[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 19317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10718]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Environmental Documents Prepared for Proposed Annual Lease Sales
in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico in the New 5-Year Program
(1997-2002)
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposal to prepare a single Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for all of the proposed annual lease sales in the Central Gulf of
Mexico Planning Area (CPA) and another for the Western Gulf of Mexico
Planning Area (WPA) in the new 5-Year Program (1997-2002), followed by
an Environmental Assessment (EA) prior to each sale.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Since least sale proposals in the CPA and WPA are very similar
each year, it is proposed that a single EIS be prepared for all the
sales (four or five) on the 5-year schedule in each planning area.
Federal regulations allow for several proposals to be analyzed in one
EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). The multisale EIS would include an analysis of a
single, ``typical'' sale and a cumulative analysis that would include
the effects of holding all four or five sales as well as the cumulative
effects of the long-term development of the planning area. The
multisale approach will apply only to the CPA and WPA. In subsequent
years, an EA will be prepared to determine if a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) should be prepared, or whether a
Supplemental EIS (SEIS) is warranted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 1201 Elmwood
Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, George Hampton,
Telephone (504) 736-2465.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1983 the planning areas in the Gulf of
Mexico were defined as Eastern, Central, and Western, and the
boundaries of those areas were established. Since that time a sale has
been planned and held annually in both the Central and Western Planning
Areas. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document prepared
for each of those sales has been an EIS. When the EIS for Sales 166 and
168 is filed in December 1996, 15 final EIS's will have been produced
on annual areawide sales in the CPA and WPA. A Draft EIS on the 5-year
program was recently completed and is available for comment.
Additionally, a Cumulative Effects Report, which includes an assessment
of the cumulative effects from OCS Program activities that occurred
from 1987 through 1991 (MMS 95-0007) was completed. Since the proposed
action for each sale is basically the same (offer all available
unleased blocks in each planning area) and the level of expected
activity does not vary a great deal from year-to-year, the level of
potential impacts remain within consistent ranges. Therefore, the EIS's
prepared on these sales are very similar.
The EIS will include an analysis of the environmental effects of
holding one sale, a sale ``typical'' of any in the planning area, that
may be held in the remainder of the 5-year program.
The assumptions upon which the analysis is based would cover a
range of resources and activities that would encompass any of the four
follow-up proposed actions. Later sales could then be compared to the
initial analysis in an EA or SEIS.
The cumulative analysis, as identified in NEPA 1508.25(a)(2), would
be in two parts. One part would be concentrated on the five proposed
actions, emphasizing the cumulative aspect of holding the current sale
proposal and four more annual sales. The second part would be a full
cumulative analysis of all past, present, and reasonably foreseeable
future actions.
The MMS is requesting comments and recommendations from interested
parties concerning the proposed multisale EIS process.
The MMS will present the multisale approach to all interested
parties at a public meeting in New Orleans. The meeting is scheduled
for the following date, time, and location: May 22, 1996, MMS, Gulf of
Mexico Regional Office, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 115, New
Orleans, Louisiana, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Dated: April 22, 1996.
Chris C. Oynes,
Regional Director, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
[FR Doc. 96-10718 Filed 4-30-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-M
