Notice of Availability of the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, 67798-67800 [2023-21678]
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67798
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2023 / Notices
made to the same tables in Section 3.A
of the C&S Form.)
• To accommodate the request
proposing additional instructions for
questions the NPS will create annotated
versions of the forms to provide
additional guidance.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite the public and other
Federal agencies to comment on new,
proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand our
information collection requirements and
provide the requested data in the
desired format.
We are especially interested in public
comment addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether or not the
information will have practical utility.
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used.
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected.
(4) How might the agency minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
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While you can ask us in your comment
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Abstract: The Land and Water
Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as
amended (LWCF Act) (54 U.S.C. 200305
et. seq.) was enacted to help preserve,
develop, and ensure access for the
public to outdoor recreation
opportunities. Among other programs,
the LWCF Act provides funds for and
authorizes federal assistance to the
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18:41 Sep 29, 2023
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States for planning, acquisition, and
development of needed land and water
areas and facilities for outdoor
recreation purposes. In accordance with
the LWCF Act, the National Park
Service (we, NPS) administers the
LWCF State Assistance Program, which
provides matching grants to States,
LWCF grants are provided to states
(including the 50 states; the
Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the
Northern Mariana Islands; the District of
Columbia; and the Territories of Guam,
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American
Samoa) on a matching basis for up to 50
percent of the total project-related
allowable costs. Grants to eligible
insular areas may be for 100 percent
assistance. Payments for all projects are
made to the state organization that is
authorized to accept and administer
funds paid for approved projects. Local
units of government participate in the
program as sub-grantees of the state
with the state retaining primary grant
compliance responsibility. The
following updates are included as
revisions to this collection:
1. New Requirement—Standard Form
SF–429. In accordance with DOI’s
regulations at 2 CFR 1402, the SF–429
Real Property Status Report Cover Sheet
and Attachment B, Request to Acquire,
Furnish, or Improve, is required for
projects requesting LWCF assistance for
land acquisition. For post-grant
completion stewardship reporting, the
Cover Sheet and Attachment A, General
Reporting are required.
Title of Collection: Land and Water
Conservation Fund State Assistance
Program.
OMB Control Number: 1024–0031.
Form Number: NPS Forms 10–902A,
10–903, 10–904, 10–904A, 10–905 and
Standard Form SF429.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: States
Governments; the Commonwealths of
Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana
Islands; the District of Columbia; and
the territories of Guam, U.S. Virgin
Islands, and American Samoa.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 423.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 7,797.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 56,249.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: None.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor and a person is not required to
respond to a collection of information
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unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
The authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Phadrea Ponds,
Information Collection Clearance Officer,
National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–21680 Filed 9–29–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Notice of Availability of the 2024–2029
National Outer Continental Shelf Oil
and Gas Leasing Proposed Final
Program and Final Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
BOEM is announcing the
availability of the Proposed Final
Program (PFP) for the 2024–2029
National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2024–
2029 Program, National OCS Program,
or Program), as well as the Final
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the 2024–2029 Program
(Final Programmatic EIS).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information on the 2024–2029 Program
process or BOEM’s policies associated
with this notice, please contact Ms.
Kelly Hammerle, Chief, National OCS
Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Development and Coordination Branch,
at (703) 787–1613 or Kelly.Hammerle@
boem.gov. For information on the 2024–
2029 Final Programmatic EIS, please
contact Jennifer Bosyk, Chief, Branch of
Environmental Coordination, at (703)
787–1834 or Jennifer.Bosyk@boem.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BOEM is
responsible for administering the
leasing program for oil and gas
resources on the OCS and advising the
Secretary of the Interior on the National
OCS Program. The PFP is the last in a
series of three proposals made by the
Secretary, pursuant to section 18 of the
OCS Lands Act, before final action may
be taken to approve the 2024–2029
National OCS Program. The three
analytical phases used to develop a new
National OCS Program are the (1) Draft
Proposed Program (DPP); (2) Proposed
Program; and (3) PFP.
The first proposal, the DPP, was
published on July 3, 2017 (82 FR
30886), and was followed by a 60-day
comment period. The second proposal,
the Proposed Program, was published
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\02OCN1.SGM
02OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2023 / Notices
on January 8, 2018 (83 FR 829). A notice
of availability announcing the Proposed
Program was published in the Federal
Register on July 8, 2022, initiating a 90day public comment period (87 FR
40859). Following publication of the
Proposed Program, BOEM received
more than 760,000 comments from
interested parties including governors,
Federal agencies, State agencies, local
agencies, energy and non-energy
industries, Tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the
general public (see Appendix A of the
PFP document for more information).
