[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11444-11445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3145]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western and Central Gulf of 
Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sales for Years 2007-2012

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
and Scoping Meetings.

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1. Authority

    The Notice of Intent (NOI) and notice of scoping meetings 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 Notice of Intent

    Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions 
of the NEPA, MMS is announcing its intent to prepare an EIS on the 
tentatively scheduled 2007-2012 oil and gas leasing proposals in the 
Western and Central Gulf of Mexico (GOM), off the States of Texas, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The NOI also serves to announce 
the scoping process for this EIS. Throughout the scoping process, 
Federal, State, and local government

[[Page 11445]]

agencies, and other interested parties have the opportunity to aid 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 oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and 
production in the areas identified through the Area Identification 
procedure as the proposed lease sale areas. Alternatives that may be 
considered for each sale are no action (i.e., cancel the sale), or 
defer certain areas from the sale.

3. Supplemental Information

    Federal regulations allow for several proposals to be analyzed in 
one EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). Since each sale proposal and projected 
activities are very similar each year for each sale area, MMS is 
proposing to prepare a single EIS (multisale EIS) for the five Western 
and six Central GOM annual lease sales scheduled for 2007-2012 in the 
draft proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 
2007-2012 (See 71 FR 7064, February 10, 2006). The multisale approach 
is intended to focus the NEPA/EIS process on differences between the 
proposed sales and on new issues and information. The multisale EIS 
will eliminate the repetitive issuance of complete draft and final 
EIS's for each sale area. The resource estimates and scenario 
information for the EIS analyses will be presented as a range that 
would encompass the resources and activities estimated for any of the 
eleven proposed lease sales. At the completion of this EIS process, 
decisions will be made only for the first proposed sale in each sale 
area, scheduled to be held in 2007 (Western) and 2007 (Central). 
Subsequent to these first sales, a NEPA review will be conducted for 
each of the other proposed lease sales in the 2007-2012 Leasing 
Program. Formal consultation with other Federal Agencies, the affected 
States, and the public will be carried out to assist in the 
determination of whether or not the information and analyses in the 
original multisale EIS are still valid. These consultations and NEPA 
reviews will be completed before decisions are made on the subsequent 
sales. For more information on the proposed sales or the EIS, you may 
contact Dennis Chew, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, MS 5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 or e-mail 
[email protected]. You may also contact Mr. Chew by telephone at 
(504) 736-2793.

4. Cooperating Agency

    The MMS invites other Federal agencies and state, tribal, and local 
governments to consider becoming cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the multisale EIS. We invite qualified government 
entities to inquire about cooperating agency status for the EIS. 
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 
decision making authority of any other agency involved in the NEPA 
process. Upon request, MMS will provide potential cooperating agencies 
with a written summary of ground rules for cooperating agencies, 
including time schedules and critical action dates, milestones, 
responsibilities, scope and detail of cooperating agencies' 
contributions, and availability of predecisional information. MMS 
anticipates this summary will form the basis for a Memorandum of 
Understanding between the MMS and each cooperating agency. 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 National Environmental Policy Act. A 
copy of this document is available at: http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagenciesmemorandum.html and http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagencymemofactors.html.
    The MMS, 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 
MMS during the normal public input phases of the NEPA/EIS process. If 
further information about cooperating agencies is needed, please 
contact Mr. Dennis Chew at (504) 736-2793.

5. Comments

    Federal, State, local government agencies, and other interested 
parties are requested to send their written comments on the scope of 
the EIS, significant issues that should be addressed, and alternatives 
that should be considered one of the following three ways:
    1. Electronically using MMS's new Public Connect online commenting 
system at https://ocsconnect.mms.gov. This is the preferred method for 
commenting. From the Public Connect ``Welcome'' screen, search for 
``WPA and CPA Multisale EIS 2007-2012'' or select it from the 
``Projects Open for Comment'' menu.
    2. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on 
the Multisale EIS'' 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. Electronically to the MMS e-mail address: [email protected].
    Comments should be submitted no later than 45 days from the 
publication of this NOI.

6. Scoping Meetings

    The MMS will hold scoping meetings to obtain additional comments 
and information regarding the scope of the EIS. The scoping meetings 
are scheduled as follows:
     Tuesday, March 28, 2006, Wyndham Greenspoint, 12400 
Greenspoint Drive, Houston, Texas, 1 p.m.
     Wednesday, March 29, 2006, Hampton Inn and Suites New 
Orleans-Elmwood, 5150 Mounes Street, Harahan, Louisiana, 1 p.m.
     Thursday, March 30, 2006, Riverview Plaza Hotel, 64 South 
Water Street, Mobile, Alabama, 7 p.m.
    The MMS is preparing a separate EIS for the new 5-year OCS oil and 
gas leasing program for proposed lease sales to be held from 2007-2012. 
MMS will also use the scoping meetings on the multisale EIS as an 
opportunity to solicit comments on the scope of the 5-year program EIS. 
Information concerning the 5-year program and EIS can be accessed at 
http://www.mms.gov/5-year/2007-2012main.htm.

    Dated: February 24, 2006.
Thomas A. Readinger,
Associate Director, Offshore Minerals Management.
 [FR Doc. E6-3145 Filed 3-6-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P