7228 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / Notices 

construct a meteorological tower and 

associated structures on its leasehold 

(equivalent to structures and devices 

requiring SAP approval). BOEMRE is 

requesting comment on the reasonably 

foreseeable environmental effects 

associated with issuing a commercial 

lease in this area and with the lessee 

conducting additional site 

characterization activities on such a 

lease. 

Maryland: The proposed area offshore 

Maryland is made up of 29 whole OCS 

blocks and 4 partial blocks. The entire 

area is approximately 207 square 

nautical miles; 175,069 acres; or 70,848 

hectares. The western edge is 

approximately 10 nautical miles from 

the Ocean City, Maryland coast, and the 

eastern edge is approximately 27 

nautical miles from the Ocean City, 

Maryland coast. 

Virginia: The proposed area offshore 

Virginia is made up of 22 OCS lease 

blocks and 5 partial blocks. The Western 

edge of the area is approximately 20 

nautical miles from Virginia Beach, and 

the Eastern edge is approximately 37 

nautical miles from Virginia Beach. The 

entire area is approximately 165 square 

nautical miles; 139,855 acres; or 56,597 

hectares. 

A map of the WEAs described above 

is available on the BOEMRE website at 

http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/ 

RenewableEnergy/. In 2010, BOEMRE 

began publishing Requests for Interest 

and Calls for Information for the areas 

above pursuant to 30 CFR 285.210–211 

of the Competitive Lease Process. As a 

result of comments received on these 

notices and the analysis in the Regional 

EA, the WEAs offshore New Jersey, 

Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia may 

be further refined or modified. In 

addition, it may become appropriate to 

analyze one or more WEAs in separate 

EAs. 

4. Cooperating Agencies 

BOEMRE invites other Federal 

agencies and State, tribal, and local 

governments to consider becoming 

cooperating agencies in the preparation 

of the Regional EA. The Council of 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

regulations implementing the 

procedural provisions of NEPA define 

cooperating agencies as those with 

‘‘jurisdiction by law or special expertise’’ 

(40 CFR 1508.5). Potential cooperating 

agencies should consider their authority 

and capacity to assume the 

responsibilities of a cooperating agency 

and to remember that an agency’s role 

in the environmental analysis neither 

enlarges nor diminishes the final 

decisionmaking authority of any other 

agency involved in the NEPA process. 

Upon request, BOEMRE will provide 

potential cooperating agencies with a 

draft Memorandum of Agreement that 

includes a schedule with critical action 

dates and milestones, mutual 

responsibilities, designated points of 

contact, and expectations for handling 

predecisional information. Agencies 

should also consider the ‘‘Factors for 

Determining Cooperating Agency 

Status’’ in Attachment 1 to CEQ’s 

January 30, 2002, Memorandum for the 

Heads of Federal Agencies: Cooperating 

Agencies in Implementing the 

Procedural Requirements of the NEPA. 

A copy of this document is available at 

http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ 

cooperating/ 

cooperatingagenciesmemorandum.html 

and http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ 

cooperating/ 

cooperatingagencymemofactors.html. 

BOEMRE, as the lead agency, will not 

provide financial assistance to 

cooperating agencies. Even if an 

organization is not a cooperating 

agency, opportunities will exist to 

provide information and comments to 

BOEMRE during the normal public 

input phases of the NEPA/EA process. 

5. Comments 

Federal, state, local government 

agencies, Tribal governments, and other 

interested parties are requested to send 

their written comments on BOEMRE’s 

scoping of the Regional EA (including 

important issues, alternatives related to 

lease issuance, and site assessment 

activities that should be addressed) in 

one of the following ways: 

1. Electronically: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. In the entry titled 

‘‘Enter Keyword or ID,’’ enter BOEM– 

2010–0077, then click search. Follow 

the instructions to submit public 

comments and view supporting and 

related materials available for this 

document. 

2. In written form, delivered by hand 

or by mail, enclosed in an envelope 

labeled ‘‘Comments on Mid Atlantic 

WEA Regional EA’’ to Program Manager, 

Office of Offshore Alternative Energy 

Programs (MS 4090), Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, 

Herndon, Virginia 20170. Comments 

should be submitted no later than 

March 11, 2011. 

