Air Permitting for Deepwater Port Act Projects in the South Central Region

The Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (DPA) establishes a license process that is administered by the U.S. Coast Guard and delegated to the Maritime Administration (MARAD), which issues the deepwater port (DWP) license. EPA Region 6 is involved in the licensing and environmental review process for DWP projects located in federal waters offshore the state seaward boundaries of Louisiana and Texas. EPA Region 6 is also responsible for the issuance of air permits for projects offshore in federal waters based on the CAA and the air regulations that would otherwise be applicable to the nearest adjacent coastal state, as long as the state or local requirements are applicable and not inconsistent with federal law and the DPA. Under the DPA, projects locating beyond 9 nautical miles from the Texas shoreline or 3 nautical miles from the Louisiana shoreline will need an EPA Region 6 issued CAA preconstruction and operating permit.

Permitting requirements vary on a project-by-project basis. For this reason, not all projects apply for the same permits or are subject to the same requirements. EPA strongly recommends that potential applicants contact or meet with EPA to determine what requirements apply and to discuss what should be included in an EPA permit application. Please contact the EPA Air Permits Section Supervisor at kaleri.cynthia@epa.gov for more information on the DWP permitting projects currently being processed by EPA Region 6.

Projects Currently Active in EPA Region 6

SPOT Terminal Services LLC, SPOT Deepwater Port (DWP):    The proposed crude oil export DWP will be located 35 miles off the coast of Brazoria County, Texas. CAA permits issued by EPA Region 6 on August 30, 2023, include both a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) pre-construction permit and a title V (TV) operating Permit.  See Docket EPA-R06-OAR-2019-0576 at www.regulations.gov for full details.  Find additional modeling files for the project here: https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/spot-dwp-project-prevention-significant-deterioration-psd-permit

Texas GulfLink (TGL) DWP:  The proposed crude oil export DWP will be located 26.6 nautical miles offshore of Freeport, Texas. EPA provided Public Notice on May 21, 2025, on the proposed draft CAA permit for this DWP facility, specifically a draft combined synthetic minor new source review (NSR) and Part 71 title V operating permit. To view the Administration Record for the draft permit developed, including the Public Notice and Public Comment for this permit action (Public Comment started on May 22, 2025 and ended on June 27, 2025), please visit the Regulations.Gov webpage for Docket ID EPA-R06-OAR-2021-0413, direct link: https://www.regulations.gov/search/docket?filter=EPA-R06-OAR-2021-0413.

Bluewater Texas Terminals, LLC (BWTX) DWP:  The proposed crude oil export DWP will be located approximately 18 miles offshore of Port Aransas, Texas. EPA provided Public Notice on June 25, 2025, on the proposed CAA permit for this DWP facility, specifically a synthetic minor NSR permit. At this time, the applicant has not submitted a Part 71 title V operating permit application. To view the Administration Record for the draft synthetic minor NSR permit developed, including the Public Notice and Public Comment for this permit action (Public Comment started June 26, 2025 and ended on August 1, 2025), please visit the Regulations.Gov webpage for Docket ID EPA-R06-OAR-2025-0311, direct link: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-R06-OAR-2025-0311 

Blue Marlin Offshore Port (BMOP) DWP:  PSD and TV permit applications in-house and being processed; the proposed crude oil export DWP will be located 82 statute miles off the coast of Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

New Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG LLC (NF FLNG) DWP: PSD and TV permit applications in house and being processed; the proposed Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) export DWP will be located approximately 16 nautical miles off the southeast coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Delfin LNG LLC (Delfin LNG) DWP: PSD and TV permit applications in house and being processed; the proposed Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) export DWP will be located approximately 41 nautical miles off the coast of Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

Additional Guidance References:

• EPA’s Liquefied Natural Gas Regulatory Roadmap
• EPA New Source Review (NSR) Permitting
• EPA Operating Permits Issued under Title V of the Clean Air Act
• EPA CAA Permitting Tools & Related Resources
• MARAD’s Deepwater Port Licensing for LNG and Oil Import and Export