4116 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

1 85 FR 55859, September 10, 2020. 

developed the approved amendments to 

the RMPs in close coordination with the 

Service and cooperating agencies, using 

input from the public, stakeholder 

groups, State and local government 

entities, and American Indian tribes. 

The BLM and the Service prepared an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) in 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to 

analyze the environmental impacts 

associated with the proposed action and 

the alternatives. Additionally, the BLM 

consulted with the Service to meet the 

requirements in Section 7 of the ESA. A 

biological opinion was issued by the 

Service to the BLM on January 12, 2021, 

and determined that the ROW and 

approved amendments to the RMPs are 

not likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of the Mojave desert tortoise 

in the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit 

and range-wide and that they are not 

likely to destroy or adversely modify 

designated critical habitat for the desert 

tortoise. Pursuant to section 10 of the 

ESA, the Service issued an intra-agency 

biological opinion on January 12, 2021, 

which determined that the ITP is not 

likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of the Mojave desert tortoise, 

Holmgren milkvetch, Shivwits 

milkvetch, dwarf bear-poppy, Siler 

pincushion cactus, Gierisch mallow, 

and Fickeisen plains cactus or result in 

the adverse modification of critical 

habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise, 

Holmgren milkvetch, Shivwits 

milkvetch, Gierisch mallow, or 

Fickeisen plains cactus. The agencies 

also consulted with the Utah State 

Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and 

consulting parties as part of the Section 

106 review process under the National 

Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The 

BLM determined, and SHPO concurred, 

that the ROW will result in adverse 

effects to historic properties and that the 

amendments to the Red Cliffs NCA and 

St. George Field Office RMPs will result 

in no adverse effects to historic 

properties. For the ITP, the Service 

cannot fully determine the effects to 

historic properties prior to issuance of 

the ITP and has worked with the SHPO 

and other consulting parties to develop 

a programmatic agreement, as 

authorized by 36 CFR 800.14(b). The 

programmatic agreement defines a 

process to evaluate and address any 

adverse effects to historic properties 

related to actions by Washington County 

on a case-by-case basis throughout the 

term of the ITP. The final programmatic 

agreement for the ITP was signed on 

December 15, 2020. 

The formal public scoping process 

began on December 5, 2019, with the 

publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) 

in the Federal Register (84 FR 66692), 

which initiated a 30-day public scoping 

period. The Notice of Availability 

(NOA) for the Draft EIS and 

Amendments to the RMPs, Notice of 

ESA Section 10(a)(1)(B) permit 

application, and NOI announcing a 

concurrent public comment period for 

the proposed permanent closure of 

recreational target shooting within the 

proposed Reserve Zone 6 area were 

published on June 12, 2020 (85 FR 

35950), which initiated a 90-day public 

comment period. 

On November 13, 2020, the BLM 

published the NOA for the Final EIS 

and Proposed Amendments to the RMPs 

(85 FR 72683), initiating a 30-day 

protest period and a concurrent 

Governor’s consistency review of up to 

60 days. During the protest period for 

the Proposed Amendments to the RMPs, 

the BLM received 18 protest letters. All 

protests were resolved prior to the 

issuance of the RODs. For a full 

description of the issues raised during 

the protest period and how they were 

addressed, please refer to the BLM 

Protest Resolution Report, which is 

available online at https://www.blm.gov/ 

programs/planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/protest-resolution-reports. 

The Governor of Utah reviewed the 

Final EIS and Proposed Amendments to 

the RMPs and did not identify any 

inconsistencies with State or local 

plans, policies, or programs. Finally, in 

compliance with the John D. Dingell, Jr. 

Conservation, Management, and 

Recreation Act of 2019, Public Law 116– 

9, 16 U.S.C. 7913, and 43 CFR 8364.1, 

the NOA for the Draft EIS and Draft 

Amendments to the RMPs included an 

NOI announcing a concurrent 90-day 

public comment period regarding the 

proposed closure of recreational target 

shooting on BLM-administered lands 

within Reserve Zone 6. Based on issues 

analyzed in the EIS and feedback 

received during the target shooting 

comment period, protest period, 

government-to-government 

consultation, section 106 (NHPA) and 

section 7 (ESA) consultation, and 

Governor’s consistency review, the BLM 

approved amendments to the St. George 

Field Office RMP, which includes a 

closure to recreational target shooting 

on BLM-administered lands within 

Reserve Zone 6. 

