Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Oil and Gas Lease Sale 253, 34935-34937 [2019-15334]
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plain and decorated incised pottery
body sherds, 850 unidentified faunal
bones, 15 decorated incised pottery
body sherds, two lithic flakes of
indeterminate material, 100
unidentified faunal bones, two carbon
samples, 22 plain and decorated incised
pottery body sherds, one soil sample, 38
plain and decorated incised pottery
body sherds, one black seed bead, three
seed beads (two white and one black),
and one unidentified wooden artifact.
The Olcott site is one of latest of the
prehistoric Oneida village sites, with an
occupation dating to approximately
A.D. 1475–1525. A cemetery was found
on a slight rise just west of the site.
At an unknown date, human remains
consisting, at minimum, of six
individuals were recovered from the
Sullivan site, located near the town of
Stockbridge, in Madison County, NY.
These human remains were transferred
to SUNY Oswego at an unknown time.
The human remains belong to one adult
of indeterminate sex (Burial 2); one
adult of indeterminate sex (Burial 3);
one juvenile (3–6 years) of
indeterminate sex (Burial 3); one adult
(≤40) possibly male (Burial 4); one adult
of indeterminate sex (Burial 4); and one
adult of indeterminate sex (Burial 5E).
No known individuals were identified.
The 1,480 associated funerary objects
are 80 unidentified shell, 33
unidentified faunal bones, two
unworked chert pieces, five
unidentified faunal bones, 42
unidentified shells, three plain pottery
body sherds, 250 unidentified faunal
bones, one soil sample, six metal nails,
500 unidentified faunal bones, 450
unidentified faunal bones, 18
unidentified faunal bones, 56
unidentified faunal bones, one
unidentified faunal bone, one metal
nail, one unidentified metal artifact, one
resin button, one decorated pottery bowl
rim sherd, one ground stone, one
unidentified lithic artifact, six chert
flakes, 20 charcoal samples, and one
unidentified faunal bone.
The Sullivan site is a habitation site
that included burial grounds and
middens. Its occupation dates to
approximately A.D. 1665–1680, based
on the materials recovered at the site.
At an unknown date, human remains
consisting, at minimum, of eight
individuals, were recovered from the
site of Thurston, located near the town
of Stockbridge, in Madison County, NY.
The human remains were gifted to
SUNY Oswego by William Ennis at an
unknown time. The human remains
belong to one adult of indeterminate
sex; one juvenile (3–5 years) of
indeterminate sex; one adult of
indeterminate sex (Burial 5); one
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juvenile (5–10 years) of indeterminate
sex (Burial 5); one juvenile (1–3 years)
of indeterminate sex (Burial 5); one
adult of indeterminate sex (Burial 12);
one adult (≤40) of indeterminate sex
(Burial 15); and one adult of
indeterminate sex (Burial 15). No
known individuals were identified. The
34 associated funerary objects are two
chert flakes, one unworked antler horn,
one unidentified shell, one soil sample,
five unworked rocks, 12 unidentified
metal objects, two unidentified faunal
bones, and 10 unidentified faunal
bones.
The site of Thurston includes a village
occupation dating approximately A.D.
1625–1637.
Determinations Made by the State
University of New York at Oswego
Officials of the State University of
New York at Oswego have determined
that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of 18
individuals of Native American
ancestry.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A),
the 2,712 objects described in this
notice are reasonably believed to have
been placed with or near individual
human remains at the time of death or
later as part of the death rite or
ceremony.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there
is a relationship of shared group
identity that can be reasonably traced
between the Native American human
remains and associated funerary objects
and the Oneida Indian Nation
(previously listed as the Oneida Nation
of New York).
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives
of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to request transfer of control
of these human remains and associated
funerary objects should submit a written
request with information in support of
the request to Alanna Ossa, NAGPRA
Coordinator, State University of New
York at Oswego, 313 Mahar Hall,
Department of Anthropology, Oswego,
NY 13126, telephone (315) 312–4172,
email alanna.ossa@oswego.edu, by
August 19, 2019. After that date, if no
additional requestors have come
forward, transfer of control of the
human remains and associated funerary
objects to the Oneida Indian Nation
(previously listed as the Oneida Nation
of New York) may proceed.
The State University of New York at
Oswego is responsible for notifying the
Oneida Indian Nation (previously listed
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34935
as the Oneida Nation of New York) that
this notice has been published.
Dated: June 25, 2019.
