Environmental assessment: strategic petroleum reserve seaway complex distribution enhancements, Brazoria, Galveston, and Harris Counties, Texas.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) of the US Department of Energy Proposes to construct and operate a 42-inch buried crude oil pipeline, between 48 and 53 miles long, to transport crude oil from existing facilities of the SPR Seaway Complex located near Freeport, Texas, to and existing commercial crude oil terminal near Texas City, Texas. Three subalternative pipeline segments are under consideration for the origin of the route at the SPR Bryan Mound storage site located near Freeport, Texas. Crude oil throughput for all cases is 1,315,000 bpd. The environmental of the proposed action are related to pipeline construction and operation. Potential impacts from pipeline construction area primarily concerned with prome farmland and wetlands. The use of double ditching techniques to restore original soil profile will minimize impacts to prime farmlands, and impacts on wetlands. Compliance with US Army Corps of Engineers permit conditions (which specify restoration of a land to original contours, disposal of spoil in upland areas, and revegetation of riparian areas) will mitigate impacts on wetlands. Water use during pipeline testing in accordance with permit conditions is not expected to be significant. Potential impacts from pipeline operation are primarily concerned with accidental releases of crude oil to the environment. As a worst-case, 0.01 spill events would occur during 1 six month drawdown, and the volume spilled would be 18,000 bbl for the pipeline. Because the pipeline will be buried, the occurence of a major pipeline break releasing large quantities of crude oil is unlikely. Testing and inspection of buried pipeline, and the development of an oil spill contingency plan will reduce the seriousness of an oil spill. Impacts on floodplains are also expected to be minor.