Bureau of Ocean Energy Management – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations covered under Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is announcing the availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) for the Cape Wind Energy Project. This supplement to the 2009 Final EIS has been prepared in response to a 2016 remand order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility v. Hopper, 827 F.3d 1077 (D.C. Cir. 2016). This notice serves to announce the beginning of the public comment period on the Draft SEIS.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is announcing the availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Lease Sales 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 256, 257, 259, and 261. The FEIS provides a discussion of potential significant impacts of the proposed action, provides an analysis of reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, and identifies BOEM's preferred alternative.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is giving notice of its intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Cape Wind Energy Project on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound off the coast of Massachusetts. This supplement to the 2009 Final EIS will provide new analysis in response to a 2016 remand order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility v. Hopper, No. 14-5301 (D.C. Cir.).

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for the proposed Cook Inlet Planning Area Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 244 (Cook Inlet Sale 244). This Notice is published pursuant to 30 CFR 556.304(c). With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to section 19 of the OCS Lands Act, provides affected States the opportunity to review the Proposed NOS. The Proposed NOS sets forth the proposed terms and conditions of the lease sale, including minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental rates.

This rule adopts and finalizes the interim final rule which adjusted the level of the maximum civil monetary penalties contained in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regulations pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (FCPIA of 2015), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. This rule also implements the 2017 adjustment of the level of the maximum civil monetary penalties contained in the BOEM regulations pursuant to OCSLA, OPA, FCPIA of 2015 and OMB guidance. The 2017 adjustment of 1.01636 percent accounts for one year of inflation spanning from October 2015 to October 2016.

BOEM is announcing the availability of a Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed oil and gas Central Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sale 247. This ROD identifies the Bureau's selected alternative for proposed CPA Lease Sale 247, which is analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2017; Central Planning Area Lease Sale 247; Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (CPA 247 Supplemental EIS). The ROD and associated information are available on BOEM's Web site at https://www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a collection of information to support ocean observation planning and management on public lands and waters. The respondents will be recreationists visiting public and private Gulf Coast beaches, and coastal and offshore vessel (boat) operators in the Gulf of Mexico region. The BOEM invites public comments on this proposed collection. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is notifying the public that we have submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR pertains to the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 550, Subparts A, General; and K, Oil and Gas Production Requirements, as well as associated forms. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned control number 1010-0114 to this information collection. This notice provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

BOEM announces the availability of the Final 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Programmatic EIS) to inform the 2017-2022 Proposed Final Program. The Final Programmatic EIS provides a discussion of potential impacts of the proposed action, provides an analysis of reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, and recognizes BOEM's preferred alternative. Under Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations at 40 CFR 1506.10(b)(2), the Secretary of the Interior will not finalize the 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program until at least 30 days after publication of the Final Programmatic EIS.

This document is the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for the sale of one commercial wind energy lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New York, pursuant to 30 CFR 585.216. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM or ``the Bureau'') will offer Lease OCS-A 0512 for sale using a multiple-factor auction format. This FSN contains information pertaining to the area available for leasing, lease provisions and conditions, auction details, the lease form, criteria for evaluating competing bids, award procedures, appeal procedures, and lease execution. The issuance of the lease resulting from this sale would not constitute an approval of project-specific plans to develop offshore wind energy. Such plans, if submitted by the lease sale winner, would be subject to subsequent environmental and public review prior to a decision to proceed with development.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is notifying the public that we have submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements for 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities, as well as the revised forms. The OMB previously approved this information collection activity, and assigned it control number 1010-0106. This notice provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

BOEM has prepared a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to evaluate potential environmental effects of multiple Geological and Geophysical (G&G) activities on the Gulf of Mexico OCS. These activities include, but are not limited to, seismic surveys, sidescan-sonar surveys, electromagnetic surveys, and geological and geochemical sampling. The Draft PEIS considers G&G activities for the three program areas managed by BOEM: Oil and gas exploration and development; renewable energy; and marine minerals. This notice initiates the public review and comment period and also serves to announce public meetings on the Draft PEIS. After the public meetings and written comments on the Draft PEIS have been reviewed and considered, a Final PEIS will be prepared. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the PEIS was published in the Federal Register on May 10, 2013, and scoping comments were received during a comment period that was initially scheduled to close on June 24, 2013. The closing date of the public comment period was corrected to July 9, 2013, by publication of a Federal Register Notice on June 5, 2013.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 550, Subparts A, General; and K, and Oil and Gas Production Requirements, as well as the associated forms. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned control number 1010- 0114 to this information collection.

