16050 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 56 / Monday, March 24, 2014 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2013–0090; 

MMAA104000] 

Potential Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) 

Research Lease on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore 

Oregon; Request for Competitive 

Interest 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Public Notice of an Unsolicited 

Request for an OCS Renewable Energy 

Research Lease, Request for Competitive 

Interest (RFCI), Request for Public 

Comment. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this public 

notice is to: (1) Describe the proposal 

submitted to BOEM by the Northwest 

National Marine Renewable Energy 

Center at Oregon State University 

(NNMREC–OSU) to acquire an OCS 

lease for MHK research activities; (2) 

solicit submissions of indications of 

interest in obtaining a renewable energy 

lease for MHK research or commercial 

activities on the OCS offshore Oregon in 

the area described in this notice; and (3) 

solicit public input regarding the area 

described in this notice, the potential 

environmental consequences of MHK 

energy development in the area, and 

multiple uses of the area. 

On June 17, 2013, BOEM received an 

unsolicited request from NNMREC–OSU 

for an MHK OCS research lease offshore 

Oregon. The objective of NNMREC–OSU 

is to obtain a lease under 30 CFR 

585.238 for renewable energy research 

activities, including MHK device 

installation and operational testing and 

the installation of monitoring 

equipment. The purpose of NNMREC– 

OSU’s proposed project, the ‘‘Pacific 

Marine Energy Center—South Energy 

Test Site,’’ is to design, develop and 

demonstrate a grid-connected MHK 

research facility on the OCS 

approximately five nautical miles (nmi) 

southwest of Newport, Oregon. The 

project would consist of four test sites 

(or berths), with each test berth capable 

of testing single or multiple MHK 

devices and equipped with its own 

subsea cable to transmit energy, as well 

as performance and environmental data, 

from the test berth to an onshore control 

center. Each of the test berth electrical 

cables would connect at a single 

submerged point, with a single 

transmission export cable capable of 

transmitting up to 10 megawatts (MW) 

of electricity to the mainland. The 

export cable would cross the OCS and 

state submerged lands. Additional 

information on NNMREC–OSU’s 

unsolicited lease request can be viewed 

at: www.boem.gov/Oregon. 

This RFCI is published pursuant to 

subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, 

as amended by section 388 of the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) (43 U.S.C. 

1337(p)(3)), and the implementing 

regulations at 30 CFR 585.238. 

Subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act 

requires that OCS renewable energy 

leases, easements and rights-of-way be 

issued ‘‘on a competitive basis unless 

the Secretary determines after public 

notice of a proposed lease, easement, or 

right-of-way that there is no competitive 

interest.’’ 30 CFR 585.238(c) states that 

BOEM may issue research leases if ‘‘no 

competitive interest exists’’. This RFCI 

provides such public notice for the 

proposed lease area requested by 

NNMREC–OSU and invites the 

submission of indications of interest. 

BOEM is soliciting submissions of 

interest for MHK energy development 

only with this notice. BOEM will 

consider the responses to this public 

notice to determine whether 

competitive interest exists for the area 

requested by NNMREC–OSU, as 

required by 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3). Parties 

wishing to obtain a lease for MHK 

development for the area described 

herein under ‘‘Description of the 

Proposed Lease Area’’ should submit 

detailed and specific information as 

described in the section entitled, 

‘‘Required Indication of Interest 

Information.’’ 

BOEM has jurisdiction to issue leases 

on the OCS for MHK projects under 

subsection 8(p) of the OCS Lands Act 

(43 U.S.C. 13376(p)), and the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 

has jurisdiction to issue licenses under 

Part I of the Federal Power Act (FPA), 

16 U.S.C. 792–823A (2006) for the 

construction and operation of 

hydrokinetic projects on the OCS. 

This announcement also requests that 

interested and affected parties comment 

and provide information about site 

conditions and multiple uses within the 

area identified in this notice that would 

be relevant to the proposed project or its 

potential impacts. A detailed 

description of the proposed lease area 

can be found in the section of this 

notice entitled, ‘‘Description of the 

Area.’’ 

DATES: If you are submitting an 

indication of interest in acquiring an 

MHK lease for the proposed lease area, 

your submission must be sent by mail, 

postmarked no later than April 23, 2014 

for your submission to be considered. If 

you are providing comments or other 

submissions of information, you may 

send them by mail, postmarked by this 

same date, or you may submit them 

through the Federal Rulemaking Portal 

at http://www.regulations.gov, also by 

this same date. 

