Outer Continental Shelf, Oil and Gas Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area (CPA) and the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area (WPA), Beginning With WPA Sale 233 in 2013 and Subsequent Sales Through 2017, 40376-40380 [2012-16733]
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40376
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices
Permit Application Number: TE–
76565A
Applicant: Rebecca Ijames, Central City,
Kentucky
Applicant requests reauthorization to
conduct scientific studies and surveys
on the following species:
Indiana bat Myotis sodalis,
Gray bat Myotis grisescens,
Virginia big-eared bat Corynorhinus
townsendii virginianus.
These surveys will be conducted in
Kentucky.
Dated: June 22, 2012.
Mark J. Musaus,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2012–16665 Filed 7–6–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
Dated: June 14, 2012.
J. Paul Loether,
Chief, National Register of Historic Places/
National Historic Landmarks Program.
MISSOURI
ARIZONA
the Chaffee Maneuver Training Center,
Arkansas Army National Guard, Fort
Chaffee, Arkansas.
Greene County
Fallon Brothers Building (Springfield MPS),
211–229 S. Market Ave., Springfield,
12000435
Maricopa County
Sun City DEVCO Model No. 1, 10801 W.
Oakmont Dr., Sun City, 12000422
Wadin, John, House, 900 W. 1st St., Yuma,
12000423
St. Louis Independent City
Central States Life Insurance Company
Building, 3207 Washington Blvd., St. Louis
(Independent City), 12000436
CALIFORNIA
OKLAHOMA
San Francisco County
Comanche County
Comanche Indian Mission Cemetery, Henry
Post Army Airfield, 4900 Area, Fort Sill,
12000437
Yuma County
Drydock 4 Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, SE.
of jct. of Spear Ave. & Morrell St., San
Francisco, 12000424
Hunters Point Commercial Drydock Historic
District, E. of jct. of Fisher Ave. & Robinson
Dr., San Francisco, 12000425
LOUISIANA
Tangipahoa Parish
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–10608; 2200–3200–
665]
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National Register of Historic Places;
Notification of Pending Nominations
and Related Actions
Nominations for the following
properties being considered for listing
or related actions in the National
Register were received by the National
Park Service before June 9, 2012.
Pursuant to section 60.13 of 36 CFR Part
60, written comments are being
accepted concerning the significance of
the nominated properties under the
National Register criteria for evaluation.
Comments may be forwarded by United
States Postal Service, to the National
Register of Historic Places, National
Park Service, 1849 C St. NW., MS 2280,
Washington, DC 20240; by all other
carriers, National Register of Historic
Places, National Park Service,1201 Eye
St. NW., 8th floor, Washington, DC
20005; or by fax, 202–371–6447. Written
or faxed comments should be submitted
by July 24, 2012. Before including your
address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
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Audrain County
Audrain County Courthouse, 101 N. Jefferson
St., Mexico, 12000434
RHODE ISLAND
Providence County
Downtown Providence Historic District
(Boundary Increase), 250 & 254
Washington St., Providence, 12000438
Ponchatoula Commercial Historic District
(Boundary Increase and Decrease), 111,
180, 165, 138 N. 6th, 170, 175, 163–165,
138, 125 W. Hickory, 155 NW. Railroad
Ave., 201, 245, 265, 275 W. Pine,
Ponchatoula, 12000426
SOUTH CAROLINA
MINNESOTA
Robertson County
Glenn, Mollie and Neel, House, 307 5th Ave.,
Springfield, 12000440
Beltrami County
Three Island Park Site (Woodland Tradition
in Minnesota MPS), Address Restricted,
Tenstrike, 12000427
Hennepin County
Quinlan, Elizabeth C., House, 1711 Emerson
Ave., S., Minneapolis, 12000428
Greenville County
Southern Bleachery and Print Works, 113
Mill St., Taylors, 12000439
TENNESSEE
Shelby County
National Cotton Council Building, 1918
North Parkway, Memphis, 12000441
[FR Doc. 2012–16602 Filed 7–6–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–51–P
Redwood County
Redwood Falls Retaining Wall Roadside
Development Project (Federal Relief
Construction in Minnesota MPS), Jct. of
MN 19 & 71, Redwood Falls, 12000429
MISSISSIPPI
De Soto County
Springhill Cemetery, College St. & W. Oak
Grove Rd., Hernando, 12000430
Forrest County
Hub City Historic District (Boundary Increase
II), Roughly bounded by E. 4th, Gordon, E.