Melanie O’Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2019–15440 Filed 7–18–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM–2019–0046]
Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS), Oil and Gas Lease Sale 253
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a
Record of Decision.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) is announcing the
availability of a Record of Decision for
proposed Gulf of Mexico (GOM)
regionwide oil and gas Lease Sale 253.
This Record of Decision identifies
BOEM’s selected alternative for
proposed Lease Sale 253, which is
analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS
Lease Sale: Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement 2018
(2018 GOM Supplemental EIS).
ADDRESSES: The Record of Decision is
available on BOEM’s website at https://
www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
more information on the Record of
Decision, you may contact Ms. Helen
Rucker, Chief, Environmental
Assessment Section, Office of
Environment, by telephone at 504–736–
2421 or by email at helen.rucker@
boem.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the
2018 GOM Supplemental EIS, BOEM
evaluated five alternatives for proposed
Lease Sale 253. We have summarized
these alternatives below, with some
additional blocks excluded due to their
lease status at the time of this decision:
Alternative A—Regionwide OCS Lease
Sale: This is BOEM’s preferred
alternative. This alternative would
allow for a proposed GOM regionwide
lease sale encompassing all three
planning areas: The Western Planning
Area (WPA); the Central Planning Area
(CPA); and a small portion of the
Eastern Planning Area (EPA) not under
congressional moratorium. Under this
alternative, BOEM would offer for lease
all available unleased blocks within the
proposed regionwide lease sale area for
oil and gas operations with the
following exceptions: Whole and
portions of blocks deferred by the Gulf
SUMMARY:
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of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006;
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; whole and
partial blocks within the current
boundary of the Flower Garden Banks
National Marine Sanctuary; depth
restricted, segregated portions of Block
299, Main Pass Area, South and East
Addition (Louisiana Leasing Map
LA10A); blocks where the lease status is
currently under appeal; and whole or
partial blocks that have received bids in
previous sales, where the bidder has
sought reconsideration of BOEM’s
rejection of their bid, unless the
reconsideration request is fully resolved
at least 30 days prior to publication of
the Final Notice of Sale. We have listed
the unavailable blocks in Section I of
the Final Notice of Sale for proposed
Lease Sale 253 and at www.boem.gov/
Sale-253. The proposed regionwide
lease sale area encompasses about 91.93
million acres (ac). As of July 2019,
approximately 78.7 million ac of the
proposed regionwide lease sale area are
available for lease. As described in the
Final 2018 GOM Supplemental EIS, the
estimated amounts of resources
projected to be leased, discovered,
developed, and produced as a result of
the proposed regionwide lease sale are
between 0.211 and 1.118 billion barrels
of oil (BBO) and 0.547 and 4.424 trillion
cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas.
Alternative B—Regionwide OCS Lease
Sale Excluding Available Unleased
Blocks in the WPA Portion of the
Proposed Lease Sale Area: This
alternative would offer for lease all
available unleased blocks within the
CPA and EPA portions of the proposed
lease sale area for oil and gas operations,
with the following exceptions: Whole
and portions of blocks deferred by the
Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of
2006; 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;
depth restricted, segregated portions of
Block 299, Main Pass Area, South and
East Addition (Louisiana Leasing Map
LA10A); blocks where the lease status is
currently under appeal; and whole or
partial blocks that have received bids in
previous sales, where the bidder has
sought reconsideration of BOEM’s
rejection of their bid, unless the
reconsideration request is fully resolved
at least 30 days prior to publication of
the Final Notice of Sale. The proposed
CPA/EPA lease sale area encompasses
about 63.35 million ac. As of June 2019,
approximately 55.8 million ac of the
proposed CPA/EPA lease sale area are
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available for lease. The estimated
amounts of resources projected to be
leased, discovered, developed, and
produced as a result of the proposed
lease sale under Alternative B are
0.185–0.970 BBO and 0.441–3.672 Tcf
of gas.
Alternative C—Regionwide OCS Lease
Sale Excluding Available Unleased
Blocks in the CPA and EPA Portions of
the Proposed Lease Sale Area: This
alternative would offer for lease all
available unleased blocks within the
WPA portion of the proposed lease sale
area for oil and gas operations, with the
following exception: Whole and partial
blocks within the current boundary of
the Flower Garden Banks National
Marine Sanctuary; blocks where the
lease status is currently under appeal;
and whole or partial blocks that have
received bids in previous sales, where
the bidder has sought reconsideration of
BOEM’s rejection of their bid, unless the
reconsideration request is fully resolved
at least 30 days prior to publication of
the Final Notice of Sale. The proposed
WPA lease sale area encompasses about
28.58 million ac. As of July 2019,
approximately 26.8 million ac of the
proposed WPA lease sale area are
available for lease. The estimated
amounts of resources projected to be
leased, discovered, developed, and
produced as a result of the proposed
lease sale under Alternative C are
0.026–0.148 BBO and 0.106–0.752 Tcf
of gas.
