[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 142 (Monday, July 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 48449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17566]



[[Page 48449]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2016-0008]


Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning 
Area (WPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 248; MMAA104000

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 WPA Lease Sale 248. This Record of Decision 
identifies the Bureau's selected alternative for proposed WPA Lease 
Sale 248, which is analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease 
Sale: 2016; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 248 Final Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 248 Supplemental EIS). BOEM has 
selected the proposed action, which is identified as BOEM's preferred 
alternative (Alternative A) in the WPA 248 Supplemental EIS. The Record 
of Decision and associated information are available on the agency's 
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 WPA 248 Supplemental EIS, BOEM 
evaluated three alternatives, which are summarized below with regard to 
proposed WPA Lease Sale 248:
    Alternative A--The Proposed Action: This is BOEM's preferred 
alternative. This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks 
within the proposed WPA lease sale area for oil and gas operations with 
the following exception: whole and partial blocks within the boundary 
of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (i.e., the 
boundary as of the publication of the WPA 248 Supplemental EIS).
    All unleased whole and partial blocks in the WPA that BOEM will 
offer for leasing in proposed WPA Lease Sale 248 are listed in the 
document ``List of Blocks Available for Leasing,'' which is included in 
the Final Notice of Sale for WPA Lease Sale 248 being published 
contemporaneously. The proposed WPA lease sale area encompasses nearly 
all of the WPA's 28.58 million acres. As of June 2016, approximately 
23.7 million acres of the proposed WPA lease sale area are unleased. 
The estimated amount of resources projected to be developed as a result 
of the proposed WPA lease sale is 0.116-0.200 billion barrels of oil 
(BBO) and 0.538-0.938 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.
    Alternative B--Exclude the Unleased Blocks Subject to the 
Topographic Features Stipulation: This alternative would offer for 
lease all unleased blocks within the proposed WPA lease sale area, as 
described for the proposed action (Alternative A), but it would exclude 
from leasing any unleased blocks subject to the Topographic Features 
Stipulation. The estimated amount of resources projected to be 
developed under this alternative is 0.116-0.200 BBO and 0.538-0.938 Tcf 
of gas. The number of blocks that would not be offered under 
Alternative B represents only a small percentage of the total number of 
blocks to be offered under Alternative A; therefore, it is expected 
that the levels of activity for Alternative B would be essentially the 
same as those projected for the WPA proposed action.
    Alternative C--No Action: This alternative is the cancellation of 
proposed WPA Lease Sale 248 and is identified as the environmentally 
preferred alternative.
    Lease Stipulations--The WPA 248 Supplemental EIS describes all 
lease stipulations, which are included in the Final Notice of Sale 
Package. The five lease stipulations for proposed WPA Lease Sale 248 
are the Topographic Features Stipulation, the Military Areas 
Stipulation, the Protected Species Stipulation, the United Nations 
Convention on the Law of the Sea Royalty Payment Stipulation, and the 
Stipulation on the Agreement between the United States of America and 
the United Mexican States Concerning Transboundary Hydrocarbon 
Reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico. Several of these lease stipulations 
have been developed to help mitigate potential impacts from oil and gas 
activities. All practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental 
harm from the selected alternative at the lease sale stage are being 
adopted through application of these stipulations. The stipulations 
will be added as lease terms where applicable and will therefore be 
enforceable as part of the lease. Appendix A of the WPA 246 
Supplemental EIS, which is incorporated by reference into the WPA 248 
Supplemental EIS, provides a list and description of standard post-
lease mitigating measures that may be required by BOEM or the Bureau of 
Safety and Environmental Enforcement as a result of post-lease 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 WPA 248 Supplemental EIS. BOEM's selection of the preferred 
alternative meets the purpose and need for the proposed action, as 
identified in the WPA 248 Supplemental EIS, and 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 Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision 
is published pursuant to the 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: July 18, 2016.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-17566 Filed 7-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P