Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 247 / Monday, December 27, 2004 / Notices 77265

All meetings are open to the public. 

The public may present written 

comments to the Council. Each formal 

Council meeting will also have time 

allocated for hearing public comments. 

Depending on the number of persons 

wishing to comment and time available, 

the time for individual oral comments 

may be limited. Individuals who plan to 

attend and need special assistance, such 

as sign language interpretation, tour 

transportation or other reasonable 

accommodations, should contact the 

BLM as provided below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Howell, RAC Coordinator, Idaho 

Falls District, 1405 Hollipark Dr., Idaho 

Falls, ID 83401. Telephone (208) 524–

7559. Email: David_Howell@blm.gov.

Dated: December 17, 2004. 

LeRoy Cook, 

Associate District Manager.

[FR Doc. 04–28143 Filed 12–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska 

OCS Region, Cook Inlet Oil and Gas 

Sale 199, May 2006

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service 

(MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI) 

and Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an 

Environmental Assessment. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary’s approved 5-

Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program 

for 2002–2007 provides for two sales, 

Sales 191 and 199, to be held in the 

Cook Inlet program area. An 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

that covered both sales was prepared. 

For Sale 199 an Environmental 

Assessment will be prepared and, if 

significant effects are found, a 

supplemental EIS will also be written. 

In addition, a federal consistency 

determination (CD) under the Coastal 

Zone Management Act will be prepared, 

as well as a proposed and final notice 

of sale. 

The RFI and a NOI to prepare an EIS 

for Sales 191 and 199 was published in 

the Federal Register on December 31, 

2001, at 66 FR 67543. The Cook Inlet 

final EIS for Sales 191 and 199 was 

released in November 2003 (OCS EIS/

EA, MMS 2003–055). The first sale, Sale 

191, was held on May 19, 2004; 

however, the sale received no bids. The 

MMS is now initiating a Request for 

Information for Cook Inlet Sale 199.

COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on the RFI 

and on the NOI must be received no 

later than 45 days following publication 

of this document in the Federal 

Register. If you wish to comment, you 

may submit your comments by any one 

of the following methods: 

• You may mail comments to the 

Alaska OCS Region, Minerals 

Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint 

Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 

99503, in envelopes labeled ‘‘Attn: 

Comments on Request for Information 

for Cook Inlet Sale 199’’ or ‘‘Attn: 

Comments on Notice of Intent to 

Prepare an Environmental Assessment 

for Cook Inlet Sale 199,’’ as appropriate. 

• You may fax your comments to 

MMS at (907) 334–5242. 

• You may also comment using 

Public Connect at: https://

ocsconnect.mms.gov/pcs-public.

• Finally, you may hand-deliver 

comments weekdays between 8 AM and 

5 PM to the Alaska OCS Region, 

Minerals Management Service, 3801 

Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, 

Anchorage, Alaska 99503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please contact Fred King at (907) 334–

5271 in MMS’s Alaska OCS Region 

regarding questions on the RFI/NOI to 

prepare an Environmental Assessment.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

environmental analysis for Sale 199 will 

focus primarily on new issues that may 

have arisen since the completion of the 

EIS for Sales 191 and 199 (November 

2003). A consistency determination will 

be prepared for the sale and will include 

analysis of any approved changes that 

may have occurred in the State’s coastal 

management plan. The process will lead 

to identification of the area to be 

included in the proposed Notice of Sale. 

Each of these steps, including the 

proposed Notice of Sale, provides for a 

public review period. At the 

culmination of each step and after 

analysis of any public comments, the 

MMS will decide whether to proceed to 

the next step. This process will: 

• Focus the environmental analysis 

on impact types and levels that may 

have changed since the analysis was 

done for Sale 191; 

• Clearly highlight any new issues for 

the public; 

• Eliminate the need for costly 

preparation and public review of a 

repetitive, voluminous new EIS for Sale 

199; and 

• Result in a more efficient and 

responsive application of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

The MMS will analyze all comments 

received in response to this RFI and reexamine information previously 

submitted in response to the Call and 

the draft and final EISs for Sales 191 

and 199. The MMS will then identify 

the issues to be analyzed in the NEPA 

document. 

This RFI does not indicate a decision 

to lease in the area described below. 

