[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15774-15775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6008]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf, Central Planning Area, 
Oil and Gas Lease Sale 207 (2008) Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability 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 has 
prepared 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 (WPA) (Lease Sale 207) scheduled for 
August 2008. 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 December 3, 2007, 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 
includes approximately 28.6 million acres offshore Texas and western 
Louisiana in water up to 10,978 ft (3,346 m) deep. This EA for proposed 
Lease Sale 207 reexamined the potential environmental effects of 
offering for lease all unleased blocks in the WPA (excluding unleased 
whole and partial blocks that are part of Flower Garden Banks National 
Marine Sanctuary, and whole and partial blocks that lie within the 1.4-
nautical mile buffer zone north of the outer continental shelf boundary 
between the U.S. and Mexico). Alternatives excluded additional blocks 
in biologically sensitive areas of the western GOM, use of a nomination 
and tract selection leasing system, and no action. The EA determined 
that no new information about environmental resources or potential 
impacts were identified that were not considered in the Multisale EIS. 
MMS determined that a Supplemental EIS is not required and prepared a 
Finding of No New Significant Impact (FONNSI).

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, 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

[[Page 15775]]

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 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. An additional NEPA review (an EA) was conducted for 
proposed Lease Sale 207 to address any new information relevant to the 
proposed lease sale. Additional NEPA reviews will also be conducted 
prior to decisions on each of the remaining proposed lease sales. The 
purpose of an EA for a lease sale is to determine whether to prepare a 
FONNSI or a Supplemental EIS. For each proposed lease sale, 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, MMS solicits 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: CDs 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: Within 30 days of this Notice's publication, 
interested parties are requested to send comments on this EA/FONNSI. 
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 (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].
    All comments received will be considered in the decisionmaking 
process for proposed Lease Sale 207.
    EA Availablity: To obtain a copy of this EA for Lease Sale 207, you 
may contact the Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 
Attention: Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, Room 114, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 (1-800-200-
GULF). You may also view this EA on the MMS Web site at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html.

    Dated: February 29, 2008.
Chris C. Oynes,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. E8-6008 Filed 3-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P