[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 149 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 40245-40247] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-19547] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Outer Continental Shelf, Central Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sales 169, 172, 175, 178, and 182 AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior. ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations, and Notice of Intent (Call/NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Call for Information and Nominations 1. Authority This Call is published pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, (1994)) (OCSLA), 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 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico (CGOM): ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sale No. Tentative sale date ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 169....................................... March, 1998. 172....................................... March, 1999. 175....................................... March, 2000. 178....................................... March, 2001. 182....................................... March, 2002. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information and nominations on oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development and production within the CGOM 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 Department of the Interior for future decisions in the leasing process pursuant to the OCSLA, and regulations at 30 CFR part 256. Please note this is the first issuance of a multi-sale Call by MMS and the first Call in the Proposed 1997-2002 5-Year Program. Responses are requested relative to all sales included herein. The MMS has modified its prelease planning and decision process for proposed Central and Western Gulf lease sales. This multi-sale process is based on over a dozen years of leasing at an annual pace which have shown that the sale proposals in the CGOM (and the WGOM) are very similar from year to year. The multi-sale process in the Central Gulf will incorporate planning and analysis for 5 sales: sales 169, 172, 175, 178, and 182. From the initial step in the process (the Call for Information and Nominations) through the final EIS/Consistency Determination (CD) step, this process will cover multiple sale proposals. There will also be complete NEPA, OCSLA, and CZMA coverage for each sale after the first sale--either an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Supplemental EIS and a CD, focusing primarily on new issues or changes in a State's Federally-approved coastal management plan, will be prepared for each subsequent sale. A proposed and final Notice of Sale will be prepared for each proposed sale. (The multi-sale process in the Western Gulf will incorporate planning and analysis for 4 sales: sales 171, 174, 177, and 180. A Call for that multi-sale process is expected to be issued later this year.) This Call does not indicate a preliminary decision to lease in the area described below. Final delineation of the area for possible leasing will be made at a later date and in compliance with applicable laws including all requirements of the NEPA and OCSLA. Establish departmentall procedures will be employed. 3. Description of Area The general area of this Call covers the entire CGOM. The CGOM is bounded on the east by approximately 88 degrees W. longitude. Its western boundary begins at the offshore boundary between Texas and Louisiana and proceeds southeasterly to approximately 28 degrees N. latitude, thence east to approximately 92 degrees W. longitude, thence sough to the provisional maritime boundary with Mexico which constitutes the southern boundary of the area. The northern part of the area is bounded by the Federal-State boundary offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The area available for nominations and comments at this time consists of approximately 47.8 million acres. A standard Call for Information Map depicting the CGOM on a block- by- [[Page 40246]] block basis is available without charge from: Minerals Management Service, Public Information Unit (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, Telephone: 1-800-200- GULF. 4. Area Excluded from this Call. The entire CGOM is proposed for possible leasing and no areas are excluded from this Call. 5. Instructions on Call Indications of interest and comments must be received no later than 45 days following publication of this document in the Federal Register in envelopes labeled ``Nominations for Proposed 1998-2002 Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico'' or ``Comments on the Call for Information and Nominations for Proposed 1998-2002 Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico.'' The standard Call for Information Map and indications of interest and/or comments must be submitted to the Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, at the above address. The standard Call for Information Map delineates the Call area, all of which has been identified by the MMS as having potential for the discovery of accumulations of oil and gas. Respondents are requested to indicate interest in and comment on any or all of the Federal acreage within the boundaries of the Call area that they wish to have included in each of the proposed sales in the CGOM. Although individual indications of interest are considered to be privileged and proprietary information, the names of persons or entities indicating interest or submitting comments will be of public record. Those indicating such interest are required to do so on the standard Call for Information Map by outlining the areas of interest along block lines. Respondents should rank areas in which they have expressed interest according to priority of their interest (e.g., priority 1 [high], 2 [medium], or 3 [low]). Respondents are encouraged to be specific in indicating blocks by priority, as blanket nominations on large areas are not useful in the analysis of industry interest. Areas where interest has been indicated but on which respondents have not indicated priorities will be considered priority 3 (low). 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. Specific questions may be directed to the Chief, Leasing Activities Section at (504) 736-2761. Official Protraction Diagrams and Leasing Maps can be purchased from the Public Information Unit referred to above. Comments are sought from all interested parties about particular geological, environmental, biological, archaeological and socioeconomic conditions or conflicts, or other information that might bear upon the potential leasing and development of particular areas. Comments are also sought on possible conflicts between future OCS oil and gas activities that may result from the proposed sales and State Coastal Management Programs (CMP's). If possible, these comments should identify specific CMP policies of concern, the nature of the conflict foreseen, and steps that the MMS could take to avoid or mitigate the potential conflict. Comments may either 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. 