Alternative D—Alternative A, B, or C,
with the Option to Exclude Available
Unleased Blocks Subject to the
Topographic Features, Live Bottom
(Pinnacle Trend, and/or Blocks South of
Baldwin County, Alabama, Stipulations:
This alternative could be combined with
any of the Action alternatives above
(i.e., Alternative A, B, or C) and would
allow the flexibility to offer leases under
any alternative with additional
exclusions. Under Alternative D, the
decision maker could exclude from
leasing any available unleased blocks
subject in Alternative A to any one and/
or a combination of the following
stipulations: Topographic Features
Stipulation; Live Bottom Stipulation;
and Blocks South of Baldwin County,
Alabama, Stipulation (not applicable to
Alternative C). This alternative
considered blocks subject to these
stipulations because these areas have
been emphasized in scoping, can be
geographically defined, and adequate
information exists regarding their
ecological importance and sensitivity to
OCS oil- and gas-related activities.
A total of 207 blocks within the CPA
and 160 blocks in the WPA are affected
by the Topographic Features
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Stipulation. There are currently no
identified topographic features
protected under this stipulation in the
EPA. The Live Bottom Stipulation
covers the pinnacle trend area of the
CPA, affecting a total of 74 blocks.
Under Alternative D, the number of
blocks that would become unavailable
for lease represents only a small
percentage of the total number of blocks
to be offered under Alternative A, B, or
C (<4%, even if blocks subject to all
three stipulations were excluded).
Therefore, Alternative D could reduce
offshore infrastructure and activities in
the pinnacle trend area, but because
Alternative D would simply shift the
location of offshore infrastructure and
activities farther from these sensitive
zones, it would not lead to a reduction
in overall impacts. Moreover, the
incremental negative impacts of the
other alternatives compared with
Alternative D would be largely
mitigated by the application of lease
stipulations in Alternative A, discussed
below.
Alternative E—No Action: This
alternative is not holding proposed
regionwide Lease Sale 253 and is
identified as the environmentally
preferred alternative.
Lease Stipulations—The 2018 GOM
Supplemental EIS describes all lease
stipulations, which are included in the
Final Notice of Sale Package. In the
Record of Decision for the 2017–2022
Five-Year Program, the Secretary of the
Interior required the protection of
biologically sensitive underwater
features in all Gulf of Mexico oil and gas
lease sales as programmatic mitigation;
therefore, we are adopting the
Topographic Features Stipulation and
Live Bottom Stipulation and applying
them to designated lease blocks in
proposed Lease Sale 253.
The additional eight lease stipulations
considered for proposed regionwide
Lease Sale 253 are the Military Areas
Stipulation; the Evacuation Stipulation;
the Coordination Stipulation; the Blocks
South of Baldwin County, Alabama,
Stipulation; the Protected Species
Stipulation; the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea
Royalty Payment Stipulation; the
Restrictions due to Rights-of-Use and
Easement for Floating Production
Facilities Stipulation; and the
Stipulation on the Agreement between
the United States of America and the
United Mexican States Concerning
Transboundary Hydrocarbon Reservoirs
in the Gulf of Mexico. As noted, BOEM
is adopting these eight stipulations as
lease terms where applicable and they
will be enforceable as part of the lease.
Appendix B of the Gulf of Mexico OCS
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 139 / Friday, July 19, 2019 / Notices
Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2017–2022;
Gulf of Mexico Lease Sales 249, 250,
251, 252, 253, 254, 256, 257, 259, and
261; Final Multisale Environmental
Impact Statement provides a list and
description of standard post-lease
conditions of approval that BOEM or the
Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement may require as a result of
their plan and permit review processes
for the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
After careful consideration, BOEM
has selected the preferred alternative
(Alternative A) in the 2018 GOM
Supplemental EIS, with certain
additional blocks excluded due to their
status, for proposed Lease Sale 253.
