[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 174 (Monday, September 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51654-51657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17737]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western and Central Gulf of Mexico 
(GOM), Oil and Gas Lease Sales for Years 2009-2012

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations/Notice of Intent (Call/
NOI) to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

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SUMMARY: On April 28, 2006, MMS issued a Call for 11 lease sales in the 
Western and Central GOM planning areas included in the draft proposed 
2007-2012 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program. After that Call the Congress 
enacted a mandate, in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 
(GOMESA) (Pub. L. 109-432, December 20, 2006), that MMS offer, as soon 
as practicable, approximately 5.8 million acres located in the 
southeastern part of the Central Planning Area (CPA) referred to as the 
``181 South Area.'' Central GOM Sale 208 (March 2009) will be the first 
sale to include the ``181 South Area.'' The purpose of this Call is to 
gather information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development 
that might result from the four Central GOM OCS oil and gas lease sales 
tentatively scheduled in 2009-2012, in particular regarding the ``181 
South Area.'' The purpose of this NOI is to announce MMS's intent to 
prepare a SEIS on the four Central and three Western GOM OCS oil and 
gas lease sales tentatively scheduled in 2009-2012. Comments received 
in response to the NOI will assist MMS in developing the scope of the 
SEIS.

DATES: Comments on the Call must be received no later than October 10, 
2007 and comments on the NOI must be received no later than October 25, 
2007 at the addresses specified below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on this Call, please 
contact Mr. Carrol Williams, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of 
Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (MS 5422), New Orleans, 
Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2803. For information on the 
NOI, you may contact Mr. Dennis Chew, Minerals Management Service, Gulf 
of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (MS 5412), New 
Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GOMESA, (Pub. L. 109-432, December 20, 
2006), mandated MMS to offer approximately 5.8 million acres in the CPA 
(formerly the ``181 South Area'' was an area under Congressional 
moratoria and Presidential withdrawal for oil and gas leasing ``as soon 
as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act.'' This Call/NOI 
is the initial step in the prelease process for a sale within that 181 
South Area. To fully comply with all pertinent laws, rules, and 
regulations and to allow the public an adequate opportunity to 
participate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, 
the earliest MMS would be able to offer this area would be March 2009.
    The SEIS will update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses 
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 (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) (Multisale EIS) and will address 
the addition of the ``181 South Area.''

Call for Information and Nominations

1. Authority

    This Call is published pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act (OCSLA) as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356), and the regulations 
issued thereunder (30 CFR part 256).

2. Purpose of Call

    The purpose of the Call is to gather information for the following 
tentatively scheduled OCS lease sales:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Sale
                  Lease sale, OCS planning area                    year
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale 208, Central GOM...........................................    2009
Sale 213, Central GOM...........................................    2010
Sale 216, Central GOM...........................................    2011
Sale 222, Central GOM...........................................    2012
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and 
production within this portion of the CPA is sought from all interested 
parties. This early planning and consultation step is important for 
ensuring that all interests and concerns are communicated to the 
Department of the Interior for future decisions in the leasing process 
pursuant to the OCSLA and regulations at 30 CFR part 256.
    This Call is in response to the mandate within GOMESA to offer 
additional acreage in the southeastern portion of the Central Planning 
Area as depicted on the map at the end of this notice. Leasing within 
this area will be in compliance with applicable laws including all 
requirements of the NEPA, Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and OCSLA. 
Established Departmental procedures will be employed.

[[Page 51655]]

3. Description of Area

    The general area of this Call covers approximately 5.8 million 
acres in the Central GOM planning area, south of the Sale 181 Area. The 
area is south of eastern Alabama and western Florida; the nearest point 
of land is 125 miles northwest in Louisiana. A standard Call for 
Information Map depicting this portion of the CPA is available without 
charge from the Minerals Management Service, Public Information Office 
(MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-
2394, or by telephone at 1-800-200-GULF. The map is also available via 
the MMS Web site at http://www.mms.gov.