Submission Procedures: If you are 

interested in submitting an indication of 

interest in a lease, please submit it by 

mail to the following address: Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, Pacific OCS 

Region, Office of Strategic Resources, 

770 Paseo Camarillo, Second Floor, 

Camarillo, California, 93010. 

Submissions must be postmarked by 

April 23, 2014 to be considered by 

BOEM for the purposes of determining 

competitive interest. In addition to a 

paper copy of your submission, include 

an electronic copy; BOEM considers an 

Adobe PDF file stored on a compact disc 

(CD) to be an acceptable format for 

submitting an electronic copy. BOEM 

will list the parties submitting 

indications of interest on the BOEM 

Web site after the 30-day comment 

period has closed. 

If you are submitting comments and 

other information concerning the 

proposed lease area, you may use either 

of the following two methods: 

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. In the entry 

entitled, ‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter 

BOEM–2013–0090, and then click 

‘‘search.’’ Follow the instructions to 

submit public comments and view 

supporting and related materials 

available for this notice. 

2. Alternatively, comments may be 

submitted by mail to the following 

address: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Pacific OCS Region, Office 

of Strategic Resources, 770 Paseo 

Camarillo, Second Floor, Camarillo, 

California, 93010. 

If you wish to protect the 

confidentiality of your submissions or 

comments, clearly mark the relevant 

sections and request BOEM treat them 

as confidential. Please label privileged 

or confidential information ‘‘Contains 

Privileged or Confidential Information,’’ 

and consider submitting such 

information as a separate attachment. 

Treatment of confidential information is 

addressed in the section of this notice 

entitled, ‘‘Privileged or Confidential 

Information.’’ BOEM will post all 

comments on www.regulations.gov 

unless labeled as privileged or 

confidential. Information that is not 

labeled as privileged or confidential will 

be regarded by BOEM as suitable for 

public release. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Jean Thurston, Renewable Energy 

Program Specialist, BOEM, Pacific OCS 

Region, Office of Strategic Resources, 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 56 / Monday, March 24, 2014 / Notices 16051 

770 Paseo Camarillo, Second Floor, 

Camarillo, California 93010, Phone: 

(805) 389–7585. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of This RFCI 

Responses to this public notice will 

allow BOEM to determine whether there 

is competitive interest in acquiring an 

OCS MHK lease in the proposed lease 

area. In addition, this notice provides an 

opportunity for interested stakeholders 

to comment on the proposed lease area, 

the proposed project and any potential 

impacts MHK energy development may 

have in the area. BOEM may use 

comments received to further identify 

and refine the area requested and inform 

future environmental analyses related to 

the project. 

Determination of Competitive Interest 

and Leasing Process 

After the publication of this 

announcement, BOEM will evaluate 

indications of competitive interest in 

acquiring an MHK lease in the proposed 

lease area. At the conclusion of the 

comment period for this public notice, 

BOEM will review the submissions 

received and undertake a completeness 

review for each of those submissions 

and a qualifications review for each of 

the nominating entities. BOEM will then 

make a determination as to whether 

competitive interest exists. 

If BOEM determines that there is no 

competitive interest in the proposed 

lease area, it will publish a 

determination of no competitive interest 

in the Federal Register. At that point, 

BOEM may decide to proceed with the 

noncompetitive lease issuance process 

for a research lease pursuant to 30 CFR 

585.238. If BOEM determines that there 

is competitive interest, then it may 

move forward with the leasing process 

outlined in 30 CFR 585.211. 

Whether following competitive or 

non-competitive procedures, NNMREC– 

OSU would need to submit any required 

plan(s) to BOEM and an application for 

a license to FERC. BOEM would consult 

with the BOEM Oregon 

Intergovernmental Renewable Energy 

Task Force and comply with all 

applicable requirements before making a 

decision whether or not to issue a lease. 

BOEM would coordinate and consult, as 

appropriate, with FERC and other 

relevant federal agencies, affected tribes, 

affected state agencies and affected local 

governments during the lease issuance 

process. 

Description of the Proposed Research 

Lease Area 

The proposed research lease area is 

located off the coast of Oregon, 

beginning approximately 5 nmi 

southwest of Newport, Oregon. From its 

most northwest point (Point number 27, 

Table 2) the area extends approximately 

5.18 nmi south and 5.18 nmi east. The 

project area consists of two full OCS 

blocks and two partial OCS blocks. The 

entire area is approximately 33 square 

miles (20,994 acres or 8496 hectares). 

The project footprint is anticipated to be 

smaller than the area described in this 

RFCI. BOEM may remove any lease 

blocks, or sub-blocks, from the area 

prior to issuing a lease if it is larger than 

needed to develop the project. The table 

below describes the OCS lease blocks 

and sub-blocks included within the area 

of interest. 