Front, Green, & Melrose Sts., Gordon’s Cr.,
& 1st Ave., Hattiesburg, 12000431
Leake County
Carthage Historic District, Roughly bounded
by E. & W. Water, Mill, N. & S. Jordon, N.
Pearl, & N. & S. White Sts., Carthage,
12000432
Oktibbeha County
Downtown Starkville Historic District,
Roughly bounded by Jefferson, N.
Montgomery, & Yeates Sts., & RR.,
Starkville, 12000433
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Outer Continental Shelf, Oil and Gas
Lease Sales in the Central Gulf of
Mexico Planning Area (CPA) and the
Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area
(WPA), Beginning With WPA Sale 233
in 2013 and Subsequent Sales Through
2017
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Call for Information and
Nominations.
AGENCY:
This Call for Information and
Nominations (hereinafter referred to as
the ‘‘Call’’) is the initial step in the prelease process. The purpose of the Call is
to gather information on oil and gas
leasing, exploration, and development
that might result from Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease sales,
tentatively beginning in the fall of 2013
under the OCS oil and gas leasing
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices
program for 2012–2017. Information
collected through this process will help
BOEM design future sales. BOEM is
enhancing the pre-lease planning
process, which begins with this Call, by
undertaking a series of important steps
to increase the transparency of the
process and accountability.
Comments must be received no
later than August 8, 2012 at the address
specified below.
DATES:
For
information on this Call, please contact
Mr. Carrol Williams, Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico
OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana
70123–2394, telephone (504) 736–2803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
On March
15, 2011, BOEM published a Call to
gather information on a series of Gulf of
Mexico oil and gas lease sales scheduled
in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program
for 2012–2017 (76 FR 14040). The
March 2011 Call identified the area
under consideration as the majority of
the acreage in the CPA and WPA, but
that Call specifically excluded acreage
in a 1.4 nautical mile (nmi) buffer area
in the area formerly known as the
Western Gap, north of the continental
shelf boundary. This 1.4 nmi buffer area
includes acreage in the CPA and WPA
along the continental shelf boundary
between the United States and Mexico.
By treaty with Mexico, this 1.4 nmi
buffer area is not available for leasing
until 2014.
On February 20, 2012, however, the
United States and Mexico signed an
Agreement between the United States of
America and the United Mexican States
Concerning Transboundary
Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in the Gulf of
Mexico (hereinafter referred to as the
‘‘Agreement’’). Upon the Agreement’s
entry into force, the 1.4 nmi buffer area
may be available for lease earlier than
2014. As such, this Call is being issued
to encompass the acreage identified in
the March 2011 Call, as well as
approximately 158,584 acres in the
portion of the CPA and WPA that may
be made available by the Agreement if
it enters into force prior to 2014. If this
area becomes available for lease, it will
be announced in a Notice of Sale.
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Call for Information and Nominations
1. Authority
This Call is published pursuant to the
OCS Lands Act as amended (43 U.S.C.
1331–1356, hereinafter ‘‘OCSLA’’), and
the regulations issued thereunder (30
CFR part 556).
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2. Purpose of Call
4. Instructions on Call
The purpose of the Call is to gather
information for the following tentatively
scheduled OCS Lease Sales in the CPA
and WPA.
Comments must be received no later
than 30 days following publication of
this document in the Federal Register in
envelopes labeled ‘‘Comments on the
Call for Information and Nominations
for Proposed CPA and WPA Lease
Sales,’’ submitted to the Gulf of Mexico
Region’s Leasing and Financial
Responsibility Unit (Attention: Mr.
Carrol Williams) at the previously noted
address.
The Call map delineates the Call area,
all of which has been identified by
BOEM as having potential for the
discovery of accumulations of oil and
gas.
BOEM seeks comments from all
interested parties about particular
geological, environmental (including
natural disasters), biological,
archaeological and socioeconomic
conditions or conflicts, or other
information that might bear upon the
potential leasing and development of
this area. BOEM also seeks comments
on possible conflicts between future
OCS oil and gas activities that may
result from the proposed lease sale and
state Coastal Management Programs
(CMPs). If possible, these comments
should identify specific CMP policies of
concern, the nature of the conflict
foreseen, and steps that BOEM could
take to avoid or mitigate the potential
conflict. Comments may be in terms of
broad areas or restricted to particular
blocks of concern.