4. Instructions on Call

    Comments must be received no later than 30 days following 
publication of this document in the Federal Register in envelopes 
labeled ``Comments on the Call for Information for Proposed 2009-2012 
Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico,'' submitted to the Gulf of 
Mexico OCS Region's Leasing Activities Section (Attention: Mr. Carrol 
Williams) at the previously noted address.
    The standard Call for Information Map delineates the Call area, all 
of which has been identified by MMS as having potential for the 
discovery of accumulations of oil and gas.
    Comments are sought from all interested parties about particular 
geological, environmental (including natural disasters), biological, 
archaeological, and socioeconomic conditions or conflicts, or other 
information that might bear upon the potential leasing and development 
of this area. Comments are also sought on potential conflicts between 
future OCS oil and gas activities that may result from the proposed 
lease sales and State Coastal Management Programs (CMPs). If possible, 
these comments should identify specific CMP policies of concern, the 
nature of the conflict foreseen, and steps that MMS could take to avoid 
or mitigate the potential conflict. Comments may be in terms of broad 
areas or restricted to particular blocks of concern. Those submitting 
comments are requested to list block numbers or outline the subject 
area on the standard Call for Information Map.

5. Use of Information From Call

    Information submitted in response to this Call will be used for 
several purposes. First, comments on possible environmental effects and 
potential use conflicts will be used in the analysis of environmental 
conditions in and near the Call area. Comments on environmental and 
other use conflicts will be used to make a preliminary determination of 
the potential advantages and disadvantages of oil and gas exploration 
and development to the region and the Nation. A second purpose for this 
Call is to use the comments collected in the scoping process to develop 
proposed actions and alternatives. Third, comments may be used in 
developing lease terms and conditions to ensure environmentally safe 
offshore operations, and, fourth, comments may be used to assess 
potential conflicts between offshore gas and oil activities and State 
CMPs.

6. Existing Information

    The MMS routinely assesses the status of information acquisition 
efforts and the quality of the information base for potential decisions 
on a tentatively scheduled lease sale. An extensive environmental 
studies program has been underway in the GOM since 1973. The emphasis, 
including continuing studies, has been on ``environmental analysis'' of 
biologically sensitive habitats, physical oceanography, ocean-
circulation modeling, and ecological effects of oil and gas activities. 
In response to impacts from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the MMS is 
funding studies regarding hurricane risks to onshore structures and 
their surrounding communities and environment. Socioeconomic profiles 
of communities with a high concentration of OCS-related activity are 
assessing the social and environmental impacts of the 2005 hurricanes. 
These studies will also evaluate the effects of hurricane-related 
employment shifts on onshore labor and coastal communities. In 
addition, the MMS has awarded a number of studies to determine the 
impact of Hurricane Ivan on offshore oil and gas structures. These 
studies were designed to analyze and assess the damage to structures 
and pipelines, determine the effectiveness of current design standards 
and pollution-prevention systems, and develop recommendations for 
potential changes to industry standards and MMS regulations, if needed. 
Results of these studies will also apply to the impacts of Hurricanes 
Katrina and Rita and future hurricanes.
    You may obtain a complete listing of available study reports and 
information for ordering copies from the Public Information Office 
referenced above. You may also order the reports for a fee from the 
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 
5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, or telephone (703) 
605-6000 or (800) 553-6847. In addition, you may obtain a program 
status report for continuing studies in this area from the Chief, 
Environmental Sciences Section (MS 5430), Minerals Management Service, 
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, 
Louisiana 70123-2394, or telephone (504) 736-2752, or via the MMS Web 
site at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/studiesprogram.html.

7. Tentative Schedule

Call for Information and         August 2007.
 Nominations.
NOI to Prepare a SEIS..........  August 2007.
Comments Received on Call/NOI..  September-October 2007.
Scoping Meetings...............  October 2007.
Area Identification Decision...  October-November 2007.
Draft SEIS Published...........  April 2008.
Public Hearings on Draft SEIS..  May-June 2007.
Final SEIS Published...........  October 2008.
Proposed Notice of Sale and      5 months before lease sale.
 Coastal Zone Management
 Consistency Determination.
Final Notice of Sale...........  1 month before lease sale.
 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement

1. Authority

    The NOI is published pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1501.7) 
implementing the provisions of the 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 NEPA, MMS is announcing its intent to prepare a SEIS on oil and gas 
lease sales tentatively scheduled in 2009-2012 in the Western and 
Central GOM offshore the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
Alabama. The SEIS will update the analyses in the

[[Page 51656]]

