[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 19 (Thursday, January 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4941-4945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01757]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2014-0096; MAA104000]
Notice of Availability (NOA) of and Request for Comments on the
Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing
Program for 2017-2022 (DPP)
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the availability of and requests comments
on the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing
Program for 2017-2022 (DPP). This draft proposal is for the 2017-2022
OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program that will succeed the current 2012-2017
Program. The DPP provides the basis for gathering information and
conducting analyses to inform the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary)
on which areas to include for further leasing consideration in the
2017-2022 Program.
Section 18 of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) specifies a multi-
step process of consultation and analysis that must be completed before
the Secretary may approve a new Five-Year Program. The required steps
following this notice include the development of a Proposed Program
(PP), Proposed Final Program (PFP), and Secretarial approval. In
conjunction with this notice, BOEM is publishing a Notice of Intent
(NOI) to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)
for the 2017-2022 Program, pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA).
DATES: Please submit comments and information to BOEM no later than
March 30, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kelly Hammerle, Five-Year Program
Manager, at (703) 787-1613.
Public Comment Procedure
BOEM will accept comments in one of two formats: Federal internet
commenting system or regular mail. BOEM's preference is to receive
comments via the internet commenting system. Comments should be
submitted using only one of these formats, and include full names and
addresses of the individual submitting the comment(s). Comments
submitted by other means may not be considered. BOEM will not consider
anonymous comments. BOEM will make available for public inspection all
comments submitted by organizations and businesses, or by individuals
identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or
businesses, subject to the limitations described in this Notice with
respect to personal information and proprietary/privileged/confidential
information.
BOEM's practice is to make comments, including the names and
addresses of individuals, available for public review. An individual
commenter may ask that BOEM withhold from the public record his or her
name, home address, or both, and BOEM will honor such a request to the
extent allowable by law. If individuals submit comments and desire
withholding of such information, they must so state prominently at the
beginning of their submission.
In order to ensure security and confidentiality of proprietary
information to the maximum extent possible, BOEM requests that
proprietary information only be sent by mail. In addition to
prominently stating that proprietary information is contained in a
comment at the beginning of the submission, comments should be sent in
a plain outer envelope with an inner envelope stating that proprietary
information is contained within.
Commenting via Internet
Internet comments should be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. BOEM requests that commenters
follow these instructions to submit their comments via this Web site:
(1) In the search tab on the main page, search for BOEM-2014-0096.
(2) Locate the document, then click the ``Submit a Comment'' link
either on the Search Results page or the Document Details page. This
will display the Web comment form.
(3) Enter the submitter information and type the comment on the Web
form. Attach any additional files (up to 10MB). (Please do not provide
proprietary or confidential comments via the Internet.)
(4) After typing the comment, click the ``Preview Comment'' link to
review. Once satisfied with the comment, click the ``Submit'' button to
send the comment.
[[Page 4942]]
Information on using regulations.gov, including instructions for
accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after
the close of the comment period, is available through the site's ``User
Tips'' link.
Commenting via Regular Mail
Mail comments and information on the 2017-2022 Program to Ms. Kelly
Hammerle, Five-Year Program Manager, BOEM (HM-3120), 381 Elden Street,
Herndon, Virginia 20170. As stated above, if commenters submit any
privileged or proprietary information to be treated as confidential, in
addition to prominently stating proprietary information is contained in
a comment at the beginning of the submission, comments should be sent
in a plain outer envelope with an inner envelope stating that
proprietary information is contained within. BOEM will post all
comments on regulations.gov for public viewing, subject to the
limitations described in this Notice with respect to personal
information and proprietary/privileged/confidential information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BOEM requests comments from states, local
governments, Federal agencies, Native groups, tribes, the oil and gas
industry, environmental and other public interest organizations, non-
energy industries, all other interested parties, and the public to
assist in the continued preparation of the 2017-2022 Program and PEIS.
The DPP and supplemental information may be viewed on and downloaded
from the BOEM Web site at www.BOEM.gov/Five-Year-Program-2017-2022.
Additionally, BOEM has created a Web site for the development of the
PEIS, which can be found at www.boemoceaninfo.com.
Background
Section 18 of the OCS Lands Act requires the Secretary to prepare
and maintain a schedule of proposed OCS oil and gas lease sales
determined to ``best meet national energy needs for the 5-year period
following its approval or reapproval.'' This DPP is the first of three
proposed leasing schedules for OCS lease sales under the 2017-2022
Program. The areas identified in the DPP were chosen after careful
consideration of the factors specified in Section 18 of the OCS Lands
Act and the comments received in response to the Request for
Information and Comments (RFI) published in the Federal Register on
June 16, 2014 (79 FR 34349). Inclusion of areas in the DPP lease sale
schedule provides a basis for gathering information and conducting
analyses to inform policy makers on whether to include these areas for
further leasing consideration in the 2017-2022 Program. Only those
areas and options that the Secretary decides are appropriate to include
in the DPP will be further analyzed for the PP and the associated Draft
PEIS. Before the new Program is approved and implemented, BOEM will
accept and consider comments on the DPP and issue for public review a
PP, accompanied by a Draft PEIS. After the opportunity for public
comment on those documents, BOEM will conduct additional analyses and
subsequently issue a PFP decision document, accompanied by a Final
PEIS. The PFP and Final PEIS will be submitted to the President and
Congress at least 60 days prior to Secretarial approval of the 2017-
2022 Program.
Summary of the Draft Proposed Program
The lease sale options chosen in the DPP consist of 14 potential
lease sales in eight OCS planning areas: Ten sales in the three Gulf of
Mexico (GOM) planning areas for the areas not subject to Congressional
moratorium; one sale each in the Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and Cook
Inlet Planning Areas, offshore Alaska; and one sale in a portion of the
combined Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas (see Table 1).
