[Federal Register: September 10, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 174)]
[Notices]
[Page 51654-51657]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10se07-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western and Central Gulf of Mexico
(GOM), Oil and Gas Lease Sales for Years 2009-2012
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.
ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations/Notice of Intent (Call/
NOI) to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).
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SUMMARY: On April 28, 2006, MMS issued a Call for 11 lease sales in the
Western and Central GOM planning areas included in the draft proposed
2007-2012 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program. After that Call the Congress
enacted a mandate, in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006
(GOMESA) (Pub. L. 109-432, December 20, 2006), that MMS offer, as soon
as practicable, approximately 5.8 million acres located in the
southeastern part of the Central Planning Area (CPA) referred to as the
``181 South Area.'' Central GOM Sale 208 (March 2009) will be the first
sale to include the ``181 South Area.'' The purpose of this Call is to
gather information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development
that might result from the four Central GOM OCS oil and gas lease sales
tentatively scheduled in 2009-2012, in particular regarding the ``181
South Area.'' The purpose of this NOI is to announce MMS's intent to
prepare a SEIS on the four Central and three Western GOM OCS oil and
gas lease sales tentatively scheduled in 2009-2012. Comments received
in response to the NOI will assist MMS in developing the scope of the
SEIS.
DATES: Comments on the Call must be received no later than October 10,
2007 and comments on the NOI must be received no later than October 25,
2007 at the addresses specified below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on this Call, please
contact Mr. Carrol Williams, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of
Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (MS 5422), New Orleans,
Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2803. For information on the
NOI, you may contact Mr. Dennis Chew, Minerals Management Service, Gulf
of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (MS 5412), New
Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2793.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GOMESA, (Pub. L. 109-432, December 20,
2006), mandated MMS to offer approximately 5.8 million acres in the CPA
(formerly the ``181 South Area'' was an area under Congressional
moratoria and Presidential withdrawal for oil and gas leasing ``as soon
as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act.'' This Call/NOI
is the initial step in the prelease process for a sale within that 181
South Area. To fully comply with all pertinent laws, rules, and
regulations and to allow the public an adequate opportunity to
participate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process,
the earliest MMS would be able to offer this area would be March 2009.
The SEIS will update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses
in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2007-2012; Western
Planning Area Sales 204, 207, 210, 215, and 218; Central Planning Area
Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 222, Final Environmental Impact
Statement (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) (Multisale EIS) and will address
the addition of the ``181 South Area.''
Call for Information and Nominations
1. Authority
This Call is published pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (OCSLA) as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356), and the regulations
issued thereunder (30 CFR part 256).
2. Purpose of Call
The purpose of the Call is to gather information for the following
tentatively scheduled OCS lease sales:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale
Lease sale, OCS planning area year
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale 208, Central GOM........................................... 2009
Sale 213, Central GOM........................................... 2010
Sale 216, Central GOM........................................... 2011
Sale 222, Central GOM........................................... 2012
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and
production within this portion of the CPA is sought from all interested
parties. This early planning and consultation step is important for
ensuring that all interests and concerns are communicated to the
Department of the Interior for future decisions in the leasing process
pursuant to the OCSLA and regulations at 30 CFR part 256.
This Call is in response to the mandate within GOMESA to offer
additional acreage in the southeastern portion of the Central Planning
Area as depicted on the map at the end of this notice. Leasing within
this area will be in compliance with applicable laws including all
requirements of the NEPA, Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and OCSLA.
Established Departmental procedures will be employed.
[[Page 51655]]
3. Description of Area
The general area of this Call covers approximately 5.8 million
acres in the Central GOM planning area, south of the Sale 181 Area. The
area is south of eastern Alabama and western Florida; the nearest point
of land is 125 miles northwest in Louisiana. A standard Call for
Information Map depicting this portion of the CPA is available without
charge from the Minerals Management Service, Public Information Office
(MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-
2394, or by telephone at 1-800-200-GULF. The map is also available via
the MMS Web site at http://www.mms.gov.
4. Instructions on Call
Comments must be received no later than 30 days following
publication of this document in the Federal Register in envelopes
labeled ``Comments on the Call for Information for Proposed 2009-2012
Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico,'' submitted to the Gulf of
Mexico OCS Region's Leasing Activities Section (Attention: Mr. Carrol
Williams) at the previously noted address.
The standard Call for Information Map delineates the Call area, all
of which has been identified by MMS as having potential for the
discovery of accumulations of oil and gas.
