Deepwater Port License Application: Blue Marlin Offshore Port Project-Final Public Hearing

DATES:

MARAD and USCG will hold two final public hearings in connection with the BMOP Application. The first public hearing will be held on Aug. 4, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) in the Cameron Parish Police Jury West Annex, 148 Smith Circle, Cameron, LA. The second public hearing will be held on Aug. 5, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT in the Bob Bowers Civic Center, 3401 Cultural Center Drive, Port Arthur, TX 77640. Each public hearing will be preceded by an Informational Open House, held between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. CDT. Materials submitted in response to this request for comments on the BMOP Deepwater Port license application may be submitted verbally or in writing during the public hearing mentioned above. If you choose to submit comments in writing regarding the BMOP Deepwater Port license application, you may do so via the Federal eRulemaking Portal or the Federal Docket Management Facility as detailed in the ADDRESSES section below by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Aug. 5, 2026.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and specific docket number. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Final Public Hearing

MARAD encourages the public to attend the informational open house and final public hearing for the BMOP Deepwater Port license application. Speakers at the public hearing will be recognized in the following order: elected officials, public agencies, individuals, or groups in the sign-up order, and then anyone else who wishes to speak.

In order to allow everyone a chance to speak at the public hearing, MARAD may limit speaker time, extend the hearing hours, or both. Speakers must identify themselves, and any organization they represent, by name. All remarks will be recorded and transcribed for inclusion in the public docket.

Commenters may submit written material at the hearing either in place of, or in addition to, speaking. Written material should include the commenter's name and address and will be included in the public docket and made available to the public on the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website at www.regulations.gov. MARAD will also accept written comments submitted to FDMS by 11:59 p.m. EDT, Aug. 5, 2026 ( see ADDRESSES ).

If you plan to participate in the public hearing and need special assistance such as sign language interpretation, non-English language translator services or other reasonable accommodation, please notify MARAD ( see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ) at least seven business days in advance of the public hearing. Include your contact information as well as information about your specific needs.

Comments During the Final Public Hearing

MARAD encourages comments on the proposed BMOP Deepwater Port license application, verbally or in writing during the final public hearing. Comments may be used to inform MARAD's Record of Decision for the BMOP Deepwater Port license application. MARAD encourages you to review the applicant's information online on the FDMS website at www.regulations.gov under DOT Docket Number MARAD-2020-0127. The application, all comments, and associated documentation will be found on the docket..

Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments received into the FDMS website by the docket number and name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).

Summary of the Application

BMOP is proposing to construct, own, operate, and eventually decommission a Deepwater Port terminal in the Gulf of America to export domestically produced crude oil. Use of the Deepwater Port would include the loading of various grades of crude oil at flow rates of up to 80,000 barrels per hour (bph). The BMOP Deepwater Port would allow for up to one Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) or other crude oil carrier to moor at the catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) and connect with the Deepwater Port via floating connecting crude oil hoses. The maximum loading volume for VLCCs or other crude oil carriers would be approximately 2 million barrels per day, 365 days per year.

A Notice of Application that summarized the BMOP Deepwater Port License Application was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 4, 2020 (85 FR 70233). A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Notice of Public Scoping Meeting was published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2020 (85 FR 70707). A Notice of Availability for the DEIS and Notice of Public Meeting was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 21, 2025 (90 FR 10444).