[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19095-19098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7091]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska OCS Region, North Aleutian
Basin, Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 214
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.
ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations (Call) and Notice of
Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
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SUMMARY: This Call for Information and Nominations (hereinafter
referred to as ``Call'') and the NOI are the initial information-
gathering steps in a process that incorporates planning and analysis
for proposed OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 214 in the program area of the
North Aleutian Basin Planning Area offshore the State of Alaska. The
program area is that subarea of the larger North Aleutian Basin
Planning Area identified in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, 2007
to 2012, that may be offered in the proposed Sale 214. Readers are
cautioned that this announcement is not a commitment to hold a lease
sale but rather a continuation of the information-gathering and
evaluation process.
Simultaneously with this Call, the MMS is giving notice of its
intent to prepare an EIS for Sale 214 in the North Aleutian Basin,
tentatively scheduled for 2011. The EIS analysis will focus on the
potential environmental effects of oil and gas exploration,
development, and production in the proposed sale area and its vicinity.
This NOI also serves to announce the initiation of the scoping process
for this EIS. The MMS will consider comments received in response to
this NOI and Call in determining the proposed sale area and the scope
of the EIS. The Department of the Interior (DOI) is also inviting other
Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments to consider becoming
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS.
DATES: Nominations and Comments on the Call must be received no later
than July 7, 2008. Submittals should be labeled ``Nominations for
Proposed Sale 214'' or ``Comments on Call for Information and
Nominations for Proposed Sale 214,'' as appropriate. Comments on the
NOI also must be received no later than July 7, 2008. Submittals should
be labeled ``Comments on the Notice of Intent for Proposed Sale 214.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Dr. Cleve Cowles,
Regional Supervisor, Office of Leasing and Environment, Minerals
Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive
500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5820, phone at (907) 334-5233
regarding questions on the Call or NOI.
Supplementary Information On the Call
The final EIS will serve as the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) analysis for North Aleutian Basin Sale 214. The MMS will prepare
additional Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) Consistency Determination
(CD), CZMA, and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) documents, as
appropriate.
Call for Information and Nominations
1. Authority: This Call is published pursuant to the OCSLA as
amended (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, (1994)) and the regulations issued
thereunder (30 CFR 256); and in accordance with the OCS Oil and Gas
Leasing Program, 2007-2012.
2. Purpose of Call: The purpose of the Call is to gather
nominations and information for proposed OCS Lease Sale 214,
tentatively scheduled in 2011 in the ``program area'' of the North
Aleutian Basin Planning Area.
Information and nominations on oil and gas leasing, exploration,
and development and production within the program area of the North
Aleutian Basin are sought from all interested parties. This early
planning and consultation step is important for ensuring that all
interests and concerns are communicated to the DOI for its
consideration in future decisions in the leasing process pursuant to
the OCSLA and regulations at 30 CFR 256. This Call/NOI is being issued
in accordance with the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, 2007-2012.
This Call is to gather information and does not indicate a
preliminary decision to lease in the areas described below. Final
decision and delineation of each area for possible leasing will be made
at a later date and only if there is compliance with applicable laws
including all requirements of the OCSLA and NEPA using established
departmental procedures.
3. Description of Area: The area that is the subject of this Call
is located offshore the State of Alaska in the North Aleutian Basin
Planning Area. The ``program area'' is that subarea of the larger
planning area identified in OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, 2007-2012.
The ``program area'' extends offshore from about 10 statute miles to
approximately 120 statute miles, in water depths from approximately 40
feet (12 meters) to 120 feet (37 meters). This area consists of
approximately 990 whole and partial blocks of about 2.3 million
hectares (5.6 million acres). A page size map of the program area
accompanies this Call. Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs) are
available at no charge at the website: http://www.mms.gov/ld/alaska.htm.
4. Instructions On Call: Nominations and information must be
received no later than 90 days following publication of this Call in
the Federal Register. Submittals should indicate ``Nominations for
Proposed Sale 214'' or ``Comments on Call for Information and
Nominations for Proposed Sale 214'' as appropriate. Comments on the NOI
also must be received no later than July 7, 2008. Submittals should be
labeled ``Comments on the Notice of Intent for Proposed Sale 214.''
Nominations and comments may be submitted by any one of the
following methods:
Mail or hand-deliver comments to the Regional Supervisor,
Office of Leasing and Environment, Alaska OCS Region, Minerals
Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage,
Alaska 99503-5823.
Submit comments by Internet through MMS Public Connect at
this website: https://ocsconnect.mms.gov/pcs-public/.
Fax comments to the Regional Supervisor, Office of Leasing
and Environment, Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service at
(907) 334-5242.
E-mail comments to [email protected].