In the Proposed Final OCS Oil & Gas
Leasing Program 2012–2017, BOEM
established an alternative and
mitigation tracking table (the Table),
which is designed to track the lineage
and treatment of suggestions for
inclusion of acreage, spatial exclusions,
temporal deferrals, and/or mitigation
from the Five-Year Program to the lease
sale stage and on to the plan stage. This
alternative and mitigation tracking table
will allow commenters to see how and
where their concerns are considered,
while ensuring that a reasonable
concern that is not suitable for
consideration during one stage will be
considered at an appropriate subsequent
stage. You can view the alternative and
mitigation tracking table at: https://www.
boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/
Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-SaleSchedule/Alternative-and-MitigationTracking-Table.aspx. Suggestions for
deferrals collected during the comment
period on this Call will be added to the
Table to be tracked through the process.
Additionally, BOEM has created an
interactive map through the
Multipurpose Marine Cadastre (MMC)
Web site for the Gulf of Mexico. You can
Sale
year
Lease sale, OCS planning area
Sale
Sale
Sale
Sale
Sale
Sale
Sale
Sale
233,
231,
238,
235,
246,
241,
248,
247,
WPA .................................
CPA ..................................
WPA .................................
CPA ..................................
WPA .................................
CPA ..................................
WPA .................................
CPA ..................................
2013
2014
2014
2015
2015
2016
2016
2017
BOEM seeks information and
nominations on oil and gas leasing,
exploration, development, and
production within this portion of the
CPA and WPA from all interested
parties. This early planning and
consultation step is important for
ensuring that all interests and concerns
are communicated to the U.S.
Department of the Interior for future
decisions in the leasing process
pursuant to OCSLA and regulations at
30 CFR part 556.
Final decisions regarding this
additional acreage for possible leasing
will be made at a later date and in
compliance with applicable laws,
including all requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act,
Coastal Zone Management Act and
OCSLA.
3. Description of Area
A Call for the majority of the acreage
in the CPA and WPA was issued on
March 15, 2011. This Call encompasses
that acreage, as well as approximately
158,584 acres in the portion of the CPA
and WPA that may be made available by
the Agreement, described above, if it
enters into force. A map of the full Call
area is included below, depicting the
acres of the CPA and WPA that may be
made available by the Agreement. The
map is available without charge from:
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Public Information Office, 1201
Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,
Louisiana 70123–2394, or telephone:
1–800–200–GULF. It is also available
via the BOEM Web site at: https://www.
boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/
Leasing/Regional-Leasing/Gulf-ofMexico-Region/Call-for-Info-andNominations-CPA-WPA-bufferarea.
aspx. The CPA/WPA areas are depicted
in full on the map available at https://
www.boem.gov/uploadedfiles/callmap2012-2017.pdf.
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices
view the interactive map at: https://www.
boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/
Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-SaleSchedule/Interactive-Maps.aspx. The
MMC is an integrated marine
information system that provides a more
comprehensive look at geospatial data
and ongoing activities and studies
occurring in the area being considered.
If there is a data layer that you believe
should be added for consideration,
please provide this information by
following the commenting instructions
above. If you have questions about the
interactive map, please contact Donna
Dixon, Leasing Division Chief, at (703)
787–1215.
5. Use of Information From the Call
Information submitted in response to
this Call will be used for several
purposes. First, comments on possible
environmental effects and potential use
conflicts will be used in the analysis of
environmental conditions in and near
the Call area. Comments on
environmental and other use conflicts
will be used to make a preliminary
determination of the potential
advantages and disadvantages of oil and
gas exploration and development to the
region and the Nation. Second,
comments may be used in developing
lease terms and conditions to ensure
environmentally safe offshore
operations. Third, comments may be
used to assess potential conflicts
between offshore oil and gas activities
and a state CMP.
Individual indications of interest in
areas for mineral leasing are considered
to be privileged and proprietary
information. To avoid inadvertent
release of proprietary information,
please mark all documents and every
page containing such information with
‘‘Confidential—Contains Proprietary
Information.’’ The names of persons or
entities submitting comments or
indicating interest will be treated by
BOEM as information that can be
released to the public. When comments
are released, individual indications of
interest in mineral leasing, trade secrets,
commercial or financial information
will be treated as confidential and
proprietary information that is
privileged and not released to the
public.
