Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247, 6764-6765 [2015-02272]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 25 / Friday, February 6, 2015 / Notices
Gulf of Mexico Region Web site at
https://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-GasEnergy-Program/Leasing/RegionalLeasing/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/BidAdequacy-Procedures.aspx.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bid Adequacy Review Procedures for
CPA Sale 235
Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS), Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil
and Gas Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247
Withdrawal of Blocks
The United States reserves the right to
withdraw any block from this lease sale
prior to issuance of a written acceptance
of a bid for the block.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
of the high bidder’s one-fifth bonus bid
requirement deposit may be obtained at
the EFT Area outside the Bid Reading
Room on the day of the bid opening, or
it may be obtained on the BOEM Web
site at https://www.boem.gov/Sale-235/
under the heading ‘‘Notification of EFT
1/5 Bonus Liability.’’ All payments must
be deposited electronically into an
interest-bearing account in the U.S.
Treasury by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time the
day following the bid reading (no
exceptions). Account information is
provided in the ‘‘Instructions for
Making Electronic Funds Transfer
Bonus Payments’’ found on the BOEM
Web site identified above. BOEM
requires bidders to use EFT procedures
for payment of one-fifth bonus bid
deposits for CPA Sale 235, following the
detailed instructions contained on the
ONRR Payment Information Web page
at https://www.onrr.gov/FM/PayInfo.htm.
Acceptance of a deposit does not
constitute and shall not be construed as
acceptance of any bid on behalf of the
United States.
Lease Award
Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids
The United States reserves the right to
reject any and all bids. No bid will be
accepted, and no lease for any block
will be awarded to any bidder, unless:
(1) The bidder has complied with all
requirements of the Final NOS,
including those set forth in the
documents contained in the Final NOS
Package and applicable regulations; (2)
the bid is the highest valid bid; and (3)
the amount of the bid has been
determined to be adequate by the
authorized officer. Any bid submitted
that does not conform to the
requirements of the Final NOS and
Final NOS Package, OCSLA, or other
applicable statute or regulation may be
rejected and returned to the bidder. The
U.S. Department of Justice and the
Federal Trade Commission will review
the results of the lease sale for antitrust
issues prior to the acceptance of bids
and issuance of leases.
To ensure that the Government
receives a fair return for the conveyance
of leases from this sale, high bids will
be evaluated in accordance with
BOEM’s bid adequacy procedures. A
copy of current procedures,
‘‘Modifications to the Bid Adequacy
Procedures,’’ published at 64 FR 37560
on July 12, 1999, can be obtained from
the BOEM Gulf of Mexico Region Public
Information Office, or via the BOEM
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:52 Feb 05, 2015
Jkt 235001
BOEM published a notification in the
Federal Register, Volume 79, No. 201,
October 17, 2014, 62461–62463, at
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-201410-17/pdf/2014-24727.pdf, proposing
the elimination of one of its acceptance
rules, the Number of Bids Rule, from its
bid adequacy procedures. However,
BOEM has decided not to eliminate the
rule for CPA Sale 235 and will continue
using the existing bid adequacy
procedures, referenced above. If the
proposed change in the bid adequacy
procedures is finalized and applicable
to future lease sales, bidders will be
notified in the Final NOS, and BOEM
will publish the revised procedures no
later than the time the Final NOS for
that sale is published.
BOEM requires each bidder awarded
a lease to: (1) Execute all copies of the
lease (Form BOEM–2005 (October
2011), as amended); (2) pay by EFT the
balance of the bonus bid amount and
the first year’s rental for each lease
issued in accordance with the
requirements of 30 CFR 218.155 and
556.47(f); and (3) satisfy the bonding
requirements of 30 CFR part 556,
subpart I, as amended. ONRR requests
that only one transaction be used for
payment of the four-fifths bonus bid
amount and the first year’s rental.
XI. Delay of Sale
The BOEM Gulf of Mexico RD has the
discretion to change any date, time,
and/or location specified in the Final
NOS Package in case of an event that the
BOEM Gulf of Mexico RD deems may
interfere with the carrying out of a fair
and orderly lease sale process. Such
events could include, but are not
limited to, natural disasters (e.g.,
earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods),
wars, riots, acts of terrorism, fires,
strikes, civil disorder, or other events of
a similar nature. In case of such events,
bidders should call (504) 736–0557, or
access the BOEM Web site at
www.boem.gov, for information
regarding any changes.
Dated: January 22, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2015–02273 Filed 2–5–15; 8:45 am]
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Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[MMAA 104000]
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of
a Record of Decision (ROD) for CPA
Lease Sale 235 in the 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, and 247 Supplemental EIS).
