDC Comment Letter (PDF) (2 pp. 143K)
Compiled Email CommentsSeptember 25, 2009 to October 1, 2009Comment Letters (PDF) (27pp. 208K)
Chris Birch, NANA Development Corp.October 1, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (6pp. 162K)
John Goll, Minerals Management ServiceOctober 2, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (4 pp. 143K)
Steven Borrell, Alaska Miners AssociationOctober 5, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 35K)
Roger Jenkins October 5, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 37K)
James Winegarner, Alaska Brooks Range Petroleum CorpOctober 5, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1 page 48K)
Shell Gulf of MexicoOctober 8, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (61 pp. 318K)
Thomas B. WoodOctober 8, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1pp., 31KB)
Compiled email comments Oct 2-Oct 9, 2009 October 2, 2009 to October 9, 2009Comment Letters (PDF) (13 pp. 307K)
Mark C. Nelson, ASRC Energy Services Inc.October 13, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (2pp., 113KB)
Sharon Anderson, Anderson Business Consulting LLCOctober 13, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1pp., 68KB)
Chukchi compiled email commentsOctober 14, 2009Comment Letters (PDF) (11pp., 343KB)
Chris Bell, PCE Pacific Inc.October 14, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1pp., 11.5KB)
Brian G. TomlinsonOctober 16, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (4pp., 243KB)
Wayne Stevens, ASCCOctober 16, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1pp., 364KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Combined CommentsOctober 20, 2009Comment Letters (PDF) (58pp., 592KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Cover LetterOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (4pp., 252KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix AOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (5pp., 162KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix IOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (12pp., 3.9MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix IIOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (19pp., 6MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III part AOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (30pp., 1.4MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III part BOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (39pp., 4MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III part COctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (30pp., 1,000KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III CARB Diesel Reduction PlanOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (94pp., 356KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III EPA Analysis of Cost Effectiveness of Reducing PMOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (37pp., 1.7MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III Port of LA Technical ReportOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (228pp., 5.8MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix III Stationary Diesel Engines in the NEOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (167pp., 1.6MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix IV part AOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (24pp., 819KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix IV part BOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (36pp., 1.4MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix IV PM2.5October 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (18pp., 144KB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix IV EPA Tech Response for PM NAAQS RuleOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (48pp., 1MB)
AEWC ICAS NSB, Appendix VOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (25pp., 1MB)
Shell Gulf of Mexico, Supplemental CommentsOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (28pp., 803KB)
Shell Gulf of Mexico, Additional Supplemental commentsOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (2pp., 81KB)
Shell Gulf of Mexico, response to EarthjusticeOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (9pp., 104KB)
Native Village of Point HopeOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (2pp., 13KB)
James Gilbert, Udelhoven Oilfield Services Inc.October 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (1pp., 60KB)
Earthjustice Erik GrafeOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (22pp., 91KB)
Conoco Philips AlaskaOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (74pp., 4.5MB)
Center for Biological Diversity Brendan CummingsOctober 20, 2009Comment Letter (PDF) (7pp., 56KB)

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Proposed Shell OCS/PSD Air Permit (comment period open from August 20 to October 20, 2009):

Documents:
Proposed Air Permit Information Sheet (PDF) (3 pp. 186K)
Proposed Permit (PDF) (50 pp. 250K)
Statement of Basis for Proposed Permit (PDF) (86 pp. 716K)
Statement of Basis Appendix A (PDF) (21 pp. 314K)
Statement of Basis Appendix B (PDF) (20 pp. 219K)
Statement of Basis Appendix B: Figures and Tables (PDF) (31 pp. 973K)
Printable Public Notice (PDF) (1pp. 24K) - August 20, 2009
Printable Public Notice Extension (PDF) (1 pp. 23K) - October 2, 2009

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Permit Application Materials:

Date:Document Received:
Index FileIndex of Permit Application Materials (PDF) (5 pp. 40K)
Dec 11, 2008 Shell Offshore Inc. - Initial application (PDF) (80pp., 2MB)
Feb 23, 2009Shell Offshore Inc. - Replacement Application - Cover letter (PDF) (18 pp. 69K)
Feb 23, 2009Shell Offshore Inc. - Replacement Application - Revised Application (PDF) (107 pp. 1.4MB)
Feb 23, 2009Shell Offshore Inc. - Replacement Application - Appendices A-G (PDF) (431 pp. 9.9MB) Note: This document is large and may take a long time to download with a 56K modem.
May 18, 2009Shell Offshore Inc. - Response to March 12 EPA Letter of Incompleteness (PDF) (86 pp. 804K)
May 29, 2009 Shell Offshore Inc. - Updated response to March 12 EPA Letter of Incompleteness (PDF) (110 pp. 884K)
June 1, 2009Shell Offshore Inc. - Supplemental Response - Additional Impact Analyses (PDF) (50 pp. 663K)
August 20, 2009Additional Permit Application Materials (PDF) (525 pp. 7MB) Note: This document is large and may take a long time to download.

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EPA Responses:

Date:Document:
January 16, 2009EPA Application Incompleteness Determination letter to Shell (PDF) (1 page 28K)
January 16, 2009EPA Application Incompleteness Determination letter to Shell - Attachment A (PDF) (8 pp. 38K)
January 16, 2009EPA Application Incompleteness Determination letter to Shell - Attachment B (PDF) (5 pp. 28K)
March 12, 2009EPA Incompleteness Determination letter to Shell (PDF) (1 page 28K)
March 12, 2009EPA Incompleteness Determination letter to Shell - Attachments A and B (PDF) (6 pp. 33K)
July 31, 2009EPA Completeness Determination letter to Shell (PDF) (1 page 18K)

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NPDES Notices of Intent

Date:Document:
May 22, 2009NOI for Lease #OCS-Y-2321 Block #6912 [Chukchi Sea] (PDF) (10 pp. 277K)
May 22, 2009NOI for Lease #OCS-Y-2280 Block #6764 [Chukchi Sea] (PDF) (10 pp. 183K)
May 22, 2009NOI for Lease #OCS-Y-2267 Block #6714 [Chukchi Sea] (PDF) (10 pp. 272K)
May 22, 2009NOI for Lease #OCS-Y-2142 Block #7007 [Chukchi Sea] (PDF) (10 pp. 276K)
May 22, 2009NOI for Lease #OCS-Y-2111 Block #6864 [Chukchi Sea] (PDF) (10 pp. 270K)

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Contacts:

Pat Nair, air permit writer for Shell’s Chukchi application: (208) 378-5754 or nair.pat@epa.gov
Suzanne Skadowski, community involvement coordinator for Chukchi and Beaufort air permit applications: (206) 553-6689 or skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov

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Other Locations to Review Documents:
The record for the proposed permit includes the permit application and supporting information from Shell, the statement of basis for the proposed permit, documents cited in the statement of basis, the proposed permit, and supporting materials. The permit application, statement of basis, proposed permit, and permit information sheet are available for public review at the locations listed below as well as online. Please call in advance for available viewing times.

The permit record is also available at the EPA Region 10 Library, 1200 6th Ave, Seattle, Washington, 206-553-1259. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive future information about this permit or other OCS permitting in Alaska, contact Suzanne Skadowski as described above.

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URL: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/airpage.nsf/Permits/chukchiap

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