BOEM is also adopting ten lease
stipulations and all practicable means of
mitigation at the lease sale stage. The
preferred alternative meets the purpose
of and need for the proposed action, as
identified in the 2018 GOM
Supplemental EIS, and provides for
orderly resource development with
protection of the human, marine, and
coastal environments while also
ensuring that the public receives a fair
market value for these resources and
that free-market competition is
maintained.
Authority
This Notice of Availability of a Record
of Decision is published pursuant to the
regulations (40 CFR part 1505)
implementing the provisions of the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.).
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2019–15334 Filed 7–18–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM–2019–0046]
Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf
Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale
253
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Interior.
ACTION: Final notice of sale.
AGENCY:
On Wednesday, August 21,
2019, the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) will open and
publicly announce bids received for
blocks offered in the Gulf of Mexico
(GOM) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
Region-wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale 253
(GOM Region-wide Sale 253), in
accordance with the provisions of the
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34937
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
(OCSLA), and the implementing
regulations issued pursuant thereto. The
GOM Region-wide Sale 253 Final Notice
of Sale (NOS) package contains
information essential to potential
bidders.
DATES: BOEM will hold GOM Regionwide Sale 253 at 9:00 a.m. on
Wednesday, August 21, 2019. All times
referred to in this document are Central
time, unless otherwise specified.
Bid submission deadline: BOEM must
receive all sealed bids between 8:00 a.m.
and 4:00 p.m. on normal working days
prior to the sale, or from 8:00 a.m. to the
Bid Submission Deadline of 10:00 a.m.
on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, the day
before the lease sale. For more
information on bid submission, see
Section VII, ‘‘Bidding Instructions,’’ of
this document.
ADDRESSES: Bids will be accepted prior
to the bid submission deadline at 1201
Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,
Louisiana. Public bid reading for GOM
Region-wide Sale 253 will be held at
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New
Orleans, Louisiana, but the venue will
not be open to the general public,
media, or industry during bid opening
or reading. Bid opening will be available
for public viewing on BOEM’s website
at www.boem.gov/Sale-253 via livestreaming video beginning at 9:00 a.m.
on the date of the sale. BOEM will also
post the results on its website after bid
opening and reading are completed.
Interested parties may download the
Final NOS package from BOEM’s
website at https://www.boem.gov/Sale253/. Copies of the sale maps may be
obtained by contacting the BOEM GOM
Region: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Erin O’Reilly Vaughan, Chief,
Leasing and Financial Responsibility,
Office of Leasing and Plans, 504–736–
1759, Erin.O’Reilly@boem.gov or Wright
Jay Frank, Chief, Leasing Policy and
Management Division, 703–787–1325,
Wright.Frank@boem.gov.
IX. Forms
X. The Lease Sale
XI. Delay of Sale
Table of Contents
Florida Plain (OPD NG 16–08)
This Final NOS includes the following
sections:
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
Whole Blocks: 5 through 24, 46 through
67, 89 through 110, 133 through 154,
177 through 197, 221 through 240,
265 through 283, 309 through 327,
and 363 through 370
• All whole and portions of blocks
deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy
Security Act of 2006, Public Law 109–
432:
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I. Lease Sale Area
Blocks Offered for Leasing: BOEM
will offer for bid in this lease sale all of
the available unleased acreage in the
GOM, except those blocks listed in
‘‘Blocks Not Offered for Leasing’’ below.
Blocks Not Offered for Leasing: The
following whole and partial blocks are
not offered for lease in this sale. The
BOEM Official Protraction Diagrams
(OPDs) and Supplemental Official Block
Diagrams are available online at https://
www.boem.gov/Maps-and-GIS-Data/.
• Whole and partial blocks that lie
within the current boundaries of the
Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary (in the East and West Flower
Garden Banks and the Stetson Bank),
identified in the following list:
High Island, East Addition, South
Extension (Leasing Map TX7C)
Whole Block: A–398
Partial Blocks: A–366, A–367, A–374,
A–375, A–383, A–384, A–385, A–388,
A–389, A–397, A–399, A–401
High Island, South Addition (Leasing
Map TX7B)
Partial Blocks: A–502, A–513
Garden Banks (OPD NG15–02)
Partial Blocks: 134, 135
• 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:
Lund South (OPD NG 16–07)
Whole Blocks: 128, 129, 169 through
173, 208 through 217, 248 through
261, 293 through 305, and 349
Henderson (OPD NG 16–05)
Whole Blocks: 466, 508 through 510,
551 through 554, 594 through 599,
637 through 643, 679 through 687,
722 through 731, 764 through 775,
807 through 819, 849 through 862,
891 through 905, 933 through 949,
and 975 through 992
Partial Blocks: 467, 511, 555, 556, 600,
644, 688, 732, 776, 777, 820, 821, 863,
864, 906, 907, 950, 993, and 994
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 139 (Friday, July 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34935-34937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15334]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM-2019-0046]
Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Oil and Gas Lease
Sale 253
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a Record of Decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is announcing the
availability of a Record of Decision for proposed Gulf of Mexico (GOM)
regionwide oil and gas Lease Sale 253. This Record of Decision
identifies BOEM's selected alternative for proposed Lease Sale 253,
which is analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Lease Sale: Final
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 2018 (2018 GOM Supplemental
EIS).
