On the record...
A series of applications, memos and letters filed with several federal agencies help provide a timeline for the proposed Port Dolphin deepwater pipeline project in Tampa Bay to the west and north of Anna Maria Island.
March 29, 2007: Port Dolphin Energy LLC submitted an application for a license to own, construct and operate a deepwater port or DWP. The proposed port, also known as the Port Dolphin project, would be located in the Gulf of Mexico about 28 miles off the west coast of Florida opposite Anna Maria Island.
July 3, 2007: The governor’s office was informed of the application for the DWP and before the U.S. transportation secretary can issue a license, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration must review the application, as well as consult with other federal agencies and the state, “to ensure such a license is in the national interest.”
Feb. 18, 2008: The Florida Division of Historical Resources issued a letter finding that its review of the proposed project found “no effect on cultural resources.”
March 3: The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration recommended gathering additional data to determine the impact of the pipeline project on commercially, recreationally and ecologically important marine life, especially endangered species.
March 4: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services issued a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission raising concerns about plans to include an onshore pipeline to connect with the proposed bay pipeline and the impact on threatened and endangered species, including the Florida scrub-jay, wood stork and Eastern indigo snake.
April: The Coast Guard released an environmental impact statement, an assessment of the impact of the proposed pipeline and published a risk-assessment study.
May 6: A public hearing was held in Palmetto to take comments on the pipeline project, specifically in regards to the environmental impact statement. A number of objections were heard, including from local environmental groups and county officials.
May 6: The town of Longboat Key and Manatee County filed a memorandum raising concerns about the impact of the pipeline project on beach renourishment and coastal protection efforts in the area.
May 20: Manatee County commissioners shared concerns about the proposed pipeline project, specifically citing concerns with its impact on access to sand for future beach renourishment projects.
Sources: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission