Environmental Evaluation (Public)
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Deepwater Port License Application for the Texas Gulf Terminals Project Volume II – Environmental Evaluation (Public) Section 8: Cultural Resources Volume II – Environmental Evaluation (Public): Section 8.0 – Cultural Resources TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................... ii PROJECT OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................. 8-4 8.0 CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................................................................................................. iv 8.1 Applicable Laws and Regulations .............................................................................................. 8-1 8.2 Existing Conditions ..................................................................................................................... 8-2 8.2.1 Geologic Setting ................................................................................................................. 8-2 8.2.2 Prehistoric Resources ........................................................................................................ 8-4 8.2.3 Historic Resources ............................................................................................................. 8-8 8.2.4 Previously Recorded Features ......................................................................................... 8-14 8.2.5 Cultural Resource Assessments ...................................................................................... 8-20 8.2.6 Native American Concerns .............................................................................................. 8-26 8.2.7 Summary of Findings ....................................................................................................... 8-26 8.3 Environmental Consequences ................................................................................................. 8-26 8.3.1 Construction ..................................................................................................................... 8-26 8.3.2 Operation .......................................................................................................................... 8-27 8.3.3 Decommissioning ............................................................................................................. 8-27 8.4 Cumulative Impacts .................................................................................................................. 8-27 8.5 Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................................. 8-28 8.6 Summary of Potential Impacts ................................................................................................. 8-29 8.7 References ............................................................................................................................... 8-30 LIST OF FIGURES Vicinity Map ................................................................................................................................................ 8-4 Project Component Map ............................................................................................................................ 8-5 Figure 8-1: Holocene Sea Level Curves by Various Authors .................................................................... 8-4 Figure 8-2: Previous surveys and cultural resources adjacent to the Project .......................................... 8-16 Figure 8-3: Inshore Archaeological Survey Results ................................................................................. 8-21 Figure 8-4: Offshore Cultural Resources Survey Results ........................................................................ 8-23 Figure 8-5: Inshore Submerged Cultural Resources Survey Results ...................................................... 8-25 LIST OF TABLES Table 8-1: Previous Marine Investigations near the APE ........................................................................ 8-18 Table 8-2: Wrecks and Obstruction Reported Within 3 Miles (4.8 km) of APE ....................................... 8-19 Table 8-3: Summary of Potential Impacts to Cultural Resources ............................................................ 8-29 i Texas Gulf Terminals Project Volume II – Environmental Evaluation (Public): Section 8.0 – Cultural Resources ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ° Degrees > greater than < less than Ac Acre ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation AHPA Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act AIRFA American Indian Religious Freedom Act APE Area of Potential Effects Applicant Texas Gulf Terminals Inc. ARPA Archaeological Resources Protection Act AWOIS Automated Wreck and Obstruction Information System BMP Best Management Practice BOEM Bureau of Ocean Energy Management B.P. [years] before present Bph barrels per hour CALM Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring CFR Code of Federal Regulations Cm Centimeters DWP deepwater port DWPA Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended DWPL Deepwater Port License EA Environmental Assessment e.g. exempli gratia [Latin for ‘for example’] EIS Environmental Impact Statement EO Executive Order ESA Endangered Species Act et al. et alia [Latin for ‘and others’] et seq. et sequentes [Latin for ‘and the following’] ft. Feet GOM Gulf of Mexico GPS Global Positioning System Ha Hectare HDD Horizontal Directional Drilling HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development kHz Kilohertz km Kilometer m Meter MARAD Maritime Administration MHT mean high tide mi Miles MMPA Marine Mammal Protection Act MMS Mineral Management Service mph miles per hour ii Texas Gulf Terminals Project Volume II – Environmental Evaluation (Public): Section 8.0 – Cultural Resources NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act nm nautical miles NRHP National Register of Historic Places NTL Notices to Lessees OCS Outer Continental Shelf OCSLA Outer Continental Shelf Land Act OSTF onshore storage terminal facility PELM pipeline end manifold PINS Padre Island National Seashore POCC Port of Corpus Christi Project Texas Gulf Terminals Project SAL State Antiquities Landmark SMCA Sunken Military Craft Act SPM single point mooring TAC Texas Administrative Code TASA Texas Archeological Sites Atlas TDAT Tribal Directory Assessment Tool THC Texas Historical Commission U.S. United States [of America] USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers U.S.C. United States Code USCG United States Coast Guard VLCC very large crude carrier iii Texas Gulf Terminals Project Volume II – Environmental Evaluation (Public): Section 8.0 – Cultural Resources PROJECT OVERVIEW Texas Gulf Terminals Inc. (TGTI; also referred to as Applicant) is proposing to construct and operate a deepwater port (DWP), associated pipeline infrastructure, booster station, and an onshore storage terminal facility (OSTF), collectively known as the Texas Gulf Terminals Project (Project), for the safe, efficient and cost-effective export of crude oil to support economic growth in the United States of America (U.S.). The Applicant is filing this Deepwater Port License (DWPL) application to obtain a license to construct, own, and operate the Project pursuant to the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended (DWPA), and in accordance with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) implementing regulations. The Applicant is proposing to construct and operate the Project to allow direct and full loading of very large crude carriers (VLCC) at the DWP, via a single point mooring (SPM) buoy system. The proposed Project consists of the construction of a DWP, onshore and inshore pipeline infrastructure, offshore pipelines, and an OSTF. The proposed DWP would be positioned outside territorial seas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Mustang Island Area TX3 (Gulf of Mexico [GOM]), within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) block number 823. The proposed DWP is positioned at Latitude N27° 28’ 42.60” and Longitude W97° 00’ 48.43”, approximately 12.7 nautical miles (nm) (14.62 statute miles [mi]) off the coast of North Padre Island in Kleberg County, Texas. Refer to the Vicinity Map depicting the location of the proposed Project. Vicinity Map The proposed Project involves the design, engineering, and construction of a DWP, 26.81 miles of pipeline infrastructure, booster station, and an OSTF. For the purposes of this DWPL application, the proposed Project is described in three distinguishable segments by locality including “offshore”, “inshore”, and “onshore”. iv Texas Gulf Terminals Project Volume II – Environmental Evaluation (Public): Section 8.0 – Cultural Resources Onshore Project components includes an approximate 150-acre (ac) (60.7 hectares [ha]) OSTF, an 8.25 ac (3.3 ha) booster station, and approximately 6.36 mi of two (2) new 30-inch-diameter crude oil pipelines extending from the OSTF located in Nueces County, to the booster station located in Kleberg County, and continue to the landward side of the mean high tide (MHT) line of the Laguna Madre. The proposed OSTF will serve as the primary collection and storage terminal of crude oil to be directly pumped through the proposed pipeline infrastructure to the DWP. Outbound flow rates from the OSTF to the DWP are anticipated to be approximately 60,000 barrels per hour (bph). Inshore components associated with the proposed Project are defined as those components located between the western Laguna Madre