[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46455-46456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21670]



[[Page 46455]]

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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 215 in the Western 
Gulf of Mexico Planning Area (2010)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EA.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of the NOP is to gather information on oil and gas 
leasing, exploration, and development that might result from an OCS oil 
and gas lease sale tentatively scheduled for mid-2010.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than October 9, 2009 at the 
address specified below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the NOP, you may 
contact Mr. Gary Goeke, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-3233.

Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Assessment

1. Authority

    This NOP is published pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1501.7) 
implementing the provisions of NEPA of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 
et seq. (1988)).

2. Purpose of Notice of Preparation

    Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions 
of NEPA, the MMS is announcing its intent to prepare an EA on an oil 
and gas lease sale tentatively scheduled for mid-2010 in the Western 
Planning Area (WPA) offshore of Texas and western Louisiana. 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 
215. The proposal for Lease Sale 215 was analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico 
OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2009-2012; Central Planning Area Sales 
208, 213, 216, and 222; Western Planning Area Sales 210, 215, and 218--
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Supplemental EIS, 
OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-041). This EA for proposed Lease Sale 215 will 
examine the potential environmental effects of the proposed lease sale 
and its alternatives (i.e., excluding the unleased blocks near 
biologically sensitive topographic features; and no action) based on 
changes and any new relevant information and circumstances regarding 
potential environmental impacts and issues that were not available at 
the time the Supplemental EIS was prepared to determine if preparation 
of a new supplemental EIS is warranted.

3. Supplemental Information

    Final delineation of this area for possible leasing will be made at 
a later date and in compliance with applicable laws, including all 
requirements of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Coastal Zone 
Management Act (CZMA) and Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and 
other applicable statutes. Established Departmental procedures will be 
followed.
    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 under way in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) since 
1973. The emphasis, including continuing studies, has been on 
``environmental analysis'' of biologically sensitive habitats, physical 
oceanography, ocean-circulation modeling, ecological effects of oil and 
gas activities, and hurricane impacts on coastal communities and the 
environment.
    Federal regulations allow for several related or similar proposals 
to be analyzed in one EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). Each proposed lease sale and 
its projected activities are very similar each year for each planning 
area. The Multisale EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) 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 Central Planning Area (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. However, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security 
Act of 2006 repealed the Congressional moratorium on approximately 5.8 
million acres located in the southeastern part of the CPA. Therefore, 
it was necessary to prepare additional NEPA documentation to address 
the MMS proposal to expand the CPA by the 5.8 million acre area. A 
single Supplemental Multi-sale EIS was prepared for the remaining seven 
WPA and CPA lease sales scheduled in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing 
Program: 2007-2012 (5-Year Program). In September 2008, MMS published a 
Supplemental Multi-sale EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-041) that addressed 
seven proposed Federal actions that would offer for lease areas on the 
GOM OCS that may contain economically recoverable oil and gas 
resources.
    After completion of this EA, MMS will determine whether to prepare 
a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or a Supplemental EIS for 
Sale 215 and subsequent sales. 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, MMS will solicit comments via the Proposed Notice of 
Sale (NOS) 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 215 is as follows: EA/FONSI or 
Supplemental EIS decision, March-April 2010; CDs will be sent to the 
affected States 5 months before the lease sale; Proposed NOS sent to 
the governors of the affected States 5 months before the lease sale; 
Final NOS, if applicable, will be published in the Federal Register in 
July 2010.

4. Comments

    Federal, State, and local government agencies, and other interested 
parties are requested to send their written comments on the EA, 
significant issues that should be addressed, and alternatives that 
should be considered in one of the following two ways:
    1. In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ``Comments on 
the Lease Sale 215 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].
    Comments should be submitted no later than 30 days from the 
publication of this NOP.

    Dated: August 24, 2009.
S. Elizabeth Birnbaum,
Director, Minerals Management Service.

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[FR Doc. E9-21670 Filed 9-8-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P