[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 158 (Monday, August 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49265-49266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20262]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2015-0093; MMAA104000]


Outer Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sale, 
Central Planning Area Lease Sale 247

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement and an Announcement of Scoping Meetings and Comment Period 
for Proposed Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Central 
Planning Area Lease Sale 247.

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SUMMARY: Consistent with the regulations implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
BOEM is announcing its intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental 
Shelf (OCS) Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 247 (CPA 
247 Supplemental EIS). The CPA 247 Supplemental EIS will expand or 
update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses in: Gulf of Mexico 
OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012-2017; Western Planning Area Lease 
Sales 229, 233, 238, 246, and 248; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 
227, 231, 235, 241, and 247, Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(2012-2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease 
Sales: 2013-2014; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233; Central 
Planning Area Lease Sale 231, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil 
and Gas Lease Sales: 2015-2017; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 235, 
241, and 247, Final Supplemental EIS (CPA 235/241/247 Supplemental 
EIS); and Central Planning Area Lease Sales 241 and 247 and Eastern 
Planning Area Lease Sale 226, Final Supplemental EIS (CPA 241/247 and 
EPA 226 Supplemental EIS).
    The CPA 247 Supplemental EIS will supplement the NEPA documents 
cited above in order to consider new circumstances and information 
arising from, among other things, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil 
spill, and response. It will focus on updating the baseline conditions 
and any new information on the potential environmental effects of oil 
and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in 
the CPA identified through the Area Identification procedure as the 
proposed lease sale area. In addition to the no action alternative 
(i.e., canceling a proposed lease sale), other alternatives may be 
considered for the proposed CPA lease sales, such as deferring certain 
areas from the proposed lease sale area.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the CPA 247 Supplemental EIS should be 
submitted by September 16, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the CPA 247 
Supplemental EIS or the submission of comments, please contact Mr. Gary 
D. Goeke, Chief, Environmental Assessment Section, Office of 
Environment (GM 623E), BOEM, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood

[[Page 49266]]

Park Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70123-2394, telephone 504-736-3233.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 27, 2012, the Secretary of the 
Interior approved the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 (2012-
2017 Five Year Program). This Supplemental EIS will consider the last 
CPA sale for this 2012-2017 Five Year Program. Proposed CPA Lease Sale 
247 is tentatively scheduled to be held in 2017.
    Scoping Process: This Notice of Intent (NOI) serves to announce the 
scoping process for identifying issues for the CPA 247 Supplemental 
EIS. Throughout the scoping process, Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
governments and the general public have the opportunity to help BOEM 
determine significant resources and issues, impacting factors, 
reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigating measures to be 
analyzed in the CPA 247 Supplemental EIS, and to provide additional 
information. BOEM will also use the scoping process to inform the 
Section 106 consultation process of the National Historic Preservation 
Act (16 U.S.C. 470f), as provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Pursuant 
to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA, the 
BOEM will hold public scoping meetings in Alabama, Louisiana and 
Mississippi on the CPA 247 Supplemental EIS. The purpose of these 
meetings is to solicit comments on the scope of the CPA 247 
Supplemental EIS. BOEM's scoping meetings will be held at the following 
places and times:
     Mobile, Alabama: Tuesday, September 1, 2015, Hilton Garden 
Inn Mobile West, 828 West I-65 Service Road South, Mobile, Alabama 
36609, one meeting beginning at 4:00 p.m. CDT;
     Gulfport, Mississippi: Wednesday, September 2, 2015, 
Courtyard by Marriott, Gulfport Beachfront MS Hotel, 1600 East Beach 
Boulevard, Gulfport, Mississippi 39501, one meeting beginning at 6:00 
p.m. CDT; and
     New Orleans, Louisiana: Thursday, September 3, 2015, 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 
Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123, one meeting 
beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
    Cooperating Agency: BOEM invites other Federal, State, Tribal, and 
local governments to consider becoming cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the CPA 247 Supplemental EIS. We invite qualified 
government entities to inquire about cooperating agency status for the 
CPA 247 Supplemental EIS. Following the guidelines from the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ), qualified agencies and governments are 
those with ``jurisdiction by law or special expertise.'' Potential 
cooperating agencies should consider their authority and capacity to 
assume the responsibilities of a cooperating agency and should remember 
that an agency's role in the environmental analysis neither enlarges 
nor diminishes the final decision making authority of any other agency 
involved in the NEPA process. Upon request, BOEM will provide potential 
cooperating agencies with a written summary of ground rules for 
cooperating agencies, including time schedules and critical action 
dates, milestones, responsibilities, scope and detail of cooperating 
agencies' contributions, and availability of predecisional information. 
BOEM anticipates this summary will form the basis for a Memorandum of 
Agreement between BOEM and any cooperating agency pursuant to 43 CFR 
46.225. Agencies should also consider DOI's implementing regulation at 
43 CFR part 46 and the ``Factors for Determining Cooperating Agency 
Status'' in Attachment 1 to CEQ's January 30, 2002, Memorandum for the 
Heads of Federal Agencies: Cooperating Agencies in Implementing the 
Procedural Requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The 
CEQ documents are available at the following location on the Internet: 
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/nepapub/nepa_documents/RedDont/G-CEQCoopAgenciesImplem.pdf.
    BOEM, as the lead agency, will not provide financial assistance to 
cooperating agencies. Even if an organization is not a cooperating 
agency, opportunities will exist to provide information and comments to 
BOEM during the normal public input stages of the EIS process. For 
further information about cooperating agencies, please contact Mr. Gary 
D. Goeke at (504) 736-3233.
    Comments: All interested parties, including Federal, State, Tribal, 
and local governments, and other organizations and members of the 
public, may submit written comments on the scope of the CPA 247 
Supplemental EIS, significant issues that should be addressed, 
alternatives that should be considered, potential mitigating measures, 
and the types of oil and gas activities of interest in the proposed CPA 
lease sale area. BOEM is also seeking public comment and input 
regarding the identification of historic properties or potential 
effects, as defined by the National Historic Preservation Act, to 
historic properties from the proposed action. Written comments may be 
submitted in one of the following ways:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
field entitled ``Search'' enter ``BOEM'' and then click ``search.'' 
Under ``Comment Period'' select ``Open'' and under ``Document Type'' 
select ``Notice''. Choose the ``Notice'' for ``Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 
Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf; Central Planning Area Lease 
Sale 247.'' Follow the instructions to submit public comments and view 
supporting and related materials available for this notice;
    2. U.S. mail in an envelope labeled ``Scoping Comments for the CPA 
247 Supplemental EIS'' and mailed (or hand delivered) to Mr. Gary D. 
Goeke, Chief, Environmental Assessment Section, Office of Environment 
(GM 623E), BOEM, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. Comments must be 
postmarked by the last day of the comment period to be considered. As 
noted in the ``Dates'' section above, the comment period ends on 
September 16, 2015.
    3. Via electronic mail to email address: [email protected].
    Petitions, although accepted, do not generally provide useful 
information to assist in the development of alternatives, resources, 
and issues to be analyzed, or impacting factors. BOEM does not consider 
anonymous comments; please include your name and address as part of 
your submittal. BOEM makes all comments, including the names and 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Before including your address, phone number, email 
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 can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Authority:  This NOI to prepare a Supplemental EIS is published 
pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 46.435) 
implementing the provisions of NEPA.

    Dated: August 11, 2015.
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Deputy Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-20262 Filed 8-13-15; 11:15 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P