[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 70052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32449]
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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Plan of
Operations for Oil and Gas Exploration Within Big Cypress National
Preserve, Florida
SUMMARY: The Preserve has received a Plan of Operations (Plan) for the
exploration for nonfederal oil and gas from Collier Resource Company.
The Plan was submitted pursuant to Title 36 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 9, Subpart B (36 CFR 9B). The National Park Service
has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act to evaluate the proposed activity.
DATES: The Plan and EA are available for public review at Preserve
Headquarters in Ochopee, Florida. Copies of the EA can be requested at
the address below. Written comments should be submitted on or before
January 14, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Superintendent, Big Cypress National Preserve, HCR 61, Box
110, Ochopee, Florida 34141, Telephone: (941) 695-2000, extension 325.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with 36 CFR
9.52. The Plan calls for the construction of approximately 8 miles of
road, a drilling pad, drilling an exploratory well and conducting a 41-
square miles three-dimensional geophysical survey.
In 1992, the National Park Service finalized a Minerals Management
Plan (MMP) for the Preserve. The MMP along with other appropriate laws
and regulations provide the framework for assessing proposals from non-
federal oil and gas right owners. The MMP was evaluated as part of the
Preserve's General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement.
The EA of Collier Resources Company's Plan of Operations evaluates
three alternatives: (1) Denial of Plan of Operations, (2) Approval of
the Plan as Submitted, and (3) Approval of the Plan with Stipulations.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold
their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to
the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which
we would withhold from the rulemaking record a respondent's identity as
allowable by law. If you wish for us to withhold your name and/or
address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your
comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make
all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
Dated: December 7, 1999.
Daniel W. Brown,
Regional Director, Acting Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 99-32449 Filed 12-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M
