70478 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 219 / Monday, November 14, 2011 / Notices 

BOEM has a right to access geophysical 

data and information collected under a 

permit in the OCS. 

Every bidder submitting a bid on a 

block in Sale 218, or participating as a 

joint bidder in such a bid, must submit 

at the time of bid submission a 

Geophysical Data and Information 

Statement (GDIS) in a separate and 

sealed envelope, identifying any 

enhanced or reprocessed geophysical 

data and information generated or used 

as part of the decision to bid or 

participate in a bid on the block 

(including the use of Controlled Source 

Electromagnetics, Gravity, etc.). The 

data identified in the GDIS should 

clearly identify whether the data or 

information are multi-client 

(speculative) data sets available directly 

from geophysical contractors or 

exclusive (proprietary) data sets 

specially processed for or by bidders. In 

addition, the GDIS should clearly 

identify the data type (2–D or 3–D, prestack or post-stack and time or depth); 

areal extent (i.e., number of line miles 

for 2–D or number of blocks for 3–D) 

and migration algorithm (Wave 

Equation Migration, Reverse Time 

Migration, etc.) of the data and 

information. The statement must also 

include the name, phone number and 

full address of a contact person, and an 

alternate, who are both knowledgeable 

about the information and data listed 

and available for 30 days post-sale, the 

processing company, date processing 

was completed, owner of the original 

data set (who initially acquired the 

data), original data survey name and 

permit number. BOEM reserves the right 

to query about alternate data sets and to 

quality check and compare the listed 

and alternative data sets to determine 

which data set most closely meets the 

needs of the fair market value 

determination process. 

The statement must also identify each 

block upon which the bidder submitted 

a bid or participated as a partner in a 

bid, but for which it did not use 

enhanced or reprocessed pre- or poststack geophysical data and information 

as part of the decision to bid or to 

participate in the bid. The GDIS must be 

submitted, even if no enhanced 

geophysical data and information were 

used in bid preparation for the block. 

In the event a company supplies any 

type of data to BOEM, that company 

must meet the following requirements to 

qualify for reimbursement: 

1. The company must be registered 

with the Central Contractor Registration 

(CCR). The initial registration is valid 

for one year and must be updated 

annually thereafter. The Web site for 

registering is: http://www.ccr.gov. This 

is a requirement that was implemented 

on October 1, 2003, and requires all 

entities doing business with the 

Government to complete a business 

profile in the CCR. Payments are made 

electronically based on the banking 

information contained in the CCR. 

Therefore, if the company is not actively 

registered in the CCR, BOEM will not be 

able to reimburse or pay that company 

for any data supplied. 

2. Effective May 1, 2011, the 

Department of Interior is requiring all of 

its agencies and bureaus to use the 

Department of Treasury’s Internet 

Payment Platform (IPP) for electronic 

invoicing. The company must enroll at 

the IPP Web site if it has not already 

done so. Access will then be granted to 

use IPP for submitting requests for 

payment. When a request for payment is 

submitted, it must include the assigned 

Purchase Order Number on the request. 

3. In addition, the company must 

complete an on-line Representations 

and Certifications application at 

www.bpn.gov. Even though the 

company may have never provided this 

information previously, it must now do 

so in order to do business with the 

Government or receive reimbursement. 

Note: The GDIS Information Table can be 

submitted digitally on a CD or DVD as an 

Excel Spreadsheet. 

Force Majeure: The BOEM Regional 

Director of the GOM Region has the 

discretion to change any date, time, 

and/or location specified in the Final 

NOS 218 Package in case of a force 

majeure event that the RD deems may 

interfere with the carrying out of a fair 

and proper lease sale process. Such 

events may include, but are not limited 

to, natural disasters (earthquakes, 

hurricanes, and floods), wars, riots, and 

acts of terrorism, fire, strikes, civil 

disorder or other events of a similar 

nature. In case of such events, bidders 

should call (504) 736–0557 or access our 

Web site at: http://www.gomr.boem.gov 

for information about any changes. 

Dated: November 8, 2011. 

