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

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 is 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, 2015, through October 31, 2015. This List of Restricted Joint Bidders will cover the period May 1, 2015, through October 31, 2015, and replace the prior list published on October 29, 2014, which covered the period November 1, 2014, through April 30, 2015.

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 regulations under 30 CFR 580, Prospecting for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur on the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as authorizations of noncommercial geological and geophysical (G&G) activities issued pursuant to Section 11 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). This notice provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

BOEM announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for remanded Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 (Lease Sale 193), originally held on February 6, 2008. BOEM prepared the Chukchi Sea Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to address a deficiency identified by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Court of Appeals) in its opinion of January 22, 2014. The Final Second SEIS considers the potential impacts of oil and gas activities that could result from leases issued in Lease Sale 193, including the full range of likely production if oil production were to occur (80 FR 9266, Feb. 20, 2015). In making her decision, the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) considered four alternatives for Lease Sale 193, the potential impacts for each alternative as presented in the Final Second SEIS, and all comments received throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. After careful consideration, the ASLM selected BOEM's preferred alternative, to affirm Lease Sale 193 and leases previously issued. This selection meets the purpose and need for the proposed action, promotes orderly resource development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments, and ensures that the public receives an equitable return for these resources and that free-market competition is maintained.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is announcing three additional public scoping meetings for the EIS on the 2017-2022 Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

BOEM announces the availability of the Proposed NOS for proposed WPA Sale 246. 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.

The Department of the Interior (DOI), acting through BOEM and BSEE, proposes to revise and add new requirements to regulations for exploratory drilling and related operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) seaward of the State of Alaska (Alaska OCS). The Alaska OCS has the potential to be an integral part of the Nation's ``all of the above'' domestic energy strategy. This proposed rule focuses solely on the OCS within the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas (Arctic OCS). The Arctic region is characterized by extreme environmental conditions, geographic remoteness, and a relative lack of fixed infrastructure and existing operations. The proposed rule is designed to ensure safe, effective, and responsible exploration of Arctic OCS oil and gas resources, while protecting the marine, coastal, and human environments, and Alaska Natives' cultural traditions and access to subsistence resources.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2015, BOEM will open and publicly announce bids for blocks offered in CPA Sale 235 in accordance with the provisions of the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended) and the implementing regulations issued pursuant thereto (30 CFR parts 550 and 556). The CPA 235 Final Notice of Sale (NOS) Package (Final NOS Package) contains information essential to potential bidders; 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.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed oil and gas Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sales 241 and 247 and Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Lease Sale 226 in the Gulf of Mexico (CPA 241/247/EPA 226 Draft Supplemental EIS). Proposed CPA Lease Sale 241 and EPA Lease Sale 226 are tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2016, and proposed CPA Lease Sale 247 is tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2017. The CPA 241/247/EPA 226 Draft Supplemental EIS updates 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 (2012-2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS) (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2012-019); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2014 and 2016; Eastern Planning Area Lease Sales 225 and 226, Final Environmental Impact Statement (EPA 225/226 EIS) (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2013-200); 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 (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS) (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2013- 0118); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2014-2016; and Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2015-2017; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (CPA 235/241/247 Supplemental EIS) (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2014- 655).

Consistent with the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), BOEM is announcing its intent to prepare an EIS to inform the decisions that will be taken during the preparation and implementation of the 2017-2022 Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2017-2022 Program). Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) requires the development of an OCS oil and gas leasing program every five years. The 2017-2022 Program must address the size, timing and location of the lease sales to be held under it. Section 18 also requires a multi-step process of consultation and analysis that must be completed before the Secretary of the Interior may approve a new Program. BOEM initiated the 2017-2022 Program process by issuing a request for information and comments (RFI) in June 2014. The remaining process required by section 18 of the OCS Lands Act includes development of a Draft Proposed Program (DPP), a Proposed Program, a Proposed Final Program (PFP), and Secretarial approval of the 2017-2022 Program. The EIS is developed in concert with the 2017-2022 Program documents. The EIS will analyze the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of possible OCS oil and gas activities that could result from lease sales contemplated under the 2017-2022 Program. The scope of the EIS will be based on the DPP after consideration of public input received during the scoping period for the EIS. The DPP includes potential lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico (Western, Central, and a small portion of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas not subject to Congressional moratorium), Atlantic (Mid and South Atlantic Planning Areas), and Alaska (Cook Inlet, Chukchi, and Beaufort Planning Areas) (for details, see the DPP at https://www.boem.gov/Five-Year-Program/). This notice starts the formal scoping process for the EIS under 40 CFR 1501.7 of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations and solicits input from the public regarding alternatives to the proposed action, impacting factors, environmental resources and issues of concern in the DPP area, and possible mitigating measures that should be evaluated in the EIS. The purpose of scoping is to determine the appropriate content for a focused and balanced programmatic environmental analysis by (a) ensuring significant issues are identified early and properly studied during development of the Programmatic EIS; (b) identifying alternatives, mitigation measures, and analytic tools; and (c) identifying insignificant issues and narrowing the scope of the EIS.

