Department of the Interior June 14, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The proposed federal action addressed in this FEIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-026) is to offer for lease areas in the Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that might contain recoverable oil and gas resources. This lease sale would provide qualified bidders the opportunity to bid on certain blocks in the Chukchi Sea OCS to gain conditional rights to explore, develop, and produce oil and natural gas. This FEIS is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis to enable the MMS to make informed decisions on the configuration of the lease sale and the applicable mitigation measures. In the FEIS, the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of the sale, including estimated exploration and development and production activities related to the sale, on the physical, biological, and human environments in the Chukchi Sea area are analyzed. The FEIS also provides NEPA evaluation for exploration activities in the Chukchi Sea, including seismic survey geophysical permitting (30 CFR part 251), ancillary activities (30 CFR 250.207), and exploration plans (30 CFR 250.214). In addition, the FEIS provides information that the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) may possibly use for issuance of Incidental Harassment Authorizations to the seismic-survey industry to take marine mammals by harassment, incidental to conducting prelease and ancillary on-lease oil and gas seismic surveys in the Chukchi Sea. To address its NEPA responsibilities, the NMFS is a cooperating agency (as that term is defined in 40 CFR 1501.6).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to offer the Federal interest in public lands consisting of a reversionary interest, by direct sale, containing approximately 60 acres. The public lands have been designated for disposal within Clark County, Nevada, to Basic Management Incorporated (BMI) and will be offered for direct sale. The interest in land proposed for sale has been authorized and designated for disposal under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2343), as amended (hereinafter ``SNPLMA''). The reversionary interest in the lands will be offered noncompetitively in accordance with the applicable provisions of Sections 203 and 209 of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) (43 U.S.C. 1713 and 1719), and FLPMA's implementing regulations, in particular 43 CFR 2711.3-3. The environmental assessment, map, approved appraisal report and other supporting documentation are available for review at the BLM, Las Vegas Field Office (LVFO), Las Vegas, Nevada.