Please submit e-mail or Internet comments as an ASCII file avoiding
the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also
include your name and return address in your e-mail or Internet
message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we
have received your e-mail or Internet message, contact us directly at
1-800-764-2627.
The Call for Information Map delineates the Call area identified by
MMS as having potential for the discovery of accumulations of oil and
gas. Respondents are requested to indicate nominations and comments on
[[Page 19096]]
any or all of the Federal acreage within the boundaries of the Call
area that they wish in proposed North Aleutian Basin Sale 214. Although
individual nominations are considered privileged and proprietary
information, the names of persons or entities indicating interest or
submitting comments will be of public record.
Nominations must be submitted using the large-scale Call for
Information Map by outlining the areas of interest along block lines.
Respondents should rank areas in which they have nominated according to
priority of interest; for example, priority 1 (high), or 2 (medium).
Blocks nominated that do not indicate priorities will be considered
priority 3 (low). Respondents must be specific in indicating blocks by
priority, and be prepared to discuss their range of interest and
activity regarding the nominated area(s). The telephone number and name
of a person to contact in the nominator's organization for additional
information should be included in the response. The Alaska OCS Regional
Office will contact this person to set up a mutually agreeable time and
place for a meeting to more fully review the company's nominations.
Respondents may also submit a detailed list of blocks nominated by
Official Protraction Diagram and Leasing Map designations to ensure
correct interpretation of their nominations.
Comments are sought from all interested parties about particular
geological (including natural hazard areas), environmental, biological,
archaeological, and socioeconomic conditions or potential conflicts, or
other information that might bear upon the potential leasing,
exploration, and development of the program area and vicinity. Comments
are also sought on possible conflicts between future OCS oil and gas
activities that may result from the proposed sales and the standards of
the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP), and the enforceable
policies of an approved local district coastal management plan. These
comments should identify specific Coastal Management Program (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 or areas of concern. Those submitting comments are requested to
list block numbers or outline the subject area on the standard Call for
Information Map.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and addresses of
respondents, available for public review during regular business hours.
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their address from
the rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by
law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a
respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold
your name or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning
of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We
will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their
entirety.
5. Use Of Call Information: Information submitted in response to
this Call will be used for several purposes. Responses will be used to:
Identify the proposed sale area;
Help identify areas of potential oil and gas development;
Identify potential environmental effects and potential use
conflicts;
Assist in the scoping process for the EIS;
Develop possible alternatives to the proposed action;
Develop lease terms and conditions/mitigating measures;
and
Identify potential conflicts between oil and gas
activities and the ACMP.
6. Tentative Schedule: The following is a list of tentative
milestone dates that apply to Sale 214 covered by this Call:
Call/NOI published--April 2008.
Comments due on Call/NOI--June 2008.
Area Identification--September 2008.
Draft EIS available--January 2010.
Public Hearings--February/March 2010.
Final EIS available--January 2011.
Consistency Determination/Proposed Notice of Sale issued--January
2011.
Governor's Comments due--March 2011.
Final Notice of Sale published--October 2011.
Sale held--November 2011.
Supplemental Information on the Notice of Intent To Prepare an EIS
1. Authority: The NOI is published pursuant to the regulations (40
CFR 1501.7) implementing the provisions of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (1988)) (NEPA).
2. Purpose of Notice of Intent: Pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR
1501.7) implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA, the MMS is
announcing its intent to prepare an EIS for oil and gas lease Sale 214
tentatively scheduled for 2011 in the ``program area'' of North
Aleutian Basin, offshore the State of Alaska. The proposed action is to
offer for lease all of the blocks in the program area. The EIS analysis
will focus on the potential environmental effects of oil and gas
exploration, development, and production on the fish, wildlife,
socioeconomic, and subsistence resources in the North Aleutian Basin
``program area'' and neighboring communities. This NOI also serves to
announce the initiation of the scoping process for this EIS. Throughout
the scoping process, Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments and
other interested parties aid MMS in determining the significant issues,
reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigating measures to be
analyzed in the EIS and the possible need for additional information.
Alternatives may include, at a minimum, the proposed action, taking no
action, or implementing appropriate restrictions on oil and gas
activities. These and any additional alternatives developed through
scoping and the analytical process will be considered in the
decisionmaking process.
3. Instructions on the Notice of Intent: Federal, State, Tribal,
and local governments and other interested parties are requested to
provide comments related to the scope of the EIS, including significant
issues that should be addressed, reasonable alternatives, potential
mitigation measures, and relevant information that should be
considered. You may mail comments to the Minerals Management Service,
Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska
99503-5823. Comments should be enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Attn:
Sale 214 NOI.'' You may also submit comments via e-mail to
[email protected]. Please include ``Attn: NAB Lease Sale 214 NOI'' in
the subject line, and your name and return address in the message. If
you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received
your e-mail message, please contact us at (907) 334-5207. Lastly, you
may hand-deliver comments to the address above. Comments are due no
later than July 7, 2008.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and addresses of
respondents, available for public review during regular business hours.
