7226 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / Notices 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel, Skeletal, 

Oral and Skin Biology. 

Date: March 3–4, 2011. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: National Institutes of Health, 6701 

Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892. 

(Virtual Meeting.) 

Contact Person: Rajiv Kumar, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 4122, 

MSC 7802, Bethesda, MD 20892. 301–435– 

1212. kumarra@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel, Small 

Business: Cardiovascular Sciences. 

Date: March 3–4, 2011. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: InterContinental Mark Hopkins 

Hotel, 999 California Street, San Francisco, 

CA 94108. 

Contact Person: Lawrence E Boerboom, 

PhD, Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 4130, 

MSC 7814, Bethesda, MD 20892. (301) 435– 

8367. boerboom@nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Center for Scientific 

Review Special Emphasis Panel, Fellowship: 

Genes, Genomes, and Genetics. 

Date: March 10–11, 2011. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Doubletree Hotel Washington, 1515 

Rhode Island Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 

20005. 

Contact Person: Michael A Marino, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 2216, 

MSC 7890, Bethesda, MD 20892. (301) 435– 

0601. marinomi@csr.nih.gov. 

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Nos. 93.306, Comparative Medicine; 

93.333, Clinical Research, 93.306, 93.333, 

93.337, 93–393–93.396, 993.837–93.844, 

93.846–93.878, 93.892, 93.893, National 

Institutes of Health, HHS) 

Dated: February 3, 2011. 

Jennifer S. Spaeth, 

Director, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2011–2850 Filed 2–8–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement 

Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and 

Site Characterization Activities; 

Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf 

Offshore NJ, DE, MD, and VA 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Assessment for MidAtlantic Wind Energy Areas. 

SUMMARY: This notice is being published 

as an initial step for the purpose of 

involving Federal agencies, States, 

Tribes, local government, wind power 

developers, and the public in the 

Department of the Interior’s (DOI) 

‘‘Smart from the Start’’ wind energy 

initiative, to identify areas for wind 

energy leasing proposals, and to provide 

public notice of the Department’s 

commitment to analyze the initiative’s 

siting, leasing and site assessment 

decisions in accordance with the DOI 

regulations implementing the provisions 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969 as amended (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). On November 23, 

2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken 

Salazar announced the ‘‘Smart from the 

Start’’ renewable energy initiative to 

accelerate responsible renewable wind 

energy development on the Atlantic 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) by using 

appropriate identified areas, 

coordinated environmental studies, 

large-scale planning and expedited 

approval processes. This notice 

identifies Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) 

offshore New Jersey, Delaware, 

Maryland, and Virginia that the Bureau 

of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) 

has found, in consultation with other 

Federal agencies and State Renewable 

Energy Task Forces, to be suitable for 

consideration for wind energy 

development. 

Authority: The NOI of the preparation 

of an environmental assessment is 

published pursuant to 43 CFR 46.305. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michelle Morin, BOEMRE Office of 

Offshore Alternative Energy Programs, 

381 Elden Street, MS 4090, Herndon, 

Virginia 20170–4817, (703) 787–1722 or 

michelle.morin@boemre.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. The OCS Renewable Energy 

Development Process 

There are generally three phases of 

renewable energy development on the 

OCS: lease issuance, site assessment, 

and construction and operation of a 

renewable energy facility. A renewable 

energy lease gives the lessee an 

exclusive right to apply for subsequent 

approvals that are necessary to advance 

to the next stage of the renewable energy 

development process. The second phase 

is BOEMRE review and approval of a 

site assessment plan (SAP) that allows 

the construction and installation of a 

meteorological tower and buoys. See 30 

CFR 285.600-.601; .605-.618. After the 

lessee has collected sufficient site 

characterization and assessment data 

the lessee may submit a construction 

and operations plan (COP), approval of 

which would authorize the actual 

construction and operation of a 

renewable energy facility. See 30 CFR 

285.620-.629. Although BOEMRE does 

not authorize site characterization 

activities (i.e., geological and 

geophysical surveys and core samples), 

a lessee must submit the results of such 

surveys before BOEMRE can consider 

approving its COP. See 30 CFR 285.626. 

By this notice, BOEMRE is soliciting 

comment on the environmental effects 

of reasonably foreseeable site 

characterization surveys that may be 

undertaken if BOEMRE issues a lease or 

leases in any or all of the identified 

WEAs. Consistent with the provisions of 

43 CFR 46.305 (public involvement in 

the environmental assessment process), 

the Department ‘‘must, to the extent 

practicable, provide for public 

notification and public involvement 

when an Environmental Assessment is 

being prepared.’’ Although scoping is 

not required for the preparation of an 

environmental assessment (EA) (CEQ 

regulations at 40 CFR 1501.7 

specifically reference the preparation of 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS)), the Department recognizes and 

encourages the use of scoping where 

appropriate as it does represent a form 

of public involvement. See 43 CFR 

46.305(a)(2), 73 FR 61292, 61306 (Oct. 