Comments are sought from all interested parties about particular
geological, environmental (including natural disasters), biological,
archaeological, and socioeconomic conditions or conflicts, or other
information that might bear upon the potential leasing and development
of this area. Comments are also sought on potential conflicts between
future OCS oil and gas activities that may result from the proposed
lease sales and State Coastal Management Programs (CMPs). If possible,
these comments should identify specific CMP policies of concern, the
nature of the conflict foreseen, and steps that MMS could take to avoid
or mitigate the potential conflict. Comments may be in terms of broad
areas or restricted to particular blocks of concern. Those submitting
comments are requested to list block numbers or outline the subject
area on the standard Call for Information Map.
5. Use of Information From Call
Information submitted in response to this Call will be used for
several purposes. First, comments on possible environmental effects and
potential use conflicts will be used in the analysis of environmental
conditions in and near the Call area. Comments on environmental and
other use conflicts will be used to make a preliminary determination of
the potential advantages and disadvantages of oil and gas exploration
and development to the region and the Nation. A second purpose for this
Call is to use the comments collected in the scoping process to develop
proposed actions and alternatives. Third, comments may be used in
developing lease terms and conditions to ensure environmentally safe
offshore operations, and, fourth, comments may be used to assess
potential conflicts between offshore gas and oil activities and State
CMPs.
6. Existing Information
The MMS routinely assesses the status of information acquisition
efforts and the quality of the information base for potential decisions
on a tentatively scheduled lease sale. An extensive environmental
studies program has been underway in the GOM since 1973. The emphasis,
including continuing studies, has been on ``environmental analysis'' of
biologically sensitive habitats, physical oceanography, ocean-
circulation modeling, and ecological effects of oil and gas activities.
In response to impacts from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the MMS is
funding studies regarding hurricane risks to onshore structures and
their surrounding communities and environment. Socioeconomic profiles
of communities with a high concentration of OCS-related activity are
assessing the social and environmental impacts of the 2005 hurricanes.
These studies will also evaluate the effects of hurricane-related
employment shifts on onshore labor and coastal communities. In
addition, the MMS has awarded a number of studies to determine the
impact of Hurricane Ivan on offshore oil and gas structures. These
studies were designed to analyze and assess the damage to structures
and pipelines, determine the effectiveness of current design standards
and pollution-prevention systems, and develop recommendations for
potential changes to industry standards and MMS regulations, if needed.
Results of these studies will also apply to the impacts of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita and future hurricanes.
You may obtain a complete listing of available study reports and
information for ordering copies from the Public Information Office
referenced above. You may also order the reports for a fee from the
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service,
5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, or telephone (703)
605-6000 or (800) 553-6847. In addition, you may obtain a program
status report for continuing studies in this area from the Chief,
Environmental Sciences Section (MS 5430), Minerals Management Service,
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,
Louisiana 70123-2394, or telephone (504) 736-2752, or via the MMS Web
site at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/studiesprogram.html
.
7. Tentative Schedule
Call for Information and August 2007.
Nominations.
NOI to Prepare a SEIS.......... August 2007.
Comments Received on Call/NOI.. September-October 2007.
Scoping Meetings............... October 2007.
Area Identification Decision... October-November 2007.
Draft SEIS Published........... April 2008.
Public Hearings on Draft SEIS.. May-June 2007.
Final SEIS Published........... October 2008.
Proposed Notice of Sale and 5 months before lease sale.
Coastal Zone Management
Consistency Determination.
Final Notice of Sale........... 1 month before lease sale.
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement
1. Authority
The NOI is published pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1501.7)
implementing the provisions of the NEPA of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq. (1988)).
2. Purpose of Notice of Intent
Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA, MMS is announcing its intent to prepare a SEIS on oil and gas
lease sales tentatively scheduled in 2009-2012 in the Western and
Central GOM offshore the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Alabama. The SEIS will update the analyses in the
[[Page 51656]]
Multisale EIS. The NOI also serves to announce the scoping process for
this SEIS. Throughout the scoping process, Federal, state, and local
government agencies and other interested parties have the opportunity
to aid MMS in determining the significant issues and alternatives for
analysis in the SEIS. The SEIS analysis will focus on the potential
environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration,
development, and production in the ``181 South Area,'' and any new
information available since the publication of the Multisale EIS.
In an effort to reevaluate and improve the scenarios for OCS lease
sales presented in its NEPA documents, the MMS is also using this
scoping opportunity to solicit input on previous forecasts and present
methods of forecasting[TZ (LD)8] exploration and development activity,
pipeline landfalls, and onshore waste disposal sites. Federal, state,
and local government agencies; industry; and the public are encouraged
to comment on recently published reports prepared by MMS. These reports
can be found at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html
.
