[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 120 (Thursday, June 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33268-33269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15639]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and Locations and Dates of Public Hearings for 
Delineation Drilling Activities in Federal Waters Offshore Santa 
Barbara County, CA

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft EIS and announcement of 
locations and dates of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The MMS announces the availability of the draft EIS on 
Delineation Drilling Activities in Federal Waters Offshore Santa 
Barbara County, California. This draft EIS evaluates the potential 
environmental impacts associated with drilling 4 or 5 separate Federal 
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas delineation wells on existing 
OCS leases located offshore southern California. Delineation is a type 
of exploration drilling activity that involves drilling a well to 
gather additional information about the nature and extent of the 
hydrocarbon reservoirs in areas where a discovery has already been 
made.

DATES: Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted until August 13, 
2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the draft EIS 
should be directed to Mr. Maurice Hill, Minerals Management Service, 
Office of Environmental Evaluation, Pacific OCS Region, 770 Paseo 
Camarillo, Camarillo, California 93010-6064. He may be reached by 
telephone at (805) 389-7815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this document is to provide 
information for Federal, State, and local agencies, and the public to 
evaluate the effects of the proposed delineation

[[Page 33269]]

projects and the cumulative effects of past, present, and reasonably 
foreseeable actions. The proposed action discussed in this draft EIS is 
the sequential drilling of 4 or 5 delineation wells on four separate 
OCS units using a semi-submersible drilling vessel, commonly referred 
to as a mobile offshore drilling unit. A unit is a number of leases 
grouped together to prevent waste, conserve natural resources, and 
protect Federal royalty interests. Each of the four subject units has 
been previously explored under Exploration Plans (EP) approved by the 
MMS and found consistent with the California Coastal Management Plan by 
the California Coastal Commission. Operators are expected to submit to 
the MMS revisions to 4 to 5 existing EP's in September 2001. The 
operators of these units, Nuevo Energy Company, Aera Energy LLC, and 
Samedan Oil Corporation, propose to drill delineation wells to complete 
their data on reservoir configuration and characteristics. It would 
take 68 to 92 days to drill and test each well. The first well would 
commence drilling in May 2002 and the last well in May 2003. The data 
received from these wells would assist the operators in determining how 
to develop and produce the oil and gas reserves underlying these and 
possibly adjacent units.
    The Notice of Intent to prepare this EIS (Federal Register, Vol. 
65, No. 226, pages 70361-70362, November 22, 2000) referred to 
``exploratory drilling activities.'' We have renamed the document to 
more specifically reflect the fact that ``delineation drilling 
activities'' are the focus of the draft EIS. As discussed above, and 
defined in the Notice of Intent, delineation is a type of exploration 
drilling activity that involves drilling a well to gather additional 
information about the nature and extent of the hydrocarbon reservoirs 
in areas where a discovery has already been made.
    EIS Availability: The draft EIS is available on our web site at 
www.mms.gov/omm/pacific. In addition, you may obtain single copies of 
the draft EIS by writing the Minerals Management Service, Pacific OCS 
Region, Attention: Delineation Drilling Activities Draft EIS, 770 Paseo 
Camarillo, Camarillo, California 93010-6064, or by calling Janice Hall 
at 1-800-672-2627. Please indicate whether you would like to receive a 
paper copy of the draft EIS or a CD-ROM. To avoid excess printing and 
mailing costs, we will not accept e-mail requests for hard copies or 
CD-ROM's.
    The draft EIS will also be available at the following California 
libraries:

Camarillo Public Library, 3100 Ponderosa Drive, Camarillo;
Cambria Library, 900 Main Street, Cambria;
Carpinteria Public Library, 5141 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria;
Goleta Public Library, 500 N. Fairview, Goleta;
Davidson Library, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa 
Barbara;
Robert F. Kennedy Library, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo;
Santa Barbara Central Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu, Santa Barbara;
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Library, 2559 Puesta Del Sol 
Road, Santa Barbara;
U.S. National Park Service Library, Channel Islands National Park, 1901 
Spinnaker Drive, Ventura;
Ventura College Library, 4667 Telephone Road, Ventura.

    Public Hearings: The MMS will hold two public hearings to receive 
comments on the draft EIS. The hearings present one of the 
opportunities to provide us with information that will help in the 
evaluation of the potential effects of the proposed action. The second 
is direct mail or email comments on the document.
    Hearings will be held in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria on the 
following dates and times: July 10, 2001, 1-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., Fess 
Parker Doubletree Hotel, 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara; 
and July 12, 2001, 1-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., Ethel Pope Auditorium, 901 S. 
Broadway Street Santa Maria.
    If you wish to testify at a hearing, you may register at the 
hearing site from noon to 8:30 p.m. Speakers will be limited to 3 
minutes and will speak in the order of their registration. Elected 
officials will be given preference.
    Written statements submitted at a hearing will be considered part 
of the hearing record. If you are unable to attend the hearing, or 
prefer to provide written comments separately, you may submit your 
comments until Monday, August 13, 2001, the closing date for public 
comments. Send written comments to the Minerals Management Service, 
Pacific OCS Region, Attention: Delineation Drilling Activities Draft 
EIS, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo, California 93010-6064. Written 
comments may be provided by e-mail to Delineation [email protected]. 
Please provide your name and address when commenting by mail or e-mail.

    Dated: June 18, 2001.
Carolita U. Kallaur,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 01-15639 Filed 6-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P