[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3062-3063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1013]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for Proposed Outer 
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of 
Mexico (2005)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Preparation 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 intends to 
prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer Continental 
Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico 
(GOM) (Lease Sale 196) scheduled for August 2005. The MMS is issuing 
this notice to facilitate public involvement. The preparation of this 
EA is the first step in the decision process for Lease Sale

[[Page 3063]]

196. The proposal and alternatives for Lease Sale 196 were identified 
by the MMS Director in January 2002 following the Call for Information 
and Nominations/Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and were analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas 
Lease Sales: 2003-2007; Central Planning Area Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, 
and 201; Western Planning Area Sales 187, 192, 196, and 200--Final 
Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS 
EIS/EA MMS 2002-052). This EA will reexamine the potential 
environmental effects of the proposed action (the offering of all 
available unleased acreage in the Western Planning Area (WPA)) and its 
alternatives (the proposed action excluding the unleased blocks near 
biologically sensitive topographic features, and no action) based on 
any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were 
not available at the time the Multisale EIS was prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dennis Chew, Minerals Management 
Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, MS 
5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. You may also contact Mr. Chew 
by telephone at (504) 736-2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2002, MMS prepared a Multisale 
EIS that addressed nine proposed Federal actions that 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 nine 
Central Planning Area (CPA) and WPA lease sales scheduled in the OCS 
Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2002-2007 (the 5-Year Program). Under the 
5-Year Program, five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the 
CPA (Lease Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201) and five annual areawide 
lease sales are scheduled for the WPA (Lease Sales 184, 187, 192, 196, 
and 200). Lease Sale 184 was not addressed in the Multisale EIS; a 
separate EA was prepared for that proposal. The Multisale EIS addressed 
CPA Lease Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201 scheduled for 2003, 2004, 
2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively, and WPA Lease Sales 187, 192, 196, 
and 200 scheduled for 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. 
Although the Multisale EIS addresses nine proposed lease sales, at the 
completion of the EIS process, decisions were made only for proposed 
CPA Lease Sale 185 and proposed WPA Lease Sale 187. In the year prior 
to each subsequent proposed lease sale, an additional NEPA review will 
be conducted to address any new information relevant to that proposed 
action. After completion of the EA, MMS will determine whether to 
prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or a Supplemental 
EIS. The MMS will then prepare and send Consistency Determinations 
(CD's) to the affected States to determine whether Lease Sale 196 is 
consistent with their federally-approved State coastal zone management 
programs. Finally, MMS will solicit comments via the Proposed Notice of 
Sale (PNOS) from the governors of the affected States on the size, 
timing, and location of Lease Sale 196. The tentative schedule for the 
pre-lease decision process for Lease Sale 196 is as follows: EA FONSI 
or Supplemental EIS decision, March 2005; CD's sent to affected States, 
March 2005; PNOS sent to governors of the affected States, March 2005; 
Final Notice of Sale published in the Federal Register, July 2005; and 
Lease Sale 196, August 2005.
    Public Comments: Interested parties are requested to send within 30 
days of this Notice's publication comments regarding any new 
information or issues that should be addressed in the EA. Comments may 
be submitted in one of the following three ways:
    1. Comments may be submitted using MMS's new Public Connect on-line 
commenting system at http://ocsconnect.mms.gov. This is the preferred 
method for commenting. From the Public Connect ``Welcome'' screen, 
search for ``WPA Lease Sale 196 EA'' or select it from the ``Projects 
Open for Comment'' menu.
    2. Written comments may be enclosed in an envelope labeled 
``Comments on WPA Lease Sale 196 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.
    3. Comments may be sent to the MMS e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    To obtain single copies of the Multisale EIS, 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 the Multisale EIS or check the list of libraries that have copies 
of the Multisale EIS on the MMS Web site at http://www.gomr.mms.gov.

    Dated: November 22, 2004.
Chris C. Oynes,
Regional Director, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
[FR Doc. 05-1013 Filed 1-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P