3. Supplemental Information
As mandated in the recently enacted GOMESA, MMS shall offer the
``181 South Area'' for oil and gas leasing pursuant to the OCSLA (43
U.S.C. 1331 et seq.). In March 2009, proposed Lease Sale 208 would be
the first CPA sale to offer the ``181 South Area.'' The MMS is
proposing to prepare a SEIS to address the addition of the ``181 South
Area'' and any new information available since the publication of the
Multisale EIS. The resource estimates and scenario information for the
SEIS analyses will be presented as a range that would encompass the
resources and activities estimated for any of the seven proposed lease
sales. At the completion of this SEIS process, a decision will be made
for proposed Central Sale 208 (2009) and Western Sale 210 (2009).
This SEIS will supplement the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease
Sales: 2007-2012; Western Planning Area Sales 204, 207, 210, 215, and
218; Central Planning Area Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 222,
Final Environmental Impact Statement (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018). For
more information on the SEIS, you may contact Dennis Chew, Minerals
Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard (MS 5412), New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, or by e-mail at
environment@mms.gov. You may also contact Mr. Chew by telephone at
(504) 736-2793.
4. Cooperating Agency
The MMS invites other Federal agencies and state, tribal, and local
governments to consider becoming cooperating agencies in the
preparation of the SEIS. We invite qualified government entities to
inquire about cooperating agency status for the SEIS. Following the
guidelines from the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), qualified
agencies and governments are those with ``jurisdiction by law or
special expertise.'' Potential cooperating agencies should consider
their authority and capacity to assume the responsibilities of a
cooperating agency and note that an agency's role in the environmental
analysis neither enlarges nor diminishes the final decisionmaking
authority of any other agency involved in the NEPA process. Upon
request, the MMS will provide potential cooperating agencies with a
written summary of ground rules for cooperating agencies, including
time schedules and critical action dates, milestones, responsibilities,
scope and detail of cooperating agencies' contributions, and the
availability of pre-decisional information. The MMS anticipates this
summary will form the basis for a Memorandum of Understanding between
MMS and each cooperating agency. Agencies should also consider the
``Factors for Determining Cooperating Agency Status'' in Attachment 1
to CEQ's January 30, 2002, Memorandum for the Heads of Federal
Agencies: Cooperating Agencies in Implementing the Procedural
Requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. A copy of this
document is available at http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagenciesmemorandum.html and http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/
e.gov/nepa/regs/">http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/doe.gov/nepa/regs/
The MMS, as the lead agency, will not provide financial assistance
to cooperating agencies. Yet, even if an organization is not a
cooperating agency, opportunities exist to provide information and
comments to MMS during the normal public input phases of the NEPA/SEIS
process. If further information about cooperating agencies is needed,
please contact Mr. Dennis Chew at (504) 736-2793.
5. Comments
Federal, state, and local government agencies and other interested
parties are requested to send their written comments on the scope of
the SEIS, significant issues that should be addressed, alternatives
that should be considered, and scenario development in one of the
following two ways:
1. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on
the Supplemental Multisale EIS'' and mailed (or hand carried) to the
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment (MS 5410), Minerals
Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.
2. Electronically to the MMS e-mail address: environment@mms.gov.
Comments should be submitted no later than 45 days from the
publication of this NOI.
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings on the Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement
Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.), the MMS will hold public scoping
meetings in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama on the SEIS for the
tentatively scheduled 2009-2012 oil and gas leasing proposal in the
Western and Central GOM. While the purpose of these meetings will be to
solicit comments on the scope of the SEIS, MMS is also using this
opportunity to solicit input on previous forecasts and current
forecasting methods of exploration and development activity, pipeline
landfalls, and onshore waste disposal sites associated with OCS lease
sales. Federal, state, and local government agencies; industry; and the
public are encouraged to comment on recently published reports prepared
by MMS. These reports can be found at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html
.
The public scoping meetings are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, October 9, 2007, Larose Civic Center, Larose
Regional Park, Larose, Louisiana, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007, The Woods Auditorium in the
Energy, Coast and Environment Building at the Louisiana State
University Campus, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 11, 2007, Riverview Plaza Hotel, 64
South Water Street, Mobile, Alabama, 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 11, 2007, Marriott Houston
Intercontinental at George Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy
Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 1 p.m.
For further information about the scoping meetings, contact Mr.
Dennis Chew, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region,
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (MS 5412),
[[Page 51657]]
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2793.
Dated: August 24, 2007.
Randall B. Luthi,
Director, Minerals Management Service.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN10SE07.000
[FR Doc. E7-17737 Filed 9-7-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P