[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 176 (Thursday, September 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55859-55861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20032]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2020-0018]


Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska Region, Cook Inlet, Proposed Oil 
and Gas Lease Sale 258

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Call for information and nominations.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is issuing this 
Call for Information and Nominations (Call) for proposed Lease Sale 258 
in the Cook Inlet Planning Area in 2021, as included in the current 
2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program 
(2017-2022 Program) that BOEM published on November 18, 2016. The 
purpose of this Call is to solicit industry nominations for areas of 
leasing interest, including nominations or indications of interest in 
specific blocks within the Call Area. BOEM will also use the Call to 
gather comments and information for consideration in planning for this 
proposed OCS oil and gas lease sale. Given the long lead time needed to 
prepare for a lease sale, BOEM is beginning the planning process for 
this potential sale at this time. However, this Call is not a decision 
to hold a lease sale in the Cook Inlet Planning Area, but to evaluate 
the area described herein for potential oil and gas leasing.

DATES: All nominations and comments submitted in response to this Call 
must be received by BOEM no later than October 13, 2020. BOEM will 
consider submissions sent by mail so long as they are postmarked by the 
last day of the comment period.

ADDRESSES: Public Comment Submission Procedures: All public comments 
should be submitted through one of the following methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
field entitled, ``Search,'' enter ``BOEM-2020-0018'' and then click 
``Search.'' Follow the instructions to submit public comments and view 
supporting and related materials available for this notice;
    2. U.S. Postal Service or other delivery service to the following 
address: Chief, Leasing Section, BOEM, Alaska Region, 3801 Centerpoint 
Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823. Send your comments in 
an envelope clearly labelled, ``Comments on the Call for Information 
and Nominations for Proposed Lease Sale 258 in the Cook Inlet Planning 
Area.''
    Nominations/Indications of Industry Interest Submission Procedures: 
To ensure security and confidentiality of proprietary information to 
the maximum extent possible, please send nominations/indications of 
interest and other proprietary information to Chief, Leasing Section, 
BOEM, Alaska Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, 
Alaska 99503-5823. Send your nominations in an envelope clearly 
labeled, ``Nominations for Proposed Lease Sale 258 in the Cook Inlet 
Planning Area.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia LaFramboise, Regional 
Supervisor, Leasing and Plans, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 
Alaska Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, AK 99503-
5823, telephone (907) 334-5200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: The Secretary of the 
Interior signed the ``Record of Decision (ROD) and Approval of the 
2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program'' on January 17, 2017, and 
the 2017-2022 Program became effective on July 1, 2017. Information on 
the development of the 2017-2022 Program, PEIS, and ROD is available on 
BOEM's website at: http://www.boem.gov/Five-Year-Program-2017-2022/.
    During development of the 2017-2022 Program, BOEM analyzed three 
options for the Cook Inlet Program Area: (1) Targeted Leasing, (2) 
Beluga Whale Critical Habitat Exclusion, and (3) the No Sale Option. In 
the ROD, the Secretary chose the Targeted Leasing Option for the 
proposed Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258. Under the Targeted Leasing process, 
BOEM uses scientific information and stakeholder feedback to determine 
which specific areas offer the greatest resource potential, while 
minimizing potential conflicts with environmental values, subsistence 
uses, and other uses.
    Environmental Review Process: BOEM intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), covering the proposed lease sale 
described in this Call. BOEM is publishing, concurrently with this 
Call, a NOI to prepare an EIS. The lease sale EIS will evaluate the 
potential effects of leasing on the human, marine, and coastal 
environments, and through this process BOEM may develop measures and 
lease stipulations to mitigate adverse impacts for the options being 
analyzed. Several consultations will be conducted concurrently with the 
NEPA process. These consultations include, but are not limited to, 
those required by the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act, and Executive Order 13175--``Consultation 
and Coordination with Tribal Governments.'' These consultations will 
assist BOEM in its leasing decisions.
    BOEM's Leasing Process: BOEM's regulations for planning and holding 
an oil and gas lease sale are found at 30 CFR 556.300-309.
    (1) Call for Information and Nominations: See section below.
    (2) Area Identification: Based on the information and nominations 
submitted in response to this Call, BOEM will develop a recommendation 
of the area proposed for further leasing consideration and 
environmental analysis. Upon approval by the Secretary, BOEM will 
announce the proposed area identified for leasing in the Federal 
Register, in accordance with 30 CFR 556.302(a)(3).

[[Page 55860]]

    (3) Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS): If BOEM proceeds with 
consideration of leasing after completion of Area Identification and 
environmental analysis, it will publish a Notice of Availability of a 
Proposed NOS in the Federal Register and send the Proposed NOS to the 
Governor of Alaska for comment and recommendations on the size, timing, 
and location of the proposed sale. The Proposed NOS describes the size, 
timing, and location of the proposed sale, and provides additional 
information on the area(s) proposed for leasing, proposed lease terms 
and conditions of the sale, and proposed stipulations to mitigate 
potential adverse impacts on the environment.
    (4) Final Notice of Sale (NOS): If BOEM decides to proceed with 
leasing, it will publish a Final NOS in the Federal Register at least 
30 days before the date of the lease sale. The Final NOS describes the 
place, time, and method for filing bids and the place, date, and hour 
for opening and publicly announcing bids. It also contains a 
description of the area(s) offered for lease, the lease terms and 
conditions of the sale, and stipulations to mitigate potential adverse 
impacts on the environment.