Authority: Consistent with 40 CFR 1506.13 

(2020), this notice and the EIS are issued 

under previous NEPA regulations: 40 CFR 

1505.2; 40 CFR 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10; and 

43 CFR 1610.2. The BLM also provides this 

notice under 43 CFR 8364.1 and 16 U.S.C. 

7913. The Service also provides this notice 

under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.) and its implementing 

regulations for incidental take permits (50 

CFR 17.22). 

Gregory Sheehan, 

State Director. 

Noreen Walsh, 

Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00652 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2021–0003] 

Notice of Availability of the Area 

Identification for the Proposed Cook 

Inlet Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Interior. 

ACTION: Area identification. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM) announces the 

availability of the Area Identification 

(Area ID) for the proposed Cook Inlet 

Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258 (Cook Inlet 

Lease Sale 258) in the available northern 

portions of the Cook Inlet Planning 

Area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patricia LaFramboise, Supervisor of 

Leasing and Plans, Alaska Regional 

Office, 907–334–5271, 

patricia.laframboise@boem.gov or 

Wright Jay Frank, Chief, Leasing Policy 

and Management Division, 703–787– 

1325, wright.frank@boem.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

January 17, 2017, the Secretary of the 

Interior approved the 2017–2022 

National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2017– 

2022 National OCS Program), which 

included Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 

scheduled in 2021. Details of the 2017– 

2022 National OCS Program can be 

found at https://www.boem.gov/ 

National-OCS-Program/. In accordance 

with 30 CFR 556.301, BOEM published 

a Call for Information and Nominations 

(Call) 1 on the area identified in the 

2017–2022 National OCS Program for 

the proposed Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258. 

The Call solicited industry nominations 

for areas of leasing interest and sought 

comments and information from the 

public on the areas being considered. 

BOEM analyzed the comments received 

in response to the Call and identified 

the areas that warranted further leasing 

consideration and analyses of the 

proposed sale’s potential leasing effects 

on the human, marine, and coastal 

environments. This Area ID is not a 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 4117 

decision to lease and is not a 

prejudgment by the Department of the 

Interior to proceed with proposed Cook 

Inlet Lease Sale 258. A decision to lease 

must be preceded by a number of steps, 

including, but not limited to, 

completion of environmental analyses, 

opportunities for the State of Alaska and 

other interested parties to comment, and 

issuance of Proposed and Final Notices 

of Sale. 

The Area ID is available for viewing 

and downloading on BOEM’s website at 

http://www.boem.gov/ak258. It also may 

be obtained from the Alaska Regional 

Office, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, 

Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503– 

5820; telephone: 907–334–5200. 

Authority: This Area ID is published 

pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf 

Lands Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331– 

1356), and the implementing regulation at 30 

CFR 556.302. 

Walter D. Cruickshank, 

Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00777 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2020–0018] 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

on the Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM) announces the 

availability of the Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the 

proposed Cook Inlet Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258. 

This notice marks the start of the public 

review and comment period and serves 

to announce public hearings on the 

Draft EIS. After the public hearings and 

written comments on the Draft EIS have 

been reviewed and considered, a Final 

EIS will be prepared. The Draft EIS and 

associated information, including the 

Exploration, Development and 

Production, and Decommissioning 

Scenario (E&D Scenario) are available 

for review on the agency’s website at 

https://www.boem.gov/ak258. 

DATES: Comments are due by March 1, 

2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amee Howard, project manager, at 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Alaska Regional Office, 3801 

Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, 

Anchorage, Alaska 99503–5823, or at 

telephone number (907) 334–5200. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

January 17, 2017, the Secretary of the 

Interior approved the ‘‘Proposed Final 

2017–2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil 

and Gas Leasing Program’’ (National 

Program). The National Program 

includes proposed Lease Sale 258. 

Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of 

Alaska to Anchorage in south-central 

Alaska. The proposed lease sale would 

offer for lease all available OCS blocks 

in the northern portion of the Cook Inlet 

Planning Area. The proposed lease sale 

area comprises 224 OCS blocks, which 

covers an area of approximately 1.09 

million acres. 

On September 10, 2020, BOEM 

published in the Federal Register the 

notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS 

in support of Lease Sale 258. 

Publication of the NOI opened a public 

comment period that extended through 

October 13, 2020. In September 2020, 

BOEM held a series of public scoping 

meetings for the EIS. The comments 

received during the public scoping 

period were used to inform the scope 

and content of this Draft EIS. 

Proposed action: The proposed action 

addressed in the Draft EIS is to conduct 

an oil and gas lease sale on portions of 

the Cook Inlet OCS Planning Area. 

Proposed Lease Sale 258 would provide 

qualified bidders the opportunity to bid 

on OCS lease blocks in Cook Inlet to 

gain conditional rights to explore, 

develop, and produce oil and natural 

gas. 

The Draft EIS analyzes the potential 

direct, indirect, and cumulative 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

lease sale on the physical, biological, 

and human environments in the Cook 

Inlet area. See 40 CFR 1508.8 (2019 ed.). 

The Draft EIS describes a hypothetical 

scenario of exploration, development, 

production, and decommissioning 

activities that could result from the 

proposed lease sale and analyzes the 

potential impacts of those activities on 

the environment. The Draft EIS also 

analyzes reasonable alternatives to the 

proposed action. In addition to the 

Proposed Action and the No Action 

Alternative, BOEM analyzed three 

alternatives consistent with internal 

agency scoping, past public input from 

National Programs and previous lease 

sales, and comments received during 

the scoping period following 

publication of the NOI in September 

2020 to prepare an EIS. The three 

alternatives address potential impacts to 

the Cook Inlet Distinct Population 

Segment (DPS) of the beluga whale, the 

Southwest Alaska DPS of the northern 

sea otter, and the Cook Inlet drift gillnet 

fishery. 

The proposed lease sale area defers 

certain areas from consideration due to 

potential conflicts with resources of 

high ecological and subsistence value. 

These deferred areas include: (1) The 

majority of the designated critical 

habitat for beluga whale and northern 

sea otter, and all of the critical habitat 

for Stellar seas lions and the North 

Pacific right whale, that are located 

within the Planning Area; (2) a buffer 

between the area considered for leasing 

and the Katmai National Park and 

Preserve, the Kodiak National Wildlife 

Refuge, and the Alaska Maritime 

National Wildlife Refuge; and (3) many 

of the subsistence use areas for the 

Native Villages of Nanwalek, Seldovia, 

and Port Graham identified during the 

Cook Inlet Lease Sale 191 process. 

In this Draft EIS, BOEM has examined 

the potential environmental effects of 

activities that could result from the 

Lease Sale 258 proposed action along 

with several alternatives. The Draft EIS 

is based on BOEM estimates of the 

potential oil and gas resources in the 

proposed lease sale area and an 

associated scenario that estimates a 

range of potential oil and gas activities, 

including exploration, seismic 

surveying, on-lease ancillary activities, 

exploration and delineation drilling, 

development, production, and 

decommissioning. 

Comment Submission: The public and 

all interested parties, including Federal, 

state, tribal, and local governments or 

agencies, are invited to submit written 

comments on the Draft EIS and 

associated information, including the 

E&D Scenario, through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. In the field 

entitled ‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter 

‘‘BOEM–2020–0018,’’ and then click 

‘‘search.’’ Follow the instructions to 

submit comments and view supporting 

and related materials available for this 

notice. 

BOEM does not accept anonymous 

comments. Name and contact 

information are required to submit 

comments on the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal. Before including your address, 

phone number, email address or other 

personal identifying information within 

the body of your comment, you should 

be aware that your entire comment, 

including your personal identifying 

information, may be made publicly 

available at any time. While you can ask 

BOEM in your comment to withhold 

your personal identifying information