Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice provides BOEM's determination that there is no competitive interest in the area requested by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Mines Minerals and Energy (DMME) to acquire an OCS research lease as described in the Public Notice of an Unsolicited Request for an OCS Research Lease; Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI); and Request for Public Comment, that BOEM published on July 30, 2013, (78 FR 45965-45968). The RFCI described the proposal submitted to BOEM by the DMME to acquire an OCS lease for renewable energy research activities, including wind turbine installation and operational testing and installation of metocean monitoring equipment on the OCS off the coast of Virginia, and provided an opportunity for the public to submit comments about the proposal.

BOEM, in accordance with Federal regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of NEPA-related Site-Specific Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSIs). These documents were prepared during the period July 1, 2013, through September 30, 2013, for oil, gas, and mineral-related activities that were proposed in the Gulf of Mexico, and are more specifically described in the Supplementary Information Section of this notice.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is notifying the public that we have submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements for 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities, as well as the revised forms. This notice provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

BOEM requests comments on the Annual Progress Report (Report) on the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2012-2017 (Five Year Program). The Annual Progress Report is available for review at: www.boem.gov/ Five-Year-Program-Annual-Progress-Report/. Information on the Five Year Program is available online at https://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy- Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/2012-2017/Five-Year-Program .aspx. The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) published the Five Year Program in June 2012, and the program became final on August 27, 2012, after the required 60-day congressional review period. Section 18(e) of the OCS Lands Act (Act) states that ``the Secretary shall review the leasing program approved under this section at least once each year. He [or she] may revise and reapprove such program, at any time, and such revision and reapproval, except in the case of a revision which is not significant, shall be in the same manner as originally developed.'' Historically, the annual review has been an internal process in which BOEM reports to the Secretary any information or events that might result in consideration of a revision to the Program. However, in the decision document for the Five Year Program (available by clicking on ``Proposed Final Program Decision Document'' at the above web address), the Department of the Interior stated its commitment to ``publish an annual progress report on the Five Year Program that includes an opportunity for stakeholders and the public to comment on the program's implementation.'' Pursuant to this commitment, the Annual Progress Report (Report) provides the public an overview of the activities that have occurred during the previous year. The Report includes the following information: Statistics of sales that have occurred in the previous year, including the number and location of lease blocks and the dollars collected on high bids; a tracking table of all relevant deferrals and mitigations; a summary of completed and ongoing safety and environmental studies; regulatory updates; a discussion of significant new drilling activities and seismic data collection; a summary of any significant incidents; and other relevant information. After the comment period, BOEM will submit the Report, with a summary of comments received in response to this notice, to the Secretary. There is no specified format for comments. However, BOEM requests that respondents focus on new information that has come to light since final approval of the Five Year Program in August 2012, and information that was not provided during previous comment periods related to the development of the Five Year Program.

BOEM announces the availability of the Proposed NOS for proposed CPA Sale 231. This Notice is published pursuant to 30 CFR 556.29(c) as a matter of information to the public. With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to section 19 of the OCS Lands Act, provides affected States the opportunity to review the Proposed NOS. The Proposed NOS sets forth the proposed terms and conditions of the sale, including minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental rates.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is notifying the public that we have submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR pertains to the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR Part 550, Subparts A and K, General and Oil and Gas Production Requirements. This notice provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a renewal of a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements that respondents will submit to BOEM to obtain Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sand, gravel, and shell resources for use in shore protection, beach and coastal restoration and other authorized projects, which qualify for a noncompetitive negotiated agreement.