Final delineation of the areas for 

possible leasing will be made after 

completion of the pre-sale steps 

described above and in compliance with 

the current 5-year program and 

applicable laws, including all 

requirements of the NEPA and the OCS 

Lands Act. 

Request for Information 

1. Authority 

This RFI is published pursuant to the 

OCS Lands Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 

1331–1356, (1994)) (OCS Lands Act), 

and the regulations issued thereunder 

(30 CFR 256); and in accordance with 

the 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing 

Program 2002 to 2007. 

2. Purpose of Request 

The purpose of the RFI is to gather 

information for Oil and Gas Lease Sale 

199 in the Cook Inlet, scheduled for 

May 2006. Information on oil and gas 

leasing, exploration, and development 

and production within the Cook Inlet 

are sought from all interested parties. 

This early planning and consultation 

step is important for ensuring that all 

interests and concerns are 

communicated to the Department of the 

Interior for decisions in the leasing 

process.

The Call for Information and 

Nominations published in the Federal 

Register on December 31, 2001, 

requested information and nominations 

from industry for Sales 191 and 199 in 

the Cook Inlet Planning Area. The MMS 

will use the information submitted in 

response to that Call and any new 

information submitted in response to 

this RFI to determine the area that will 

be included in a NEPA analysis. The 

public need not re-submit comments 

sent in response to the multiple-sale 

Call. A company need not re-submit its 

areas of interest if its comments or 

indications of interest have not changed 

since that time. This request seeks to 

identify new concerns and new areas of 

interest to industry. 

3. Description of Area 

The area covered by this RFI is 

located offshore the State of Alaska in 

the Cook Inlet Planning Area. This area 

consists of approximately 517 whole 

and partial blocks (about 2.5 million 

acres). A page-size map of the area 

accompanies this Notice. A large scale 

RFI map showing the boundaries of the 

area on a block-by-block basis is 

77266 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 247 / Monday, December 27, 2004 / Notices 

available without charge from the 

Records Manager at the address given 

below, or by telephone request at (907) 

334–5207 or 1–800–764–2627. Copies of 

Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs) are 

also available at the following location: 

Alaska OCS Region, Minerals 

Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint 

Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska, 

99503. 

In addition, the OPDs are available on 

the MMS Web site at http://

www.mms.gov/ld/alaska.htm.

4. Instructions on Request for 

Information 

The RFI map delineates the area that 

is the subject of this request. 

Respondents are requested to indicate 

interest in and comment on any or all 

of the Federal acreage within the 

boundaries of the RFI area that they 

wish to have included in Cook Inlet Sale 

199. Comments should be sent to the 

Regional Supervisor, Leasing and 

Environment, Alaska OCS Region, at the 

address or Public Connect Web site as 

stated above in the comment period 

section. 

Our practice is to make comments, 

including names and addresses of 

respondents, available for public review 

during regular business hours. 

Individual respondents may request that 

we withhold their address from the 

rulemaking record, which we will honor 

to the extent allowable by law. Under 

some circumstances, MMS may 

withhold a respondent’s identity, as 

allowable by law. If you wish 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. 

A. Areas of Interest to the Oil and Gas 

Industry 

The MMS requests industry to submit 

any new information, including 

nomination of blocks that are of 

significant interest for exploration and 

development and production. 

Information and nominations submitted 

in response to the multiple-sale Call for 

Sales 191 and 199, published on 

December 31, 2001 (66 FR 67543), will 

also be considered as information and 

nominations for the Sale 199 area 

identification process. 

Nominations must be depicted on the 

RFI map by outlining the area(s) of 

interest along block lines. Nominators 

are asked to submit a list of whole and 

partial blocks nominated (by OPD and 

block number) to facilitate correct 

interpretation of their nominations on 

the Request for Information map. 

Although the identities of those 

submitting nominations become a 

matter of public record, the individual 

nominations are proprietary 

information. 

Nominators also are requested to rank 

blocks nominated according to priority 

of interest [e.g., priority 1 (high), or 2 

(medium)]. Blocks nominated that do 

not indicate priorities will be 

considered priority 3 (low). Nominators 

must be specific in indicating blocks by 

priority and be prepared to discuss their 

range of interest and activity regarding 

the nominated area(s). The telephone 

number and name of a person to contact 

in the nominator’s organization for 

additional information should be 

included in the response. This person 

will be contacted to set up a mutually 

agreeable time and place for a meeting 

with the Alaska OCS Regional Office to 

present their views regarding the 

company’s nominations. 