AGENCY:
BOEM has prepared a ROD
for proposed oil and gas CPA Lease Sale
235, which is scheduled for March 18,
2015. The proposed lease sale is in the
Gulf of Mexico’s CPA off the States of
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Proposed CPA Lease Sale 235 is the
third CPA lease sale scheduled in the
OCS Oil & Gas Leasing Program for
2012–2017 (Five-Year Program). The
CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental
EIS evaluated the environmental and
socioeconomic impacts for proposed
CPA Lease Sale 235. In making its
decision, BOEM considered two
alternatives to the proposed action, the
potential impacts as presented in the
CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental
EIS, and all comments received
throughout the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) process.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the
CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental
EIS, BOEM evaluated the three
alternatives that are summarized below:
Alternative A—The Proposed Action:
This is BOEM’s preferred alternative.
This alternative would offer for lease all
unleased blocks within the proposed
CPA lease sale area for oil and gas
operations with the following
exceptions: Whole and partial blocks
deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy
Security Act of 2006; and, blocks that
are adjacent to or beyond the United
States Exclusive Economic Zone in the
area known as the northern portion of
the Eastern Gap.
All unleased whole and partial blocks
in the CPA that BOEM will offer for
leasing in proposed CPA Lease Sale 235
are listed in the document ‘‘List of
Blocks Available for Leasing,’’ which is
included in the Final Notice of Sale 235
Package. The proposed CPA lease sale
area encompasses about 63 million acres
of the total CPA area of 66.45 million
acres. As of January 2015,
approximately 41 million acres of the
SUMMARY:
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asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 25 / Friday, February 6, 2015 / Notices
proposed CPA lease sale area are
currently unleased. The estimated
amount of resources projected to be
developed as a result of the proposed
CPA lease sale is 0.460–0.894 billion
barrels of oil (BBO) and 1.939–3.903
trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.
Alternative B—Exclude the Unleased
Blocks Near the Biologically Sensitive
Topographic Features: This alternative
would offer for lease all unleased blocks
within the proposed CPA lease sale
area, as described for the proposed
action (Alternative A), but it would
exclude from leasing any unleased
blocks subject to the Topographic
Features Stipulation. The estimated
amount of resources projected to be
developed under Alternative B is 0.460–
0.894 BBO and 1.939–3.903 Tcf of gas.
The number of blocks that would not be
offered under Alternative B represents
only a small percentage of the total
number of blocks to be offered under
Alternative A; therefore, it is estimated
that the levels of activity for Alternative
B would be essentially the same as those
projected for a CPA proposed action.
Alternative C—No Action: This
alternative is the cancellation of
proposed CPA Lease Sale 235 and is
identified as the environmentally
preferred alternative.
After careful consideration, the
Assistant Secretary—Land and Minerals
Management has selected the proposed
action, identified as BOEM’s preferred
alternative (Alternative A) in the CPA
235, 241, and 247 Supplemental EIS.
BOEM’s selection of the preferred
alternative meets the purpose and need
for the proposed action, as identified in
the CPA 235, 241, and 247
Supplemental EIS, and reflects an
orderly resource development with
appropriate 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 copy of the
ROD for proposed CPA Lease Sale 235,
you may contact BOEM, Gulf of Mexico
OCS Region, Public Information Office
(GM 335A), 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://
www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/.
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:52 Feb 05, 2015
Jkt 235001
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 part
1503) implementing the provisions of the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Dated: January 22, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2015–02272 Filed 2–5–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[RR03510000, XXXR0680A1,
RX.20116000.0019400]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report for the
Clean Water Factory Project, San
Bernardino County, California
Bureau of Reclamation,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Reclamation
and the City of San Bernardino
Municipal Water Department will
prepare a joint Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact Report
(EIS/EIR) to evaluate the effects of the
Clean Water Factory project. The
proposed Clean Water Factory is a water
reclamation project to treat and reuse
municipal wastewater that is currently
discharged to the Santa Ana River. The
reclaimed water will be used for
groundwater recharge and landscape
irrigation. The purpose of the project is
to reduce dependence on imported
water and establish a reliable,
sustainable source of clean water. The
public and agencies are invited to
comment on the scope of the EIS/EIR
and the proposed alternatives.
DATES: Submit written comments on the
scope of the EIS/EIR on or before March
9, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Please send written
comments to Doug McPherson,
Southern California Area Office, Bureau
of Reclamation, 27708 Jefferson Avenue,
Suite 202, Temecula, CA 92590; or
email to dmcpherson@usbr.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Doug McPherson, Southern California
Area Office general telephone number
951–695–5310; or email dmcpherson@
usbr.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice is provided pursuant to the
SUMMARY:
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6765
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c)), and
Department of the Interior regulations
for implementation of NEPA (43 CFR
part 46).
