Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico (2005), 3062-3063 [05-1013]

Download as PDF 3062 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2005 / Notices not currently identified in the Challis RMP. The BLM will work collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to local and regional needs as well as national needs and concerns. This notice initiates the public scoping process to identify specific issues related to the proposed amendment and NEPA process and the appropriate level of NEPA analysis that may be required. At least one public meeting will be held in or near Mackay, Idaho to ensure the opportunity for local community participation and input. Early participation is encouraged. In addition to the public meeting, opportunities for public participation will be available during the development of alternatives and upon publication of the BLM proposed plan amendment and Notice of Realty Action. Notification of the proposal and updates will be sent to various State and local government agencies, interest groups, the ShoshoneBannock Tribes, permittees, and other interested publics. All public meetings will be announced through the local news media and will be posted on the BLM Web site (https://web.id.blm.gov) at least 15 days in advance of the meetings. Dated: September 16, 2004. Gail O’Neill, Acting Challis Field Manager. [FR Doc. 05–1017 Filed 1–18–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [AZ–956–05–1420–BJ] Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey; Arizona Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The plats of survey described below are scheduled to be officially filed in the Arizona State Office, Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix, Arizona, (30) thirty calendar days from the date of this publication. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gila and Salt River Meridian, Arizona The plat representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the east boundary, a portion of the subdivisional lines, homestead entry survey no. 401 and tract 37 and 38, and metes-andbounds surveys in section 24, Township VerDate jul<14>2003 15:11 Jan 18, 2005 Jkt 205001 30 North, Range 2 East, accepted November 18, 2004, and officially filed November 30, 2004, for Group 875 Arizona. This plat was prepared at the request of the United States Forest Service. The plat representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the subdivisional lines and the subdivision of section 17, Township 10 South, Range 9 East, accepted November 1, 2004, and officially filed November 5, 2004, for Group 931 Arizona. This plat was prepared at the request of the Bureau of Land Management. The plat (3 sheets) representing the survey of the eighth standard parallel north (south boundary), the third guide meridian east (west boundary), the east and the north boundaries and the subdivisional lines, Townships 33 North, Range 13 East, accepted November 1, 2004, and officially filed November 10, 2004 for Group 885 Arizona. This plat was prepared at the request of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Western Region and Navajo Regional Office. The plat representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the north boundary, a portion of the subdivisional lines, and a portion of the subdivision of section 3; and the subdivision of section 3 and the metes-and-bounds survey in section 3, Township 9 North, Range 23 East, accepted October 4, 2004, and officially filed October 8, 2004 for Group 929 Arizona. This plat was prepared at the request of the United States Forest Service. The plat representing the dependent resurvey of the sixth standard parallel north (south boundary), the sixth guide meridian east (east boundary) and a portion of the north boundary, and the survey of a portion of the north boundary, and the subdivisional lines, Township 25 North, Range 24 East, accepted November 12, 2004, and officially filed November 19, 2004 for Group 863 Arizona. This plat was prepared at the request of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Regional Office. The plat (2 sheets) representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the subdivisional lines and a portion of the subdivision of sections 22, 23, 26 and 35 and the subdivision of a portion of sections 22, 23, and 26, and the metesand-bounds survey in sections 23, 26, and 35, Township 8 North, Range 27 East, accepted December 8, 2004, and officially filed December 14, 2004 for Group 910 Arizona. This plat was prepared at the request of the United States Forest Service. The supplemental plat representing sections 27, 28k, 33 and 34 in Township PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 16 South, Range 30 East, accepted November 8, 2004, and officially filed November 19, 2004. This supplemental plat was prepared at the request of the United States Forest Service. If a protest against a survey, as shown on any of the above plats is received prior to the date of official filing, the filing will be stayed pending consideration of the protest. A plat will not be officially filed until the day after all protests have been dismissed and become final or appeals from the dismissal affirmed. A person or party who wishes to protest against any of these surveys must file a written protest with the Arizona State Director, Bureau of Land Management, stating that they wish to protest. A statement of reasons for a protest may be filed with the notice of protest to the State Director, or the statement of reasons must be filed with the State Director within thirty (30) days after the protest is filed. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: These plats will be available for inspection in the Arizona State Office, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 1552, Phoenix, Arizona, 85001–1552. Dated: January 6, 2005. Stephen K. Hansen, Acting Cadastral Chief. [FR Doc. 05–972 Filed 1–18–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–32–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico (2005) Minerals Management Service, Interior. ACTION: Preparation of an environmental assessment. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is issuing this notice to advise the public, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., that MMS intends to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) (Lease Sale 196) scheduled for August 2005. The MMS is issuing this notice to facilitate public involvement. The preparation of this EA is the first step in the decision process for Lease Sale E:\FR\FM\19JAN1.SGM 19JAN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2005 / Notices 196. The proposal and alternatives for Lease Sale 196 were identified by the MMS Director in January 2002 following the Call for Information and Nominations/Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and were analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2003–2007; Central Planning Area Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201; Western Planning Area Sales 187, 192, 196, and 200—Final Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2002–052). This EA will reexamine the potential environmental effects of the proposed action (the offering of all available unleased acreage in the Western Planning Area (WPA)) and its alternatives (the proposed action excluding the unleased blocks near biologically sensitive topographic features, and no action) based on any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were not available at the time the Multisale EIS was prepared. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dennis Chew, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, MS 5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123– 2394. You may also contact Mr. Chew by telephone at (504) 736–2793. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2002, MMS prepared a Multisale EIS that addressed nine proposed Federal actions that offer for lease areas on the GOM OCS that may contain economically recoverable oil and gas resources. Federal regulations allow for several related or similar proposals to be analyzed in one EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). Since each proposed lease sale and its projected activities are very similar each year for each planning area, a single EIS was prepared for the nine Central Planning Area (CPA) and WPA lease sales scheduled in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2002–2007 (the 5-Year Program). Under the 5-Year Program, five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the CPA (Lease Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201) and five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the WPA (Lease Sales 184, 187, 192, 196, and 200). Lease Sale 184 was not addressed in the Multisale EIS; a separate EA was prepared for that proposal. The Multisale EIS addressed CPA Lease Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201 scheduled for 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively, and WPA Lease Sales 187, 192, 196, and 200 scheduled for 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. Although the Multisale EIS addresses nine proposed lease sales, at the completion of the EIS VerDate jul<14>2003 15:11 Jan 18, 2005 Jkt 205001 process, decisions were made only for proposed CPA Lease Sale 185 and proposed WPA Lease Sale 187. In the year prior to each subsequent proposed lease sale, an additional NEPA review will be conducted to address any new information relevant to that proposed action. After completion of the EA, MMS will determine whether to prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or a Supplemental EIS. The MMS will then prepare and send Consistency Determinations (CD’s) to the affected States to determine whether Lease Sale 196 is consistent with their federally-approved State coastal zone management programs. Finally, MMS will solicit comments via the Proposed Notice of Sale (PNOS) from the governors of the affected States on the size, timing, and location of Lease Sale 196. The tentative schedule for the prelease decision process for Lease Sale 196 is as follows: EA FONSI or Supplemental EIS decision, March 2005; CD’s sent to affected States, March 2005; PNOS sent to governors of the affected States, March 2005; Final Notice of Sale published in the Federal Register, July 2005; and Lease Sale 196, August 2005. Public Comments: Interested parties are requested to send within 30 days of this Notice’s publication comments regarding any new information or issues that should be addressed in the EA. Comments may be submitted in one of the following three ways: 1. Comments may be submitted using MMS’s new Public Connect on-line commenting system at https:// ocsconnect.mms.gov. This is the preferred method for commenting. From the Public Connect ‘‘Welcome’’ screen, search for ‘‘WPA Lease Sale 196 EA’’ or select it from the ‘‘Projects Open for Comment’’ menu. 2. Written comments may be enclosed in an envelope labeled ‘‘Comments on WPA Lease Sale 196 EA’’ and mailed (or hand carried) to the Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment (MS 5410), Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394. 3. Comments may be sent to the MMS e-mail address: environment@mms.gov. To obtain single copies of the Multisale EIS, you may contact the Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Attention: Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 114, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394 (1– 800–200–GULF). You may also view the Multisale EIS or check the list of libraries that have copies of the PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 3063 Multisale EIS on the MMS Web site at https://www.gomr.mms.gov. Dated: November 22, 2004. Chris C. Oynes, Regional Director, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. [FR Doc. 05–1013 Filed 1–18–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Point Reyes National Seashore, CA: Boundary Revision To Include Certain Adjacent Real Property Pursuant to the authority contained in the ‘‘Act to establish the Point Reyes National Seashore in the State of California, and for other purposes, approved September 13, 1962’’ (Pub. L. 87–657; 76 Stat. 538, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 459c–1(a)), notice is hereby given that the boundary of Point Reyes National Seashore is modified to include approximately 2.50 acres of real property adjacent to the park’s prior boundary. This adjustment is accomplished to include private property that the owners wish to sell to the United States for the use of Point Reyes National Seashore and which the National Park Service has concluded would be a valuable addition to the Seashore. The property is described below: All that certain real property situate in the County of Marin, State of California, described below as follows: Parcel One Beginning at a point distant South 39° 56′ 50″ East 328 feet; South 79° 51′ 10″ West 208.98 feet; South 46° 22′ 20″ West 78.33 feet; North 88° 57′ 30″ West 23.68 feet; South 64° 00′ West 20.0 feet and South 69° 00′ East 102.0 feet from the Westerly extremity of the course in the center line of Dover Road described as South 50° 03′ 10″ West 61.25 feet in the Deed from Western Title Guaranty Company to Sanford Hirshen, recorded September 11, 1967, in Book 2156 O.R. at Page 524, Marin County Records, and running thence North 69° 00′ West 102.0 feet to the center line of a 40 foot roadway, thence along said center line of said 40 foot roadway North 64° 00′ East 20.0 feet; thence leaving said center line South 88° 57′ 30″ East 23.68 feet North 46° 22′ 20″ East 78.33 feet and North 79° 51′ 10″ East 208.98 feet; thence South 39° 56′ 50″ East 164 feet more or less, to a point on the Southerly line of the tract of land conveyed to Marin County Abstract Company by Deed recorded November 16, 1951, in Book 717 O.R. at Page 409, Marin E:\FR\FM\19JAN1.SGM 19JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3062-3063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1013]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Preparation of an Environmental Assessment for Proposed Outer 
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of 
Mexico (2005)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Preparation of an environmental assessment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is issuing this notice 
to advise the public, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., that MMS intends to 
prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer Continental 
Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico 
(GOM) (Lease Sale 196) scheduled for August 2005. The MMS is issuing 
this notice to facilitate public involvement. The preparation of this 
EA is the first step in the decision process for Lease Sale