6. Existing Information
BOEM routinely assesses the status of
information acquisition efforts and the
quality of the information base for
potential decisions on a tentatively
scheduled lease sale. An extensive
environmental studies program has been
underway in the Gulf of Mexico since
1973. The emphasis, including
continuing studies, has been on
‘‘environmental analysis’’ of biologically
sensitive habitats, physical
oceanography, ocean-circulation
modeling, ecological effects of oil and
gas activities, and hurricane impacts on
coastal communities and the
environment.
You may obtain a complete listing of
available study reports and information
for ordering copies from the Public
Information Office referenced above.
You may also order the reports for a fee
from the U.S. Department of Commerce,
National Technical Information Service,
5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield,
Virginia 22161, or telephone (703) 605–
6000 or (800) 553–6847. In addition,
you may obtain a program status report
for continuing studies in this area from
the Chief, Office of Environmental
Studies (MS 5430), Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico
OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana
70123–2394, or telephone (504) 736–
2752, or via the BOEM Web site at:
https://www.boem.gov/EnvironmentalStewardship/Environmental-Studies/
Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/GOMREnvironmental-Studies-Program.aspx.
7. Tentative Schedule
MILESTONES FOR PROPOSED LEASE SALE 233 IN 2013
Call for Information and Nominations ....................................................................................................................
Comments received on Call ..................................................................................................................................
Area Identification Decision ...................................................................................................................................
Proposed Notice ....................................................................................................................................................
Final Notice of Sale ...............................................................................................................................................
Tentative Lease Sale Date ....................................................................................................................................
Dated: July 3. 2012.
Tommy P. Beaudreau,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
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July 2012.
August 2012.
September 2012.
5 months before lease sale.
1 month before lease sale.
Fall 2013 (Lease Sale 233).
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EN09JY12.022</GPH>
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices
40380
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices
[FR Doc. 2012–16733 Filed 7–6–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–C
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Outer Continental Shelf, Gulf of
Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sales,
Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233
and Central Planning Area Lease Sale
231
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
AGENCY:
Authority: This Notice of Intent to Prepare
a Supplemental EIS (NOI) is published
pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1501.7)
implementing the provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (NEPA).
Pursuant to the regulations
implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA, BOEM is announcing its intent
to prepare a Supplemental EIS for
proposed Western Planning Area (WPA)
Lease Sale 233 and Central Planning
Area (CPA) Lease Sale 231 (WPA/CPA
Supplemental EIS). The proposed lease
sales are in the Gulf of Mexico’s WPA
off the States of Texas and Louisiana
and in the CPA off the States of
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
The WPA/CPA Supplemental EIS will
update the environmental and
socioeconomic analyses in the Gulf of
Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales:
2012–2017; WPA Lease Sales 229, 233,
238, 246, and 248; CPA Lease Sales 227,
231, 235, 241, and 247, Final
Environmental Impact Statement (OCS
EIS/EA BOEM 2012–019) (WPA/CPA
Multisale Final EIS). The WPA/CPA
Multisale Final EIS was completed in
July 2012.
A Supplemental EIS is deemed
appropriate to supplement the WPA/
CPA Multisale Final EIS for these lease
sales in order to consider new
circumstances and information arising,
among other things, from the Deepwater
Horizon event. The WPA/CPA
Supplemental EIS analysis will focus on
updating the baseline conditions and
potential environmental effects of oil
and natural gas leasing, exploration,
development, and production in the
WPA and CPA. The WPA/CPA
Supplemental EIS will also analyze the
1.4 nautical mile (nmi) buffer area in the
Western Gap, which was excluded from
the WPA/CPA Multisale EIS but which
may be available in the proposed lease
sale or subsequent sale. The WPA/CPA
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SUMMARY:
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Supplemental EIS will assist
decisionmakers in making informed
decisions regarding the approval of
operations, as well as leasing.