Notice is hereby given that effective with this publication, certain NAD 27-based Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs) and two Lease Maps depicting geographic areas located in the Gulf of Mexico with revision dates as indicated are now available. BOEM, in accordance with its authority and responsibility under the OCS Lands Act, is updating the maps used for the description of renewable energy, mineral, and oil and gas lease sales in the geographic areas they represent. BOEM produces and maintains the official marine cadastre for the OCS areas of the United States. The marine cadastre is a comprehensive spatial data infrastructure whereby rights, restrictions and responsibilities in the marine environment can be assessed, administered and managed. The marine cadastre includes the block grids and official boundaries, which provide the base for nearly all of the BOEM offshore maps and leasing processes. It also gives BOEM the means to define, describe, analyze, and account for every acre/hectare of federal offshore submerged lands. Pursuant to the ``Agreement between the United Mexican States and the United States of America Concerning Transboundary Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico,'' which went into effect on July 18, 2014, certain activities carried out within three (3) statute miles of the U.S.-Mexico maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico trigger obligations for the United States related to such activities within its jurisdiction. The following OPDs and Lease Maps (dated October 1, 2014) have been revised to reflect this ``Transboundary Three Statute Mile Line.''

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 580, Prospecting for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur on the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as authorizations of noncommercial geological and geophysical (G&G) activities issued pursuant to Section 11 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) establishes a comprehensive regime for addressing the consequences of oil spills, ranging from spill response to compensation for damages to injured parties. Other than deepwater ports subject to the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is authorized to adjust the limit of liability in OPA for offshore facilities, including pipelines. This rule amends BOEM's regulations to add to the regulations on Oil Spill Financial Responsibility (OSFR) for offshore facilities in order to increase the limit of liability for damages caused by the responsible party for an offshore facility from which oil is discharged, or which poses the substantial threat of an oil discharge, as described in OPA. This rule adjusts the limit of liability to reflect the significant increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) that has taken place since 1990. It also establishes a methodology for BOEM to use to periodically adjust the OPA offshore facility limit of liability for inflation. BOEM is hereby increasing the limit of liability for damages under OPA from $75 million to $133.65 million.

On November 7, 2014, BOEM published a notice in the Federal Register (79 FR 66401). BOEM is changing the venue for one of the public hearing dates. This notice makes that change.

BOEM, in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is issuing a request for information to aid in the development of a long-term monitoring plan (LTMP) for marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The LTMP will focus on the potential impacts to marine mammals from geological and geophysical data acquisition activities, including seismic surveys. This LTMP is a required element of BOEM's petition for rulemaking under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

BOEM is announcing the availability of a Draft Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Chukchi Sea Planning Area, OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 (Lease Sale 193). The Draft Second SEIS (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2014-653) provides new analysis in accordance with the United States District Court for the District of Alaska (District Court) Order remanding Lease Sale 193 to BOEM. The District Court's order instructs BOEM to address the deficiency in the 2007 Final EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-026) identified by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit). The Ninth Circuit Court held that the Environmental Impact Statement supporting the decision to hold Lease Sale 193 arbitrarily relied on a 1 billion barrel oil production estimate.

Consistent with the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is announcing its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Lease Sale 244 in the Cook Inlet Program Area. The EIS will focus on the potential effects of leasing, exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas in the proposed lease sale area. In addition to the no-action alternative (i.e., not holding the lease sale), other alternatives may be considered, such as deferring additional areas within the Cook Inlet proposed lease sale area.

BOEM announces the availability of the Proposed NOS for proposed CPA Sale 235. 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.

