Department of the Interior December 6, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR Part 250, Subpart C, ``Pollution Prevention and Control,'' and related documents. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

Minerals Management Service (MMS), in accordance with Federal regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of a NEPA-related Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared by MMS for proposed oil and gas exploration on the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This listing includes the only proposal for which a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was prepared by the Alaska OCS Office in the 3-month period preceding this Notice.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species and marine mammals.

The Secretary's approved 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2002-2007 provides for two sales, Sales 191 and 199, to be held in the Cook Inlet planning area. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that covered both sales was prepared. The RFI and a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for Sales 191 and 199 was published in the Federal Register on December 31, 2001, at 66 FR 67543. The Cook Inlet final EIS for Sales 191 and 199 was released in November 2003 (OCS EIS/EA, MMS 2003-055). The first sale, Sale 191, was held on May 19, 2004; however, the sale received no bids. The RFI/NOI for Sale 199 was published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2004, at 69 FR 77265, with a proposed date of sale in May 2006. Since neither comments nor interest were received from the oil and gas industry, the MMS decided to delay the sale until May 2007. The MMS is now asking if industry or others have interest in holding Cook Inlet Sale 199 in May 2007. If bona fide interest from companies is received, we will proceed with the planning for the sale. If no interest is shown, Sale 199 will not be held. Comment Period: Comments on the RFI must be received no later than 30 days following publication of this document in the Federal Register. If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of the following methods: You may mail comments to the Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503, in envelopes labeled ``Attn: Comments on Request for Information for Cook Inlet Sale 199.'' You may also comment via e-mail to akrfi@mms.gov. Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also include ``Attn: Comments on Request for Information for Cook Inlet Sale 199'' and your name and return address in your Internet message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet message, contact us via e-mail to: akwebmaster@mms.gov. You may fax your comments to MMS at (907) 334-5242. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to the Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.