Background
The San Bernardino Municipal Water
Department (SBMWD) is preparing a
feasibility study report for approval
under the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act of
1992 (Title XVI of Pub. L. 102–575, as
amended). If the Bureau of Reclamation
determines that the feasibility study
report meets the requirements defined at
43 U.S.C. 390h–2, and Congress amends
Title XVI to specifically authorize
Federal appropriations for the project, it
will be eligible for construction funding
under the Title XVI program.
The proposed project will install
treatment improvements within the
existing San Bernardino Water
Reclamation Plant (SBWRP) to achieve
product water quality approved for
groundwater recharge by the California
Department of Public Health and the
Santa Ana Regional Water Quality
Control Board. New pipelines will
convey treated effluent to the existing
Waterman Basins and East Twin Creek
Spreading Grounds for recharge into the
Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin.
Recycled water will be delivered for
non-potable irrigation uses along the
pipeline alignment. The project may
also include a pipeline to convey
recycled water from the existing Rapid
Infiltration and Extraction (RIX) facility
to the Inland Empire Utilities Agency
service area.
SBWRP effluent is currently
discharged to the Santa Ana River
through the RIX facility, under National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
permit no. CA8000304. The Santa Ana
River is designated critical habitat for
the Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus
santaanae), a fish species listed as
threatened under the Endangered
Species Act. The existing RIX discharge
contributes to dry season baseflows that
support the Santa Ana sucker.
Pursuant to California Water Code
section 1211, SBMWD filed Wastewater
Change Petition WW0059 with the
California State Water Resources
Control Board to reduce recycled water
discharge from the RIX facility to the
Santa Ana River by up to 31,500 acrefeet per year. Reductions in RIX
discharge will be phased over time
through an Adaptive Management Plan
to monitor and manage downstream
flows, to comply with the requirements
of the Endangered Species Act.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 25 (Friday, February 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6764-6765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02272]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[MMAA 104000]
Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Central Planning
Area (CPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Record of Decision (ROD) for
CPA Lease Sale 235 in the 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, and 247
Supplemental EIS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: BOEM has prepared a ROD for proposed oil and gas CPA Lease
Sale 235, which is scheduled for March 18, 2015. The proposed lease
sale is in the Gulf of Mexico's CPA off the States of Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama. Proposed CPA Lease Sale 235 is the third CPA
lease sale scheduled in the OCS Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017
(Five-Year Program). The CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental EIS
evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for proposed CPA
Lease Sale 235. In making its decision, BOEM considered two
alternatives to the proposed action, the potential impacts as presented
in the CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental EIS, and all comments
received throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
process.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental
EIS, BOEM evaluated the three alternatives that are summarized below:
Alternative A--The Proposed Action: This is BOEM's preferred
alternative. This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks
within the proposed CPA lease sale area for oil and gas operations with
the following exceptions: Whole and partial blocks deferred by the Gulf
of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006; and, blocks that are adjacent to
or beyond the United States Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known
as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap.
All unleased whole and partial blocks in the CPA that BOEM will
offer for leasing in proposed CPA Lease Sale 235 are listed in the
document ``List of Blocks Available for Leasing,'' which is included in
the Final Notice of Sale 235 Package. The proposed CPA lease sale area
encompasses about 63 million acres of the total CPA area of 66.45
million acres. As of January 2015, approximately 41 million acres of
the
[[Page 6765]]
proposed CPA lease sale area are currently unleased. The estimated
amount of resources projected to be developed as a result of the
proposed CPA lease sale is 0.460-0.894 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and
1.939-3.903 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.
Alternative B--Exclude the Unleased Blocks Near the Biologically
Sensitive Topographic Features: This alternative would offer for lease
all unleased blocks within the proposed CPA lease sale area, as
described for the proposed action (Alternative A), but it would exclude
from leasing any unleased blocks subject to the Topographic Features
Stipulation. The estimated amount of resources projected to be
developed under Alternative B is 0.460-0.894 BBO and 1.939-3.903 Tcf of
gas. The number of blocks that would not be offered under Alternative B
represents only a small percentage of the total number of blocks to be
offered under Alternative A; therefore, it is estimated that the levels
of activity for Alternative B would be essentially the same as those
projected for a CPA proposed action.
Alternative C--No Action: This alternative is the cancellation of
proposed CPA Lease Sale 235 and is identified as the environmentally
preferred alternative.
After careful consideration, the Assistant Secretary--Land and
Minerals Management has selected the proposed action, identified as
BOEM's preferred alternative (Alternative A) in the CPA 235, 241, and
247 Supplemental EIS. BOEM's selection of the preferred alternative
meets the purpose and need for the proposed action, as identified in
the CPA 235, 241, and 247 Supplemental EIS, and reflects an orderly
resource development with appropriate 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
copy of the ROD for proposed CPA Lease Sale 235, you may contact BOEM,
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public Information Office (GM 335A), 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://www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/.
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 part 1503) implementing the provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321
et seq.).
Dated: January 22, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-02272 Filed 2-5-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
