Minerals Management Service October 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The MMS has prepared a Final SEIS on a tentatively scheduled 2008 oil and gas leasing proposal (Sale 224) in the Eastern GOM Planning Area, off the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. As mandated in the recently enacted Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-432, December 20, 2006), MMS shall offer a portion of the ``181 Area,'' located in the Eastern Planning Area, more than 125 miles from Florida for oil and gas leasing.

The MMS is issuing this notice to advise the public, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., that the MMS has prepared an EA for proposed OCS oil and gas Lease Sale 206 in the Central GOM Planning Area (Lease Sale 206) scheduled for March 2008. The preparation of this EA is an important step in the decision process for Lease Sale 206. The proposal for Lease Sale 206 was identified by the Call for Information and Nominations published in the Federal Register on April 28, 2006, and was analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2007- 2012; Western Planning Area Sales 204, 207, 210, 215, and 218; Central Planning Area Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 222Final Environmental Impact Statement(EIS); Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018). The proposal does not include approximately 5.8 million acres located in the southeastern part of the Central Planning Area which the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 opened to leasing after many years of appropriations Acts containing leasing moratoria. Because of the limited geological and geophysical data available to industry and the limited environmental review for this area, the MMS has decided that it would be premature to offer this area in proposed Lease Sale 206. Before the area is offered for lease, the MMS will conduct a separate NEPA review to reevaluate the expanded CPA sale area. This EA for proposed Lease Sale 206 reexamined the potential environmental effects of the proposed lease sale and its alternatives excluding the unleased blocks near biologically sensitive topographic features; excluding the unleased blocks within 15 miles of the Baldwin County, Alabama Coast; and no action based on any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were not available at the time the Multisale EIS was prepared. No new significant impacts were identified for proposed Lease Sale 206 that were not already assessed in the Multisale EIS. As a result, the MMS determined that a Supplemental EIS is not required and prepared a Finding of No New Significant Impact (FONNSI).

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 parts 202, 206, 210, 212, 217, and 218. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements. We changed the title of this ICR to reflect OMB consolidation approval of solid mineral and geothermal ICRs. Those ICRs were titled: 1010-0074: 30 CFR Part 206Product Valuation, Subpart J Indian Coal (Forms MMS-4292, Coal Washing Allowance Report, and MMS- 4293, Coal Transportation Allowance Report); 1010-0120: 30 CFR Part 206, Subpart FFederal Coal and Subpart JIndian Coal; Part 210, Subpart BOil, Gas, and OCS Sulfur General, Subpart ESolid Minerals, General, Subpart HGeothermal Resources; Part 218, Subpart BOil and Gas, General, Subpart ESolid MineralsGeneral (Form MMS-4430, Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report); and 1010-0169: 30 CFR Parts 202, 206, 210, 217, and 218 Valuation of Geothermal Resources. The title of this ICR is ``30 CFR 202, 206, 210, 212, 217, and 218Solid Minerals and Geothermal Collections.'' Forms associated with this information collection are Forms MMS-4430, Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report; MMS-4292, Coal Washing Allowance Report; and MMS-4293, Coal Transportation Allowance Report.

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 250, subpart P, Sulphur Operations. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The previous title of this ICR was ``30 CFR Part 220 Accounting Procedures for Determining Net Profit Share Payment for Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leases, Sec. 220.010 NPSL capital account, Sec. 220.030 Maintenance of records, Sec. 220.031 Reporting and payment requirements, Sec. 220.032 Inventories, and Sec. 220.033 Audits.'' The new title of this ICR is ``30 CFR 220-OCS Net Profit Share Payment Reporting.'' There are no forms associated with this information collection.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we will be submitting to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, subpart F, Oil and Gas Well-Workover Operations, and related documents. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.