Call for Information and Nominations

1. Authority

    This Call is published pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act (OCSLA), as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356), and the 
implementing regulation at 30 CFR 556.301.

2. Purpose of the Call

    The purpose of this Call is to solicit industry nominations for 
areas of leasing interest and to gather comments and information from 
the public on the area(s) being considered for the proposed OCS oil and 
gas lease sale in the Cook Inlet Planning Area in 2021. Pursuant to 30 
CFR 556.301, BOEM seeks comments from industry and the public on:
    (a) Industry interest in the area proposed for leasing, including 
nominations or indications of interest in specific blocks within the 
area;
    (b) geological conditions, including bottom hazards;
    (c) archaeological sites on the seabed or near shore;
    (d) potential multiple uses of the proposed leasing area, including 
subsistence and navigation;
    (e) areas that should receive special concern and analysis; and
    (f) other socioeconomic, biological, and environmental information.
    Information submitted in response to this Call will be used to:
     Inform the Area Identification process under 30 CFR 
556.302;
     Prioritize areas with potential for oil and gas 
development;
     Develop potential lease terms and conditions;
     Identify potential use conflicts and potential mitigation 
measures; and
     Assist in BOEM's planning and environmental review 
process.

3. Description of the Call Area

    The 2017-2022 Program includes one proposed lease sale in the 
northern portion of the Cook Inlet Planning Area. This area identified 
for potential leasing represents approximately 20% of the total Cook 
Inlet Planning Area. It is located offshore the State of Alaska, 
extending from the 3-nautical mile (5.6 kilometers) seaward limit of 
State of Alaska submerged lands, roughly from Kalgin Island in the 
north to Augustine Island in the south. The Call Area consists of 224 
OCS blocks covering about 1.09 million acres (442,875 hectares).
    A map depicting the Call Area is available for download on the BOEM 
website at: http://www.boem.gov/ak258. Copies of Official Protraction 
Diagrams (OPDs) also are available for download on the BOEM website at: 
https://www.boem.gov/Maps-and-GIS-Data/.

4. Instructions on the Call

    BOEM requests that parties interested in leasing indicate their 
interest in, and comment on, the acreage within the boundaries of the 
Call Area that they wish to have included in the proposed lease sale. 
Respondents should explicitly outline the areas of interest along block 
lines and rank the areas or specific blocks in which they are 
interested, according to their priority, using the following 
indicators: 1 [high], 2 [medium], or 3 [low]. Respondents are 
encouraged to be as specific as possible in prioritizing blocks and 
supporting nominations of specific blocks with detailed information, 
such as relevant geologic, geophysical, and economic data. Areas where 
interest has been indicated, but on which respondents have not 
indicated priorities, will be considered low priority. Respondents may 
also submit a list of blocks nominated by OPD and Leasing Map 
designations to ensure correct interpretation of their nominations. 
OPDs and Leasing Maps are available on BOEM's website at https://www.boem.gov/Maps-and-GIS-Data/.
    BOEM also seeks comments from all interested parties about 
particular geological, environmental, biological, archaeological and 
socioeconomic conditions, use conflicts, or other information about 
conditions that could affect the potential leasing and development of 
particular areas. Comments may refer to broad areas or may refer to 
particular OCS blocks.

5. Protection of Privileged or Proprietary Information

    BOEM will protect privileged or proprietary information, which 
industry submits, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) and OCSLA requirements. To avoid inadvertent release of such 
information, all documents and every page containing such information 
should be marked with ``Confidential--Contains Proprietary 
Information.'' To the extent a document contains a mix of proprietary 
and nonproprietary information, the document should be clearly marked 
to indicate which portion of the document is proprietary and which is 
not. Exemption 4 of FOIA applies to trade secrets and commercial or 
financial information that you submit that is privileged or 
confidential. The OCSLA states that the ``Secretary shall maintain the 
confidentiality of all privileged or proprietary data or information 
for such period of time as is provided for in this [Act], established 
by regulation, or agreed to by the parties'' (43 U.S.C. 1344(g)). BOEM 
considers nominations of specific blocks to be proprietary, and 
therefore BOEM will not release information that identifies any 
particular nomination with any particular party, so as not to 
compromise the competitive position of any participants in the process 
of indicating interest.
    However, please be aware that BOEM's practice is to make all 
comments, including the names and addresses of individuals, available 
for public inspection. 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. In order for BOEM to withhold from disclosure your personal 
identifying information, you must identify any information contained in 
the submission of your comments that, if released, would constitute a 
clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal privacy. You must also 
briefly describe any possible harmful consequence(s) of the disclosure 
of information, such as embarrassment, injury or other harm. While you 
can ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal 
identifying

[[Page 55861]]

information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. BOEM 
will make available for public inspection, all comments submitted, with 
the exceptions just noted, by organizations and businesses, or by 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations 
or businesses.

Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2020-20032 Filed 9-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P