Tommy P. Beaudreau, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–29340 Filed 11–10–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS), Western 

Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas 

Lease Sale for the 2007–2012 5-Year 

OCS Program 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA). 

SUMMARY: BOEM has prepared a ROD on 

an oil and gas lease sale tentatively 

scheduled for December 14, 2011 for 

WPA Lease Sale 218, which is the final 

WPA lease sale in the 2007–2012 5-Year 

OCS Program. The proposed sale is in 

the GOM WPA off the States of Texas 

and Louisiana. In preparing its decision, 

BOEM considered alternatives to the 

Proposed Action and the impacts as 

presented in the Final Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 

and all comments received throughout 

the NEPA process. The Final SEIS 

updated the environmental and 

socioeconomic analyses for WPA Lease 

Sale 218, originally evaluated in the 

GOM OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 

2007–2012; WPA Sales 204, 207, 210, 

215, and 218; Central Planning Area 

(CPA) Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 

222, Final EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007– 

018) (Multisale EIS), completed in April 

2007 and updated the environmental 

and socioeconomic analyses for WPA 

Lease Sale 218 in the GOM OCS Oil and 

Gas Lease Sales: 2009–2012; CPA Sales 

208, 213, 216, and 222; WPA Sales 210, 

215, and 218; Final SEIS (OCS EIS/EA 

MMS 2008–041) (2009–2012 

Supplemental EIS), completed in 

September 2008. BOEM has selected the 

proposed action, identified as the 

Agency’s preferred alternative 

(Alternative A) in the Final SEIS, and 

will offer for lease all unleased blocks 

within the WPA for oil and gas 

operations, except whole and partial 

blocks within the boundary of the 

Flower Garden Banks National Marine 

Sanctuary and whole and partial blocks 

in the Western Gap buffer area. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 

18, 2010, the Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) was renamed the Bureau 

of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE). 

Effective October 1, 2011, BOEMRE was 

reorganized and separated into two 

separate bureaus, BOEM and the Bureau 

of Safety and Environmental 

Enforcement (BSEE). BOEM is 

responsible for managing development 

of the nation’s offshore resources in an 

environmentally and economically 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 219 / Monday, November 14, 2011 / Notices 70479 

responsible way. BOEM’s functions 

include: leasing, plan administration, 

environmental studies, NEPA analysis, 

resource evaluation, economic analysis, 

and renewable energy. BSEE is 

responsible for enforcing safety and 

environmental regulations. BSEE 

functions include: All field operations 

including permitting and inspections, 

research, offshore regulatory programs, 

oil spill response, and training and 

environmental compliance. 

BOEMRE developed the Final EIS for 

WPA Lease Sale 218 in order to 

consider new circumstances and 

information available since publication 

of the prior EIS’s or arising from, among 

other things, the Deepwater Horizon 

event and spill. In this Final EIS, 

BOEMRE evaluated three alternatives: 

Alternative A—The Proposed Action: 

This is the Agency’s preferred 

alternative. This alternative would offer 

for lease all unleased blocks within the 

WPA for oil and gas operations, except 

whole and partial blocks within the 

boundary of the Flower Garden Banks 

National Marine Sanctuary and whole 

and partial blocks in the Western Gap 

buffer area. The WPA sale area 

encompasses about 28.7 million acres. 

Approximately 18.3 million ac (64 

percent) of the WPA sale area is 

currently unleased. The estimated 

amount of resources projected to be 

developed as a result of the proposed 

WPA lease sale is 0.222–0.423 billion 

barrels of oil (BBO) and 1.495–2.647 

trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. 

Alternative B—The Proposed Action 

Excluding the Unleased Blocks Near 

Biologically Sensitive Topographic 

Features: This alternative would offer 

for lease all unleased blocks in the 

WPA, as described for the proposed 

action (Alternative A), with the 

exception of any unleased blocks 

subject to the Topographic Features 

Stipulation. 

Alternative C—No Action: This is the 

cancellation of the proposed WPA lease 

sale. The opportunity for development 

of the estimated 0.222–0.423 BBO and 

1.495–2.647 Tcf of gas that could have 

resulted from the proposed WPA lease 

sale would be precluded or postponed. 