After careful consideration of the OCS
Lands Act section 18(a) factors, as well
as input from governors and the public,
the Secretary’s final proposal, the PFP,
includes three potential lease sales in
the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Program Area
(which contains the Western GOM
Planning Area and the portions of the
Central and Eastern GOM planning
areas not currently under Presidential
withdrawal—see Figure 1). An option
for a potential lease sale in the northern
portion of the Cook Inlet Planning Area
was identified in the Proposed Program
and analyzed as part of the PFP. Based
on careful consideration of section 18
requirements and factors, no Cook Inlet
sale is included in the PFP.
In the PFP, the Secretary has decided
to require that all leases issued under
the 2024–2029 Program will include, as
67799
lease stipulations, programmatic
mitigation measures to protect
topographic features and pinnacle
trends. Applying these stipulations at
the National OCS Program development
stage is consistent with current practice
and continues the effective protection of
these biologically sensitive areas,
should they be offered in the three
potential lease sales scheduled under
this PFP.
The schedule shown in Table 1
reflects the potential lease sales for the
2024–2029 PFP. Figure 1 depicts the
program area included in the 2024–2029
PFP.
TABLE 1—2024–2029 PROPOSED PROGRAM LEASE SALE SCHEDULE
Count
1 ........................................
2 ........................................
3 ........................................
Sale No.
Year
262
263
264
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The Secretary’s final proposal, as
described in the PFP, is the proposed
action evaluated in the Final
Programmatic EIS. BOEM has elected to
prepare the Programmatic EIS to help
describe and analyze the potential
environmental impacts that could result
from leasing, exploration, production,
and decommissioning associated with
lease sales under the National OCS
Program for 2024–2029. The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
and the National Park Service are
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18:41 Sep 29, 2023
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OCS region and program area
2025
2027
2029
Gulf of Mexico: GOM Program Area.
Gulf of Mexico: GOM Program Area.
Gulf of Mexico: GOM Program Area.
Cooperating Agencies on the Final
Programmatic EIS.
Please go to https://www.boem.gov/
oil-gas-energy/national-program/ for
additional information about the Final
Programmatic EIS and the National OCS
Program for 2024–2029.
Next Steps in the Process: BOEM will
submit the PFP and Final Programmatic
EIS to the President and Congress at
least 60 days prior to Secretarial
approval of the 2024–2029 Program.
Authority: This Notice of Availability
for the 2024–2029 PFP is published in
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accordance with section 18 of the OCS
Lands Act and its implementing
regulations (30 CFR part 556 subpart B).
This Notice of Availability for the 2024–
2029 Final Programmatic EIS is
published pursuant to the regulation (40
CFR 1506.20 and 43 CFR 46.415)
implementing the provisions of the
National Environmental Policy Act.
Elizabeth Klein,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P
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67800
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2023 / Notices
Figure 1: Proposed Final Program Map - Gulf of Mexico Program Area
c:::J Planning Areas
GOM Program Area
BOEM
2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf
Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final ProgramArea
~=~
will be available on BOEM’s website at
least 30 days prior to the sale date at
https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/
leasing/lease-sale-261.
[FR Doc. 2023–21678 Filed 9–29–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–C
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[Docket No. BOEM–2023–0013]
Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf
Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of delay of sale.
AGENCY:
With this notice, the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is
announcing the rescheduling of Gulf of
Mexico Lease Sale 261. Instead of
holding the sale on September 27, 2023,
as originally planned, BOEM will open
and publicly announce bids received for
blocks offered in the sale on November
8, 2023, in accordance with the order
issued by the United States Court of
Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on
September 25, 2023. Additional
information regarding the sale and a
new Final Notice of Sale (NOS) package
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SUMMARY:
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The
New Orleans Office Lease Sale
Coordinator, Greg Purvis, at
BOEMGOMRLeaseSales@boem.gov or
504–736–1729.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
On August
25, 2023, BOEM published in the
Federal Register the Final NOS for
Lease Sale 261. See 88 FR 58310. In that
Final NOS, BOEM announced that the
sale would be held on September 27,
2023. Two lawsuits then challenged the
Final NOS in the U.S. District Court for
the Western District of Louisiana, and
plaintiffs in those cases sought
preliminary injunctions to force BOEM
to (1) include lease blocks previously
excluded to protect the Rice’s whale and
(2) remove provisions in Stipulation No.
4, ‘‘Protected Species’’ that BOEM had
added to protect the Rice’s whale from
certain oil and gas activities while
BOEM engaged in a reinitiated
consultation under the Endangered
Species Act. On September 21, 2023, six
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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days before the planned sale, the district
court issued a preliminary injunction
(Case No. 2:23–CV–01157) requiring
BOEM to include the previously
excluded blocks and modify the
stipulation by removing the new Rice’s
whale protections. The court also
ordered BOEM to hold the sale on or
before September 30, 2023. On
September 22, 2023, the government
filed an emergency motion in the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,
requesting an extension of time to allow
BOEM to take the administrative steps
necessary to hold the modified sale and
provide the statutorily required notice
to the public of the revised sale terms.