15, 2008). BOEMRE intends to prepare 

a regional EA to analyze the 

environmental impacts of issuing 

renewable energy leases in the 

geographic areas offshore the States of 

New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and 

Virginia (identified as WEAs in Section 

3 of this Notice), including 

environmental impacts associated site 

characterization activities that may take 

place on these leases. The EA will also 

analyze the potential environmental 

consequences associated with the 

approval of site assessment activities on 

these leases pursuant to the approval of 

SAPs. 

The proposed action is the issuance of 

renewable energy leases within the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / Notices 7227 

WEAs described in Section 3 of this 

Notice, and approval of site assessment 

activities on those leases. The regional 

EA will consider the environmental 

consequences associated with 

reasonably foreseeable leasing scenarios, 

reasonably foreseeable site 

characterization scenarios in these lease 

areas (including geophysical, 

geotechnical, archeological and 

biological surveys), and reasonably 

foreseeable site assessment scenarios 

(including the installation and operation 

of meteorological towers and buoys) on 

the potential leaseholds. At a minimum, 

the alternatives that will be considered 

are no action (i.e., no issuance of leases 

or approval of site assessment 

activities), and the issuance of leases 

and approval of certain site assessment 

activities within the areas described in 

Section 3 of this Notice. 

Federal, State, and local government 

agencies, Tribal governments, and other 

interested parties may assist BOEMRE 

in determining the important issues and 

any additional alternatives to be 

analyzed in the regional EA. Input is 

also requested on measures (e.g., 

limitations on activities based on 

technology, distance from shore, or 

timing) that would mitigate impacts to 

environmental resources and 

socioeconomic conditions that could 

result from leasing, site characterization, 

and site assessment in and around the 

WEAs described below. It may become 

appropriate to analyze one or more 

WEAs in separate EAs. Consultation 

with other Federal agencies, Tribal 

governments, and affected States will be 

carried out during the EA process and 

will be completed before a final 

decision is made on whether any 

particular lease will be issued or site 

assessment activities on those leases 

approved. 

2. Background for Analysis of Wind 

Energy Areas 

On November 6, 2007, BOEMRE 

published a Notice of Availability in the 

Federal Register (72 FR 62,672) of the 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement for Alternative Energy 

Development and Production and 

Alternate Use of Facilities on the Outer 

Continental Shelf, Final Environmental 

Impact Statement (OCS Report MMS 

2007–046) (Programmatic EIS). On June 

26, 2009, BOEMRE published a Notice 

of Availability in the Federal Register 

(74 FR 30,616) of the EA for Issuance of 

Leases for Wind Resource Data 

Collection on the Outer Continental 

Shelf Offshore Delaware and New Jersey 

(OCS EIS/EA MMS 2009–025) (Interim 

Policy EA). BOEMRE has seen very 

strong interest in offshore renewable 

energy projects on the OCS and is 

working closely with several states 

regarding the identification of offshore 

energy development proposals through 

Federal-state task forces. More 

information on the task forces and the 

‘‘Smart from the Start’’ initiative can be 

found at http://www.boemre.gov/ 

offshore/RenewableEnergy/ 

StateActivities.htm and http:// 

www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/ 

Salazar-Launches-Smart-from-the-StartInitiative-to-Speed-Offshore-WindEnergy-Development-off-the-AtlanticCoast.cfm. 

BOEMRE will incorporate the 

environmental and socioeconomic 

analyses of site characterization and 

assessment activities from the 

Programmatic EIS, Interim Policy EA, 

and other public information to inform 

its analysis in the Regional EA. This 

Regional EA will focus on the 

environmental consequences of a 

reasonably foreseeable renewable energy 

lease issuance scenario, and the site 

characterization and site assessment 

activities that would likely take place 

within these lease areas as potential 

lessees developed their COP proposals. 