The WPA/CPA Supplemental EIS
analysis will focus on the potential
environmental effects of oil and natural
gas leasing, exploration, development,
and production in the areas identified as
the proposed lease sale areas. In
addition to the no action alternative
(i.e., canceling the proposed sales),
other alternatives may be considered for
each proposed lease sale, such as
deferring certain areas from the
proposed lease sales.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June
28, 2012, the Department of the Interior
released a Proposed Final OCS Oil and
Gas Leasing Program for 2012–2017,
which includes proposed WPA Lease
Sale 233 and CPA Lease Sale 231. The
general area proposed for WPA Lease
Sale 233 covers approximately 29
million acres in the western portion of
the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) (excluding
whole and partial blocks within the
boundary of the Flower Garden Banks
National Marine Sanctuary). The general
area proposed for CPA Lease Sale 231
covers approximately 67 million acres
in the central portion of the GOM
(excluding whole and partial blocks
deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy
Security Act of 2006 and blocks that are
beyond the United States Exclusive
Economic Zone in the area known as the
northern portion of the Eastern Gap).
On February 20, 2012, the United
States and Mexico signed an Agreement
between the United States of America
and the United Mexican States
Concerning Transboundary
Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in the Gulf of
Mexico (hereinafter referred to as the
‘‘Agreement’’). Upon the Agreement’s
entry into force, additional acreage that
lies within 1.4 nmi north of the
continental shelf boundary in the area
formerly known as the Western Gap will
be available for lease. A treaty with
Mexico currently prohibits leasing in
this 1.4 nmi buffer area until 2014. This
area includes acreage in the CPA and
WPA along the continental shelf
boundary between the United States and
Mexico. If the Agreement enters into
force, this 1.4 nmi buffer area may be
available for leasing prior to 2014. When
this area becomes available for lease, it
will be announced in a Notice of Sale.
The 1.4 nmi buffer area was not
previously considered in the Multisale
Final EIS, but potential impacts on this
area will be considered in the WPA/
CPA Supplemental EIS.
This Federal Register notice is not an
announcement to hold the proposed
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lease sales, but is a continuation of
information gathering and is published
early in the environmental review
process as required by NEPA. The
comments received during the scoping
comment period will help form the
content of the WPA/CPA Supplemental
EIS and will be summarized in presale
documentation prepared prior to
holding the proposed WPA or CPA lease
sales. If, after completion of the
Supplemental EIS, the Secretary’s
decision is to hold one or both of the
lease sales, then the lease sale areas
identified in the Notice of Sale may
exclude or defer certain lease blocks
from the areas offered. For purposes of
the WPA/CPA Supplemental EIS and to
adequately assess the potential impacts
of two area wide lease sales, however,
BOEM is conservatively assuming that
all unleased blocks may be offered in
the proposed WPA and CPA lease sales.
In order to ensure a greater level of
transparency during the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA)
stages and tiered NEPA processes of the
Proposed Final OCS Oil & Gas Leasing
Program 2012–2017, (the Five-Year
Program), BOEM established an
alternative and mitigation tracking table
(the Table), which is designed to track
the receipt and treatment of alternative
and mitigation suggestions. Section
4.3.2 of the Outer Continental Shelf Oil
and Gas Leasing Program: 2012–2017;
Final Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (the Five-Year EIS)
(https://www.boem.gov/5-year/20122017/PEIS.aspx) has presented a list of
deferral and alternatives requests that
were received during the development
of the Five-Year EIS but were
determined to be more appropriately
considered at subsequent OCSLA and
NEPA stages. The WPA/CPA Multisale
Final EIS addressed these deferral and
alternatives requests, even though they
were ultimately deemed inappropriate
for further analysis as a separate
alternative or deferral from those
already included and considered in the
WPA/CPA Multisale Final EIS. In future
NEPA analyses, BOEM will continue to
evaluate whether these or other deferral
or alternative requests warrant
additional consideration as appropriate.
(Please refer to Sections 2.2.1.1 and
2.2.1.1 of the WPA/CPA Multisale Final
EIS for a complete discussion; https://
www.boem.gov/EnvironmentalStewardship/EnvironmentalAssessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx).