The purpose of this public notice is to: (1) Describe the proposal submitted to BOEM by Principle Power, Inc. (Principle Power) to acquire an OCS commercial wind lease; (2) solicit submissions of indications of interest in obtaining a commercial lease for wind energy development on the OCS offshore Oregon in the area described in this notice; and (3) solicit initial public input regarding the area described in this notice, the potential environmental consequences of wind energy development in the area, and the multiple uses of the area. On May 15, 2013, BOEM received an unsolicited request from Principle Power for a commercial wind lease on the OCS offshore Oregon. Principle Power's proposed project, the ``WindFloat Pacific Project,'' would consist of a floating wind energy demonstration facility offshore Coos Bay, Oregon. The project is designed to generate 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity from five floating ``WindFloat'' units, each equipped with a 6-MW offshore wind turbine, connected by inter-unit electrical cabling, with a single transmission cable exporting electricity to the mainland that would extend across both Federal and state lands. The project would be located approximately 16 nautical miles (nmi) west of Coos Bay, Oregon in water depths of approximately 1,400 feet. Additional information on Principle Power's unsolicited lease request can be viewed at https://www.boem.gov/State-Activities-Oregon/. This RFI is published pursuant to subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, as amended by section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)), and the implementing regulations at 30 CFR 585.231(b). Subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act requires that OCS renewable energy leases, easements, and rights-of-way be issued ``on a competitive basis unless the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) determines after public notice of a proposed lease, easement, or right-of-way that there is no competitive interest.'' This RFI provides such public notice for the proposed lease area requested by Principle Power and invites the submission of indications of interest. BOEM is soliciting submissions of interest in commercial wind energy development with this notice. BOEM will consider the responses to this public notice to determine whether competitive interest exists for the area requested by Principle Power, as required by 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3). Parties wishing to obtain a commercial lease for wind energy development for the area described below under ``Description of the Proposed Lease Area'' should submit detailed and specific information as described in the section entitled, ``Required Indication of Interest Information.'' This announcement also requests that interested and affected parties comment and provide information about site conditions and multiple uses within the area identified in this notice that would be relevant to the proposed project or its impacts. This is the first step in the OCS renewable energy leasing process. There will be additional opportunities to provide comment pursuant to 30 CFR part 585 and applicable laws, such as the opportunity to comment on the environmental analysis that BOEM will prepare under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), before any lease is issued. A detailed description of the proposed lease area can be found in the section of this notice entitled, ``Description of the Area.''

Consistent with the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (NEPA), BOEM is announcing its intent to prepare a Supplemental EIS for proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sales 235, 241 and 247 in the Gulf of Mexico (CPA Supplemental EIS). Proposed Lease Sale 235 is the next proposed lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico's CPA off the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The CPA Supplemental EIS will update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012-2017; Western Planning Area Lease Sales 229, 233, 238, 246, and 248; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 227, 231, 235, 241, and 247, Final Environmental Impact Statement (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2012-019) (WPA/CPA Multisale EIS) and in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013-2014; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233; Central Planning Area Lease Sale 231, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2013-0118) (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). The WPA/CPA Multisale EIS was completed in July 2012. The WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS was completed in April 2013. A Supplemental EIS is deemed appropriate to supplement the NEPA documents cited above for these lease sales in order to consider new circumstances and information arising from, among other things, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil spill, and response. The CPA Supplemental EIS analysis will focus on updating the baseline conditions. The CPA Supplemental EIS analysis will focus on the potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in the CPA identified through the Area Identification procedure as the proposed lease sale area. In addition to the no action alternative (i.e., canceling a proposed lease sale), other alternatives may be considered for the proposed CPA lease sales, such as deferring certain areas from the proposed lease sale area.

BOEM, in accordance with Federal Regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of NEPA-related Site-Specific Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSIs). These documents were prepared during the period April 1, 2013, through June 30, 2013, for oil, gas, and mineral-related activities that were proposed in the Gulf of Mexico, and are more specifically described in the Supplementary Information Section of this notice.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on the proposed revision of forms associated with a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the forms used for paperwork requirements under 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities.

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013, BOEM will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in WPA Sale 233, in accordance with the provisions of the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. 1331-1356a, as amended) and the implementing regulations issued pursuant to OCSLA (30 CFR parts 550 and 556). The WPA 233 Final Notice of Sale (NOS) package (Final NOS Package) contains information essential to potential bidders, and bidders are charged with knowing the contents of the documents contained in the Final NOS Package. The Final NOS Package is available at the address and Web site below.

This document is the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for the sale of a commercial wind energy lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Virginia, pursuant to BOEM's regulations at 30 CFR 585.216. BOEM is offering Lease OCS-A 0483 for sale using an ascending clock auction format. The lease area comprises the Virginia Wind Energy Area (WEA) described in the Call for Information and Nominations (Call) published on February 3, 2012 (see ``Area Offered for Leasing'' below for a description of the WEA and lease area) (77 FR 5545). The lease area is identical to that announced in the Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Virginia, which was published on December 3, 2012, in the Federal Register with a 60-day public comment period (77 FR 71621). In this FSN, you will find information pertaining to the area available for leasing, lease provisions and conditions, auction details, the lease form, criteria for evaluating competing bids, award procedures, appeal procedures, and lease execution. The issuance of the lease resulting from this announcement would not constitute an approval of project-specific plans to develop offshore wind energy. Such plans, expected to be submitted by the lessee, will be subject to subsequent environmental and public review prior to a decision to proceed with development.

