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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59715-59718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23670]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[MMAA104000; Lease Sale 237]

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea 
Planning Area, Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 237

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

ACTION: Call for Information and Nominations.

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SUMMARY: This Call for Information and Nominations (``Call'') is the 
initial step in the prelease process for Lease Sale 237 in the Chukchi 
Sea Planning Area, scheduled to be held in 2016, as included in the 
Proposed Final OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2012-2017 (``Five Year 
Program''). The purpose of this Call is to obtain nominations and 
information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development that 
might result from an OCS oil and gas lease sale for the Chukchi Sea 
Planning Area. The lease sale area addressed in this Call (``Program 
Area'') is located offshore Alaska in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area. As 
identified in the Five Year Program, the Program Area is a sub-area of 
the larger Chukchi Sea Planning Area.

DATES: All responses to the Call must be received no later than 
November 12, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael S. Rolland, Chief, Leasing 
Section, BOEM, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, 
Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823, or at (907) 334-5271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Five Year Program states: While BOEM has 
determined that it is appropriate to continue areawide leasing in the 
GOM. . . . BOEM will not be conducting areawide leasing in the Arctic, 
consistent with rigorous internal analysis as well as a number of 
outside recommendations to develop alternative leasing approaches for 
Arctic areas. Rather, potential sales are deliberately set late in the 
five year program schedule to allow for further analysis and 
information-gathering. These would be geographically targeted in scope, 
in

[[Page 59716]]

order to achieve an appropriate balance between making resources 
available while limiting conflicts with environmentally sensitive areas 
and subsistence use by making certain determinations from the outset 
about which blocks within the planning areas are most suitable for 
leasing. See, Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas 
Leasing Program 2012-2017, page 94.
    In light of the targeted leasing strategy for the Arctic in the 
current Five Year Program, this Call differs in two ways from Calls 
issued in the Gulf of Mexico and in earlier Calls issued in the Alaska 
OCS Region under previous Five Year Programs: (1) Because the leasing 
will not be areawide, BOEM is requesting more specific nominations 
within the Program Area (as defined below), including specific support 
of those nominations in terms of geological and geophysical data, and 
(2) this Call is not accompanied by a Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (NOI). After BOEM identifies the area 
for the proposed lease sale based upon the information and nominations 
received from this Call, BOEM will initiate the formal National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process through publication of an NOI. 
By proceeding in this order, BOEM will be able to use the information 
obtained through this Call in developing the proposed action and 
possible alternatives to be identified and scoped in the NOI.
    In addition to seeking area nominations, this Call is requesting 
information concerning geological conditions, including bottom hazards; 
archaeological sites on the seabed or nearshore; multiple uses of the 
Program Area, including navigation, recreation, and fisheries; and 
other socioeconomic, biological, and environmental information, 
including but not limited to, information regarding oil and gas 
resource potential, sensitive habitats, subsistence use, unique 
conditions, and important other uses of the Program Area. This Call and 
targeted leasing strategy also embraces the principles of an Integrated 
Arctic Management (IAM) approach as defined by the Interagency Working 
Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development and Permitting in 
Alaska in its Report to the President: Managing for the Future in a 
Rapidly Changing Arctic dated March 2013. The IAM approach was also 
adopted as a key component of the President's National Strategy for the 
Arctic Region, dated May 2013.

Call for Information and Nominations

1. Authority

    This Call is published pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf 
Lands Act (OCSLA), as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356), and the 
regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR part 556).

2. Purpose of This Call

    The purpose of this Call is to gather information to determine the 
Area Identification under 30 CFR 556.26 for Lease Sale 237 in the 
Program Area. BOEM seeks information and nominations on oil and gas 
leasing, exploration, development, and production in the Program Area 
from all interested parties. This early planning and consultation step 
is important to ensure that all interests and concerns are communicated 
to the U.S. Department of the Interior for consideration in future 
decisions in the leasing process pursuant to OCSLA and the regulations 
at 30 CFR part 556.

