[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]
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