Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 233, 45557-45558 [2013-18173]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 145 / Monday, July 29, 2013 / Notices information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Dated: July 15, 2013. Alexandra Lord, Acting Chief, National Register of Historic Places/National Historic Landmarks Program. [MMAA104000] ARIZONA AGENCY: Kirkland—McKinney Ditch, 1400 & 1500 blks., E. 8th St., Tempe, 13000604 Kiowa County Crow—Hightower House, 909 Maine St., Eads, 13000605 Eads Community Church, 110 E. 11th St., Eads, 13000606 Eads School Gymnasium, W. 10th & Slater Sts., Eads, 13000607 Hotel Holly—Haswell Hotel, 200 4th St., Haswell, 13000608 GEORGIA Brooks County Liberty Baptist Church, Liberty Church Rd., Grooverville, 13000609 NEW YORK Otsego County Hartwick Historic District, Roughly NY 205, Cty Rd. 11 & Weeks Rd., Hartwick, 13000610 Old Hartwig Village Cemetery, 2862 Cty. Rd. 11, Hartwick, 13000611 TEXAS Tarrant County Sealy, J.L., Building, 801 S. Main St., Fort Worth, 13000612 Travis County Cranfill Apartments, 1909 Cliff St., Building B, Austin, 13000613 Seaholm Power Plant, 800 W. Cesar Chavez St., Austin, 13000614 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Williamson County Olive Street Historic District, Olive St. between E. University Ave. & 17th St. plus a portion of E. 15th St., Georgetown, 13000615 VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:00 Jul 26, 2013 Jkt 229001 BOEM has prepared a Record of Decision (ROD) for WPA Lease Sale 233 on the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013–2014; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233, and Central Planning Area Lease Sale 231; Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). WPA Lease Sale 233, scheduled for August 28, 2013, is the second WPA lease sale scheduled in the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012– 2017. The lease sale is in the Gulf of Mexico’s WPA off the States of Texas and Louisiana. In making its decision, BOEM considered alternatives to the proposed action and the potential impacts as presented in the WPA 233/ CPA 231 Supplemental EIS and all comments received throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for WPA Lease Sale 233. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS, BOEM evaluated three alternatives, which are summarized below: Alternative A—The Proposed Action: This is BOEM’s preferred alternative identified in the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS. This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks within the WPA for oil and gas operations. A subset of Alternative A includes the following exceptions: (1) whole and partial blocks within the boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (i.e., the boundary as of the publication of the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). (2) whole blocks and portions of blocks that lie within the former Western Gap and that lie within 1.4 nautical miles north of the continental shelf boundary between the United States and Mexico (the ‘‘1.4 nautical mile buffer’’). The proposed WPA lease sale area encompasses about 28.58 million acres. As of May 2013, approximately 20.6 million acres of the proposed WPA lease sale area are currently unleased. The SUMMARY: COLORADO BILLING CODE 4312–51–P Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 233 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision. Maricopa County [FR Doc. 2013–18067 Filed 7–26–13; 8:45 am] Bureau of Ocean Energy Management PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45557 estimated amount of resources projected to be developed as a result of proposed WPA Lease Sale 233 is 0.116–0.200 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 0.538– 0.938 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. Alternative B—The Proposed Action Excluding the Unleased Blocks Near Biologically Sensitive Topographic Features: This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks within the proposed WPA lease sale area, as described for the proposed action (Alternative A), with the exception of any unleased blocks subject to the Topographic Features Stipulation. Alternative C—No Action: This alternative is the cancellation of proposed WPA Lease Sale 233 and is identified as the environmentally preferred alternative. After careful consideration, BOEM has selected a subset of the proposed action, identified as BOEM’s preferred alternative (Alternative A) in the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS. Although considered as part of the proposed action identified in the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS, BOEM is excluding from WPA Lease Sale 233 whole and partial blocks within the boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (i.e., the boundary as of the publication of the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). Also excluded are whole blocks and portions of blocks that lie within the former Western Gap and that lie within 1.4 nautical miles (nmi) north of the Continental Shelf boundary between the United States and Mexico (the 1.4 nmi buffer). A Continental Shelf boundary treaty between the United States and the United Mexican States currently prohibits exploration and development in the 1.4 nmi buffer. As such, BOEM is excluding the 1.4 nmi buffer from WPA Lease Sale 233. BOEM’s selection of this subset of the preferred alternative reflects a balancing of the need for orderly resource development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments, while also ensuring that the public receives an equitable return for these resources and that free-market competition is maintained. Record of Decision Availability: To obtain a single printed or CD–ROM copy of the ROD for proposed WPA Lease Sale 233, you may contact BOEM, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public Information Office (GM 250I), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394 (1–800–200– GULF). An electronic copy of the ROD is available on BOEM’s Internet Web site at https://boem.gov/EnvironmentalStewardship/EnvironmentalAssessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx. E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM 29JYN1 45558 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 145 / Monday, July 29, 2013 / Notices TX5B Brazos Area, South Addition (revised November 1, 2000) TX6 Galveston Area (revised November 1, 2000) TX6A Galveston Area, South Addition (revised November 1, 2000) TX7 High Island Area (revised November 1, 2000) TX7A High Island Area, East Addition (revised November 1, 2000) TX7B High Island Area, South Addition (revised November 1, 2000) TX7C High Island Area, East Addition, South Extension (revised November 1, 2000) TX8 Sabine Pass Area (revised November 1, 2000) [FR Doc. 2013–18173 Filed 7–26–13; 8:45 am] working days, and from 8:00 a.m. to the Bid Submission Deadline of 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 27, 2013, the day before the lease sale. For more information on bid submission, see Section VII, ‘‘Bidding Instructions,’’ of this document. ADDRESSES: Interested parties can obtain a Final NOS Package by contacting the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Region at: Gulf of Mexico Region Public Information Office, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394, (504) 736–2519 or (800) 200–GULF, or by visiting the BOEM Web site at https://www.boem.gov/ About-BOEM/BOEM-Regions/Gulf-ofMexico-Region/Index.aspx. BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P Table of Contents (These 3 maps sell for $2.00 each.) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR This Final NOS includes the following sections: LA1A West Cameron Area, West Addition (revised February 28, 2007) LA1B West Cameron Area, South Addition (revised February 28, 2007) LA12 Sabine Pass Area (revised July 1, 2011) For more information on the ROD, you may contact Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (GM 623E), New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394. You may also contact Mr. Goeke by telephone at (504) 736–3233. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1506) implementing the provisions of the NEPA of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. [1988]). Dated: July 17, 2013. Tommy P. Beaudreau, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area (WPA) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 233 (WPA Sale 233); MMAA104000 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior. ACTION: Final Notice of Sale. AGENCY: 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. DATES: Public bid reading for WPA Sale 233 will begin at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 28, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 1500 Sugarbowl Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. The lease sale will be held in the St. Charles Club Room on the second floor (Loge Level). Entry to the Superdome will be on the Poydras Street side of the building through Gate A on the Ground Level; parking will be available at Garage 6. All times referred to in this document are local New Orleans times, unless otherwise specified. Bid Submission Deadline: BOEM must receive all sealed bids between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on normal mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:00 Jul 26, 2013 Jkt 229001 I. Lease Sale Area II. Statutes and Regulations III. Lease Terms and Economic Conditions IV. Lease Stipulations V. Information to Lessees VI. Maps VII. Bidding Instructions VIII. Bidding Rules and Restrictions IX. Forms X. The Lease Sale XI. Delay of Sale I. Lease Sale Area Areas Offered for Leasing In WPA Sale 233, BOEM is offering to lease all blocks and partial blocks listed in the document ‘‘List of Blocks Available for Leasing’’ included in the Final NOS Package. All of these blocks are shown on the following leasing maps and Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs): Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Maps— Texas Map Numbers 1 through 8 (These 16 Maps Sell for $2.00 Each.) TX1 South Padre Island Area (revised November 1, 2000) TX1A South Padre Island Area, East Addition (revised November 1, 2000) TX2 North Padre Island Area (revised November 1, 2000) TX2A North Padre Island Area, East Addition (revised November 1, 2000) TX3 Mustang Island Area (revised November 1, 2000) TX3A Mustang Island Area, East Addition (revised September 3, 2002) TX4 Matagorda Island Area (revised November 1, 2000) TX5 Brazos Area (revised November 1, 2000) PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Maps— Louisiana Map Numbers 1A, 1B, and 12 Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction Diagrams (These 7 Diagrams Sell for $2.00 Each.) NG14–03 Corpus Christi (revised November 1, 2000) NG14–06 Port Isabel (revised November 1, 2000) NG15–01 East Breaks (revised November 1, 2000) NG15–02 Garden Banks (revised February 28, 2007) NG15–04 Alaminos Canyon (revised November 1, 2000) NG15–05 Keathley Canyon (revised February 28, 2007) NG15–08 Sigsbee Escarpment (revised February 28, 2007) Please Note: A CD–ROM (in ArcInfo and Acrobat (.pdf) format) containing all of the GOM leasing maps and OPDs, except for those not yet converted to digital format, is available from the BOEM Gulf of Mexico Region Public Information Office for a price of $15.00. These GOM leasing maps and OPDs are also available for free online in .pdf and .gra formats at https://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-GasEnergy-Program/Mapping-and-Data/OfficialProtraction-Diagrams.aspx. For the current status of all WPA leasing maps and OPDs, please refer to 66 FR 28002 (May 21, 2001), 67 FR 60701 (September 26, 2002), 72 FR 27590 (May 16, 2007), and 76 FR 54787 (September 2, 2011). In addition, Supplemental Official OCS Block Diagrams (SOBDs) for blocks containing the U.S. 200 Nautical Mile Limit line and the U.S.-Mexico Maritime and Continental Shelf Boundary line are available. These SOBDs also are available from the BOEM Gulf of Mexico E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM 29JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 145 (Monday, July 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45557-45558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18173]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[MMAA104000]


Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning 
Area (WPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 233

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

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision.

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

SUMMARY: BOEM has prepared a Record of Decision (ROD) for WPA Lease 
Sale 233 on the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013-2014; 
Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233, and Central Planning Area Lease 
Sale 231; Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 233/
CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). WPA Lease Sale 233, scheduled for August 28, 
2013, is the second WPA lease sale scheduled in the Proposed Final 
Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017. The lease 
sale is in the Gulf of Mexico's WPA off the States of Texas and 
Louisiana. In making its decision, BOEM considered alternatives to the 
proposed action and the potential impacts as presented in the WPA 233/
CPA 231 Supplemental EIS and all comments received throughout the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The WPA 233/CPA 231 
Supplemental EIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts 
for WPA Lease Sale 233.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS, 
BOEM evaluated three alternatives, which are summarized below:
    Alternative A--The Proposed Action: This is BOEM's preferred 
alternative identified in the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS. This 
alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks within the WPA 
for oil and gas operations. A subset of Alternative A includes the 
following exceptions:
    (1) whole and partial blocks within the boundary of the Flower 
Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (i.e., the boundary as of the 
publication of the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS).
    (2) whole blocks and portions of blocks that lie within the former 
Western Gap and that lie within 1.4 nautical miles north of the 
continental shelf boundary between the United States and Mexico (the 
``1.4 nautical mile buffer'').
    The proposed WPA lease sale area encompasses about 28.58 million 
acres. As of May 2013, approximately 20.6 million acres of the proposed 
WPA lease sale area are currently unleased. The estimated amount of 
resources projected to be developed as a result of proposed WPA Lease 
Sale 233 is 0.116-0.200 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 0.538-0.938 
trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.
    Alternative B--The Proposed Action Excluding the Unleased Blocks 
Near Biologically Sensitive Topographic Features: This alternative 
would offer for lease all unleased blocks within the proposed WPA lease 
sale area, as described for the proposed action (Alternative A), with 
the exception of any unleased blocks subject to the Topographic 
Features Stipulation.
    Alternative C--No Action: This alternative is the cancellation of 
proposed WPA Lease Sale 233 and is identified as the environmentally 
preferred alternative.
    After careful consideration, BOEM has selected a subset of the 
proposed action, identified as BOEM's preferred alternative 
(Alternative A) in the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS. Although 
considered as part of the proposed action identified in the WPA 233/CPA 
231 Supplemental EIS, BOEM is excluding from WPA Lease Sale 233 whole 
and partial blocks within the boundary of the Flower Garden Banks 
National Marine Sanctuary (i.e., the boundary as of the publication of 
the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). Also excluded are whole blocks 
and portions of blocks that lie within the former Western Gap and that 
lie within 1.4 nautical miles (nmi) north of the Continental Shelf 
boundary between the United States and Mexico (the 1.4 nmi buffer). A 
Continental Shelf boundary treaty between the United States and the 
United Mexican States currently prohibits exploration and development 
in the 1.4 nmi buffer. As such, BOEM is excluding the 1.4 nmi buffer 
from WPA Lease Sale 233. BOEM's selection of this subset of the 
preferred alternative reflects a balancing of the need for orderly 
resource development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal 
environments, while also ensuring that the public receives an equitable 
return for these resources and that free-market competition is 
maintained.
    Record of Decision Availability: To obtain a single printed or CD-
ROM copy of the ROD for proposed WPA Lease Sale 233, you may contact 
BOEM, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public Information Office (GM 250I), 
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 (1-800-
200-GULF). An electronic copy of the ROD is available on BOEM's 
Internet Web site at https://boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx.

[[Page 45558]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the ROD, you 
may contact Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf 
of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard (GM 623E), New 
Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. You may also contact Mr. Goeke by 
telephone at (504) 736-3233.

    Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations (40 
CFR 1506) implementing the provisions of the NEPA of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. [1988]).

    Dated: July 17, 2013.
Tommy P. Beaudreau,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2013-18173 Filed 7-26-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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