3. Description of Program Area

    The Program Area is located offshore Alaska in the Chukchi Sea 
Planning Area. The Chukchi Sea Planning Area extends from the 3-
nautical mile (4.8-kilometer) limit of State of Alaska waters, 
northward from approximately latitude 68[deg] 30' N to latitude 75[deg] 
N, and from longitude 156[deg] W (roughly north of the village of 
Barrow) on the east to the United States-Russia Provisional Maritime 
Boundary on the west at longitude 168[deg] 58' 37'' W. As identified in 
the Five Year Program, the Program Area is a sub-area of the larger 
Chukchi Sea Planning Area. As depicted on the page-size map 
accompanying this Call, the southern boundary of the Program Area 
generally begins about 25 nautical miles offshore along the coastline, 
except near Barrow, where it begins approximately 50 nautical miles 
offshore. The northern boundary of the Program Area is approximately 
300 nautical miles from shore. Water depths vary from approximately 65 
feet (20 meters) to more than 13,100 feet (4,000 meters) in the Program 
Area. This Program Area consists of approximately 10,128 whole and 
partial blocks (about 55.16 million acres, or 22.32 million hectares). 
A larger scale Call map showing the boundaries and blocks of the 
Program Area is available without charge on the BOEM Web site at http://www.boem.gov/leasesale237. Copies of Official Protraction Diagrams 
also are available without charge on the Web site at http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Mapping-and-Data/Alaska.aspx.

4. Nominations on This Call

    Written nominations must be received no later than November 12, 
2013. In their letters of nomination, interested parties should 
describe explicitly their interest by ranking the areas nominated 
according to priority using five interest classifications: (1) Critical 
interest, (2) high interest, (3) general interest, (4) low interest, or 
(5) no interest. The area(s) nominated must be described accurately and 
shown on the large-scale Call map available at http://www.boem.gov/leasesale237. An interested party nominating areas for inclusion in the 
sale must provide a detailed explanation of the basis for classifying 
each nominated area as (1) through (5), including a summary of the 
relevant geologic, geophysical, and economic information. Interested 
parties are encouraged to be as specific as possible in prioritizing 
blocks and supporting nominations of specific blocks in the Program 
Area with detailed data and/or information. Interested parties should 
be prepared to discuss their range of interest classifications and 
anticipated activity regarding the nominated area(s). Interested 
parties are requested to provide the telephone number and name of the 
individual to contact. BOEM's Alaska OCS Region office will contact 
this individual to set up a mutually agreeable meeting date and time to 
review more fully the interested parties level of interest where an 
area is classified as critical interest or high interest, and possibly 
as general interest. Submittals should indicate ``Nominations to Call 
for Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 237.''
    To avoid inadvertent release of proprietary information, interested 
parties should mark all documents and every page containing such 
information with ``Confidential--Contains Proprietary Information.'' To 
the extent a document contains a mix of proprietary and nonproprietary 
information, interested parties should mark clearly which portion of 
the document is proprietary and which is not. The OCSLA states that the 
``Secretary shall maintain the confidentiality of all privileged or 
proprietary data or information for such period of time as is provided 
for in this subchapter, established by regulation, or agreed to by the 
parties'' (43 U.S.C. 1344(g)). BOEM considers each interested parties 
written nominations of specific blocks to be proprietary, and it will 
not release such information to the public.

[[Page 59717]]

5. Exclusion Areas and Other Comments

    BOEM is seeking recommendations either to exclude specific blocks 
or areas from oil and gas leasing, or to be leased under special 
conditions due to conflicting values, uses or environmental concerns 
(hereinafter referred to as ``proposed exclusion areas''). Interested 
parties should indicate proposed exclusion areas on the large-scale 
Call map available at http://www.boem.gov/leasesale237. Interested 
parties also may use the interactive map tool for the Arctic at http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-Sale-Schedule/Interactive-Maps.aspx. Interested parties are 
encouraged to be as specific as possible in explaining why the area 
should be excluded or leased under special conditions, provide 
supporting information, and be prepared to discuss the proposed 
exclusion areas with BOEM. Interested parties are requested to provide 
the telephone number and name of the individual to contact. BOEM's 
Alaska OCS Region office may contact this individual to set up a 
mutually agreeable meeting date and time to review more fully the 
proposed exclusion areas.
    BOEM also is seeking comments and information from all interested 
parties regarding areas that should receive more detailed consideration 
and analysis; geological conditions, including bottom hazards; 
archaeological sites on the seabed or nearshore; other uses of the 
Program Area, including navigation and subsistence; and other 
socioeconomic, biological, or environmental information. BOEM 
previously had received comments on the Program Area as part of the 
Five Year Program process. Those comments included information on the 
importance of Hanna Shoal and Herald Shoal. While already excluded from 
the Program Area, comments were also received on the Pt. Barrow area, 
Kaseguluk Lagoon, Peard Bay, the nearshore lead system, and the bowhead 
whale migration area. While BOEM will consider information submitted 
previously on the Five Year Program, BOEM also encourages interested 
parties who submitted comments on the Five Year Program to refine their 
earlier comments and provide greater detail or new information, where 
appropriate, concerning the importance of these areas or associated 
activities.