Site characterization activities include 

geophysical, geotechnical, archeological 

and biological surveys. Site assessment 

activities include those activities that 

must be submitted in a SAP for approval 

by BOEMRE, including the installation 

and operation of meteorological towers 

and buoys. The Regional EA will be 

developed using many of the principles 

of coastal and marine spatial planning, 

such as comprehensive interagency 

coordination, to identify information 

needs for COP submittals necessary for 

future decision-making regarding wind 

power development. If BOEMRE 

determines during the Regional EA 

process that issuing leases and 

conducting site characterization and 

assessment activities offshore New 

Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and 

Virginia would result in significant 

environmental impacts, then BOEMRE 

would publish a Notice of Intent to 

prepare an EIS for the issuance of 

renewable energy leases in these WEAs. 

If BOEMRE determines during the 

Regional EA process that issuing leases 

and conducting site characterization 

and assessment activities in these WEAs 

would not result in significant 

environmental impacts, then BOEMRE 

would issue a Finding of No Significant 

Impact (FONSI). After either a FONSI is 

issued or the EIS process is completed, 

BOEMRE may issue one or more 

renewable energy leases in the WEAs. In 

the event that a particular lease is 

issued, and the lessee submits a SAP, 

BOEMRE will determine whether the 

Regional EA adequately considers the 

environmental consequences of the 

activities proposed in the lessee’s SAP. 

If the analysis in the Regional EA 

adequately addresses these 

consequences, then no further NEPA 

would be required before the SAP is 

approved. If that analysis is inadequate, 

an additional NEPA analysis would be 

prepared before the SAP could be 

approved. 

If and when a lessee is ready to begin 

the third phase of renewable energy 

development, construction and 

operations of a renewable energy 

facility, it will submit a COP. If a COP 

is submitted for a particular leasehold, 

a separate NEPA analysis will be 

prepared. This will likely take the form 

of an EIS and will provide additional 

opportunities for public involvement. 

Pursuant to 30 CFR Part 285, a lessee 

may only submit a COP once it has 

gathered the necessary information 

through conducting site characterization 

and site assessment activities. Such an 

EIS process will provide the public and 

Federal officials with comprehensive 

site- and project-specific information 

regarding potential environmental 

impacts of the project that the lessee is 

proposing. These potential impacts will 

be taken into account when deciding 

whether to approve the construction 

and operation of a new commercial 

wind facility. 

3. Description of the Wind Energy 

Areas 

BOEMRE, in consultation with other 

Federal agencies and State Renewable 

Energy Task Forces, has identified the 

following WEAs in which BOEMRE is 

proposing to begin the commercial lease 

issuance process and subsequent SAP 

approval process: 

New Jersey: The proposed area 

offshore New Jersey begins 7 nautical 

miles from the shore and extends 

roughly 23 nautical miles seaward (or 

the approximate 100 ft depth contour) 

and extends 72 nautical miles along the 

Federal/state boundary from Seaside 

Park south to Hereford Inlet. The entire 

area is approximately 418 square 

nautical miles and contains 

approximately 43 whole OCS blocks 

and 34 partial blocks. 

Delaware: The proposed area offshore 

Delaware rests between the incoming 

and outgoing shipping routes for 

Delaware Bay, and is made up of 10 

whole OCS blocks and 17 partial blocks. 

The closest point to shore is 

approximately 7.5 miles due east from 

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Bluewater 

Wind Delaware, LLC already owns an 

Interim Policy lease in this area to 

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7228 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / Notices 

construct a meteorological tower and 

associated structures on its leasehold 

(equivalent to structures and devices 

requiring SAP approval). BOEMRE is 

requesting comment on the reasonably 

foreseeable environmental effects 

associated with issuing a commercial 

lease in this area and with the lessee 

conducting additional site 

characterization activities on such a 

lease. 

Maryland: The proposed area offshore 

Maryland is made up of 29 whole OCS 

blocks and 4 partial blocks. The entire 

area is approximately 207 square 

nautical miles; 175,069 acres; or 70,848 

hectares. The western edge is 

approximately 10 nautical miles from 

the Ocean City, Maryland coast, and the 

eastern edge is approximately 27 

nautical miles from the Ocean City, 

Maryland coast. 

Virginia: The proposed area offshore 

Virginia is made up of 22 OCS lease 

blocks and 5 partial blocks. The Western 

edge of the area is approximately 20 

nautical miles from Virginia Beach, and 

the Eastern edge is approximately 37 

nautical miles from Virginia Beach. The 

entire area is approximately 165 square 

nautical miles; 139,855 acres; or 56,597 

hectares. 

A map of the WEAs described above 

is available on the BOEMRE website at 

http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/ 

RenewableEnergy/. In 2010, BOEMRE 

began publishing Requests for Interest 

and Calls for Information for the areas 

above pursuant to 30 CFR 285.210–211 

of the Competitive Lease Process. As a 

result of comments received on these 

notices and the analysis in the Regional 

EA, the WEAs offshore New Jersey, 

Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia may 

be further refined or modified. In 

addition, it may become appropriate to 

analyze one or more WEAs in separate 

EAs. 

4. Cooperating Agencies 

BOEMRE invites other Federal 

agencies and State, tribal, and local 

governments to consider becoming 

cooperating agencies in the preparation 

of the Regional EA. The Council of 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

regulations implementing the 

procedural provisions of NEPA define 

cooperating agencies as those with 

‘‘jurisdiction by law or special expertise’’ 

(40 CFR 1508.5). Potential cooperating 

agencies should consider their authority 

and capacity to assume the 

responsibilities of a cooperating agency 

and to remember that an agency’s role 

in the environmental analysis neither 

enlarges nor diminishes the final 

decisionmaking authority of any other 

agency involved in the NEPA process. 

Upon request, BOEMRE will provide 

potential cooperating agencies with a 

draft Memorandum of Agreement that 

includes a schedule with critical action 

dates and milestones, mutual 

responsibilities, designated points of 

contact, and expectations for handling 

predecisional information. Agencies 

should also consider the ‘‘Factors for 

Determining Cooperating Agency 

Status’’ in Attachment 1 to CEQ’s 

January 30, 2002, Memorandum for the 

Heads of Federal Agencies: Cooperating 

Agencies in Implementing the 

Procedural Requirements of the NEPA. 

A copy of this document is available at 

http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ 

cooperating/ 

cooperatingagenciesmemorandum.html 

and http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ 

cooperating/ 

cooperatingagencymemofactors.html. 

BOEMRE, as the lead agency, will not 

provide financial assistance to 

cooperating agencies. Even if an 

organization is not a cooperating 

agency, opportunities will exist to 

provide information and comments to 

BOEMRE during the normal public 

input phases of the NEPA/EA process. 

5. Comments 

Federal, state, local government 

agencies, Tribal governments, and other 

interested parties are requested to send 

their written comments on BOEMRE’s 

scoping of the Regional EA (including 

important issues, alternatives related to 

lease issuance, and site assessment 

activities that should be addressed) in 

one of the following ways: 

1. Electronically: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. In the entry titled 

‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter BOEM– 

2010–0077, then click search. Follow 

the instructions to submit public 

comments and view supporting and 

related materials available for this 

document. 

2. In written form, delivered by hand 

or by mail, enclosed in an envelope 

labeled ‘‘Comments on Mid Atlantic 

WEA Regional EA’’ to Program Manager, 

Office of Offshore Alternative Energy 

Programs (MS 4090), Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, 

Herndon, Virginia 20170. Comments 

should be submitted no later than 

March 11, 2011. 

Dated: January 27, 2011, 

L. Renee Orr, 

Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy 

and Minerals Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–2774 Filed 2–8–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–W–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), 

Western and Central Planning Areas of 

the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Oil and Gas 

Lease Sales for 2012–2017 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and Notice of Scoping Meetings. 

1. Authority 

This Notice of Intent (NOI) and notice 

of scoping meetings is published 

pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 

1501.7) implementing the provisions of 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq. (1988)). 

2. Purpose of Notice of Intent 

Pursuant to the regulations 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of NEPA, BOEMRE is announcing its 

intent to prepare an EIS on the 

2012–2017 oil and gas leasing proposals 

in the Western and Central Planning 

Areas of the GOM, off the States of 

Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

Alabama. The NOI also serves to 

announce the scoping process for this 

EIS. Throughout the scoping process, 

Federal, State, and local government 

agencies, and other interested parties 

have the opportunity to aid BOEMRE in 

determining the significant issues and 

alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS. 

BOEMRE will use and coordinate the 

NEPA commenting process to satisfy the 

public involvement process for Section 

106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f), as 

provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 

The EIS analysis will focus on the 

potential environmental effects of oil 

and natural gas leasing, exploration, 

development, and production in the 

areas identified through the Area 

Identification Procedure as the proposed 

lease sale areas. In addition to the no 

action alternative (i.e., cancel the sale), 

other alternatives may be considered for 

each sale such as deferring certain areas 

from the proposed lease sales. 

BOEMRE is also preparing a 

Programmatic EIS on the 5–Year OCS 

Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 

2012–2017 in the draft proposed Outer 

Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing 

Program: 2012–2017 (See FR Vol. 75, 

No. 63, Page 16828, April 2, 2010). 

BOEMRE is combining scoping 

meetings for the Programmatic and Gulf 

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