B. Relation to Coastal Management 

Plans 

Comments also are sought on 

potential conflicts with approved local 

coastal management plans that may 

result from the sale and future OCS oil 

and gas activities. These comments 

should identify specific coastal 

management plan policy of concern, the 

nature of the conflicts foreseen, and 

steps that MMS could take to avoid or 

mitigate the potential conflicts. 

Comments may be in terms of broad 

areas or restricted to particular blocks of 

concern. Commenters are requested to 

list block numbers or outline the subject 

area on the large-scale RFI map. 

5. Use of Information From the Request 

for Information 

Information submitted in response to 

this RFI will be used for several 

purposes. Responses will be used to: 

• Help to further identify areas of 

potential oil and gas development; 

• Identify environmental effects and 

potential use conflicts not previously 

addressed in the Final EIS and 

Consistency Determination for Sales 191 

and 199 (OCS EIS/EA, MMS 2003–055);

• Develop any additional lease terms 

and conditions/mitigating measures that 

may be necessary; and 

• Identify any potential conflicts 

between oil and gas activities and the 

Alaska coastal management plan not 

addressed in the Consistency 

Determination for Sale 191. 

6. Existing Information 

The MMS has acquired a substantial 

amount of information, including that 

gained through the use of traditional 

knowledge, on the issues and concerns 

related to oil and gas leasing in the Cook 

Inlet. 

An extensive environmental, social, 

and economic studies program has been 

underway in this area since 1975. The 

emphasis has been on geologic 

mapping, environmental 

characterization of biologically sensitive 

habitats, endangered whales and marine 

mammals, physical oceanography, 

ocean-circulation modeling, and 

ecological and socio-cultural effects of 

oil and gas activities. 

Information on the studies program, 

completed studies, and a program status 

report for continuing studies in this area 

is available on the MMS Web site http:

//www.mms.gov/alaska, or may be 

obtained from the Chief, Environmental 

Studies Section, Alaska OCS Region, by 

telephone request at (907) 334–5230, or 

by written request at the address stated 

under Description of Area. A request 

may also be made via the Alaska OCS 

Region Web site at http://

www.mms.gov/alaska/ref/pubindex/

pubsindex.htm.

7. Tentative Schedule 

The following is a list of tentative 

milestone dates applicable to Cook Inlet 

Sale 199 covered by this RFI:

Request for Information published—

December 2004

Area Identification—February 2005

National Environmental Policy Act/

Environmental Assessment Review 

(or Supplemental EIS) published—

October 2005

Proposed Notice and Consistency 

Determination—December 2005

Final Notice of Sale—April 2006

Tentative Sale Date—May 2006

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Analysis 

1. Authority 

The NOI is published pursuant to the 

regulations (40 CFR 1501.7) 

implementing the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 as amended [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.

(1988)]. 

2. Purpose of Notice of Intent 

Pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 

1501.7) implementing the procedural 

provisions of the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), MMS is 

announcing its intent to prepare an 

environmental assessment for Cook Inlet 

Oil and Gas Lease Sale 199, scheduled 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 247 / Monday, December 27, 2004 / Notices 77267

for May 2006. The environmental 

assessment will be prepared to 

determine if significant new issues or 

impacts not previously addressed in the 

EIS for Sales 191 and 199 have arisen. 

If no significant new issues or impacts 

are identified, a Finding of No New 

Significant Impacts will be issued. If 

information is submitted in response to 

this Request for Information or found by 

MMS analysts that identifies 

environmentally significant new issues 

and/or impacts not previously 

addressed, a supplemental EIS may be 

prepared. 

3. Instructions on Notice of Intent 

Federal, State, Tribal, and local 

governments and other interested 

parties are requested to send their 

written comments on new information 

and issues that should be addressed in 

the environmental assessment to the 

Regional Supervisor, Leasing and 

Environment, Alaska OCS Region, at the 

address or Public Connect Web site as 

stated above in the comment period 

section.

Dated: December 13, 2004. 

Johnnie Burton, 

Director, Minerals Management Service.

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

77268 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 247 / Monday, December 27, 2004 / Notices 

[FR Doc. 04–28102 Filed 12–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–C


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