[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 219 (Monday, November 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58976-58977]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27488]


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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 213 (2010) 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 213 in the Central Gulf 
of Mexico (GOM) Planning Area (Lease Sale 213) scheduled for March 
2010. The preparation of this EA is an important step in the decision 
process for Lease Sale 213. The proposal for Lease Sale 213 was 
identified by the Call for Information and Nominations published in the 
Federal Register on October 9, 2008, 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), and in the 
Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2009-2012; Central Planning 
Area Sales 208, 213, 216, and 222; Western Planning Area Sales 210, 
215, and 218--Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(Supplemental EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-041).
    This EA for proposed Lease Sale 213 analyzed the potential 
environmental effects of the proposed lease sale and its alternatives 
(excluding the unleased blocks near biologically sensitive topographic 
features; excluding the unleased blocks within 15 miles of the Baldwin 
County, Alabama, coast; and no action) based on any new information 
regarding potential impacts and issues that were not available at the 
time the Supplemental EIS was prepared. This EA for proposed Lease Sale 
213 also examined the potential environmental effects of the addition 
of two small areas within the Central Planning Area (CPA), located 
greater than 100 miles from the coasts of Alabama and Florida, that 
were not previously examined by the Supplemental EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 
2008-041) or Multisale EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) but that were 
included in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2007-2012 (5-Year 
Program).
    No new significant impacts were identified for proposed Lease Sale 
213 that were not already assessed in the Multisale EIS or Supplemental 
EIS. As a result, MMS determined that an additional Supplemental EIS is 
not required and prepared a Finding of No New Significant Impact 
(FONNSI).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bruce Baird, Minerals Management 
Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, MS 
5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. You may also contact Mr. Baird 
by telephone at (504) 731-1489.

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 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 
Western Planning Area (WPA) and CPA lease sales scheduled in the 
proposed 5-Year Program. The Multisale EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) 
addressed WPA Sale 204 in 2007, Sale 207 in 2008, Sale 210 in 2009, 
Sale 215 in 2010, and Sale 218 in 2011; and CPA 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. However, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 
2006 repealed the Congressional moratorium on approximately 5.8 million 
acres located in the southeastern part of the CPA. Therefore, it was 
necessary to prepare additional NEPA documentation to address the MMS 
proposal to expand the CPA by the 5.8 million acre area. A Supplemental 
EIS was prepared for the remaining seven CPA and WPA lease sales 
scheduled in the 5-Year Program. In September 2008, MMS published a 
Supplemental EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-041) that addressed seven 
proposed Federal actions that would offer for lease areas on the GOM 
OCS that may contain economically recoverable oil and gas resources. An 
additional NEPA review (an EA) was conducted for proposed Lease Sale 
213 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 four subsequent proposed lease sales. The purpose of these 
EAs 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 (NOS) 
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 213 is as follows: CDs sent to affected 
states, October 2009; Proposed NOS sent to governors of the affected 
states, November 2009; Final NOS published in the  Federal Register, 
February 2010; and Lease Sale 213, March 2010.
    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 
CPA Lease Sale 213 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 213.
    EA Availablity: To obtain a copy of this EA, 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:[sol][sol]www.gomr.mms.gov/
homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html.


[[Page 58977]]


    Dated: October 30, 2009.
Chris C. Oynes,
Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. E9-27488 Filed 11-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P