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their address from
the public record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law.
There may also be circumstances in which we would withhold a
respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to
[[Page 19097]]
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at
the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous
comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety. Scoping meetings (to be
announced at a later date) will be held in appropriate locations to
obtain additional comments and information regarding the scope of the
EIS.
A Notice of Availability of the draft EIS for public review and
comment will be announced in the Federal Register by the MMS and the
Environmental Protection Agency; on the MMS, Alaska OCS Region,
homepage; and, in the local media. Public hearings will be held in the
local area following release of the draft EIS. Dates and locations are
to be determined.
4. Cooperating Agencies: The DOI policy is to invite other Federal
agencies, and State, Tribal, and local governments to consider becoming
cooperating agencies in the preparation of an EIS. Per Council of
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, 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. Cooperating agency status neither enlarges nor diminishes the
final decisionmaking authority of any agency involved in the NEPA
process. The MMS invites qualified government entities to inquire about
cooperating agency status for this lease sale EIS. Upon request, the
MMS will provide qualified 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 handling of predecisional
information.
The MMS anticipates this summary will form the basis for a
Memorandum of Understanding between the MMS and each cooperating
agency. You should also consider the CEQ's ``Factors for Determining
Cooperating Agency Status.'' This document is available on the CEQ Web
site at: http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagencymemofactors.html.
Even if your organization is not a cooperating agency, you will
continue to have opportunities to provide information and comments to
MMS during the normal public input phases of the NEPA/EIS process.
5. Background Information: The geologic basin is about 17,500
square miles in area and underlies the northern coastal plain of the
Alaska Peninsula and the waters of Bristol Bay and is believed to be
gas-prone. The ``program area'' is that subarea of the larger planning
area identified in OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program, 2007-2012. Water
depths in the program area range from 40 to 120 feet (12 to 37 meters).
The program area is approximately 10 statute miles from shore to more
than 120 statute miles offshore. This area consists of approximately
990 whole and partial blocks of about 2.3 million hectares (5.6 million
acres).
In 1985, the MMS prepared a final environmental impact statement
for proposed NAB Sale 92 that assessed the potential impacts of oil and
gas leasing activities in the NAB Planning Area (Final Environmental
Impact Statement, North Aleutian Basin Sale 92, OCS EIS/EA MMS 85-0052,
September 1985). On October 11, 1988, Sale 92 occurred and resulted in
the issuance of 23 leases.
In October 1989, the North Aleutian Basin Planning Area was placed
under a congressional moratorium which banned DOI expenditures in
support of any petroleum leasing or development activities in the
planning area. In 1995, the Federal Government bought back the 23
leases that were acquired in the 1988 sale. In 1998, an Executive Order
extended the moratorium as a Presidential withdrawal until 2012. In
2004, the congressional moratorium on petroleum-related activities in
the NAB was discontinued and in 2007, the Presidential withdrawal was
modified to exclude the North Aleutian Basin.
In anticipation of potential leasing-related analysis for the North
Aleutian Basin, the MMS Environmental Studies Program convened, in the
fall of 2006, a Research Planning Meeting to review the status of
environmental information in the NAB and to initiate planning for
future study efforts. The MMS also contracted scientific staff at
Argonne National Laboratory to conduct a literature search of relevant
scientific publications over the last ten years (1996 to 2006), leading
to the production of a literature synthesis report. Over 600 recent
reports or studies were identified to supply information relevant to
the EIS. In 2007, the MMS and the National Marine Fisheries Service
began collaboration on a study of the North Pacific right whale, a
federally designated endangered species, in the NAB. The MMS also
contracted to modify an ice-ocean circulation model for Alaska's
Bristol Bay. Proposed studies for fiscal year 2008 include research on
subsistence food harvest and sharing activities, studies of juvenile
and maturing salmon, and nearshore mapping of juvenile salmon and
settling crab. Additional studies are proposed for fiscal year 2009.
Information on the Environmental Studies Program, completed studies,
and a status report for continuing studies in the NAB area may be found
at this Web site: http://www.mms.gov/alaska or obtained by telephone
request at 1-800-764-2627, or by written request at the address noted
above.
Additional pertinent information may also be found at the following
Web sites: http://www.mms.gov/alaska/re/index.htm and http://www.mms.gov/alaska/fo/INDEX.HTM.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN04AP08.002
Dated: March 21, 2008.
Jon Hrobsky,
Acting Director, Minerals Management Service.
[FR Doc. E8-7091 Filed 4-7-08; 8:45 am]
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