[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15774-15775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6008]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf, Central Planning Area,
Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207 (2008) Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of an environmental assessment.
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SUMMARY: The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is issuing this notice
to advise the public, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., that MMS has
prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 207 in the Western Gulf
of Mexico (GOM) Planning Area (WPA) (Lease Sale 207) scheduled for
August 2008. The preparation of this EA is an important step in the
decision process for Lease Sale 207. The proposal for Lease Sale 207
was identified by the Call for Information and Nominations published in
the Federal Register on December 3, 2007, and was analyzed 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;
Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018). The proposal
includes approximately 28.6 million acres offshore Texas and western
Louisiana in water up to 10,978 ft (3,346 m) deep. This EA for proposed
Lease Sale 207 reexamined the potential environmental effects of
offering for lease all unleased blocks in the WPA (excluding unleased
whole and partial blocks that are part of Flower Garden Banks National
Marine Sanctuary, and whole and partial blocks that lie within the 1.4-
nautical mile buffer zone north of the outer continental shelf boundary
between the U.S. and Mexico). Alternatives excluded additional blocks
in biologically sensitive areas of the western GOM, use of a nomination
and tract selection leasing system, and no action. The EA determined
that no new information about environmental resources or potential
impacts were identified that were not considered in the Multisale EIS.
MMS determined that a Supplemental EIS is not required and prepared a
Finding of No New Significant Impact (FONNSI).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dennis Chew, Minerals Management
Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, MS
5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. You may also contact Mr. Chew
by telephone at (504) 736-2793.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In April 2007, MMS published a Multisale EIS
that addressed 11 proposed Federal actions that would offer for lease
areas on the GOM OCS that may contain economically recoverable oil and
gas
[[Page 15775]]
resources. Federal regulations allow for several related or similar
proposals to be analyzed in one EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). Since each
proposed lease sale and its projected activities are very similar each
year for each planning area, a single EIS was prepared for the 11 WPA
and Central Planning Area (CPA) lease sales scheduled in the proposed
OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2007-2012 (5-Year Program). The
Multisale EIS addressed WPA Lease Sale 204 in 2007, Sale 207 in 2008,
Sale 210 in 2009, Sale 215 in 2010, and Sale 218 in 2011; and CPA Lease
Sale 205 in 2007, Sale 206 in 2008, Sale 208 in 2009, Sale 213 in 2010,
Sale 216 in 2011, and Sale 222 in 2012. Although the Multisale EIS
addresses 11 proposed lease sales, at the completion of the EIS
process, Records of Decision were published in July and August 2007 for
only proposed WPA Lease Sale 204 and proposed CPA Lease Sale 205,
respectively. An additional NEPA review (an EA) was conducted for
proposed Lease Sale 207 to address any new information relevant to the
proposed lease sale. Additional NEPA reviews will also be conducted
prior to decisions on each of the remaining proposed lease sales. The
purpose of an EA for a lease sale is to determine whether to prepare a
FONNSI or a Supplemental EIS. For each proposed lease sale, MMS
prepares a Consistency Determination (CD) to determine whether the
lease sale is consistent with each affected State's federally-approved
coastal zone management program. Finally, MMS solicits comments via the
Proposed Notice of Sale (PNOS) from the governors of the affected
States on the size, timing, and location of the lease sale. The
tentative schedule for the prelease decision process for Lease Sale 207
is as follows: CDs sent to affected States, March 2008; PNOS sent to
governors of the affected States, March 2008; Final Notice of Sale
published in the Federal Register, July 2008; and Lease Sale 207,
August 2008.
Public Comments: Within 30 days of this Notice's publication,
interested parties are requested to send comments on this EA/FONNSI.
Comments may be submitted in one of the following two ways:
1. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on
WPA Lease Sale 207 EA'' 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: [email protected].
All comments received will be considered in the decisionmaking
process for proposed Lease Sale 207.
EA Availablity: To obtain a copy of this EA for Lease Sale 207, you
may contact the Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region,
Attention: Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard, Room 114, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 (1-800-200-
GULF). You may also view this EA on the MMS Web site at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html.
Dated: February 29, 2008.
Chris C. Oynes,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. E8-6008 Filed 3-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P