The key requirement at each stage in the
NEPA process is to identify how the
recommendations for deferral and
mitigation requests are being addressed
and whether new information or
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 131 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40376-40380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16733]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Outer Continental Shelf, Oil and Gas Lease Sales in the Central
Gulf of Mexico Planning Area (CPA) and the Western Gulf of Mexico
Planning Area (WPA), Beginning With WPA Sale 233 in 2013 and Subsequent
Sales Through 2017
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This Call for Information and Nominations (hereinafter
referred to as the ``Call'') is the initial step in the pre-lease
process. The purpose of the Call is to gather information on oil and
gas leasing, exploration, and development that might result from Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease sales, tentatively beginning
in the fall of 2013 under the OCS oil and gas leasing
[[Page 40377]]
program for 2012-2017. Information collected through this process will
help BOEM design future sales. BOEM is enhancing the pre-lease planning
process, which begins with this Call, by undertaking a series of
important steps to increase the transparency of the process and
accountability.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 8, 2012 at the
address specified below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on this Call, please
contact Mr. Carrol Williams, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of
Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana
70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-2803.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 15, 2011, BOEM published a Call to
gather information on a series of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease
sales scheduled in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017
(76 FR 14040). The March 2011 Call identified the area under
consideration as the majority of the acreage in the CPA and WPA, but
that Call specifically excluded acreage in a 1.4 nautical mile (nmi)
buffer area in the area formerly known as the Western Gap, north of the
continental shelf boundary. This 1.4 nmi buffer area includes acreage
in the CPA and WPA along the continental shelf boundary between the
United States and Mexico. By treaty with Mexico, this 1.4 nmi buffer
area is not available for leasing until 2014.
On February 20, 2012, however, the United States and Mexico signed
an Agreement between the United States of America and the United
Mexican States Concerning Transboundary Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in the
Gulf of Mexico (hereinafter referred to as the ``Agreement''). Upon the
Agreement's entry into force, the 1.4 nmi buffer area may be available
for lease earlier than 2014. As such, this Call is being issued to
encompass the acreage identified in the March 2011 Call, as well as
approximately 158,584 acres in the portion of the CPA and WPA that may
be made available by the Agreement if it enters into force prior to
2014. If this area becomes available for lease, it will be announced in
a Notice of Sale.
Call for Information and Nominations
1. Authority
This Call is published pursuant to the OCS Lands Act as amended (43
U.S.C. 1331-1356, hereinafter ``OCSLA''), and the regulations issued
thereunder (30 CFR part 556).
2. Purpose of Call
The purpose of the Call is to gather information for the following
tentatively scheduled OCS Lease Sales in the CPA and WPA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale
Lease sale, OCS planning area year
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale 233, WPA.................................................. 2013
Sale 231, CPA.................................................. 2014
Sale 238, WPA.................................................. 2014
Sale 235, CPA.................................................. 2015
Sale 246, WPA.................................................. 2015
Sale 241, CPA.................................................. 2016
Sale 248, WPA.................................................. 2016
Sale 247, CPA.................................................. 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOEM seeks information and nominations on oil and gas leasing,
exploration, development, and production within this portion of the CPA
and WPA from all interested parties. This early planning and
consultation step is important for ensuring that all interests and
concerns are communicated to the U.S. Department of the Interior for
future decisions in the leasing process pursuant to OCSLA and
regulations at 30 CFR part 556.
Final decisions regarding this additional acreage for possible
leasing will be made at a later date and in compliance with applicable
laws, including all requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act, Coastal Zone Management Act and OCSLA.
3. Description of Area
A Call for the majority of the acreage in the CPA and WPA was
issued on March 15, 2011. This Call encompasses that acreage, as well
as approximately 158,584 acres in the portion of the CPA and WPA that
may be made available by the Agreement, described above, if it enters
into force. A map of the full Call area is included below, depicting
the acres of the CPA and WPA that may be made available by the
Agreement. The map is available without charge from: Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, Public Information Office, 1201 Elmwood Park
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, or telephone: 1-800-200-
GULF. It is also available via the BOEM Web site at: https://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Regional-Leasing/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/Call-for-Info-and-Nominations-CPA-WPA-bufferarea.aspx.
The CPA/WPA areas are depicted in full on the map available at https://www.boem.gov/uploadedfiles/callmap-2012-2017.pdf.
4. Instructions on Call
Comments must be received no later than 30 days following
publication of this document in the Federal Register in envelopes
labeled ``Comments on the Call for Information and Nominations for
Proposed CPA and WPA Lease Sales,'' submitted to the Gulf of Mexico
Region's Leasing and Financial Responsibility Unit (Attention: Mr.
Carrol Williams) at the previously noted address.
The Call map delineates the Call area, all of which has been
identified by BOEM as having potential for the discovery of
accumulations of oil and gas.
