[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 186 (Friday, September 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 57873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24391]



[[Page 57873]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2015-0068]


Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska Region, Beaufort Sea Planning 
Area, Liberty Development and Production Plan, MMAA104000

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing its intent to prepare an EIS for the 
Liberty Development and Production Plan (DPP) in the Beaufort Sea 
Planning Area. The DPP proposes several steps. A man-made gravel 
production island, known as the Liberty Drilling and Production Island 
(LDPI), would be established in Foggy Island Bay. Gravel for 
construction would come from a new mine west of the Kadleroshilik 
River. A pipeline would link the LDPI to the Badami Sales Oil Pipeline 
(Badami pipeline). The pipe-in-pipe pipeline would be buried along a 
route going south from the LPDI to the shoreline west of the 
Kadleroshilik River, transition to an above-ground pipeline, and 
continue south to tie into the existing Badami pipeline. Oil produced 
from the LDPI would be transported through the Badami pipeline to the 
existing common carrier pipeline system to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline 
System.
    This NOI also serves to announce the beginning of the scoping 
process. The scope of an EIS refers to the range of issues, 
alternatives, and mitigation measures to be considered. Public scoping 
assists the agency in focusing on significant issues and alternatives 
and eliminating from detailed consideration those issues that are 
insignificant, irrelevant or have been fully and adequately considered 
in prior analyses. No alternatives, other than the no-action 
alternative, have yet been identified.
    Through this notice, BOEM also invites public input regarding the 
identification of historic properties and potential effects from the 
proposed action to historic properties as defined by the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108), as provided for in 
36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Additional information related to the Liberty DPP, 
including the proposed plan itself, may be found at http://www.boem.gov/Liberty.

DATES: Comments should be submitted no later than November 24, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the Liberty DPP 
EIS, the submission of comments, or BOEM's policies associated with 
this notice, please contact Lauren Boldrick, Project Manager, BOEM, 
Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, AK 
99503, telephone (907) 334-5227.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BOEM invites qualified entities, such as 
other Federal agencies, state, tribal, and local governments, to 
consider becoming cooperating agencies for the preparation of this EIS. 
Following the guidelines at 40 CFR 1501.6 and 1508.5 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 remember that 
an agency's role in the environmental analysis neither enlarges nor 
diminishes the final decisionmaking authority of any other agency 
involved in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Upon 
request, BOEM will provide potential cooperating agencies with a 
written summary of guidelines for cooperating agencies, including time 
schedules and critical action dates, milestones, responsibilities, 
scope and detail of cooperating agencies' contributions, and 
availability of pre-decisional information. BOEM anticipates this 
summary will form the basis for a Memorandum of Understanding between 
BOEM and any cooperating agency consistent with 43 CFR 46.226(d). BOEM, 
as the lead agency, will not provide financial assistance to 
cooperating agencies. In addition to becoming a cooperating agency, 
other opportunities will exist to provide information and comments to 
BOEM during the public comment period for the EIS.
    Federal, state, tribal, and local governments and/or agencies and 
other interested parties may submit written comments on the scope of 
this EIS through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the field entitled ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' 
enter [Docket No. BOEM-2015-0068], and then click ``search.'' Follow 
the instructions to submit public comments and view supporting and 
related materials available for this notice.
    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 comments to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions 
of NEPA, BOEM will hold public scoping meetings. The purpose of these 
meetings is to solicit comments on the scope of the Liberty Development 
and Production Plan EIS. These meetings are scheduled as follows:
     November 2, 2015, Westmark Conference Center, Fairbanks, 
Alaska;
     November 3, 2015, Kaktovik Community Center, Kaktovik, 
Alaska;
     November 4, 2015, Kisik Community Center, Nuiqsut, Alaska;
     November 5, 2015, Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, Alaska; 
and
     November 9, 2015, Embassy Suites (Benson Boulevard), 
Anchorage, Alaska.

    Authority:  This NOI to prepare an EIS is in compliance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 
4231 et seq.), and is published pursuant to implementing regulations 
at 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 46.415.

    Dated: September 15, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-24391 Filed 9-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P