TABLE 1—LIST OF OCS BLOCKS INCLUDED IN THE REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE INTEREST

Protraction name Protraction 

number 

Block 

number Sub block 

Newport Valley ................................... NL 10–10 6481 A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P. 

Newport Valley ................................... NL 10–10 6531 A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P. 

Salem ................................................. NL 10–11 6451 A,B,C,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P. 

Salem ................................................. NL 10–11 6501 A,B,C,D,E,F,G,I,J,K,M,N. 

The boundary of the proposed lease 

area follows the points listed in Table 2 

in clockwise order. Point numbers 1 and 

35 are the same. Coordinates are 

provided in X, Y (eastings, northings) 

UTM Zone 10N, NAD 83 and geographic 

(latitude, longitude), NAD 83. 

TABLE 2—LIST OF BOUNDARY POINTS INCLUDED IN THE REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE INTEREST

Point number X (Easting) Y (Northing) Latitude Longitude 

1 407600 4939200 44.600214 ¥124.164292 

2 407600 4938000 44.589413 ¥124.164076 

3 408800 4938000 44.589566 ¥124.148961 

4 408800 4936800 44.578765 ¥124.148749 

5 408800 4935600 44.567964 ¥124.148536 

6 408800 4934400 44.557163 ¥124.148324 

7 408800 4933200 44.546362 ¥124.148111 

8 407600 4933200 44.546209 ¥124.163215 

9 407600 4932000 44.535408 ¥124.163000 

10 407600 4930800 44.524607 ¥124.162785 

11 406400 4930800 44.524452 ¥124.177883 

12 406400 4929600 44.513652 ¥124.177665 

13 405200 4929600 44.513495 ¥124.192760 

14 404000 4929600 44.513336 ¥124.207855 

15 402800 4929600 44.513176 ¥124.222950 

16 402015 4929600 44.513069 ¥124.232819 

17 401600 4929600 44.513013 ¥124.238044 

18 400400 4929600 44.512848 ¥124.253139 

19 399200 4929600 44.512682 ¥124.268233 

20 399200 4929600 44.523482 ¥124.268468 

21 399200 4930800 44.534283 ¥124.268702 

22 399200 4932000 44.545083 ¥124.268937 

23 399200 4933200 44.555884 ¥124.269172 

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16052 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 56 / Monday, March 24, 2014 / Notices 

TABLE 2—LIST OF BOUNDARY POINTS INCLUDED IN THE REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE INTEREST—Continued 

Point number X (Easting) Y (Northing) Latitude Longitude 

24 399200 4934400 44.566684 ¥124.269406 

25 399200 4935600 44.577485 ¥124.269641 

26 399200 4936800 44.588285 ¥124.269877 

27 399200 4938000 44.599086 ¥124.270112 

28 400400 4939200 44.599253 ¥124.254995 

29 401600 4939200 44.599418 ¥124.239878 

30 402800 4939200 44.599581 ¥124.224761 

31 403847 4939200 44.599722 ¥124.211568 

32 404000 4939200 44.599742 ¥124.209644 

33 405200 4939200 44.599901 ¥124.194527 

34 406400 4939200 44.600058 ¥124.179409 

35 407600 4939200 44.600214 ¥124.164292 

Map of the Area 

A map of the area proposed by 

NNMREC–OSU and included in this 

RFCI can be found at the following URL: 

www.boem.gov/Oregon. A large-scale 

map of the proposed lease area showing 

boundaries of the area with the 

numbered blocks is available from 

BOEM at the following address: Bureau 

of Ocean Energy Management, Pacific 

OCS Region, Office of Strategic 

Resources, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Second 

Floor, Camarillo, California, 93010. 

Department of Defense Activities and 

Stipulations 

The Department of Defense (DOD) 

conducts offshore testing, training and 

operations on the OCS and may request 

that BOEM condition activities that 

might take place in the proposed lease 

area. BOEM will consult with DOD 

regarding potential issues concerning 

offshore testing, training and 

operational activities, and will develop 

any necessary stipulations to mitigate 

the potential effects of renewable energy 

activities on DOD activities in the 

proposed lease area. 