ADDRESSES: The Record of Decision is available on BOEM's website at
https://www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the Record of
Decision, you may contact Ms. Helen Rucker, Chief, Environmental
Assessment Section, Office of Environment, by telephone at 504-736-2421
or by email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 2018 GOM Supplemental EIS, BOEM
evaluated five alternatives for proposed Lease Sale 253. We have
summarized these alternatives below, with some additional blocks
excluded due to their lease status at the time of this decision:
Alternative A--Regionwide OCS Lease Sale: This is BOEM's preferred
alternative. This alternative would allow for a proposed GOM regionwide
lease sale encompassing all three planning areas: The Western Planning
Area (WPA); the Central Planning Area (CPA); and a small portion of the
Eastern Planning Area (EPA) not under congressional moratorium. Under
this alternative, BOEM would offer for lease all available unleased
blocks within the proposed regionwide lease sale area for oil and gas
operations with the following exceptions: Whole and portions of blocks
deferred by the Gulf
[[Page 34936]]
of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006; 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; whole and partial blocks
within the current boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary; depth restricted, segregated portions of Block 299, Main
Pass Area, South and East Addition (Louisiana Leasing Map LA10A);
blocks where the lease status is currently under appeal; and whole or
partial blocks that have received bids in previous sales, where the
bidder has sought reconsideration of BOEM's rejection of their bid,
unless the reconsideration request is fully resolved at least 30 days
prior to publication of the Final Notice of Sale. We have listed the
unavailable blocks in Section I of the Final Notice of Sale for
proposed Lease Sale 253 and at www.boem.gov/Sale-253. The proposed
regionwide lease sale area encompasses about 91.93 million acres (ac).
As of July 2019, approximately 78.7 million ac of the proposed
regionwide lease sale area are available for lease. As described in the
Final 2018 GOM Supplemental EIS, the estimated amounts of resources
projected to be leased, discovered, developed, and produced as a result
of the proposed regionwide lease sale are between 0.211 and 1.118
billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 0.547 and 4.424 trillion cubic feet
(Tcf) of natural gas.
Alternative B--Regionwide OCS Lease Sale Excluding Available
Unleased Blocks in the WPA Portion of the Proposed Lease Sale Area:
This alternative would offer for lease all available unleased blocks
within the CPA and EPA portions of the proposed lease sale area for oil
and gas operations, with the following exceptions: Whole and portions
of blocks deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006;
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; depth restricted, segregated portions of Block 299, Main Pass
Area, South and East Addition (Louisiana Leasing Map LA10A); blocks
where the lease status is currently under appeal; and whole or partial
blocks that have received bids in previous sales, where the bidder has
sought reconsideration of BOEM's rejection of their bid, unless the
reconsideration request is fully resolved at least 30 days prior to
publication of the Final Notice of Sale. The proposed CPA/EPA lease
sale area encompasses about 63.35 million ac. As of June 2019,
approximately 55.8 million ac of the proposed CPA/EPA lease sale area
are available for lease. The estimated amounts of resources projected
to be leased, discovered, developed, and produced as a result of the
proposed lease sale under Alternative B are 0.185-0.970 BBO and 0.441-
3.672 Tcf of gas.
Alternative C--Regionwide OCS Lease Sale Excluding Available
Unleased Blocks in the CPA and EPA Portions of the Proposed Lease Sale
Area: This alternative would offer for lease all available unleased
blocks within the WPA portion of the proposed lease sale area for oil
and gas operations, with the following exception: Whole and partial
blocks within the current boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National
Marine Sanctuary; blocks where the lease status is currently under
appeal; and whole or partial blocks that have received bids in previous
sales, where the bidder has sought reconsideration of BOEM's rejection
of their bid, unless the reconsideration request is fully resolved at
least 30 days prior to publication of the Final Notice of Sale. The
proposed WPA lease sale area encompasses about 28.58 million ac. As of
July 2019, approximately 26.8 million ac of the proposed WPA lease sale
area are available for lease. The estimated amounts of resources
projected to be leased, discovered, developed, and produced as a result
of the proposed lease sale under Alternative C are 0.026-0.148 BBO and
0.106-0.752 Tcf of gas.
