[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 172 (Friday, September 4, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53565-53567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22073]



[[Page 53565]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2015-0075; MMAA104000]


Outer Continental Shelf, Region-Wide Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Gas 
Lease Sales for Years 2017-2022

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

ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations.

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SUMMARY: This Call for Information and Nominations (Call) is the 
initial step in a multi-sale process covering all proposed lease sales 
in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) comprised of the Western, Central, and 
Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas (WPA, CPA, and EPA, 
respectively), proposed for inclusion in the Draft Proposed Five Year 
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022 
(2017-2022 Five Year Program). Ten proposed lease sales are 
specifically covered by this Call: Five region-wide GOM sales 
tentatively scheduled in March of each year and five region-wide GOM 
sales tentatively scheduled in August of each year. This call for 
region-wide GOM sales will not prevent Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management (BOEM) from deciding during the pre-sale process to hold 
separate sales in individual planning areas without issuing another 
call. BOEM announced in a Notice of Intent (NOI, 80 FR 23818, April 29, 
2015) that it is preparing a multi-sale Environmental Impact Statement 
(Multi-sale EIS) covering the same 10 lease sales in the proposed GOM 
sale area, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA). For each of the 10 proposed individual lease sales associated 
with this Call, BOEM will continue to comply with NEPA, the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Coastal Zone Management Act 
(CZMA) and other applicable law.

DATES: Nominations and comments must be received at the address 
specified below no later than October 5, 2015 in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jaron Ming, Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New 
Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2537.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 27, 2015, the Department of the 
Interior released the Draft Proposed 2017-2022 Five Year Program. The 
Draft Proposed 2017-2022 Five Year Program was made available for 
public comment through March 30, 2015. BOEM also published an NOI to 
prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the 
2017-2022 Five Year Program on January 29, 2015. Scoping for the PEIS 
closed on March 30, 2015. Information on the development of the 
proposed 2017-2022 Five Year Program and PEIS are available on BOEM's 
Web site at: http://www.boem.gov/Five-Year-Program-2017-2022/.
    Because the first Gulf sale is proposed to occur early in the 
Program and due to the long lead times needed to prepare for proposed 
oil and gas lease sales, the development of the 2017-2022 Five Year 
Program and the administrative and environmental analysis processes for 
individual Gulf of Mexico lease sales must occur simultaneously and in 
close coordination. This Call covers only the region-wide lease sales 
in the GOM that are proposed for inclusion in the Draft Proposed 2017-
2022 Five Year Program. The Multi-sale EIS being prepared by BOEM will 
analyze a large region-wide area in the GOM that will include available 
blocks in the Western, Central, and Eastern Planning Areas not subject 
to Congressional moratorium (collectively, the ``proposed GOM sale 
area''). The Multi-sale EIS will also include analysis of potential 
alternatives to the region-wide lease sale proposal.

Call for Information and Nominations

1. Authority

    This Call is published pursuant to OCSLA, as amended (43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq.), and its implementing regulations (30 CFR part 556).

2. Purpose of Call

    The purpose of the Call is to gather information for the following 
tentatively scheduled OCS region-wide GOM sales. The Draft Proposed 
2017-2022 Five Year Program has scheduled the following proposed lease 
sales, which would be region-wide and include all unleased acreage in 
the GOM not currently subject to Congressional moratorium.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Lease sale                            Sale year
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale 249..................................  August 2017.
Sale 250..................................  March 2018.
Sale 251..................................  August 2018.
Sale 252..................................  March 2019.
Sale 253..................................  August 2019.
Sale 254..................................  March 2020.
Sale 256..................................  August 2020.
Sale 257..................................  March 2021.
Sale 259..................................  August 2021.
Sale 261..................................  March 2022.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    BOEM seeks information and nominations on oil and gas leasing, 
exploration, development, and production within the proposed GOM sale 
area from all interested parties. This early planning and consultation 
step ensures that public interests and concerns are communicated to the 
Department of the Interior for its future decisions in the leasing 
process, pursuant to section 19 of OCSLA (43 U.S.C. 1344) and its 
implementing regulations (30 CFR part 556).
    BOEM requests responses regarding proposed sales in the region-wide 
GOM sale area. Accordingly, this multi-sale process addresses decisions 
for all 10 region-wide lease sales in the proposed GOM sale area.
    Pursuant to section 18 of OCSLA (43 U.S.C. 1344), the Secretary of 
the Interior (Secretary) is separately developing the 2017-2022 Five 
Year Program; therefore, this Call should not be construed as a 
prejudgment or decision by the Secretary concerning any area to be made 
available for leasing under the 2017-2022 Five Year Program.
    This Call does not indicate a preliminary decision to lease in the 
area described below. Final delineation of the area for possible 
leasing will be made later, in compliance with applicable laws (e.g., 
NEPA, OCSLA, and CZMA) and established departmental procedures.

