[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69122-69123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28355]
[[Page 69122]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western and Central Planning
Areas, Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Oil and Gas Lease Sales for the 2007-2012
5-Year OCS Program
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
(BOEMRE), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement.
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1. Authority
This Notice of Intent (NOI) is published pursuant to the
regulations (40 CFR 1501.7) implementing the provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq. (1988)).
2. Purpose of the Notice of Intent
The BOEMRE is announcing its intent to prepare a supplemental
environmental impact statement (SEIS) for Western Planning Area (WPA)
Lease Sale 218 and Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sale 222 in the
2007-2012 5-Year OCS Program. The proposed sales are in the Gulf of
Mexico's WPA off the States of Texas and Louisiana and in the CPA off
the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The SEIS will
update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses in the Gulf of
Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2007-2012; WPA Sales 204, 207, 210,
215, and 218; CPA Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 222, Final
Environmental Impact Statement (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) (Multisale
EIS), the NOI for which was published in the Federal Register on March
7, 2006 (Vol. 71, No. 44, Page 11444). The SEIS will also update the
environmental and socioeconomic analyses in the GOM OCS Oil and Gas
Lease Sales: 2009-2012; CPA Sales 208, 213, 216, and 222; WPA Sales
210, 215, and 218; Final SEIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-041), the NOI for
which was published in the Federal Register on September 10, 2007 (Vol.
72, No. 174, Page 51654). The SEIS for 2009-2012 was prepared after the
Gulf of Mexico Energy and Security Act (Pub. L. 109-432, December 20,
2006), which required BOEMRE to offer approximately 5.8 million acres
in the CPA (``181 South Area'') for oil and gas leasing, ``as soon as
practicable after the date of enactment of this Act.'' Lease Sales 218
and 222 are proposed to be held in late 2011 or early 2012, before the
end of the 2007-2012 5-Year OCS Program.
A SEIS is deemed appropriate to supplement the NEPA documents cited
above for these lease sales in order to consider new circumstances and
information arising, among other things, from the Deepwater Horizon
blowout and spill. The SEIS analysis will focus on updating the
baseline conditions and potential environmental effects of oil and
natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in the
WPA and CPA.
Scoping Process: Federal, State, and local government agencies, and
other interested parties may assist BOEMRE in determining the
significant issues and alternatives to be analyzed in the SEIS. Early
planning and consultation 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 Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act and regulations at 30 CFR 256. At a
minimum, alternatives that will be considered for the sales are no
action (i.e., cancel the sale) or to exclude certain areas from the
sales. Input is requested on additional measures (e.g., technology or
water depth limitations) that would maximize avoidance and minimize
impacts to environmental and socioeconomic resources. Formal
consultation with other Federal agencies, the affected states, and the
public will be carried out during the NEPA process and will be
completed before a final decision is made on Lease Sales 218 and 222.
For more information on the proposed sales or the SEIS, you may
contact Mr. Gary Goeke, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard, Mail Stop 5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 or by
calling (504) 736-3233.
3. Description of the Area
The general area proposed for Lease Sale 218 covers approximately
28.57 million acres in 5,240 blocks in the western portion of the GOM
(excluding whole and partial blocks within the boundary of the Flower
Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary), Lease Sale 222 covers
approximately 66.45 million acres in 12,409 blocks in the Central
portion of GOM (excluding blocks that were previously included within
the Eastern Planning Area (EPA) and that are within 100 miles of the
Florida coast; or beyond the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the area
known as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap). A map is available
on the BOEMRE Web site at http://www.gomr.boemre.gov/homepg/lsesale/mau_gom_pa.pdf.
4. Cooperating Agency
The BOEMRE invites other Federal agencies and state, tribal, and
local governments to consider becoming cooperating agencies in the
preparation of the SEIS. Following the guidelines from the Council of
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 to remember
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, BOEMRE will provide potential cooperating agencies
with an information package with a draft Memorandum of Agreement that
includes a schedule with critical action dates and milestones, mutual
responsibilities, designated points of contact, and expectations for
handling predecisional information. 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 NEPA. A copy of this document is available at
http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagenciesmemorandum.html and http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagencymemofactors.html.
The BOEMRE, as the lead agency, will not provide financial
assistance to cooperating agencies. Even if an organization is not a
cooperating agency, opportunities will exist to provide information and
comments to BOEMRE during the normal public input phases of the NEPA/
EIS process. If further information about cooperating agency status is
needed, please contact Mr. Gary Goeke at (504) 736-3233.
5. Comments
Public meetings will be held in locations near these areas in early
to mid November 2010. The meetings are being planned for, but not
necessarily limited to:
Tuesday, November 16, 2010, New Orleans, Louisiana, Hilton
New Orleans Airport, 901 Airline Drive Kenner, Louisiana 70062, 1 p.m.
CST.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010, Houston, Texas, Houston
Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy
[[Page 69123]]
Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032, 1 p.m. CST.
Thursday, November 18, 2010, Mobile, Alabama, The Battle
House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and Spa, 26 North Royal Street, Mobile,
Alabama 36602 1 p.m. CST.
The BOEMRE will use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to
satisfy the public involvement process for Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3).
Federal, State, 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, and alternatives
that should be considered in one of the following ways:
1. Electronically to the BOEMRE e-mail address:
[email protected].
2. In written form, delivered by hand or by mail, enclosed in an
envelope labeled ``Comments on the Sales 218 and 222 SEIS'' to the
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment (MS 5410), Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, Gulf of Mexico OCS
Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.
Comments should be submitted no later than December 27, 2010.
Dated: November 4, 2010.
L. Renee Orr,
Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 2010-28355 Filed 11-9-10; 8:45 am]
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