[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 33 (Friday, February 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8535-8536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03277]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2015-0118; MMAA104000]


Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Eastern Planning 
Area (EPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 226

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the availability of a Record of Decision 
for proposed oil and gas EPA Lease Sale 226. This Record of Decision 
identifies the Bureau's selected alternative for proposed EPA Lease 
Sale 226, which is analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease 
Sales: 2016 and 2017; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 241 and 247; 
Eastern Planning Area Lease Sale 226; Final Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (CPA 241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS). The Record of 
Decision and associated information are available on the agency Web 
site at http://www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the Record of 
Decision, you may contact Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (GM 
623E), New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. You may also contact Mr. 
Goeke by telephone at 504-736-3233.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the CPA 241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS, 
BOEM evaluated the two alternatives that are summarized below with 
regard to proposed EPA Lease Sale 226:
    Alternative A--The Proposed Action: This is BOEM's preferred 
alternative. This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks 
within the proposed EPA lease sale area for oil and gas operations.
    All unleased blocks in the EPA that BOEM will offer for leasing in 
proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 are listed in the document ``List of Blocks 
Available for Leasing,'' which is included in the Final Notice of Sale 
for EPA Lease Sale 226. The proposed EPA lease sale area covers 
approximately 657,905 acres (ac) and includes those blocks previously 
included in EPA Lease Sale 225. The area is south of eastern Alabama 
and western Florida; the nearest point of land is 125 miles (201 
kilometers) northwest in Louisiana. As of October 2015, approximately 
595,475 ac of the proposed EPA lease sale area are available for lease. 
The estimated

[[Page 8536]]

amount of natural resources projected to be developed as a result of 
proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 is 0-0.071 billion barrels of oil and 0-
0.162 trillion cubic feet of gas.
    Alternative B--No Action: This alternative is the cancellation of 
proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 and is identified as the environmentally 
preferred alternative.
    Lease Stipulations--The CPA 241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS describes 
all lease stipulations, which are included in the Final Notice of Sale 
Package. The four lease stipulations for proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 
are the Protected Species Stipulation, the Military Areas Stipulation, 
the Evacuation Stipulation, and the Coordination Stipulation. The 
stipulations will be added as lease terms where applicable and will 
therefore be enforceable as part of the lease. Appendix A of the CPA 
241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS provides a list and description of 
standard postlease mitigating measures that may be required by BOEM or 
the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement as a result of plan 
and permit review processes for the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
    After careful consideration, BOEM has selected the proposed action, 
which is identified as BOEM's preferred alternative (Alternative A) in 
the CPA 241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS. BOEM's selection of the preferred 
alternative reflects an orderly resource development with protection of 
the human, marine, and coastal environments, while also ensuring that 
the public receives an equitable return for these resources and that 
free-market competition is maintained.

    Authority: This NOA of a Record of Decision is published 
pursuant to regulations (40 CFR part 1503) implementing the 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

    Dated: February 10, 2016.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-03277 Filed 2-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P