BOEM has recognized the need to develop a comprehensive program to assist in identifying, prioritizing, and managing the risks associated with industry activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). BOEM intends to design and implement a more robust and comprehensive risk management, financial assurance and loss prevention program to address the complex issues and cost differences associated with offshore operations. As part of its overall effort to establish this program and associated changes to regulations, BOEM is seeking stakeholder comments regarding various risk management and monitoring activities pertaining to financial risks to taxpayers that may result from activities on the OCS. BOEM currently requires lessees to provide performance bonds and/or one of various alternative forms of financial assurance to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of leases, Rights-of-Use and Easements and Pipeline Rights-of-Way. BOEM is seeking comments on who is best suited to mitigate risks and whether other forms of financial assurance should be used, as well as whether, or to what extent, the current forms of financial assurance are adequate and appropriate. BOEM has received comments to its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) indicating that the number of issues being addressed and the complexity of the topics being considered would justify a longer comment period. Various groups have also requested that additional time be provided to review and analyze the ANPR. For these reasons, BOEM has agreed to extend the comment period by an additional 30 days. The new comment period will elapse 90 days from August 19, 2014, the date of the original of publication of the ANPR.

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 concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR part 581, Leasing of Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf. 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 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 551, Geological and Geophysical (G&G) Explorations of the Outer Continental Shelf.

On June 16, 2014, BOEM published a Request for Information and Comments on the preparation of a new Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022, as required by section 18 of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344). The Act requires the Department of the Interior to invite and solicit information on all 26 OCS planning areas from interested and affected parties as the first step in the preparation of a Five Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program (Five Year Program). The June 16 notice provided for a 45-day comment period, which is scheduled to end on July 31, 2014. BOEM has received requests from several coastal states to extend the comment period. To further the intent of the OCS Lands Act to collect information for future decision- making and provide ample opportunity for interested and affected parties to comment, BOEM is extending the comment period to August 15, 2014. See instructions for commenting below as they are simplified from the original notice as explained on the BOEM Five Year Web page.

This Call for Information and Nominations (hereinafter referred to as ``Call'') is the initial step in the prelease process for Sale 242 in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area. The lease sale presently is scheduled to be held in 2017, as included in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 (hereinafter referred to as ``Five Year Program''). The purpose of this Call is to obtain nominations for leasing in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area and information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development that might result from an OCS oil and gas lease sale for the Beaufort Sea Planning Area. The area addressed in this Call (hereinafter referred to as ``Program Area'') is located offshore the State of Alaska in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area (see map included with this Call). As identified in the Five Year Program, the Program Area is a sub-area of the larger Beaufort Sea Planning Area.

This document is the Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for the sale of commercial wind energy leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New Jersey, pursuant to BOEM's regulations at 30 CFR 585.216. BOEM proposes to offer for sale two leases. The total area comprising the two lease areas is smaller than that described in the Call for Information and Nominations (Call) (77 FR 22130) that was published in April 2011. An explanation for the reduction of the area and detailed information regarding the areas is provided in this notice in the section entitled ``Areas Offered for Leasing.'' BOEM proposes to use a multiple factor auction format for the lease sale. In this PSN, you will find information pertaining to the areas available for leasing, proposed lease provisions and conditions, auction details, the lease form, criteria for evaluating competing bids, award procedures, appeal procedures, and lease execution. BOEM invites comments on these items during a 60-day comment period following this notice. The issuance of the proposed leases resulting from this sale would not constitute an approval of project-specific plans to develop offshore wind energy. Such plans, expected to be submitted by successful lessees, will be subject to subsequent environmental and public review prior to a decision to proceed with development.

BOEM prepared a ROD for proposed oil and gas WPA Lease Sale 238, scheduled for August 20, 2014. The Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) has signed that ROD. The proposed lease sale is in the Gulf of Mexico's WPA off the States of Texas and Louisiana. Proposed WPA Lease Sale 238 is the third WPA lease sale scheduled in the OCS Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017 (Five-Year Program). In preparing the ROD, BOEM considered alternatives to the proposed action, the potential impacts as presented in the WPA 238, 246, and 248 Supplemental EIS, and all comments received throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The WPA 238, 246, and 248 Supplemental EIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for proposed WPA Lease Sale 238. The WPA 238, 246, and 248 Supplemental EIS tiers from and incorporates by reference, the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013-2014 Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233/Central Planning Area Lease Sale 231Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and 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 247Final Environmental Impact Statement. One comment letter was received after publication of the Final WPA 238, 246, and 248 Supplemental EIS from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), which did not raise any new or significant issues not already discussed.

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 a new survey on the potential impacts of Atlantic offshore wind energy development on coastal tourism and recreation.