Any potential environmental impacts 

resulting from the proposed lease sale 

would not occur or would be 

postponed. 

After careful consideration, BOEM 

has selected the proposed action, 

identified as the Agency’s preferred 

alternative (Alternative A) in the Final 

SEIS. BOEM’s selection of the preferred 

alternative reflects an orderly resource 

development with protection of the 

human, marine, and coastal 

environments while simultaneously 

ensuring that the public receives an 

equitable return for these resources and 

that free-market competition is 

maintained. 

Record of Decision Availability: To 

obtain a single printed or CD–ROM copy 

of the ROD for WPA Lease Sale 218, you 

may contact the BOEM, GOM OCS 

Region, Public Information Office (MS 

5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, 

Room 250, New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394 (1–800–200–GULF). An 

electronic copy of the ROD is available 

at the BOEM’s Internet Web site at 

http://www.gomr.boemre.gov/homepg/ 

regulate/environ/nepa/ 

nepaprocess.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more information on the ROD, you may 

contact Mr. Gary D. Goeke, BOEM, GOM 

OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park 

Boulevard (MS 5410), New Orleans, 

Louisiana 70123–2394. You may also 

contact Mr. Goeke by telephone at 

(504) 736–3233. 

Authority: This NOA is published 

pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR part 

1506) implementing the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. 

(1988)). 

Dated: November 8, 2011. 

Tommy P. Beaudreau, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–29343 Filed 11–10–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R2–ES–2010–N174; 20124–1112– 

0000–F2] 

Draft Environmental Assessment and 

Safe Harbor Agreement for the 

Houston Toad Within Nine Texas 

Counties 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of 

application. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Defense 

Fund (Applicant) has applied to the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) 

for an enhancement of survival permit 

pursuant to a section of the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended. The 

requested permit, which is for a period 

of 30 years, would authorize incidental 

take of the endangered Houston toad 

(Bufo houstonensis) as a result of 

conservation actions, land management, 

and other land-use activities. We invite 

the public to review and comment on 

the permit application and the 

associated draft Safe Harbor Agreement 

(Agreement). 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before January 13, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

or requests for copies or more 

information by any of the following 

methods. You may request hard copies 

or a CD–ROM of the documents. 

• Email: Edith_Erfling@fws.gov. 

Include ‘‘Clear Lake Ecological Services 

Field Office draft Houston Toad 

Programatic SHA/draft EA’’ in the 

subject line of the message. 

• Fax: [Attn: Field Supervisor], 

(281) 488–5882. 

• U.S. Mail: 17629 El Camino Real, 

Suite 211, Houston, Texas 77058. 

• In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or 

Pickup: Call (281) 286–8282 to make an 

appointment (necessary for view/pickup 

only) during regular business hours at 

17629 El Camino Real, Suite 211, 

Houston, Texas 77058. For more 

information on locations for viewing or 

obtaining documents, see ‘‘Public 

Availability of Documents’’ under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Marty Tuegel, at the Service’s 

Southwest Regional Office, P.O. Box 

1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103 

(505) 248–6651). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a 

Safe Harbor Agreement, participating 

property owners voluntarily undertake 

management activities to enhance, 

restore, or maintain habitat benefiting 

species listed under the Endangered 

Species Act. Safe Harbor Agreements 

encourage private and other non-Federal 

property owners to implement 

conservation efforts for listed species by 

assuring property owners they will not 

be subjected to increased property use 

restrictions as a result of increased 

target species abundance due to their 

efforts to improve conditions for listed 

species on their property. Application 

requirements and issuance criteria for 

enhancement of survival permits 

through Safe Harbor Agreements are 

found in 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. 

Non-Federal landowners within 

Austin, Bastrop, Burleson, Colorado, 

Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Milam, and 

Robertson Counties, Texas, may be 

enrolled under the proposed Agreement 

if it is approved by entering into a 

Cooperative Agreement with the 

Applicant. The Cooperative Agreement 

will include: (1) A map of the property 

and its legal location; (2) the portion of 

the property to be enrolled and its 

acreage; (3) a description of the habitat 

types that occur on the portion of the 

property to be enrolled, including 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES