[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61628-61629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

[EEEE500000 223E1700D2 ET1SF0000.EAQ000; BOEM-2021-0043]


Oil and Gas Decommissioning Activities on the Pacific Outer 
Continental Shelf

AGENCY: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for Oil and Gas Decommissioning Activities on the 
Pacific Outer Continental Shelf.

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SUMMARY: BSEE announces the availability of the Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Oil and Gas Decommissioning 
Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This Notice of 
Availability (NOA) is published pursuant to the regulations 
implementing the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act. 
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) assisted BSEE in the 
preparation of this environmental impact statement. BSEE and BOEM 
prepared the Draft PEIS to inform BSEE's future decisions on operator 
applications to decommission OCS oil and gas platforms and associated 
infrastructure off the Southern California coast. The Army Corps of 
Engineers participated as a cooperating agency. This notice marks the 
start of the public review and comment period and announces two virtual 
public meetings. After the public meetings and written comments on the 
Draft PEIS have been reviewed and considered, a final PEIS will be 
prepared.

DATES: Comments on this Draft PEIS will be accepted until November 28, 
2022. BOEM and BSEE will host two virtual public meetings on the Draft 
PEIS as follows:

 Thursday, November 10, 2022; 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Pacific 
Standard Time (PST)
 Wednesday, November 15, 2022; 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (PST)

    Information regarding these meetings can be found at www.boem.gov/Pacific-Decomm-PEIS by clicking on the blue ``Public Meeting'' tab.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. In the search box, enter ``BOEM-
2021-0043'' and then ``Search.'' Click on the ``Comment'' button below 
the document link. Enter your information and comment, then click 
``Submit Comment.''
    Written comments should be enclosed in an envelope labeled 
``Comments on the Draft PEIS for Decommissioning Activities on the 
Pacific OCS'' and mailed to Mr. Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Pacific OCS Region, 760 Paseo 
Camarillo, Suite 102, Camarillo, CA 93010-6002.
    Comments by email should be sent to: [email protected]. Please 
see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for information on 
submitting comments via the internet and the public disclosure of 
commenters' names and addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may contact Mr. Richard Yarde, 
Regional Supervisor, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Pacific OCS 
Region, 760 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 102, Camarillo, CA 93010-6002. You 
may also contact Mr. Yarde by telephone at (805) 384-6379 or email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: The proposed action evaluated in this PEIS is for 
BSEE to review and accept or reject, or approve with conditions, 
operator decommissioning applications for the removal and disposal of 
OCS oil and gas platforms, associated pipelines, and other facilities. 
Under the proposed action, all platforms, pipelines, and other 
facilities, and their related infrastructure, would be removed to a 
depth below the mudline, as required by regulation (15 feet; 30 CFR 
250.1728(a)).
    Alternatives Considered: The four alternatives analyzed in the 
Draft PEIS include Complete Removal (Proposed Action), Partial Removal 
without artificial reef option, Partial Removal with artificial reef 
option, and the No Action alternative. The activities analyzed in the 
PEIS include, but are not limited to, complete removal of the platforms 
employing non-explosive severance, removal of associated pipelines and 
other facilities and obstructions, onshore disposal, abandonment-in-
place of associated pipelines, complete removal of topside 
superstructure, partial jacket removal to at least 26m (85 ft) below 
the waterline, as well as three sub-alternatives using explosive 
severance for the platform jackets.
    Availability of the Draft PEIS: You may download or view the Draft 
PEIS, appendices, and associated information on the following website: 
www.boem.gov/Pacific-Decomm-PEIS.
    Information on Submitting Comments: BSEE and BOEM do not accept 
anonymous comments. Your name and contact information are required to 
submit comments on the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Before including 
your name, return address, phone number, email address, or other 
personally identifiable information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personally identifiable 
information--may be made publicly available. In order for BSEE and BOEM 
to withhold from disclosure your personally identifiable information, 
you must identify, in a cover letter, any information contained in the 
submittal of your comments that, if released, would constitute a 
clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal privacy. You must also 
briefly describe in such cover letter any possible harmful

[[Page 61629]]

consequences of the disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, 
injury, or other harm. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personally identifiable information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. Even if BSEE and BOEM withhold 
your information in the context of this comment period, your submission 
is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and any relevant 
court orders, and if your submission is requested under the FOIA or 
such court order, your information will only be withheld if a 
determination is made that one of the FOIA's exemptions to disclosure 
applies or if such court order is challenged. Such a determination will 
be made in accordance with the Department's FOIA regulations and 
applicable law.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.; 43 CFR 46.415 (2019 ed.).

Kevin M. Sligh, Sr.,
Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2022-21994 Filed 10-11-22; 8:45 am]
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