6. Use of Information From Call Information submitted in response to this Call will be used for several purposes. First, responses will be used to identify the areas of potential for oil and gas development. Second, comments on possible environmental effects and potential use conflicts will be used in the analysis of environmental conditions in and near the Call area. This information 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 third purpose for this Call is to use the comments collected in the scoping process for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to develop proposed actions and alternatives. Fourth, comments may be used in developing lease terms and conditions to ensure safe offshore operations. And, fifth, comments may be used to assess potential conflicts between offshore gas and oil activities and a State CMP. 7. Existing Information The MMS routinely assesses the status of information acquisition efforts and the quality of the information base for potential decisions on tentatively scheduled lease sales. As a result of this continually ongoing assessment, it has been determined that the status of the existing data available for planning, analysis, and decisionmaking is adequate and extensive. An extensive environmental studies program has been underway in the CGOM since 1973. The emphasis, including continuing studies, has been on environmental characterization of biologically sensitive habitats, physical oceanography, ocean-circulation modeling, and ecological effects of oil and gas activities. A complete listing of available study reports, and information for ordering copies, can be obtained from the Public Information Unit referenced above. The reports may also be ordered, for a fee, from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, or telephone (703) 487-4650. In addition, a program status report for continuing studies in this area can be obtained from the Chief, Environmental Studies Section, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (see address under ``Description of Area''), or telephone (540) 736- 2896. Summary Reports and Indices and technical and geological reports are available for review at the MMS, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. Copies of the Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Summary Reports may be obtained from the Technical Communication Service, Minerals Management Service, at 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170, phone: (703) 787-1080. 8. Tentative Schedule The following is a list of tentative milestone dates applicable to sales covered by this Call: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Multi-sale process milestones for proposed 1998-2002 CGOM sales ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Call/NOI Published..................... July 1996. Comments due on Call/NOI............... September 1996. Area Identification.................... September 1996. Draft EIS published.................... June 1997. Public Hearings........................ July 1997. Final EIS and CD published............. November 1997. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sale-specific process milestones for proposed 1998- 2002 CGOM sales ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Request for Information to Begin Sale- 12 months before each sale. Specific Process. Environmental Review (EA/FONSI/SEIS) 4 to 7 months before each published. sale. Proposed Notice and Consistency 4 months before each sale. Determination. Final Notice of Sale...................... 1 month before each sale. Tentative Sale Date....................... March of each year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 40247]] Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 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 USC 4321 et seq. (1988))(NEPA). 2. Purpose of Notice of Intent Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions of the NEPA, the MMS is announcing its intent to prepare a multi-sale EIS on the tentatively scheduled 1998-2002 oil and gas leasing proposals in the CGOM, off the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The NOI also serves to announce the scoping process that will be followed for this EIS. Throughout the scoping process, Federal Agencies and State and local governments and other interested parties have the opportunity to aid the MMS in determining the significant issues and alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS. The EIS analysis will focus on the potential environmental effects of leasing, exploration, and development of the blocks included in the areas defined in the Area Identification procedure as the proposed areas of the Federal actions. Alternatives to the proposals which may be considered for each sale are to delay the sale, cancel the sale, or modify the sale. 3. New EIS procedure MMS is proposing to prepare a single EIS for all five CGOM sales in the proposed 1998-2002 period. The resource estimates and scenario information on which the EIS analyses are based will be presented as a range of resources and activities that would encompass any of the five proposed sales in the CGOM. The proposal will provide several benefits. It will focus the NEPA process by making impact types and levels that change between sales more easily recognizable. New issues will be more easily highlighted for the decision- makers and public. For sales after 1998, the process will allow for presale planning that spans only one year, rather than the current two-year process which causes confusion because of the overlap in planning for sales in successive years and makes it difficult for the decisionmaker, industry, and the public to keep track of which sale process is being referred to for any given decision point. It will also eliminate the repetitive issuance of a complete EIS for each sale, a practice that has resulted in ``review burnout'' in Federal, State, and local governments, and the public. The proposed actions analyzed in the EIS will be each of the sales on the 5-year schedule for the central Gulf of Mexico planning area. The EIS will include an analysis of the environmental effects of holding one sale, a sale ``typical'' of any in the planning area, which may be held in the remainder of the 5-year program. The scenario will cover a range of resources and activities that will encompass any of the four follow-up proposed actions. Later sales can then be compared to the initial analysis in an environmental assessment or supplemental environmental impact statement. Formal consultation with the public will be initiated in subsequent years to obtain input to assist in the determination of whether or not the information and analyses in the original multisale EIS are still valid. An Information Request would be issued that will specifically describe the action for which we are requesting input. 4. Instructions on NOI to Prepare an EIS Federal Agencies and State and local governments and other interested parties are requested to send their written comments on the scope of the EIS, significant issues which should be addressed, and alternatives that should be considered to the Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, at the address stated under ``Description of Area.'' Comments should be enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on the NOI to Prepare an EIS on the proposed 1998-2002 Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico.'' Comments on the NOI should be submitted no later than 45 days from publication of this Notice. Scoping meetings will be held in appropriate locations to obtain additional comments and information regarding the scope of the EIS. Dated: July 26, 1996. Cynthia Quarterman, Director, Minerals Management Service. [FR Doc. 96-19547 Filed 7-31-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-MR-M