[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35258-35259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12441]


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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 206 in the Central Gulf of 
Mexico (2008)

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 206 in the Central Gulf of Mexico 
(GOM) scheduled for March 2008. The MMS is issuing this notice to 
facilitate public involvement. The preparation of this EA is an 
important step in the decision process for Lease Sale 206. The proposal 
for Lease Sale 206 was identified by the Call for Information and 
Nominations published in the Federal Register on April 28, 2006, and 
was analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2007-
2012; Western Planning Area Sales 204, 207, 210, 215, and 218; Central 
Planning Area Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 222--Final 
Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS 
EIS/EA MMS 2007-018).
    The proposal does not include approximately 5.8 million acres 
located in the southeastern part of the Central Planning Area (CPA) 
which the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 opened to leasing 
after many years of appropriations Acts containing leasing moratoria. 
Because of the limited geological and geophysical data available to 
industry and the limited environmental review for this area, the MMS 
has decided that it would be premature to offer this area in proposed 
Lease Sale 206. Before this area is offered for lease, the MMS will 
conduct a separate NEPA review to reevaluate the expanded CPA sale 
area.
    This EA for proposed Lease Sale 206 will reexamine the potential 
environmental effects of the proposed lease sale and its alternatives 
(excluding the unleased blocks near biologically sensitive topographic 
features; excluding the unleased blocks within 15 miles of the Baldwin 
County, Alabama, coast; use of a nomination and tract selection leasing 
system; and no action)

[[Page 35259]]

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 April 2007, the MMS published a Multisale 
EIS that addressed 11 proposed Federal actions that would 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 11 
Western Planning Area (WPA) and CPA lease sales scheduled in the 
proposed OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2007-2012 (5-Year Program). 
The Multisale EIS addressed WPA Lease Sale 204 in 2007, Sale 207 in 
2008, Sale 210 in 2009, Sale 215 in 2010, and Sale 218 in 2011; and CPA 
Lease Sale 205 in 2007, Sale 206 in 2008, Sale 208 in 2009, Sale 213 in 
2010, Sale 216 in 2011, and Sale 222 in 2012. Although the Multisale 
EIS addresses 11 proposed lease sales, at the completion of the EIS 
process, a Record of Decision will be published in July 2007 for only 
proposed WPA Lease Sale 204 and proposed CPA Lease Sale 205. Prior to 
each of the nine subsequent proposed lease sales, including Lease Sale 
206, an additional NEPA review (an EA) will be conducted to address any 
new information relevant to that proposed lease sale. After completion 
of the EA, MMS will determine whether to prepare a Finding of No New 
Significant Impact (FONNSI) or a Supplemental EIS. The MMS prepares a 
Consistency Determination (CD) to determine whether the lease sale is 
consistent with each affected state's federally-approved coastal zone 
management program. Finally, the 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 the lease sale. The 
tentative schedule for the prelease decision process for Lease Sale 206 
is as follows: EA/FONNSI or Supplemental EIS decision, October 2007; 
CDs sent to affected states, October 2007; PNOS sent to governors of 
the affected states, October 2007; Final Notice of Sale published in 
the Federal Register, February 2008; and Lease Sale 206, March 2008.
    Public Comments: Within 30 days of this Notice's publication, 
interested parties are requested to send comments regarding any new 
information or issues that should be addressed in the EA. Comments may 
be submitted in one of the following two ways:
    1. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on 
CPA Lease Sale 206 EA'' and mailed (or hand carried) to the Regional 
Supervisor, Leasing and Environment (Mail Stop 5410), Minerals 
Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.
    2. Electronically 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 (Mail Stop 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: June 5, 2007.
Robert P. LaBelle,
Acting Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
 [FR Doc. E7-12441 Filed 6-26-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P