PORT OF LOS ANGELES RELEASES INITIAL STUDY, NOTICE OF PREPARATION FOR MARINE OIL TERMINAL IMPROVEMENTS


SAN PEDRO, Calif. – July 21, 2016 – The Port of Los Angeles has released an Initial Study/Notice of Preparation (IS/NOP) — the first step in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process — for a Marine Oil Terminal Wharf Improvements Project at the Valero Terminal on Mormon Island in Los Angeles Harbor.

The primary goal of the proposed project is to comply with the Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards (MOTEMS) to protect public health, safety, and the environment, which involves demolition of the existing 19,000-square-foot timber wharf at Berth 164 and construction and operation of a new, MOTEMS-compliant wharf, with minor infrastructure improvements to connect the new loading platform to the existing landside pipelines and utilities. The proposed Project would also include a new, 30-year lease through 2047.

The IS/NOP is available for review on the Port of Los Angeles website at www.portoflosangeles.org. The IS/NOP is released for public review to solicit feedback, which helps to identify any potential environmental impacts and suggest possible alternatives for the project that can be incorporated into the EIR.

The Port will hold a public meeting to receive comments on Wednesday, August 3, at 6 p.m., at the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, located at 425 S. Palos Verdes Street, in San Pedro. Simultaneous Spanish translation services will be provided.

Written comments on the IS/NOP may be submitted via email to ceqacomments@portla.org or to the following address through the public comment period from July 21 to August 19, 2016:

Christopher Cannon, Director of Environmental Management
Los Angeles Harbor Department
425 South Palos Verdes Street
San Pedro, CA 90731

Comment letters sent via email should include the Project title “Berth 164 [Valero] Marine Oil Terminal Wharf Improvements Project” in the email subject line and the commenter’s physical mailing address in the body of the email.

For more information, visit www.portoflosangeles.org, or call the Port of Los Angeles Environmental Management Division at (310) 732-3675.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $270 billion in trade during 2015. Port operations and commerce facilitate more than 133,000 jobs (about one in 14) in the City of Los Angeles and 479,000 jobs (or one in 18) in the five-county Southern California region. The San Pedro Bay Ports support nearly 1 million California jobs and 2.8 million nationwide.