6. Submissions of Nominations, Requests for Exclusion Areas, and Other 
Comments

    Interested parties who are requesting area(s) for inclusion in the 
sale should send their recommendations, along with an explanation of 
the basis of their interest priority, including a summary of the 
relevant geologic, geophysical, and economic information supporting 
their nomination, to: Chief, Leasing Section, BOEM, Alaska OCS Region, 
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823.
    Requests for proposed exclusion areas or general proposed inclusion 
areas (absent a formal nomination) and all other comments to this Call, 
including general information from interested parties, Federal 
agencies, state and local governments, tribes, and other interested 
parties, will be accepted only through http://www.regulations.gov, 
using docket designation BOEM-2013-0015. All comments received via this 
Web site, including names and addresses of the commenter, are public 
and will be posted for public review. BOEM will not consider anonymous 
comments. BOEM will make available all nonproprietary submissions in 
their entirety on http://www.regulations.gov.

7. Tracking Table and Interactive Map

    In the Five Year Program, BOEM established a mitigation/program 
tracking table (hereinafter referred to as the ``Table''), which is 
designed to track the history and treatment of suggestions for 
inclusion or exclusion of acreage, temporal deferrals, and/or 
mitigation from the Five Year Program stage through the lease sale 
stage to the plan stage. This Table will allow commenters to see how 
and where their concerns are considered, while ensuring that a 
reasonable concern not suitable for consideration during one stage will 
be considered at an appropriate subsequent stage. The Table may be 
viewed at http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-Sale-Schedule/Tracking-Table.aspx. Appropriate 
suggestions collected during the comment period on this Call will be 
added to the Table and tracked throughout the process.
    Additionally, BOEM has created an interactive map through the 
Multipurpose Marine Cadastre (MMC) Web site for Alaska at http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-Gas-Energy-Program/Leasing/Five-Year-Program/Lease-Sale-Schedule/Interactive-Maps.aspx. The MMC is an integrated 
marine information system that provides a more comprehensive look at 
geospatial data and ongoing activities and studies occurring in the 
area being considered. If interested parties believe that a data layer 
should be added for consideration, they should provide this information 
by following the commenting instructions above. Questions about the 
interactive map may be addressed to Donna Dixon, Chief, Leasing 
Division, at (703) 787-1215.

8. Use of Information From This Call

    BOEM is undertaking a strategy of targeted leasing, whereby the 
BOEM Director will use the information provided in response to this 
Call to make an Area Identification decision. BOEM will consider 
nominations, proposed exclusion areas, and areas proposed to receive 
special consideration and analysis, in light of resource estimates, 
information regarding exploratory drilling, environmental reviews, and 
other relevant information. Using this information, BOEM plans to 
target leasing by proactively determining which specific portions of 
the Program Area offer greater resource potential, while minimizing 
potential conflicts with environmental subsistence considerations.
    Information submitted in response to this Call will be used to:
     Determine the Area Identification under 30 CFR 556.26(a) 
and (b);
     Develop potential lease terms and conditions;
     Identify potential use conflicts and potential mitigation 
measures; and
     Assist in planning the NEPA scoping process.

9. Existing Information

    An extensive Environmental Studies Program, including 
environmental, social, and economic studies in the Chukchi Sea Planning 
Area, has been underway in the Alaska OCS Region since 1976. The 
emphasis has been on environmental characterization of biologically 
sensitive habitats, marine mammals, physical oceanography, ocean-
circulation modeling, subsistence uses, and ecological and 
sociocultural effects of oil and gas activities. Information on the 
BOEM Environmental Studies Program, completed studies, and a program 
status report for continuing studies in this area is available on the 
BOEM Web site at http://www.boem.gov/akstudies, or it may be obtained 
from the Chief, Environmental Sciences Management Section, Alaska OCS 
Region, by telephone request at (907) 334-5200.
    NEPA analyses were prepared for previous OCS lease sales held in 
the Chukchi Sea Planning Area. Previous

[[Page 59718]]

NEPA analyses for Chukchi Sea lease sales and other actions are 
available at http://www.boem.gov/About-BOEM/BOEM-Regions/Alaska-Region/Environment/Environmental-Analysis/Environmental-Impact-Statements-and--Major-Environmental-Assessments.aspx. Currently, there are 460 active 
OCS oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area, encompassing 
an area of approximately 2.7 million acres (1.0 million hectares). 
Information on the leases and other lease-related activities is 
available at http://www.boem.gov/About-BOEM/BOEM-Regions/Alaska-Region/Leasing-and-Plans/Index.aspx.

    Dated: September 23, 2013.
Tommy P. Beaudreau,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2013-23670 Filed 9-26-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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