Required Indication of Interest 

Information 

If you intend to submit an indication 

of interest in an MHK lease for the area 

identified in this notice, you must 

provide the following: 

(1) A statement that you wish to 

acquire an MHK lease within the 

proposed lease area. For BOEM to 

consider your indication of interest, it 

must include a proposal for the 

installation of one or more MHK devices 

within the proposed lease area. Any 

request for an MHK lease located 

outside of the proposed lease area 

should be submitted separately 

pursuant to 30 CFR 585.230 or 30 CFR 

585.238; 

(2) A general description of your 

objectives and the facilities that you 

would use to achieve those objectives; 

(3) A general schedule of proposed 

activities, including those leading to 

commercial operations, as applicable; 

(4) Available and pertinent data and 

information concerning renewable 

energy resources and environmental 

conditions in the area you wish to lease, 

including energy and resource data and 

information used to evaluate the area of 

interest. Where applicable, spatial 

information should be submitted in a 

format compatible with ArcGIS 9.3 in a 

geographic coordinate system (NAD 83); 

(5) Documentation demonstrating that 

you are legally qualified to hold a lease 

as set forth in 30 CFR 585.106 and 107. 

Examples of the documentation 

appropriate for demonstrating your legal 

qualifications and related guidance can 

be found in Chapter 2 and Appendix B 

of the Guidelines for the Minerals 

Management Service Renewable Energy 

Framework available at: http://

www.boem.gov/Renewable-EnergyProgram/Regulatory-Information/

Index.aspx. Legal qualification 

documents will be placed in an official 

file that may be made available for 

public review. If you wish any part of 

your legal qualification documentation 

to be kept confidential, clearly identify 

what should be kept confidential, and 

submit it under separate cover (see 

‘‘Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information Section,’’ below); and 

(6) Documentation demonstrating that 

you are technically and financially 

capable of constructing, operating, 

maintaining and decommissioning the 

facilities described in your submission. 

Guidance regarding the documentation 

that could be used to demonstrate your 

technical and financial qualifications 

can be found at: http://www.boem.gov/ 

Renewable-Energy-Program/RegulatoryInformation/Index.aspx. If you wish 

that any part of your technical and 

financial qualification documentation 

be kept confidential, clearly identify 

what should be kept confidential, and 

submit it under separate cover (see 

‘‘Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information Section,’’ below). 

Your complete submission, including 

the items identified in (1) through (6) 

above, must be provided to BOEM in 

both paper and electronic formats. 

BOEM considers an Adobe PDF file 

stored on a CD to be an acceptable 

format for submitting an electronic 

copy. 

It is critical that you provide a 

complete submission of interest so that 

BOEM may consider your submission in 

a timely manner. If BOEM reviews your 

submission and determines it is 

incomplete, BOEM will inform you of 

this determination in writing and 

describe the information BOEM needs 

from you in order for BOEM to deem 

your submission complete. You will be 

given 15 business days from the date of 

the letter to provide the requested 

information. If you do not meet this 

deadline, or if BOEM determines your 

second submission is also insufficient, 

BOEM may deem your submission 

invalid. In such a case, BOEM would 

not consider your submission. 

Requested Information From Interested 

or Affected Parties 

BOEM is also requesting from the 

public and other interested or affected 

parties specific and detailed comments 

regarding the following: 

(1) Geological and geophysical 

conditions (including seabed conditions 

and shallow hazards) in the area 

described in this notice; 

(2) Historic properties, archaeological, 

historic and/or cultural resources 

potentially affected by the development 

of the area identified in this notice; 

(3) Other uses of the area described in 

this notice, including navigation 

(commercial and recreational vessel 

usage) and commercial and recreational 

fishing; recreational activities (e.g., 

wildlife viewing and scenic areas), 

scientific research and utilities and 

communications infrastructure (e.g., 

undersea cables); 

WREIER-AVILES on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 56 / Monday, March 24, 2014 / Notices 16053 

(4) Other relevant environmental 

information, including but not limited 

to: protected species and habitats, 

marine mammals, sea turtles, birds and 

fish; and 

(5) Socioeconomic information, such 

as demographics and employment, or 

information relevant to environmental 

justice considerations. 

Protection of Privileged or Confidential 

Information 

Freedom of Information Act 

BOEM will protect privileged or 

confidential information that you 

submit as required by the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA). Exemption 4 of 

FOIA applies to trade secrets and 

commercial or financial information 

that you submit that is privileged or 

confidential. If you wish to protect the 

confidentiality of such information, 

clearly mark it, and request that BOEM 

treat it as confidential. BOEM will not 

disclose such information, subject to the 

requirements of FOIA. Please label 

privileged or confidential information, 

‘‘Contains Confidential Information,’’ 

and consider submitting such 

information as a separate attachment. 

BOEM will not treat as confidential 

any aggregate summaries of such 

information or comments not containing 

such information. Additionally, BOEM 

will not treat as confidential: (1) The 

legal title of the nominating entity (for 

example, the name of your company); or 

(2) the geographic location of nominated 

facilities. Information that is not labeled 

as privileged or confidential will be 

regarded by BOEM as suitable for public 

release. 