3. Description of Area

    The proposed GOM sale area of this Call includes the entire CPA, 
WPA, and EPA, except for those areas currently subject to Congressional 
moratorium.
    The CPA is bound on the north by the Federal-State boundary 
offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The eastern boundary of 
the CPA begins at the offshore boundary between Alabama and Florida and 
proceeds southeasterly to 26.19[deg]N. latitude, thence southwesterly 
to 25.6[deg]N. latitude. The western boundary of the CPA begins at the 
offshore boundary between Texas and Louisiana and proceeds 
southeasterly to 28.43[deg] N. latitude, thence south-southwesterly to 
27.49[deg] N. latitude, thence south-southeasterly to 25.80[deg] N. 
latitude. The CPA is bounded on the south by the maritime boundary with 
Mexico as established by the Treaty between the Government of the 
United States of America and the Government of the United Mexican 
States on the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf in the Western Gulf 
of Mexico beyond 200 Nautical Miles, which took effect in January 2001, 
and by the limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the

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area east of the continental shelf boundary with Mexico. The CPA 
includes a small section subject to Congressional moratorium, which 
currently runs until June 30, 2022, as established by the Gulf of 
Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA, Pub. L. 109-432). [This 
area of the CPA subject to Congressional moratorium is bounded by the 
area east of the Military Mission Line (86[deg] 41' west longitude), 
and the area within the CPA that is within 100 miles of Florida. A map 
of the moratoria can be found here: http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Areas-Under-Moratoria.aspx.] The CPA available 
for nominations and comments at this time consists of approximately 
66.45 million acres, of which approximately 45.28 million acres are 
currently unleased.
    The WPA is bound on the west and north by the Federal-State 
boundary offshore Texas. The eastern boundary begins at the offshore 
boundary between Texas and Louisiana and proceeds southeasterly to 
28.43[deg] N. latitude, thence south-southwesterly to 27.49[deg] N. 
latitude, thence south-southeasterly to 25.80[deg] N. latitude. The WPA 
is bounded on the south by the maritime boundary with Mexico as 
established by the Treaty between the Government of the United States 
of America and the Government of the United Mexican States on the 
Delimitation of the Continental Shelf in the Western Gulf of Mexico 
beyond 200 Nautical Miles, which took effect in January 2001. The WPA 
available for nominations and comments at this time consists of 
approximately 28.58 million acres, of which approximately 21.94 million 
acres are currently unleased.
    The proposed GOM sale area includes a small section of the EPA not 
subject to Congressional moratorium, which currently runs until June 
30, 2022, as established by GOMESA. The portion of the EPA not subject 
to Congressional moratorium is bound on the east by the Military 
Mission Line (86[deg]41' W. longitude), on the south by the limits of 
the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to the area known as the 
northern portion of the Eastern Gap, and on the west by the CPA. The 
EPA available for nominations and comments at this time consists of 
approximately 657,905 acres, of which approximately 465,201 acres are 
currently unleased.
    A standard Call map, depicting the proposed GOM sale area on a 
block-by-block basis, is available from the Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management, Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, or by telephone at (800) 
200-GULF. The map also is available on the BOEM Web site at http://boem.gov/2017-2022/Call-for-Information/.

4. Areas Excluded From Call

    The entire proposed GOM sale area will be considered for possible 
leasing, except for those areas currently subject to Presidential 
withdrawal or Congressional moratorium.

5. Nominations and Public Comment Procedures

    BOEM will accept comments from the public in one of two formats: 
via the Federal internet commenting system at regulations.gov or via 
regular mail. BOEM's preference is to receive comments via the internet 
commenting system at regulations.gov. Indications of interest and 
comments must be received no later than October 5, 2015. BOEM requests 
that comments be submitted using one of these formats, and include full 
names and addresses of the individual submitting the comments or 
indication of interest.
    In order to ensure security and confidentiality of proprietary 
information to the maximum extent possible, BOEM requests that 
indications of interest and other proprietary information be sent by 
regular mail only.
Submitting Comments via Internet
    Comments may 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-2015-0075.
    (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 or indications of interest via the 
Internet. Proprietary or confidential comments or indications of 
interest should be sent via the mail only, as described below.)
    (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.
    Information on using www.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.

Submitting Comments or Indications of Interest via the Mail

    Comments and indications of interest submitted through the mail 
should be in envelopes labeled ``Nominations for Proposed 2017-2022 
Lease Sales in the Gulf of Mexico'' or ``Comments on the Call for 
Information and Nominations for Proposed 2017-2022 Lease Sales in the 
Gulf of Mexico'' and mailed to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Office of Leasing and Plans, (Attention: Ms. 
Ann H. Glazner), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (Mail Stop 5422), New 
Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.