Alternative D--Alternative A, B, or C, with the Option to Exclude
Available Unleased Blocks Subject to the Topographic Features, Live
Bottom (Pinnacle Trend, and/or Blocks South of Baldwin County, Alabama,
Stipulations: This alternative could be combined with any of the Action
alternatives above (i.e., Alternative A, B, or C) and would allow the
flexibility to offer leases under any alternative with additional
exclusions. Under Alternative D, the decision maker could exclude from
leasing any available unleased blocks subject in Alternative A to any
one and/or a combination of the following stipulations: Topographic
Features Stipulation; Live Bottom Stipulation; and Blocks South of
Baldwin County, Alabama, Stipulation (not applicable to Alternative C).
This alternative considered blocks subject to these stipulations
because these areas have been emphasized in scoping, can be
geographically defined, and adequate information exists regarding their
ecological importance and sensitivity to OCS oil- and gas-related
activities.
A total of 207 blocks within the CPA and 160 blocks in the WPA are
affected by the Topographic Features Stipulation. There are currently
no identified topographic features protected under this stipulation in
the EPA. The Live Bottom Stipulation covers the pinnacle trend area of
the CPA, affecting a total of 74 blocks. Under Alternative D, the
number of blocks that would become unavailable for lease represents
only a small percentage of the total number of blocks to be offered
under Alternative A, B, or C (<4%, even if blocks subject to all three
stipulations were excluded). Therefore, Alternative D could reduce
offshore infrastructure and activities in the pinnacle trend area, but
because Alternative D would simply shift the location of offshore
infrastructure and activities farther from these sensitive zones, it
would not lead to a reduction in overall impacts. Moreover, the
incremental negative impacts of the other alternatives compared with
Alternative D would be largely mitigated by the application of lease
stipulations in Alternative A, discussed below.
Alternative E--No Action: This alternative is not holding proposed
regionwide Lease Sale 253 and is identified as the environmentally
preferred alternative.
Lease Stipulations--The 2018 GOM Supplemental EIS describes all
lease stipulations, which are included in the Final Notice of Sale
Package. In the Record of Decision for the 2017-2022 Five-Year Program,
the Secretary of the Interior required the protection of biologically
sensitive underwater features in all Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease
sales as programmatic mitigation; therefore, we are adopting the
Topographic Features Stipulation and Live Bottom Stipulation and
applying them to designated lease blocks in proposed Lease Sale 253.
The additional eight lease stipulations considered for proposed
regionwide Lease Sale 253 are the Military Areas Stipulation; the
Evacuation Stipulation; the Coordination Stipulation; the Blocks South
of Baldwin County, Alabama, Stipulation; the Protected Species
Stipulation; the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Royalty Payment Stipulation; the Restrictions due to Rights-of-Use and
Easement for Floating Production Facilities Stipulation; and the
Stipulation on the Agreement between the United States of America and
the United Mexican States Concerning Transboundary Hydrocarbon
Reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico. As noted, BOEM is adopting these
eight stipulations as lease terms where applicable and they will be
enforceable as part of the lease. Appendix B of the Gulf of Mexico OCS
[[Page 34937]]
Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2017-2022; Gulf of Mexico Lease Sales 249,
250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 256, 257, 259, and 261; Final Multisale
Environmental Impact Statement provides a list and description of
standard post-lease conditions of approval that BOEM or the Bureau of
Safety and Environmental Enforcement may require as a result of their
plan and permit review processes for the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
After careful consideration, BOEM has selected the preferred
alternative (Alternative A) in the 2018 GOM Supplemental EIS, with
certain additional blocks excluded due to their status, for proposed
Lease Sale 253. BOEM is also adopting ten lease stipulations and all
practicable means of mitigation at the lease sale stage. The preferred
alternative meets the purpose of and need for the proposed action, as
identified in the 2018 GOM Supplemental EIS, and provides for orderly
resource development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal
environments while also ensuring that the public receives a fair market
value for these resources and that free-market competition is
maintained.
Authority
This Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision is published
pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR part 1505) implementing the
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2019-15334 Filed 7-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