BOEM seeks comments from all interested parties about particular
geological, environmental (including natural disasters), biological,
archaeological and socioeconomic conditions or conflicts, or other
information that might bear upon the potential leasing and development
of this area. BOEM also seeks comments on possible conflicts between
future OCS oil and gas activities that may result from the proposed
lease sale and state Coastal Management Programs (CMPs). If possible,
these comments should identify specific CMP policies of concern, the
nature of the conflict foreseen, and steps that BOEM could take to
avoid or mitigate the potential conflict. Comments may be in terms of
broad areas or restricted to particular blocks of concern.
In the Proposed Final OCS Oil & Gas Leasing Program 2012-2017, BOEM
established an alternative and mitigation tracking table (the Table),
which is designed to track the lineage and treatment of suggestions for
inclusion of acreage, spatial exclusions, temporal deferrals, and/or
mitigation from the Five-Year Program to the lease sale stage and on to
the plan stage. This alternative and mitigation tracking table will
allow commenters to see how and where their concerns are considered,
while ensuring that a reasonable concern that is not suitable for
consideration during one stage will be considered at an appropriate
subsequent stage. You can view the alternative and mitigation tracking
table at: https://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-Sale-Schedule/Alternative-and-Mitigation-Tracking-Table.aspx. Suggestions for deferrals collected during the comment
period on this Call will be added to the Table to be tracked through
the process.
Additionally, BOEM has created an interactive map through the
Multipurpose Marine Cadastre (MMC) Web site for the Gulf of Mexico. You
can
[[Page 40378]]
view the interactive map at: https://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-Sale-Schedule/Interactive-Maps.aspx. The MMC is an integrated marine information system that
provides a more comprehensive look at geospatial data and ongoing
activities and studies occurring in the area being considered. If there
is a data layer that you believe should be added for consideration,
please provide this information by following the commenting
instructions above. If you have questions about the interactive map,
please contact Donna Dixon, Leasing Division Chief, at (703) 787-1215.
5. Use of Information From the Call
Information submitted in response to this Call will be used for
several purposes. First, comments on possible environmental effects and
potential use conflicts will be used in the analysis of environmental
conditions in and near the Call area. Comments on environmental and
other use conflicts will be used to make a preliminary determination of
the potential advantages and disadvantages of oil and gas exploration
and development to the region and the Nation. Second, comments may be
used in developing lease terms and conditions to ensure environmentally
safe offshore operations. Third, comments may be used to assess
potential conflicts between offshore oil and gas activities and a state
CMP.
Individual indications of interest in areas for mineral leasing are
considered to be privileged and proprietary information. To avoid
inadvertent release of proprietary information, please mark all
documents and every page containing such information with
``Confidential--Contains Proprietary Information.'' The names of
persons or entities submitting comments or indicating interest will be
treated by BOEM as information that can be released to the public. When
comments are released, individual indications of interest in mineral
leasing, trade secrets, commercial or financial information will be
treated as confidential and proprietary information that is privileged
and not released to the public.
6. Existing Information
BOEM routinely assesses the status of information acquisition
efforts and the quality of the information base for potential decisions
on a tentatively scheduled lease sale. An extensive environmental
studies program has been underway in the Gulf of Mexico since 1973. The
emphasis, including continuing studies, has been on ``environmental
analysis'' of biologically sensitive habitats, physical oceanography,
ocean-circulation modeling, ecological effects of oil and gas
activities, and hurricane impacts on coastal communities and the
environment.
You may obtain a complete listing of available study reports and
information for ordering copies from the Public Information Office
referenced above. You may also order the reports for a fee from the
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service,
5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, or telephone (703)
605-6000 or (800) 553-6847. In addition, you may obtain a program
status report for continuing studies in this area from the Chief,
Office of Environmental Studies (MS 5430), Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New
Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, or telephone (504) 736-2752, or via the
BOEM Web site at: https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/GOMR-Environmental-Studies-Program.aspx.
7. Tentative Schedule
Milestones for Proposed Lease Sale 233 in 2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call for Information and July 2012.
Nominations.
Comments received on Call.... August 2012.
Area Identification Decision. September 2012.
Proposed Notice.............. 5 months before lease sale.
Final Notice of Sale......... 1 month before lease sale.
Tentative Lease Sale Date.... Fall 2013 (Lease Sale 233).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated: July 3. 2012.
Tommy P. Beaudreau,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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[FR Doc. 2012-16733 Filed 7-6-12; 8:45 am]
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