[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 376-377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-33149]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement


Notice of Scoping Meetings on the Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and 
Gas Leasing Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 
(BOEMRE), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: BOEMRE (formerly Minerals Management Service) provided notice 
in the Federal Register on April 2, 2010, (75 FR 16828) of its intent 
to prepare a Programmatic EIS for the proposed OCS Oil and Gas Leasing 
Program for 2012-2017 and request for comments. The notice also 
announced that scoping meetings would be held during June and early 
July 2010 in coastal states bordering the Mid and South Atlantic; 
Western, Central, and a portion of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico; and at 
several locations in Alaska. Subsequently, on June 30, 2010, the 
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the scoping 
meetings were postponed until later in 2010 because of the need for 
BOEMRE to focus on reviewing and evaluating safety and environmental 
requirements of offshore drilling in response to the Deepwater Horizon 
incident and that a new public comment period would later be announced. 
On December 1, 2010, the Secretary announced an updated oil and gas 
leasing strategy for the OCS. Consistent with the Secretary's direction 
to proceed with caution and focus on leasing in areas with current 
active leases, the area in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico that remains 
under a congressional moratorium, and the Mid and South Atlantic 
planning areas are no longer under consideration for potential sales 
and development through 2017. Therefore, meetings will not be held in 
these areas. The Western Gulf of Mexico, Central Gulf of Mexico, and 
the Cook Inlet, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea areas offshore Alaska 
will continue to be considered for potential leasing in the 2012-2017 
OCS Program.

Scoping Meetings

    Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions 
of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), 
BOEMRE will hold public scoping meetings on the Draft Programmatic EIS 
for the proposed 2012-2017 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program 
(Programmatic EIS). (See, 40 CFR 1501.7). The dates and locations of 
the Programmatic EIS public scoping meetings are as follows:
     Houston, Texas, Tuesday, February 15, 2011, Houston 
Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy 
Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 1 p.m. (This scoping meeting will also 
accept comments on the lease sale EIS addressing Central and Western 
Gulf of Mexico sales included in the 2012-2017 OCS 5-Year Program.)
     New Orleans, Louisiana, Wednesday, February 16, 2011, New 
Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 Airline Drive, Kenner, Louisiana, 1 p.m. 
(This scoping meeting will also accept comments on the lease sale EIS 
addressing Central and Western Gulf of Mexico sales included in the 
2012-2017 OCS 5-Year Program.)
     Mobile, Alabama, Thursday, February 17, 2011, Five 
Rivers--Alabama's Delta Resource Center, 30945 Five Rivers Boulevard, 
Spanish Fort, Alabama, 1 p.m. (This scoping meeting will also accept 
comments on the lease sale EIS addressing Central and Western Gulf of 
Mexico sales included in the 2012-2017 OCS 5-Year Program.)
     Kotzebue, Alaska, Monday, February 14, 2011, Kotzebue 
Middle/High School, 7 p.m.
     Point Hope, Alaska, Tuesday, February 15, 2011, Point Hope 
School Library, 7 p.m.
     Point Lay, Alaska, Wednesday, February 16, 2011, Point Lay 
Community Center, 7 p.m.
     Wainwright, Alaska, Thursday, February 17, 2011, Alak 
School Library,
    7 p.m.
     Barrow, Alaska, Monday, February 21, 2011, Inupiat 
Heritage Center,
    7 p.m.
     Nuiqsut, Alaska, Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Nuiqsut 
Community Center,
    7 p.m.

[[Page 377]]

     Kaktovik, Alaska, Wednesday, February 23, 2011, Kaktovik 
Community Center, 7 p.m.
     Washington, DC/Dulles, Virginia, Thursday, February 24, 
2011, Washington, DC/Dulles Airport Marriott, 45020 Aviation Drive, 
Dulles, Virginia, 1 p.m.
     Anchorage, Alaska, Friday, February 25, 2011, BOEMRE 
Regional Offices, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Conference Room, Anchorage, 
Alaska, 7 p.m.

Scoping Comments

    The Federal Register notice published on April 2, 2010, (75 FR 
16828) established a comment period that closed on June 30, 2010. The 
new comment period extends to March 31, 2011. All comments received 
during the public comment period that closed on June 30 and all 
comments received during the new public comment period will be 
considered by BOEMRE as part of the EIS scoping process. Interested 
parties may submit their written scoping comments on the Programmatic 
EIS until March 31, 2011, to Mr. J. F. Bennett, Chief, Branch of 
Environmental Assessment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation 
and Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4042, Herndon, Virginia 
20170-4817, or online at http://ocs5yeareis.anl.gov.
    BOEMRE cautions that, before including your address, phone number, 
e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your 
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you may ask BOEMRE (prominently at the beginning of your 
submission) to withhold your personal identifying information from 
public review, BOEMRE cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. 
BOEMRE will not consider anonymous comments, and BOEMRE will make 
available for inspection, in their entirety, all comments submitted by 
organizations or businesses or by individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives of organizations or businesses. Information concerning 
the Leasing Program and Programmatic EIS can be accessed at http://www.boemre.gov/5-year/.
    For further information about preparation of the Programmatic EIS, 
please contact Mr. J. F. Bennett, Chief, Branch of Environmental 
Assessment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and 
Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4042, Herndon, Virginia 20170-
4817, (703) 787-1660.

    Dated: December 10, 2010.
Michael R. Bromwich,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 
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[FR Doc. 2010-33149 Filed 1-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P