This DPP reflects a continuation of the leasing strategy set forth
in the current 2012-2017 Program, with additional proposed flexibility
in the Gulf of Mexico. The schedule is tailored so the dual goals of
promoting prompt development of the Nation's oil and gas resources with
the necessary protections for the marine, coastal, and human
environments can be best achieved for each specific OCS region. This
region-specific strategy is reflected in the DPP's approach to offshore
areas across the Nation's OCS, including the current knowledge of
resource potential, accommodation of regional interests and concerns,
and the need for a balanced approach to our use of natural resources.
The options in the DPP involve sales in offshore areas that have the
highest oil and gas resource values, highest industry interest, or are
off the coasts of states that expressed interest in learning more about
the potential for energy exploration off their coasts, while
recognizing potential environmental impacts, concerns, and competing
uses of ocean and coastal areas.
Table 1--2017-2022 Draft Proposed Program Lease Sale Schedule
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year Planning area Sale number
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 2017...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 249
2. 2018...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 250
3. 2018...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 251
4. 2019...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 252
5. 2019...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 253
6. 2020...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 254
7. 2020...................................... Beaufort Sea.................................... 255
8. 2020...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 256
9. 2021...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 257
10. 2021...................................... Cook Inlet...................................... 258
11. 2021...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 259
12. 2021...................................... Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic................. 260
13. 2022...................................... Gulf of Mexico Region........................... 261
14. 2022...................................... Chukchi Sea..................................... 262
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf of Mexico Region
The DPP's Gulf of Mexico options identified for further detailed
analysis in the PP and Draft PEIS include ten region-wide sales: one
sale each in 2017 and 2022; and two sales each in 2018, 2019, 2020, and
2021; offering all available unleased acreage not subject to
Congressional moratorium in the combined Western, Central, and Eastern
Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas in each sale. See Figure 1. BOEM is
proposing this change from the traditional separate planning area-wide
sales to a region-
[[Page 4943]]
wide approach to balance agency workload and provide greater
flexibility to industry, including the ability to respond to the
significant recent energy reforms in Mexico that have the potential to
meaningfully change how exploration and development decisions are made
in the GOM.
Alaska Region
In Alaska, the DPP continues to take a balanced approach to
development by utilizing the targeted leasing strategy set forth in the
current Program by identifying one sale each in the Beaufort Sea
(2020), Cook Inlet (2021), and Chukchi Sea (2022) Planning Areas (see
Figure 2). Potential sales in the three Alaska program areas are
scheduled late in the five-year period to provide additional
opportunity to evaluate and obtain information regarding environmental
issues, subsistence use needs, infrastructure capabilities, and results
from any exploration activity associated with existing leases.
A potential Beaufort Sea sale is scheduled in 2020 in a program
area that excludes the Barrow and Kaktovik whaling deferral areas that
were excluded in the current Program as well as the 2007-2012 Program.
The DPP schedules a potential Chukchi Sea sale in 2022 that excludes
the 25-mile coastal buffer and subsistence deferral areas that were
also excluded in the current Program. A potential Cook Inlet sale is
scheduled for 2021 in a program area that includes only the northern
portion of the Cook Inlet OCS Planning Area. This option balances the
protection of endangered species, as identified in 2013 in the 2013
Cook Inlet Lease Sale 244 Area Identification, with the availability
for leasing of the areas with significant resource potential and
industry interest.
On December 16, 2014, the President withdrew, for a time period
without a specific expiration, the North Aleutian Basin Planning Area
from further consideration of leasing of oil and gas for the purposes
of exploration, development, and production. There also will be no
further leasing consideration in the other 11 Alaska OCS planning areas
with either negligible resources or negligible resource development
value. See Figure 2.
Atlantic Region
In the Atlantic Region, the DPP schedules one lease sale in a
portion of the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas in 2021.
The DPP proposes one sale late in the Program at least 50 miles
offshore the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas. This
option allows for consideration of a targeted area with significant
resource potential, while limiting potential impacts to the environment
and other uses of the ocean. Scheduling the potential sale late in the
Program allows time for additional analyses, including the collection
of additional seismic and environmental information. See Figure 1.
Pacific Region
No lease sale options have been identified in the Pacific Region
for additional analysis. The exclusion of the Pacific Region is
consistent with the long-standing interests of Pacific coast states, as
framed in the 2006 West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health. This
agreement expressed the governors' opposition to oil and gas
development off their coasts, and these states have continued to voice
concerns, including in formal comments on the RFI.
Assurance of Fair Market Value
Section 18 of the OCS Lands Act requires receipt of fair market
value from OCS oil and gas leases. BOEM plans to continue to use the
two-phase post-sale bid evaluation process that it has used since 1983
to meet the fair market value requirement. However, BOEM is considering
a change to the post-sale bid evaluation process [see Federal Register
Notice, October 17, 2014, (79 FR 62461)]. Further, the DPP provides
that BOEM may set minimum bid levels, rental rates, and royalty rates
by individual lease sale based on its assessment of market and resource
conditions closer to the date of the sale.
Information Requested for the Draft Proposed Program
We request comments on the size, timing, and location of leasing.
Respondents who submitted information in response to the June 16, 2014,
Federal Register Notice, which requested comments on preparing the Five
Year Program, may wish to refer to that previously submitted
information, as appropriate, rather than repeat it in their comments on
the DPP. We also invite comments and suggestions on how to proceed with
the Section 18 analysis in the Proposed Program.
Next Steps in the Process
BOEM currently plans to issue the Proposed Program and Draft PEIS
in 2016, followed by a public comment period.
Dated: January 7, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[[Page 4944]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JA15.000
[[Page 4945]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JA15.001
[FR Doc. 2015-01757 Filed 1-28-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P