Multisale EIS. The NOI also serves to announce the scoping process for 
this SEIS. Throughout the scoping process, Federal, state, and local 
government agencies and other interested parties have the opportunity 
to aid MMS in determining the significant issues and alternatives for 
analysis in the SEIS. The SEIS analysis will focus on the potential 
environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, 
development, and production in the ``181 South Area,'' and any new 
information available since the publication of the Multisale EIS.
    In an effort to reevaluate and improve the scenarios for OCS lease 
sales presented in its NEPA documents, the MMS is also using this 
scoping opportunity to solicit input on previous forecasts and present 
methods of forecasting[TZ (LD)8] exploration and development activity, 
pipeline landfalls, and onshore waste disposal sites. Federal, state, 
and local government agencies; industry; and the public are encouraged 
to comment on recently published reports prepared by MMS. These reports 
can be found at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html.

3. Supplemental Information

    As mandated in the recently enacted GOMESA, MMS shall offer the 
``181 South Area'' for oil and gas leasing pursuant to the OCSLA (43 
U.S.C. 1331 et seq.). In March 2009, proposed Lease Sale 208 would be 
the first CPA sale to offer the ``181 South Area.'' The MMS is 
proposing to prepare a SEIS to address the addition of the ``181 South 
Area'' and any new information available since the publication of the 
Multisale EIS. The resource estimates and scenario information for the 
SEIS analyses will be presented as a range that would encompass the 
resources and activities estimated for any of the seven proposed lease 
sales. At the completion of this SEIS process, a decision will be made 
for proposed Central Sale 208 (2009) and Western Sale 210 (2009).
    This SEIS will supplement 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 (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018). For 
more information on the SEIS, you may contact Dennis Chew, Minerals 
Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard (MS 5412), New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, or by e-mail at 
[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 SEIS. We invite qualified government entities to 
inquire about cooperating agency status for the SEIS. Following the 
guidelines from the Council on 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 note that an agency's role in the environmental 
analysis neither enlarges nor diminishes the final decisionmaking 
authority of any other agency involved in the NEPA process. Upon 
request, the 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 the 
availability of pre-decisional information. The MMS anticipates this 
summary will form the basis for a Memorandum of Understanding between 
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. Yet, even if an organization is not a 
cooperating agency, opportunities exist to provide information and 
comments to MMS during the normal public input phases of the NEPA/SEIS 
process. If further information about cooperating agencies is needed, 
please contact Mr. Dennis Chew at (504) 736-2793.

5. Comments

    Federal, state, and local government agencies and other interested 
parties are requested to send their written comments on the scope of 
the SEIS, significant issues that should be addressed, alternatives 
that should be considered, and scenario development in one of the 
following two ways:
    1. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on 
the Supplemental 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.
    2. Electronically to the MMS e-mail address: [email protected].
    Comments should be submitted no later than 45 days from the 
publication of this NOI.

Notice of Public Scoping Meetings on the Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement

    Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions 
of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.), the MMS will hold public scoping 
meetings in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama on the SEIS for the 
tentatively scheduled 2009-2012 oil and gas leasing proposal in the 
Western and Central GOM. While the purpose of these meetings will be to 
solicit comments on the scope of the SEIS, MMS is also using this 
opportunity to solicit input on previous forecasts and current 
forecasting methods of exploration and development activity, pipeline 
landfalls, and onshore waste disposal sites associated with OCS lease 
sales. Federal, state, and local government agencies; industry; and the 
public are encouraged to comment on recently published reports prepared 
by MMS. These reports can be found at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html.
    The public scoping meetings are scheduled as follows:
     Tuesday, October 9, 2007, Larose Civic Center, Larose 
Regional Park, Larose, Louisiana, 7 p.m.
     Wednesday, October 10, 2007, The Woods Auditorium in the 
Energy, Coast and Environment Building at the Louisiana State 
University Campus, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1 p.m.
     Thursday, October 11, 2007, Riverview Plaza Hotel, 64 
South Water Street, Mobile, Alabama, 7 p.m.
     Thursday, October 11, 2007, Marriott Houston 
Intercontinental at George Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy 
Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 1 p.m.
    For further information about the scoping meetings, contact Mr. 
Dennis Chew, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (MS 5412),

[[Page 51657]]

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2793.

    Dated: August 24, 2007.
Randall B. Luthi,
Director, Minerals Management Service.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN10SE07.000

 [FR Doc. E7-17737 Filed 9-7-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P