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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 42 (Monday, March 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14116-14117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04963]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Eastern 
Planning Area (EPA) Lease Sale 225 and 226, Oil and Gas Lease Sales

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA) of the draft environmental impact 
statement (EIS) and public meetings.

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    Authority:  This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations 
(40 CFR part 1503) implementing the provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 432

SUMMARY: BOEM has prepared a Draft EIS on oil and gas lease sales 
tentatively scheduled in 2014 and 2016 in the EPA offshore the States 
of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Under the Proposed 
Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 
(Five-Year Program), two annual lease sales are scheduled for the EPA. 
The proposed EPA lease sales are Lease Sales 225 and 226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS provides information on the 
baseline conditions and potential environmental effects of oil and 
natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in this 
area of the EPA. The Draft EIS incorporates by reference the Gulf of 
Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012-2017; Western Planning Area 
Lease Sales 229, 233, 238, 246, and 248; Central Planning Area Lease 
Sales 227, 231, 235, 241, and 247, Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(2012-2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS; OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2012-019). The Draft 
EIS tiers from the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 
2012-2017 Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Subject-
matter experts surveyed scientific journals and available scientific 
data, gathered information, and interviewed personnel from academic 
institutions and Federal, State, and local agencies. BOEM also 
conducted an extensive search for new information in consideration of 
the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil spill, and cleanup. BOEM has 
examined the potential impacts of routine activities and accidental 
events associated with the proposed lease sales, and the incremental 
contribution of the proposed lease sales to the cumulative impacts on 
environmental and socioeconomic resources. The Draft EIS also includes 
an analysis of a low-probability catastrophic spill in Appendix B. The 
oil and gas resource estimates and scenario information for this Draft 
EIS are presented as a range that would encompass the resources and 
activities estimated for an EPA proposed lease sale.
    Draft EIS Availability: BOEM has printed and will be distributing a 
limited number of paper copies. In keeping with the Department of the 
Interior's mission to protect natural resources and to limit costs 
while ensuring availability of the document to the public, BOEM will 
primarily

[[Page 14117]]

distribute digital copies of this Draft EIS on compact discs. However, 
if you require a paper copy, BOEM will provide one upon request if 
copies are still available.
    1. You may obtain a copy of the Draft EIS from the Bureau of Ocean 
Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public Information Office 
(GM 250I), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 250, New Orleans, 
Louisiana 70123-2394 (1-800-200-GULF).
    2. You may download or view the Draft EIS on BOEM's Internet Web 
site at http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx.
    Several libraries along the Gulf Coast have been sent copies of the 
Draft EIS. To find out which libraries have copies of the Draft EIS for 
review, you may contact BOEM's Public Information Office or visit 
BOEM's Internet Web site at http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/NEPA/nepaprocess.aspx.
    Comments: Federal, State, and local government agencies and other 
interested parties are requested to send their written comments on the 
Draft EIS in one of the following ways:
    1. In an envelope labeled ``Comments on the EPA 225/226 Draft EIS'' 
and mailed (or hand carried) to Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Chief, Regional 
Assessment Section, Office of Environment (GM 623E), Bureau of Ocean 
Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.
    2. Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to http://www.regulations.gov and search for ``Oil and Gas Lease Sales: Gulf of 
Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf; Eastern Planning Area Lease Sales 225 
and 226''. (Note: It is important to include the quotation marks in 
your search terms.) Click on the ``Comment Now!'' button to the right 
of the document link. Enter your information and comment, then click 
``Submit''.
    3. BOEM email address: boemegomeis@BOEM.gov.
    Comments should be submitted no later than 45 days from the 
publication of this NOA.
    Public Meetings: BOEM will hold public meetings to obtain comments 
regarding the Draft EIS. These meetings are scheduled as follows:
     Tallahassee, Florida: Tuesday, March 26, 2013, Hilton 
Garden Inn Tallahassee Central, 1330 Blairstone Road, Tallahassee, 
Florida 32301; one meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT;
     Panama City Beach, Florida: Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 
Wyndham Bay Point Resort, 4114 Jan Cooley Drive, Panama City Beach, 
Florida; two meetings, the first beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT and the 
second beginning at 6:00 p.m. CDT;
     Mobile, Alabama: Thursday, March 28, 2013, Five Rivers--
Alabama's Delta Resource Center, 30945 Five Rivers Boulevard, Spanish 
Fort, Alabama; one meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT;
     Gulfport, Mississippi: Friday, March 29, 2013, Courtyard 
by Marriott Gulfport Beachfront MS Hotel, 1600 East Beach Boulevard, 
Gulfport, Mississippi; one meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT; and
     New Orleans, Louisiana: Monday, April 1, 2013, Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 
Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana; one meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. 
CDT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the Draft EIS, 
you may contact Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Office of Environment (GM 623E), 1201 
Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 or by email 
at boemegomeis@BOEM.gov. You may also contact Mr. Goeke by telephone at 
(504) 736-3233.

Public Disclosure of Names and Addresses

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that 
your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, 
may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in 
your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying 
information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: February 25, 2013.
Tommy P. Beaudreau,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2013-04963 Filed 3-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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