[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65705-65706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26185]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[MMAA104000]


Request for Comments on the Annual Progress Report on the Outer 
Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2012-2017

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: BOEM requests comments on the Annual Progress Report (Report) 
on the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2012-2017 (Five Year Program). 
The Annual Progress Report is available for review at: www.boem.gov/Five-Year-Program-Annual-Progress-Report/. Information on the Five Year 
Program is available online at http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/2012-2017/Five-Year-Program.aspx. The 
Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) published the Five Year Program 
in June 2012, and the program became final on August 27, 2012, after 
the required 60-day congressional review period. Section 18(e) of the 
OCS Lands Act (Act) states that ``the Secretary shall review the 
leasing program approved under this section at least once each year. He 
[or she] may revise and reapprove such program, at any time, and such 
revision and reapproval, except in the case of a revision which is not 
significant, shall be in the same manner as originally developed.'' 
Historically, the annual review has been an internal process in which 
BOEM reports to the Secretary any information or events that might 
result in consideration of a revision to the Program. However, in the 
decision document for the Five Year Program (available by clicking on 
``Proposed Final Program Decision Document'' at the above web address), 
the Department of the Interior stated its commitment to ``publish an 
annual progress report on the Five Year Program that includes an 
opportunity for stakeholders and the public to comment on the program's 
implementation.'' Pursuant to this commitment, the Annual Progress 
Report (Report) provides the public an overview of the activities that 
have occurred during the previous year. The Report includes the 
following information:
     Statistics of sales that have occurred in the previous 
year, including the number and location of lease blocks and the dollars 
collected on high bids;
     a tracking table of all relevant deferrals and 
mitigations;

[[Page 65706]]

     a summary of completed and ongoing safety and 
environmental studies;
     regulatory updates;
     a discussion of significant new drilling activities and 
seismic data collection;
     a summary of any significant incidents; and
     other relevant information.
    After the comment period, BOEM will submit the Report, with a 
summary of comments received in response to this notice, to the 
Secretary.
    There is no specified format for comments. However, BOEM requests 
that respondents focus on new information that has come to light since 
final approval of the Five Year Program in August 2012, and information 
that was not provided during previous comment periods related to the 
development of the Five Year Program.

DATES: Please submit comments and information to BOEM no later than 
December 2, 2013.
    Public Comment Procedure: BOEM will accept comments submitted by 
mail or through its Internet submission system. Please submit your 
comments using only one of these methods, and include full names and 
addresses. Comments submitted by other means may not be considered. 
BOEM will not consider anonymous comments. BOEM will make available for 
inspection in their entirety all comments by organizations and 
businesses or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives 
of organizations and businesses.
    BOEM's practice is to make comments submitted, including the names 
and home addresses of respondents, available for public review. An 
individual may ask that BOEM withhold his or her name, home address, or 
both from the public record, and BOEM will honor such a request to the 
extent allowed by law. If you wish BOEM to withhold such information, 
you must so state prominently at the beginning of your submission.

ADDRESSES: Mail comments to: Kelly Hammerle, Five Year Program Manager, 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (MS-HM 3120), Room 3120, 381 Elden 
Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170. Please label your comments and the 
packaging in which they are submitted as ``Information in response to 
the Annual Progress Report on the Five Year Program 2012-2017.'' If you 
submit any privileged or proprietary information to be treated as 
confidential, please mark the envelope ``Contains Confidential 
Information.''
    Internet: Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Under the tab ``More Search Options,'' click ``Advanced Docket 
Search,'' then select ``Bureau of Ocean Energy Management'' from the 
agency drop-down menu, then click the submit button. In the Docket ID 
column, select BOEM-2013-0046 to submit public comments and to view 
related materials available for the Five Year Program. Information on 
using the Federal eRulemaking Portal, including instructions for 
accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after 
the comment period closes, is available through the site's ``User 
Tips'' link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Hammerle, Five Year Program 
Manager, at 703-787-1215.

    Dated: October 28, 2013.
Tommy P. Beaudreau,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2013-26185 Filed 10-31-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P