[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2371-2372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00485]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[Docket No. BOEM-2023-0007]


Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales 259 and 261: Final 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: BOEM announces the availability of a final supplemental 
environmental impact statement, Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease 
Sales 259 and 261: Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS). The GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 
SEIS provides an analysis of potential environmental impacts of the 
proposed action and four alternatives and identifies BOEM's preferred 
alternative.

DATES: BOEM will issue a final record of decision no sooner than 
February 13, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS with appendices is 
available for review on BOEM's website at https://www.boem.gov/GoM-Sales-259-and-261-SEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Rucker, Chief, Environmental 
Assessment Section, Office of Environment, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd. (MS 
GM 623E), New Orleans, LA 70123-2394, or by telephone at 504-736-2421.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS will 
inform both lease sales, which the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 
(IRA) (Pub. L. 117-169, enacted August 16, 2022) directs BOEM to hold 
by the end of March 2023 and September 2023, respectively. While 
section 50264(a)(3)-(4) of the IRA requires BOEM to hold these lease 
sales, the IRA does not impact the bulk of BOEM's normal leasing 
process, including the resolution of particular questions going to the 
scope of the sales and the terms of the resulting leases. BOEM has 
prepared the GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS to inform its leasing 
decisions.

[[Page 2372]]

    On October 7, 2022, the notice of availability for the draft SEIS 
was published in the Federal Register (87 FR 61014), beginning a 45-day 
public comment period that ended November 21, 2022. During that time, 
BOEM also held two public hearings. BOEM received a total of 75,918 
public comments through the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov, Docket No. BOEM-2022-0144) and 14 comments during 
the public hearings. Following the close of the public comment period, 
BOEM considered all comments received in preparing the Lease Sales 259 
and 261 SEIS as appropriate. Detailed responses to the comments are 
provided in appendix C of the GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS. The GOM 
Lease Sales 259 and 261 SEIS analyzes the potential environmental 
impacts that could result from an individual Gulf of Mexico oil and gas 
lease sale. Additionally, it identifies BOEM's preferred alternative as 
Alternative D combined with Alternative A. Alternative D combined with 
Alternative A would offer for lease available unleased blocks within 
all three of BOEM's Gulf of Mexico (GOM) planning areas in the lease 
sale area that are not under Presidential withdrawal, not adjacent to 
or beyond the United States Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known 
as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap, and not within the boundary 
of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary as of the July 
2008 ``Memorandum on Modification of the Withdrawal of Areas of the 
United States Outer Continental Shelf From Leasing Disposition.'' BOEM 
may also exclude from leasing any available unleased whole or partial 
blocks subject to one or more of the following stipulations: (1) 
Topographic Features Stipulation; (2) Live Bottom Stipulation; and (3) 
Blocks South of Baldwin County, Alabama, Stipulation. BOEM will 
announce more information concerning GOM Lease Sales 259 and 261 in its 
final notice of sale and record of decision for each sale.
    Authority: The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 43 CFR 46.415.

Amanda Lefton,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2023-00485 Filed 1-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P