BOEM announces the availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for the proposed Central Planning Area (CPA) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 247 (CPA Sale 247). This Notice is published pursuant to 30 CFR 556.304(c) as a matter of information to the public. With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to section 19 of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356a), provides affected states with the opportunity to review the Proposed NOS. The Proposed NOS sets forth the proposed terms and conditions of the sale, including minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental rates.

The purpose of this public notice is to: (1) Describe the unsolicited proposal submitted to BOEM by Trident Winds, LLC (Trident Winds) to acquire an OCS commercial wind lease; (2) solicit submissions of indications of interest in acquiring a commercial lease for wind energy development on the OCS offshore California in the area described in this notice; and (3) solicit public input regarding the area described in this notice, the potential environmental consequences associated with wind energy development in the area, and existing and planned multiple uses of the area. On January 14, 2016, BOEM received an unsolicited request from Trident Winds for a commercial wind lease on the OCS. Trident Winds' proposed project would consist of a utility-scale floating wind energy facility offshore Morro Bay, California that would interconnect with the California electrical grid at the existing Morro Bay Power Plant. The project would be located, at its closest point, approximately 15 nautical miles (nmi) offshore Point Piedras Blancas in water depths of approximately 2,900 feet. Additional information on Trident Winds' unsolicited lease request can be viewed at https://www.boem.gov/ California/. This RFI is published pursuant to subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3), and BOEM's implementing regulations at 30 CFR part 585. Subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act requires that OCS renewable energy leases, easements, and rights-of-way be issued ``on a competitive basis unless the Secretary [of the Interior] determines after public notice of a proposed lease, easement, or right- of-way that there is no competitive interest.'' This RFI provides public notice for the area requested by Trident Winds (the Proposed Lease Area) that is described below in the section ``Description of the Proposed Lease Area,'' and invites the submission of indications of interest in acquiring a commercial wind lease within the Proposed Lease Area. Parties wishing to indicate competitive interest in the Proposed Lease Area should submit detailed and specific information as described in the section entitled ``Required Indication of Interest Information.'' BOEM will consider the responses to this public notice to determine whether competitive interest exists in the Proposed Lease Area. This announcement also requests that interested and affected parties comment and provide information about site conditions and any existing or planned multiple uses within the Proposed Lease Area that may be relevant to the proposed project or its potential impacts.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements for 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities, as well as the associated forms. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned control number 1010-0106 to this information collection.

On Wednesday, August 24, 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will open and publicly announce bids for blocks offered in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area (WPA) Lease Sale 248 (WPA Sale 248), in accordance with the provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended) and the implementing regulations issued pursuant thereto (30 CFR parts 550 and 556). The WPA Sale 248 Final Notice of Sale (NOS) Package (Final NOS Package) contains information essential to potential bidders. Bidders are charged with knowing the contents of the documents contained in the Final NOS Package. Date and Time: Bid opening for WPA Sale 248 will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 24, 2016. All times referred to in this document are local time in New Orleans, unless otherwise specified. Location: There will be a change in the bid opening process for this sale. Bid opening will still occur at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 1500 Sugarbowl Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, but the bid opening at the Superdome facility will not be open to the public. Instead, the bid opening will be available for the public to view in real-time on BOEM's Web site at www.boem.gov via video live-streaming beginning at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the sale. The use of live-streaming to announce bids is being implemented to provide greater access to a wider national and international audience while ensuring the security of BOEM staff. BOEM will also post the results on its Web site after bid opening and reading is completed. Bid Submission Deadline: BOEM must receive all sealed bids between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on normal working days, and from 8:00 a.m. to the Bid Submission Deadline of 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 23, 2016, the day before the lease sale. For more information on bid submission, see Section VII, ``Bidding Instructions,'' of this document.