Notice is hereby given that effective with this publication two NAD 83-based OCS Provisional OPDs that represent the Island of Oahu and surrounding Federal waters are now available. BOEM, in accordance with its authority and responsibility under Title 43, Code of Federal Regulations, has created provisional versions of the basic record used for the description of renewable energy, mineral, and oil and gas lease sales in the geographic areas they represent. These provisional OPDs represent the approximate locations of the Submerged Lands Act (3 nautical mile), Limit of ``8(g) Zone'' (6 nautical mile), and National Marine Sanctuary boundaries. The provisional OPDs are for informational purposes only and will be superseded by official versions.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR part 550, subparts A and K, General and Production Requirements.

BOEM has prepared a revised environmental assessment (EA) considering the reasonably foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic impacts of issuing renewable energy leases and subsequent site characterization activities (geophysical, geotechnical, archaeological, and biological surveys needed to develop specific project proposals on those leases) in an identified Wind Energy Area (WEA) on the OCS offshore Rhode Island (RI) and Massachusetts (MA). The revised EA also considers the reasonably foreseeable impacts associated with the approval of site assessment activities (including the installation and operation of meteorological towers and buoys) on the leases that may be issued in the identified WEA. As a result of the analysis in the revised EA, BOEM issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI concluded that the reasonably foreseeable impacts associated with the preferred alternative would not significantly impact the environment; therefore, the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the availability of the revised EA and FONSI, which can be accessed online at: https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/Smart-from-the-S tart/ Index.aspx.

Pursuant to the regulations implementing (National Environmental Policy Act) (NEPA), and subject to available funding, BOEM is announcing the intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to evaluate potential environmental effects of multiple geological and geophysical (G&G) activities in OCS waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), extending from the coastline to the seaward boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including the GOM OCS. The PEIS will be prepared cooperatively with NMFS to serve as the requisite environmental analysis under NEPA for the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) rulemaking governing authorization for unintentional marine mammal takes during G&G activities in GOM waters. It will also provide information for future decisions regarding Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) permit and MMPA authorization actions, in addition to informing consultations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), and other statutes. By this document, BOEM announces: The intention to prepare a PEIS; commencement of the scoping process under NEPA; a request for public comment on the scope of the PEIS; times, dates and locations for public scoping meetings; and a request for other Federal Agencies, and State, Tribal, and local governments to consider becoming cooperating agencies in the preparation of the PEIS.

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management by the joint bidding provisions of 30 CFR 556.41, each entity within one of the following groups shall be restricted from bidding with any entity in any of the other following groups at Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease sales to be held during the bidding period May 1, 2013, through October 31, 2013. This List of Restricted Joint Bidders will cover the period May 1, 2013, through October 31, 2013, and replace the prior list published on October 23, 2012, which covered the period of November 1, 2012, through April 30, 2013.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements for 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities.

BOEM announces the availability of the Proposed NOS for proposed WPA Sale 233. This Notice is published pursuant to 30 CFR 556.29(c) as a matter of information to the public. With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to section 19 of the OCS Lands Act, provides affected States the opportunity to review the Proposed NOS. The Proposed NOS sets forth the proposed terms and conditions of the sale, including minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental rates.

This notice provides BOEM's determination that there is no competitive interest in the area requested by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to acquire an OCS research lease as described in the Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI): Research Lease for Renewable Energy on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Virginia, that BOEM published on December 21, 2012, (77 FR 75656-75658). The RFCI described the proposal submitted to BOEM by the DMME to acquire an OCS lease for wind energy research activities on the OCS off the coast of Virginia, and provided an opportunity for the public to submit comments about the proposal.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is notifying the public that we have submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This ICR concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under ``Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf.'' This notice provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

BOEM, in accordance with Federal regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of NEPA-related Site-Specific Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSIs). These documents were prepared during the period October 1, 2012, through December 31, 2012, for oil, gas, and mineral-related activities that were proposed in the Gulf of Mexico, and are more specifically described in the Supplementary Information Section of this notice.

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013, BOEM will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in CPA Sale 227, in accordance with the provisions of the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended) and the regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR part 556). The CPA 227 Final Notice of Sale (NOS) package (Final NOS Package) contains information essential to potential bidders, and bidders are charged with knowing the contents of the documents contained in that package. The Final NOS Package is available at the address and Web site below.

BOEM is reopening the comment period announced in the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the OCS Offshore North Carolina.