[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76189-76190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-31185]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska OCS Region

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of the availability of the draft environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for proposed oil and gas lease sales in Cook Inlet, 
Alaska.

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SUMMARY: MMS announces the availability of the draft EIS prepared by 
MMS for proposed OCS Lease Sales 191 and 199 offshore Cook Inlet, 
Alaska.

DATES: Comments on the draft EIS are due February 11, 2003. Public 
hearings will be held in Alaska: Anchorage, January 16, 2003; Seldovia, 
January 21; Homer, January 23; Soldotna/Kenai, January 24; telephone 
call-in to MMS Anchorage, January 28.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This draft EIS assesses two sales in the 
Proposed Final 2002-2007 5-Year Oil and Gas Leasing Program for the 
Cook Inlet OCS Planning Area. Sale 191 is scheduled for 2004 and Sale 
199 for 2006. Federal Regulations (40 CFR 1502.4) suggest analyzing 
similar or like proposals in a single EIS. The proposal analyzed for 
each sale is to offer 517 whole or partial lease blocks in the Cook 
Inlet OCS Planning Area, covering about 2.5 million acres (about 1 
million hectares). The proposed sale area is seaward of the State of 
Alaska submerged lands boundary, extending from 3 miles to

[[Page 76190]]

approximately 30 miles offshore and to water depths more than 650 feet. 
It extends from below Kalgin Island south to approximately Shuyak 
Island.
    EIS availability: Persons interested in reviewing the draft EIS 
``OCS EIS/EA, MMS 2002-065'' (Volumes I and II) can contact the MMS 
Alaska OCS Regional Office. The documents are available for public 
inspection between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday at: Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, Resource 
Center, 949 East 36th Avenue, Room 330, Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4363, 
telephone: (907) 271-6070 or (907) 271-6621 or toll free at 1-800-764-
2627. Requests may also be sent to MMS at [email protected]. You may 
obtain single copies of the draft EIS, the Executive Summary, or a CD/
ROM version, from the same address. You may also look at copies of the 
draft EIS in the following libraries:

Alaska Pacific University, Academic Support Center Library, 4101 
University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska;
Alaska Resources Library and Information Service (ARLIS), U.S. 
Department of the Interior, 3150 C Street, Suite 100, Anchorage, 
Alaska;
 Alaska State Library, Government Publications, State Office Building, 
333 Willoughby, Juneau, Alaska;
Anchor Point Public Library, 73405 Milo Fitz Avenue, Anchor Point, 
Alaska;
Canadian Joint Secretariat Librarian, Inuvikon NT, Canada;
Chiniak Public Library, 42650 Chiniak Highway, Chiniak, Alaska;
Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Yellowknife, NT, Canada;
Fairbanks North Star Borough, Noel Wien Library, 1215 Cowles Street, 
Fairbanks, Alaska;
Homer Public Library, 141 West Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska;
Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library, 207 Spruce Drive, Port Lions, 
Alaska;
Johnson Memorial Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, Alaska;
Juneau Public Library, 292 Marine Way, Juneau, Alaska;
Kachemak Bay Campus Library, 533 Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska;
Kasilof Public Library, Mile 110 Sterling Highway, Kasilof, Alaska;
Kenai Community Library, 163 Main Street Loop, Kenai, Alaska;
Kenai Peninsula College Library, 34820 College Drive, Soldotna, Alaska;
Kodiak College Library, 117 Benny Benson Drive, Kodiak, Alaska;
Ninilchik Community Library, 15850 Sterling Highway, Ninilchik, Alaska;
North Slope Borough School District, Library/Media Center, Barrow, 
Alaska;
Northern Alaska Environmental Center Library, 218 Driveway, Fairbanks, 
Alaska;
Old Harbor Library, Three Saints Avenue, Old Harbor, Alaska;
Ouzinkie Tribal Media Center, 110 Third Street, Ouzinkie, Alaska;
Seldovia Public Library, 260 Seldovia Street, Seldovia, Alaska;
Soldotna Public Library, 235 Binkley Street, Soldotna, Alaska;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Library, U.S. Department of Defense, 
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska;
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 Library, 1200 6th 
Avenue, OMP-104, Seattle, Washington;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Library, 1011 East Tudor Road, 
Anchorage, Alaska;
University of Alaska Anchorage, Consortium Library, 3211 Providence 
Drive, Anchorage, Alaska;
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, Government 
Documents, 310 Tanana Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska;
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute, Government 
Documents, Fairbanks, Alaska;
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology, 311 Irving 
Building, Fairbanks, Alaska;
University of Alaska, Southeast, 11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska;
 Valdez Consortium Library, 200 Fairbanks Street, Valdez, Alaska;
Z.J. Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, Alaska.

    Public Hearings: Public hearings will be held to receive comments 
on the draft EIS. The hearings will provide us with additional 
information that will help in evaluating the potential effects of the 
proposed leasing program. Hearings will be held in Anchorage, Seldovia, 
Homer, and Kenai/Soldotna, and by telephone on the following dates and 
times:

Anchorage, Alaska--January 16, 2003, Minerals Management Service, 
Conference Room, 949 East 36th Avenue, 3rd Floor, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.;
 Seldovia, Alaska--January 21, 2003, Seldovia Community Center Multi-
Purpose Room, 260 Seldovia Street, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.;
 Homer, Alaska--January 23, 2003, Homer City Council Chambers, 491 East 
Pioneer Way, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.;
 Soldonta/Kenai, Alaska--January 24, 2003, Merit Inn Banquet Room, 
South Willow Street, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
By telephone--January 28, 2003, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., toll free 1-
800-764-2627.

    Village residents who are not able to attend one of the four on-
site public meetings are especially encouraged to submit comments by 
telephone.
    If you wish to testify at a hearing, you may register prior to the 
hearing to schedule a preferred time by contacting the Alaska OCS 
Region at the above address or Dr. James Lima at (907) 271-6690 or toll 
free 1-800-764-2627 not later than 5 days prior to the hearing date. 
Every effort will be made to accommodate individuals who have not pre-
registered to testify. Time limitations may make it necessary to limit 
the length of oral statements to 10 minutes. You may supplement an oral 
statement with a more complete written statement and submit it to a 
hearing official at the hearing or by mail until February 11, 2003. 
Each hearing will recess when all speakers have had an opportunity to 
testify. If after the recess, no additional speakers appear, we will 
adjourn the hearing. Written statements submitted at a hearing will be 
considered part of the hearing record. If you are unable to attend the 
hearing, or if you prefer, you may submit written statements at the 
address below.
    Written Comments: The MMS requests interested parties to submit 
their written comments on this draft EIS to the Regional Director, 
Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 949 East 36th Avenue, 
Room 308, Anchorage, Alaska 99509-4663 or by electronic mail to 
[email protected]. Our practice is to make comments, including names and 
home addresses of respondents available for public review. An 
individual commenter may ask that we withhold their name, home address, 
or both from the public record, and we will honor such a request to the 
extent allowable by law. If you submit comments and wish us to withhold 
such information, you must state so prominently at the beginning of 
your submission. We will not consider anonymous comments, and we will 
make available for inspection in their entirety all comments submitted 
by organizations or businesses or by individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives or organizations or businesses. The comment period 
ends on February 11, 2003.

    Dated: November 6, 2002.
Thomas A. Readinger,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
    Approved: November 12, 2002.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental, Policy and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 02-31185 Filed 12-10-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P