BOEM is announcing the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 244. This notice marks the start of the public review and comment period and serves to announce public hearings on the Draft EIS. After the public hearings and written comments on the Draft EIS have been reviewed and considered, a Final EIS will be prepared. The proposed action addressed in this Draft EIS is to conduct an oil and gas lease sale on portions of the Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning Area. Lease Sale 244 would provide qualified bidders the opportunity to bid on OCS blocks in Cook Inlet to gain conditional rights to explore, develop, and produce oil and natural gas. The Draft EIS analyzes the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of the proposed lease sale on the physical, biological, and human environments in the Cook Inlet area. The EIS describes a hypothetical scenario of exploration, development, production, and decommissioning activities that could result from the proposed lease sale, and analyzes the potential impacts of those activities on the environment.

The Department of the Interior (DOI or the Department), acting through BOEM and BSEE, is revising and adding new requirements to regulations for exploratory drilling and related operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) seaward of the State of Alaska. This final rule focuses solely on the OCS within the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas (Arctic OCS). The Arctic region is characterized by extreme environmental conditions, geographic remoteness, and a relative lack of fixed infrastructure and existing operations. This final rule is designed to help ensure the safe, effective, and responsible exploration of Arctic OCS oil and gas resources, while protecting the marine, coastal, and human environments, and Alaska Natives' cultural traditions and access to subsistence resources.

This rule adjusts the level of civil monetary penalties contained in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regulations pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and Office of Management and Budget guidance.

BOEM is announcing its intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) of potential commercial wind leasing and site assessment activities on the OCS offshore the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The EA will address environmental impacts and socioeconomic effects related to the proposed action, issuance of one or more commercial wind energy leases and approval of site assessment activities on those leases. This notice serves to announce the beginning of the formal scoping process. Scoping will help identify reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, focus the analysis in the EA on potentially significant issues, and eliminate those issues that are determined to be insignificant or considered irrelevant to the analysis. BOEM will also use the scoping process to seek public comment on the full range of potential environmental impacts, including input relevant to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Additional information on the proposed action may be found at https://www.boem.gov/Hawaii/.

This document is the Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for the sale of one commercial wind energy lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New York, pursuant to 30 CFR 585.216. BOEM proposes to offer Lease OCS-A 0512 for sale using an ascending bidding auction format. In this PSN, you will find information pertaining to the area available for leasing, proposed lease provisions and conditions, auction details, the lease form, criteria for evaluating competing bids, award procedures, appeal procedures, and lease execution. BOEM invites public comment during a 60-day comment period following publication of this notice. The issuance of a lease resulting from this proposed sale would not constitute an approval of project-specific plans to develop offshore wind energy resources. Such plans, expected to be submitted by the auction winner, will be subject to subsequent environmental and technical reviews prior to a decision to proceed with development.

On March 30, 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published in the Federal Register a final rule that updates and streamlines the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas and sulfur leasing regulations, which will become effective on May 31, 2016 (81 FR 18111) (``Leasing Rule''). One of the regulations contained in the final rule was incorrectly stated. This document corrects that error

BOEM is extending the public comment period to submit comments on the proposed rule entitled ``Air Quality Control, Reporting, and Compliance,'' which was published in the Federal Register on April 5, 2016. The original public comment period to submit comments on this rulemaking would have ended on June 6, 2016. However, BOEM has received public comments requesting an extension of the comment period. BOEM has reviewed the extension requests and has determined that a 14-day comment period extension to June 20, 2016, is appropriate. The proposed rule specified a separate, shorter period to submit comments to the Office of Management and Budget on the information collection (IC) burden in this rulemaking. That comment period ended on May 5, 2016, and will not be extended.