[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 231 (Monday, December 3, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67958-67959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23332]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for Proposed 
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207 in the Western 
Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Planning Area (2008)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA).

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SUMMARY: The 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 EA for proposed OCS 
Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207 in the Western GOM Planning Area (Lease Sale 
207) scheduled for August 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 207. The proposal 
for Lease Sale 207 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 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018). This EA 
for proposed Lease Sale 207 will

[[Page 67959]]

reexamine the potential environmental effects of the proposed lease 
sale and its alternatives (excluding the unleased blocks near 
biologically sensitive topographic features, use of a nomination and 
tract selection leasing system, 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, Mail 
Stop 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 Central Planning Area (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, Records of Decision were published in 
July and August 2007 for only proposed WPA Lease Sale 204 and proposed 
CPA Lease Sale 205, respectively. Prior to each of the nine subsequent 
proposed lease sales, including Lease Sale 207, 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, the 
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 207 is as follows: EA/FONNSI 
or Supplemental EIS decision, March 2008; CD's sent to affected states, 
March 2008; PNOS sent to governors of the affected states, March 2008; 
Final Notice of Sale published in the Federal Register, July 2008; and 
Lease Sale 207, August 2008.
    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 two ways:
    1. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on 
WPA Lease Sale 207 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: http://[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: November 9, 2007.
Chris C. Oynes,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
 [FR Doc. E7-23332 Filed 11-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P