Public Disclosure of Comments and Indications of Interest

    BOEM will not consider anonymous comments. BOEM's practice is to 
make comments, including the names and addresses of individuals, 
available for public review. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, please be advised 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 from 
public review your personal identifying information, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. BOEM will make available for 
public inspection, in their entirety, all comments submitted by 
organizations and businesses, or by individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives of organizations or businesses.
    Individual indications of interest in areas for mineral leasing are 
considered to be privileged and proprietary information. The names of 
persons or entities submitting comments or indicating interest will be 
treated by BOEM as information that may be released to the public. 
Comments will likewise be released, except that actual individual 
indications of interest in areas for mineral leasing, trade secrets, 
commercial or financial information will be treated as confidential and 
proprietary information that is privileged and will not be released to 
the public.

Additional Information for Submitting Comments and Indications of 
Interest

    The Call map, provided on BOEM's Web site at http://boem.gov/2017-2022/Call-for-Information/, delineates the proposed GOM sale area, all 
of which BOEM has identified as having potential for the discovery of 
oil and gas

[[Page 53567]]

accumulations. Respondents are requested to indicate interest in, and 
comment on, any or all of the Federal acreage within the boundaries of 
the proposed GOM sale area that they wish to have included in each of 
the proposed lease sales in the proposed GOM sale area.
    Respondents indicating their interest should outline the areas of 
interest along block lines and rank the areas in which they have 
expressed interest according to their interest priority (e.g., priority 
1 [high], 2 [medium], or 3 [low]), specifically indicating blocks by 
priority. Areas where interest has been indicated, but on which 
respondents have not indicated priorities, will be considered priority 
3 (low).
    Respondents also may nominate a list of blocks identified by 
Official Protraction Diagram (OPD) and Leasing Map designations to 
ensure correct interpretation of those nominations. A CD-ROM containing 
all the GOM leasing maps and OPDs is available from the BOEM Gulf of 
Mexico OCS Region Public Information Office. These GOM leasing maps and 
OPDs also are available for free online at http://www.boem.gov/Official-Protraction-Diagrams/. Also, BOEM seeks comments from all 
interested parties about particular geological, environmental 
(including natural disasters), biological, archaeological, and 
socioeconomic conditions or conflicts, or other information that could 
affect the potential leasing and development of particular areas. 
Additionally, BOEM seeks comments about possible conflicts between 
future OCS oil and gas activities and State Coastal Management Programs 
(CMPs) that may result from the proposed sales. These comments should 
identify specific CMP policies of concern, the nature of the conflict 
foreseen, and the proposed means to avoid or mitigate potential 
conflicts. Comments may refer to both broad areas or to particular 
blocks.

6. Information From Call

    Information submitted in response to this Call will be used for 
several purposes, including identifying and prioritizing areas with 
potential for oil and gas development, as well as determining possible 
environmental effects to be further evaluated and potential conflicts 
in the Call area. BOEM will analyze the areas nominated in the proposed 
sales, their respective rankings, and the comments received to make a 
preliminary determination of the potential advantages and disadvantages 
of oil and gas exploration and development to the region and the 
Nation. Comments collected may be used to develop proposed actions and 
alternatives in the EIS process, to develop lease terms and conditions 
to ensure safe offshore operations, and to assess potential conflicts 
between offshore oil and gas activities and a State's CMP.

7. Existing Information

    BOEM routinely assesses the status of information acquisition 
efforts and the quality of the information base for potential decisions 
on tentatively scheduled lease sales. As a result of this ongoing 
assessment, BOEM has determined that the status of existing and 
extensive data available for planning, analysis, and decision making is 
adequate.
    An extensive environmental studies program has been underway in the 
GOM since 1973. The emphasis, including continuing studies, has been on 
environmental characterization of biologically sensitive habitats, 
physical oceanography, ocean-circulation modeling, and ecological 
effects of oil and gas activities.
    A complete listing of available study reports and information for 
ordering copies can be obtained from the Public Information Office 
referenced above. The reports also may be ordered, for a fee, from the 
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 
5301 Shawnee Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22312, or by telephone at (703) 
605-6000 or (800) 553-6847. In addition, a program status report for 
continuing studies in this area can be obtained from the Chief, 
Environmental Sciences Section, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf 
of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, 
Louisiana 70123-2394, by telephone at (504) 736-2752, or via the BOEM 
Web site at http://www.boem.gov/Studies/. Finally, this information can 
be found on BOEM's Environmental Studies Program Information System 
(ESPIS) at http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-EnvData/.

8. Tentative Schedule

------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Milestones for proposed 2017-2022 region-wide GOM
                 area identification                     Scheduled for
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call for Information and Nominations.................  September 2015.
Comments received on Call............................  September-October
                                                        2015.
Area Identification Decision.........................  Fall 2015.
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    Dated: September 1, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-22073 Filed 9-3-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P