Dated: January 27, 2011, 

L. Renee Orr, 

Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy 

and Minerals Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–2774 Filed 2–8–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–W–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), 

Western and Central Planning Areas of 

the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Oil and Gas 

Lease Sales for 2012–2017 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and Notice of Scoping Meetings. 

1. Authority 

This Notice of Intent (NOI) and notice 

of scoping meetings is published 

pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 

1501.7) implementing the provisions of 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq. (1988)). 

2. Purpose of Notice of Intent 

Pursuant to the regulations 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of NEPA, BOEMRE is announcing its 

intent to prepare an EIS on the 

2012–2017 oil and gas leasing proposals 

in the Western and Central Planning 

Areas of the GOM, off the States of 

Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

Alabama. The NOI also serves to 

announce the scoping process for this 

EIS. Throughout the scoping process, 

Federal, State, and local government 

agencies, and other interested parties 

have the opportunity to aid BOEMRE in 

determining the significant issues and 

alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS. 

BOEMRE will use and coordinate the 

NEPA commenting process to satisfy the 

public involvement process for Section 

106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f), as 

provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 

The EIS analysis will focus on the 

potential environmental effects of oil 

and natural gas leasing, exploration, 

development, and production in the 

areas identified through the Area 

Identification Procedure as the proposed 

lease sale areas. In addition to the no 

action alternative (i.e., cancel the sale), 

other alternatives may be considered for 

each sale such as deferring certain areas 

from the proposed lease sales. 

BOEMRE is also preparing a 

Programmatic EIS on the 5–Year OCS 

Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 

2012–2017 in the draft proposed Outer 

Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing 

Program: 2012–2017 (See FR Vol. 75, 

No. 63, Page 16828, April 2, 2010). 

BOEMRE is combining scoping 

meetings for the Programmatic and Gulf 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / Notices 7229 

of Mexico Multisale EISs in Houston, 

Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and 

Mobile, Alabama. Information 

concerning the Leasing Program and 

Programmatic EIS can be accessed at: 

http://www.BOEMRE.gov/5-year/. 

3. Supplemental Information 

Federal regulations allow for several 

proposals to be analyzed in one EIS (40 

CFR 1502.4). Since each sale proposal 

and projected activities are very similar 

each year for each sale area, BOEMRE is 

proposing to prepare a single EIS 

(Multisale EIS) for the several Western 

and Central Planning Areas lease sales 

to be held annually, scheduled for 

2012–2017. The Multisale EIS approach 

allows for subsequent NEPA analysis to 

focus on changes in the proposed sales 

and on new issues and information. The 

Multisale EIS will eliminate the 

repetitive issuance of draft and final 

EISs for each sale area. The resource 

estimates and scenario information for 

the EIS analyses will be presented as a 

range that would encompass the 

resources and activities estimated for 

any of the 10 proposed lease sales. No 

final decision will be made until the 

end of the EIS process to allow for full 

consultation with Federal agencies, 

affected States, and the public. At the 

completion of this EIS process, 

BOEMRE will make decisions only for 

the first proposed sale in each sale area, 

scheduled to be held in 2012 (Western) 

and 2013 (Central). Subsequent to these 

first sales, BOEMRE will complete the 

NEPA process for each of the other 

proposed lease sales in the 2012–2017 

Leasing Program. Formal consultation 

with other Federal agencies, affected 

States, and the public will be carried out 

to assist in the determination of whether 

or not the information and analyses in 

the original Multisale EIS are still valid. 

These consultations and NEPA reviews 

will be completed before decisions are 

made on the subsequent sales. For more 

information on the proposed sales or the 

Multisale EIS, you may contact Mr. Gary 

D. Goeke, Chief, Environmental 

Assessment Section, Leasing and 

Environment (Mail Stop 5410), Bureau 

of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement, Gulf of 

Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood 

Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394 or e-mail 

MultisaleEIS@BOEMRE.gov. You may 

also contact Mr. Goeke by telephone at 

(504) 736–3233. 

