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[Federal Register: October 5, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 192)]
[Notices]               
[Page 61511-61512]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05oc10-128]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

 
Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: 
Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, 
Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 
(BOEMRE), Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and 
Enforcement (BOEMRE) is giving notice of its intent to publish a 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Outer Continental Shelf 
(OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area, 
Alaska. This Supplementary EIS will provide new analysis in response to 
a remand by the United States District Court for the District of 
Alaska.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to Deborah 
Cranswick, Chief, Environmental Analysis Section I, Bureau of Ocean 
Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 
Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5820.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Cranswick, 907-334-5267.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Authority: The NOI is published pursuant to the regulations (40 
CFR 1508.22(b)) implementing the provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) 
(NEPA).
    2. Purpose of Notice of Intent: Pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 
1508.22) implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA, the BOEMRE is 
announcing its intent to prepare a Supplemental EIS for OCS Oil and Gas 
Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Alaska. The 
Supplemental EIS will supplement the analysis from the Lease Sale 193 
Final EIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-0026) by: (1) Analyzing the 
environmental impact of natural gas development; (2) determining 
whether missing information identified by BOEMRE is relevant or 
essential to the decisionmaking under 40 CFR 1502.22; and (3) 
determining whether the cost of obtaining the missing information is 
exorbitant, or the means of obtaining the information is unknown. The 
Final EIS for Sale 193 evaluated the potential effects of the proposed 
sale and three

[[Page 61512]]

alternatives, which included no action and two configurations to defer 
areas from leasing along the coast adjacent to the proposed sale area. 
The Final EIS evaluated the potential effects of exploration seismic 
surveying and drilling; oil development, production, and 
transportation; and accidental crude oil spills.
    3. Scoping: In accordance with 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), there will be 
no scoping conducted for this SEIS. The scope of the Final EIS for Sale 
193 and the remand by the United States District Court for the District 
of Alaska establish the scope for this SEIS. A Notice of Availability 
of the draft Supplemental EIS for public review and comment will be 
announced: (1) In the Federal Register by BOEMRE and the Environmental 
Protection Agency; (2) on the BOEMRE, Alaska OCS Region, homepage; and 
(3) in the local media. Public hearings will be held following release 
of the Draft Supplemental EIS. Dates and locations will be determined 
and published at a later date.
    4. Cooperating Agencies: The DOI policy is to invite other Federal 
agencies, and State, Tribal, and local governments to consider becoming 
cooperating agencies in the preparation of an EIS. Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations state that qualified agencies 
and governments are those with ``jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise.'' Potential cooperating agencies should consider their 
authority and capacity to assume the responsibilities of a cooperating 
agency. Cooperating agency status neither enlarges nor diminishes the 
final decisionmaking authority of any agency involved in the NEPA 
process. The BOEMRE invites qualified government entities to inquire 
about cooperating agency status for this Supplemental EIS. Upon 
request, the BOEMRE will provide qualified cooperating agencies with a 
written summary of ground rules for cooperating agencies, including 
time schedules and critical action dates, milestones, responsibilities, 
scope and detail of cooperating agencies' contributions, and handling 
of pre-decisional information. The BOEMRE anticipates this summary will 
form the basis for a Memorandum of Understanding between the BOEMRE and 
each cooperating agency. You should also consider the CEQ's ``Factors 
for Determining Cooperating Agency Status.'' This document is available 
on the CEQ Web site at: http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagencymemofactors.html. Even if your organization is not a 
cooperating agency, you will have an opportunity to provide information 
and comments to BOEMRE during the comment phase of the NEPA/EIS 
process. Additional information may be found at the following Web site: 
http://alaska.boemre.gov.

    Dated: September 28, 2010.
Robert P. LaBelle,
Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 2010-25038 Filed 10-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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