On September 25, 2023, the Fifth Circuit
issued an order (Case No. 23–30666)
directing BOEM to hold Lease Sale 261
as required by the district court, but
permitting BOEM until November 8,
2023, to hold the sale. The Fifth
Circuit’s order stated that no further
extensions will be granted.
BOEM is returning all bids submitted
by bidders under the previously issued
Final NOS and is rescheduling Lease
Sale 261 for November 8, 2023. Bidders
wishing to participate in Lease Sale 261
E:\FR\FM\02OCN1.SGM
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•
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 189 (Monday, October 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67798-67800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21678]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Notice of Availability of the 2024-2029 National Outer
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program and Final
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the availability of the Proposed Final
Program (PFP) for the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2024-2029 Program, National OCS Program,
or Program), as well as the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the 2024-2029 Program (Final Programmatic EIS).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the 2024-2029
Program process or BOEM's policies associated with this notice, please
contact Ms. Kelly Hammerle, Chief, National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing
Program Development and Coordination Branch, at (703) 787-1613 or
[email protected]. For information on the 2024-2029 Final
Programmatic EIS, please contact Jennifer Bosyk, Chief, Branch of
Environmental Coordination, at (703) 787-1834 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BOEM is responsible for administering the
leasing program for oil and gas resources on the OCS and advising the
Secretary of the Interior on the National OCS Program. The PFP is the
last in a series of three proposals made by the Secretary, pursuant to
section 18 of the OCS Lands Act, before final action may be taken to
approve the 2024-2029 National OCS Program. The three analytical phases
used to develop a new National OCS Program are the (1) Draft Proposed
Program (DPP); (2) Proposed Program; and (3) PFP.
The first proposal, the DPP, was published on July 3, 2017 (82 FR
30886), and was followed by a 60-day comment period. The second
proposal, the Proposed Program, was published
[[Page 67799]]
on January 8, 2018 (83 FR 829). A notice of availability announcing the
Proposed Program was published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2022,
initiating a 90-day public comment period (87 FR 40859). Following
publication of the Proposed Program, BOEM received more than 760,000
comments from interested parties including governors, Federal agencies,
State agencies, local agencies, energy and non-energy industries,
Tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, and the general
public (see Appendix A of the PFP document for more information).
After careful consideration of the OCS Lands Act section 18(a)
factors, as well as input from governors and the public, the
Secretary's final proposal, the PFP, includes three potential lease
sales in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Program Area (which contains the
Western GOM Planning Area and the portions of the Central and Eastern
GOM planning areas not currently under Presidential withdrawal--see
Figure 1). An option for a potential lease sale in the northern portion
of the Cook Inlet Planning Area was identified in the Proposed Program
and analyzed as part of the PFP. Based on careful consideration of
section 18 requirements and factors, no Cook Inlet sale is included in
the PFP.
In the PFP, the Secretary has decided to require that all leases
issued under the 2024-2029 Program will include, as lease stipulations,
programmatic mitigation measures to protect topographic features and
pinnacle trends. Applying these stipulations at the National OCS
Program development stage is consistent with current practice and
continues the effective protection of these biologically sensitive
areas, should they be offered in the three potential lease sales
scheduled under this PFP.
The schedule shown in Table 1 reflects the potential lease sales
for the 2024-2029 PFP. Figure 1 depicts the program area included in
the 2024-2029 PFP.
Table 1--2024-2029 Proposed Program Lease Sale Schedule
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Count Sale No. Year OCS region and program area
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1..................................... 262 2025 Gulf of Mexico: GOM Program Area.
2..................................... 263 2027 Gulf of Mexico: GOM Program Area.
3..................................... 264 2029 Gulf of Mexico: GOM Program Area.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Secretary's final proposal, as described in the PFP, is the
proposed action evaluated in the Final Programmatic EIS. BOEM has
elected to prepare the Programmatic EIS to help describe and analyze
the potential environmental impacts that could result from leasing,
exploration, production, and decommissioning associated with lease
sales under the National OCS Program for 2024-2029. The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Park Service are
Cooperating Agencies on the Final Programmatic EIS.
Please go to https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/national-program/
for additional information about the Final Programmatic EIS and the
National OCS Program for 2024-2029.
Next Steps in the Process: BOEM will submit the PFP and Final
Programmatic EIS to the President and Congress at least 60 days prior
to Secretarial approval of the 2024-2029 Program.
Authority: This Notice of Availability for the 2024-2029 PFP is
published in accordance with section 18 of the OCS Lands Act and its
implementing regulations (30 CFR part 556 subpart B). This Notice of
Availability for the 2024-2029 Final Programmatic EIS is published
pursuant to the regulation (40 CFR 1506.20 and 43 CFR 46.415)
implementing the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.
Elizabeth Klein,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
[[Page 67800]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02OC23.004
[FR Doc. 2023-21678 Filed 9-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-C