4. Cooperating Agency 

BOEMRE invites other Federal 

agencies and State, tribal, and local 

governments to consider becoming 

cooperating agencies in the preparation 

of the Multisale EIS. We invite qualified 

government entities to inquire about 

cooperating agency status for the EIS. 

Following the guidelines from the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ), 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 and remember that an agency’s 

role in the environmental analysis 

neither enlarges nor diminishes the final 

decisionmaking authority of any other 

agency involved in the NEPA process. 

Upon request, BOEMRE will provide 

potential 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 availability of 

predecisional information. BOEMRE 

anticipates this summary will form the 

basis for a Memorandum of Agreement 

between BOEMRE and each cooperating 

agency. Agencies should also consider 

the ‘‘Factors for Determining 

Cooperating Agency Status’’ in 

Attachment 1 to CEQ’s January 30, 2002, 

Memorandum for the Heads of Federal 

Agencies: Cooperating Agencies in 

Implementing the Procedural 

Requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act. A copy of 

this document is available at: http:// 

nepa.fhwa.dot.gov/ReNEPA/

ReNepa.nsf/All+Documents/

D155918ABFA4EB3A85256BF2

0071E9AE/$FILE/Cooperating%

20Agencies%20

Memorandum.1.30.02.doc and http:// 

nepa.fhwa.dot.gov/ReNEPA/

ReNepa.nsf/All+Documents/

D155918ABFA4EB3A85256BF2

0071E9AE/$FILE/Cooperating%20

Agency%20Memo%

20Factors.1.30.02.doc. 

BOEMRE, as the lead agency, will not 

provide financial assistance to 

cooperating agencies. Even if an 

organization is not a cooperating 

agency, opportunities will exist to 

provide information and comments to 

BOEMRE during the normal public 

input phases of the NEPA/EIS process. 

If further information about cooperating 

agencies is needed, please contact Mr. 

Gary D. Goeke at (504) 736–3233. 

5. Comments 

Federal, State, and local government 

agencies, and other interested parties 

are requested to send their written 

comments on the scope of the Multisale 

EIS, significant issues that should be 

addressed, and alternatives that should 

be considered one of the following three 

ways: 

1. In written form enclosed in an 

envelope labeled ‘‘Comments on the 

Multisale EIS’’ and mailed (or hand 

carried) to Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Chief, 

Environmental Assessment Section, 

Leasing and Environment (MS 5410), 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement, Gulf of 

Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood 

Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394; 

2. By e-mail BOEMRE e-mail address: 

MultisaleEIS@BOEMRE.gov; or 

3. Online at: 

http://ocs5yeareis.anl.gov. 

Comments should be submitted no 

later than March 28, 2011. 

Because BOEMRE is combining 

scoping meetings for the Programmatic 

and Gulf of Mexico Multisale EISs, 

interested parties are reminded that 

written scoping comments on the 

Programmatic EIS will be accepted until 

March 31, 2011, and may be submitted 

to: Mr. J. F. Bennett, Chief, Branch of 

Environmental Assessment, Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, Regulation 

and Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, Mail 

Stop 4042, Herndon, 

Virginia 20170–4817. 

6. Scoping Meetings 

BOEMRE will hold scoping meetings 

to obtain additional comments and 

information regarding the scope of the 

Multisale EIS. The scoping meetings are 

scheduled as follows: 

• Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 

Houston Airport Marriott at George 

Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. 

Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 1 

p.m. CST. 

• Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 

New Orleans, Louisiana, Hilton New 

Orleans Airport, 901 Airline Drive, 

Kenner, Louisiana, 1 p.m. CST. 

• Thursday, February 17, 2011, 

5 Rivers—Alabama’s Delta Resource 

Center, 30945 Five Rivers Blvd., 

Spanish Fort, Alabama, 1 p.m. CST. 

Dated: January 12, 2011. 

L. Renee Orr, 

Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy 

and Minerals Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–2821 Filed 2–8–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–W–P 

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