Section 304 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470w–3(a)) 

BOEM is required, after consultation 

with the Secretary of the Interior, to 

withhold the location, character or 

ownership of historic resources, if it 

determines that disclosure may, among 

other things, cause a significant 

invasion of privacy, risk harm to the 

historic resources or impede the use of 

a traditional religious site by 

practitioners. Tribal entities and other 

interested parties should designate 

information that they wish to be held as 

confidential. 

Dated: March 13, 2014. 

Tommy P. Beaudreau, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2014–06295 Filed 3–21–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of Natural Resources Revenue 

[Docket No. ONRR–2011–0012; DS63610000 

DR2PS0000.CH7000 145DO102R2] 

Major Portion Prices and Due Date for 

Additional Royalty Payments on Indian 

Gas Production in Designated Areas 

Not Associated With an Index Zone 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office 

of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Final regulations for valuing 

gas produced from Indian leases, 

published August 10, 1999, require 

ONRR to determine major portion prices 

and notify industry by publishing the 

prices in the Federal Register. The 

regulations also require ONRR to 

publish a due date for industry to pay 

additional royalties based on the major 

portion prices. This notice provides 

major portion prices for the 12 months 

of calendar year 2012. 

DATES: The due date to pay additional 

royalties based on the major portion 

prices is May 31, 2014. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Curry, Manager, Denver B, 

Western Audit & Compliance, ONRR; 

telephone (303) 231–3741; fax number 

(303) 231–3473; email Michael.Curry@

onrr.gov; or Rob Francoeur, Denver B, 

Team 2, Western Audit & Compliance, 

ONRR; telephone (303) 231–3723; fax 

(303) 231–3473; email Rob.Francoeur@

onrr.gov. Mailing address: Office of 

Natural Resources Revenue, Western 

Audit and Compliance Management, 

Denver B, P.O. Box 25165, MS 62520B, 

Denver, Colorado 80225–0165. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 

10, 1999, ONRR published a final rule 

titled ‘‘Amendments to Gas Valuation 

Regulations for Indian Leases’’ effective 

January 1, 2000 (64 FR 43506). The gas 

valuation regulations apply to all gas 

production from Indian (tribal or 

allotted) oil and gas leases, except leases 

on the Osage Indian Reservation. 

The regulations require ONRR to 

publish major portion prices for each 

designated area not associated with an 

index zone for each production month 

beginning January 2000, as well as the 

due date for additional royalty 

payments. See 30 CFR 1206.174(a)(4)(ii). 

If you owe additional royalties based on 

a published major portion price, you 

must submit to ONRR by the due date 

an amended Form ONRR–2014, Report 

of Sales and Royalty Remittance 

(formerly Form MMS–2014). If you do 

not pay the additional royalties by the 

due date, ONRR will bill you late 

payment interest under 30 CFR 1218.54. 

The interest will accrue from the due 

date until ONRR receives your payment 

and an amended Form ONRR–2014. The 

table below lists the major portion 

prices for all designated areas not 

associated with an index zone. The due 

date is the end of the month following 

60 days after the publication date of this 

notice. 

GAS MAJOR PORTION PRICES ($/MMBTU) FOR DESIGNATED AREAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH AN INDEX ZONE

ONRR-Designated areas Jan 

2012 

Feb 

2012 

Mar 

2012 

Apr 

2012 

Blackfeet Reservation ...................................................................................... 2.07 1.84 1.56 1.40 

Fort Belknap .................................................................................................... 4.58 4.44 4.17 4.15 

Fort Berthold .................................................................................................... 4.06 3.82 4.05 3.36 

Fort Peck Reservation ..................................................................................... 5.22 5.17 5.09 4.14 

Navajo Allotted Leases in the Navajo Reservation ......................................... 3.29 2.70 2.50 2.02 

Turtle Mountain Reservation ........................................................................... 4.40 4.57 4.85 4.06 

ONRR-Designated areas May 

2012 

Jun 

2012 

Jul 

2012 

Aug 

2012 

Blackfeet Reservation ...................................................................................... 1.65 1.52 1.90 1.88 

Fort Belknap .................................................................................................... 4.11 4.31 4.47 4.54 

Fort Berthold .................................................................................................... 2.85 2.36 2.68 2.96 

Fort Peck Reservation ..................................................................................... 4.27 3.69 4.30 4.36 

Navajo Allotted Leases in the Navajo Reservation ......................................... 2.09 2.52 2.64 2.83 

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