[[Page 3063]]

196. The proposal and alternatives for Lease Sale 196 were identified 
by the MMS Director in January 2002 following the Call for Information 
and Nominations/Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and were analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas 
Lease Sales: 2003-2007; Central Planning Area Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, 
and 201; Western Planning Area Sales 187, 192, 196, and 200--Final 
Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS 
EIS/EA MMS 2002-052). This EA will reexamine the potential 
environmental effects of the proposed action (the offering of all 
available unleased acreage in the Western Planning Area (WPA)) and its 
alternatives (the proposed action excluding the unleased blocks near 
biologically sensitive topographic features, and no action) based on 
any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were 
not available at the time the Multisale EIS was prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dennis Chew, Minerals Management 
Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, MS 
5410, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. You may also contact Mr. Chew 
by telephone at (504) 736-2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2002, MMS prepared a Multisale 
EIS that addressed nine proposed Federal actions that offer for lease 
areas on the GOM OCS that may contain economically recoverable oil and 
gas resources. Federal regulations allow for several related or similar 
proposals to be analyzed in one EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). Since each 
proposed lease sale and its projected activities are very similar each 
year for each planning area, a single EIS was prepared for the nine 
Central Planning Area (CPA) and WPA lease sales scheduled in the OCS 
Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2002-2007 (the 5-Year Program). Under the 
5-Year Program, five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the 
CPA (Lease Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201) and five annual areawide 
lease sales are scheduled for the WPA (Lease Sales 184, 187, 192, 196, 
and 200). Lease Sale 184 was not addressed in the Multisale EIS; a 
separate EA was prepared for that proposal. The Multisale EIS addressed 
CPA Lease Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201 scheduled for 2003, 2004, 
2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively, and WPA Lease Sales 187, 192, 196, 
and 200 scheduled for 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. 
Although the Multisale EIS addresses nine proposed lease sales, at the 
completion of the EIS process, decisions were made only for proposed 
CPA Lease Sale 185 and proposed WPA Lease Sale 187. In the year prior 
to each subsequent proposed lease sale, an additional NEPA review will 
be conducted to address any new information relevant to that proposed 
action. After completion of the EA, MMS will determine whether to 
prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or a Supplemental 
EIS. The MMS will then prepare and send Consistency Determinations 
(CD's) to the affected States to determine whether Lease Sale 196 is 
consistent with their federally-approved State coastal zone management 
programs. Finally, MMS will solicit comments via the Proposed Notice of 
Sale (PNOS) from the governors of the affected States on the size, 
timing, and location of Lease Sale 196. The tentative schedule for the 
pre-lease decision process for Lease Sale 196 is as follows: EA FONSI 
or Supplemental EIS decision, March 2005; CD's sent to affected States, 
March 2005; PNOS sent to governors of the affected States, March 2005; 
Final Notice of Sale published in the Federal Register, July 2005; and 
Lease Sale 196, August 2005.
    Public Comments: Interested parties are requested to send within 30 
days of this Notice's publication comments regarding any new 
information or issues that should be addressed in the EA. Comments may 
be submitted in one of the following three ways:
    1. Comments may be submitted using MMS's new Public Connect on-line 
commenting system at https://ocsconnect.mms.gov. This is the preferred 
method for commenting. From the Public Connect ``Welcome'' screen, 
search for ``WPA Lease Sale 196 EA'' or select it from the ``Projects 
Open for Comment'' menu.
    2. Written comments may be enclosed in an envelope labeled 
``Comments on WPA Lease Sale 196 EA'' and mailed (or hand carried) to 
the Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment (MS 5410), Minerals 
Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.
    3. Comments may be sent to the MMS e-mail address: 
environment@mms.gov.
    To obtain single copies of the Multisale EIS, you may contact the 
Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Attention: 
Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 
114, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 (1-800-200-GULF). You may also 
view the Multisale EIS or check the list of libraries that have copies 
of the Multisale EIS on the MMS Web site at https://www.gomr.mms.gov.

    Dated: November 22, 2004.
Chris C. Oynes,
Regional Director, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
[FR Doc. 05-1013 Filed 1-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P

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