Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 142 / Friday, July 24, 1998 / Notices 39887

protest may only raise issues that were

submitted for the record while the plan

amendment was being prepared. Any

party who has participated in the

planning process may file a letter of

protest.

For proposed decisions in an EA-level

plan amendment, a letter of protest to

the Director must be filed within 30

days of this Federal Register notice.

Letters of protest must be complete and

respond to the content requirements

established in 43 CFR 1610.5–2(a)(2).

If you wish to protest the proposed

plan amendment, letters of protest must

be mailed to: Director, Bureau of Land

Management, Attention: Ms. Brenda

Williams, Protests Coordinator, WO–

210/LS–1075, Department of the

Interior, Washington, DC 20240.

The overnight mail address is:

Director, Bureau of Land Management,

Attention: Ms. Brenda Williams,

Protests Coordinator WO–210, 1620 L

Street, N.W., Room 1075, Washington,

DC 20240 [Phone: 202 452–5110].

Letters of protest must be filed within

30 days of this Federal Register notice.

To expedite consideration, in addition

to the original sent by mail or overnight

mail, a copy of the protest may be sent

by fax to 202/452–5112 or e-mail to

bhudgens@wo.blm.gov

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ray

Mapston, Program Manager, BLM

Arizona Strip, 345 East Riverside Drive,

St. George, Utah 84790, (435) 688–3200.

Roger G. Taylor,

Field Manager.

[FR Doc. 98–19616 Filed 7–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–32–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Outer Continental Shelf, Western Gulf

of Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 171

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Final notice of sale.

1. Authority. The Minerals

Management Service (MMS) is issuing

this Final Notice of Sale under the Outer

Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (43

U.S.C. 1331–1356, as amended) and the

regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR

Part 256).

A ‘‘Sale Notice Package,’’ containing

this Notice and several supporting and

essential documents referenced in the

Notice, is available from the MMS Gulf

of Mexico Regional Office Public

Information Unit (see paragraph 15 of

this Notice).

2. Filing of Bids. Bidders must comply

with the following requirements. Times

specified hereafter are local New

Orleans times unless otherwise

indicated.

(a) Filing of Bids. Sealed bids must be

received by the Regional Director (RD),

Gulf of Mexico Region, MMS, 1201

Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,

Louisiana 70123–2394, during normal

business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) until

the Bid Submission Deadline at 10 a.m.,

Tuesday, August 25, 1998. If the RD

receives bids later than the time and

date specified above, he will return the

bids unopened to bidders. Bidders may

not modify or withdraw their bids

unless the RD receives a written

modification or written withdrawal

request prior to 10 a.m. Tuesday, August

25, 1998.

(b) Bid Opening Time. Bid Opening

Time will be 9 a.m., Wednesday, August

26, 1998, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel,

500 Poydras Plaza, New Orleans,

Louisiana (Cabildo Ballrooms A, B, and

C). The MMS published a list of

restricted joint bidders, which applies to

this sale, in the Federal Register at 63

FR 14473, on March 25, 1998.

(c) Natural Disasters. In the event of

widespread flooding or other natural

disaster, the MMS Gulf of Mexico

Regional Office may extend the bid

submission deadline. Bidders may call

(504) 736–0557 for information about

the possible extension of the bid

submission deadline due to such an

event.

3. Method of Bidding.

(a) Submission of Bids. For each tract

bid upon, a bidder must submit a

separate signed bid in a sealed envelope

labeled ‘‘Sealed Bid for Oil and Gas

Lease Sale 171, not to be opened until

9 a.m., Wednesday, August 26, 1998.’’

The total amount bid must be in a whole

dollar amount; any cent amount above

the whole dollar will be ignored by the

MMS. Details of the information

required on the bid(s) and the bid

envelope(s) are specified in the

document ‘‘Bid Form and Envelope’’

contained in the Sale Notice Package

(see paragraph 15 of this Notice).

Bidders must execute all documents

in conformance with signatory

authorizations on file in the MMS Gulf

of Mexico Regional Office. Partnerships

also must submit or have on file a list

of signatories authorized to bind the

partnership. Bidders submitting joint

bids must state on the bid form the

proportionate interest of each

participating bidder, in percent to a

maximum of five decimal places, e.g.,

33.33333 percent. The MMS may

require bidders to submit other

documents in accordance with 30 CFR

256.46. The MMS warns bidders against

violation of 18 U.S.C. 1860 prohibiting

unlawful combination or intimidation of

bidders.

(b) Submission of the 1⁄5th Bonus

Payment. Bidders have the option of

submitting the 1⁄5th cash bonus in cash

or by cashier’s check, bank draft, or

certified check with the bid, or by using

electronic funds transfer (EFT)

procedures. Detailed instructions for

submitting the 1⁄5th bonus payment by

EFT are contained in the document

‘‘Instructions for Making EFT 1⁄5th

Bonus Payments’’ included in the Sale

Notice Package.

Bidders are advised that the MMS

considers the signed bid to be a legally

binding obligation on the part of the

bidder(s) to comply with all applicable

regulations, including paying the 1⁄5th

bonus on all high bids. Bidders must

include a statement to this effect on

each bid (see the document ‘‘Bid Form

and Envelope’’ contained in the Sale

Notice Package).

4. Minimum Bid, Yearly Rental, and

Bidding Systems.

The following minimum bid, yearly

rental, and bidding systems apply to

this sale (the map ‘‘Lease Terms,

Bidding Systems, and Royalty

Suspension Areas, Sale 171’’ is included

in the Sale Notice Package (see

paragraph 1)):

Note: Example for Calculating Minimum

Bid and Rental: If the block bid contains a

fraction of an acre (for example, 3,010.2

acres), round up to the next whole acre

(3,011 acres) and multiply by the applicable

dollar amount to determine the correct

minimum bid or rental. In this example, if

the established minimum bid for the block is

$25 per acre, the minimum bid for the block

would be $75,275 (3,011 × $25). If the rental

rate for the block is $5 per acre, the annual

rental for the block would be $15,055 (3,011

× $5).

(a) Minimum Bid. Bidders must

submit a cash bonus in the amount of

$25.00 or more per acre or fraction

thereof with all bids submitted at this

sale.

(b) Yearly Rental. All leases awarded

on tracts in water depths of 200 meters

and greater (i.e., tracts in any of the

three royalty suspension areas), as

depicted on the map ‘‘Lease Terms,

Bidding Systems, and Royalty

Suspension Areas, Sale 171,’’ will

require a yearly rental payment of $7.50

per acre or fraction thereof until initial

production is obtained.

All leases awarded on other tracts

(i.e., those in water depths of less than

200 meters) will provide for a yearly

rental payment of $5.00 per acre or

fraction thereof until initial production

is obtained.

(c) Bidding Systems. After initial

production is obtained, leases will

require a minimum royalty of the
39888 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 142 / Friday, July 24, 1998 / Notices

amount per acre or fraction thereof as

specified as the yearly rental in

paragraph 4(b) above, except during

periods of royalty suspension as

discussed in paragraph 4(c)(3) of this

Notice. The following royalty systems

will be used in this sale:

(1) Leases with a 12 1⁄2-Percent

Royalty. This royalty rate applies to

tracts in water depths of 400 meters or

greater; this area is shown on the Map

‘‘Lease Terms, Bidding Systems, and

Royalty Suspension Areas, Sale 171.’’

Leases issued on the tracts offered in

this area will have a fixed royalty rate

of 12 1⁄2 percent, except during periods

of royalty suspension (see paragraph

4(c)(3) of this Notice).

(2) Leases with a 16 2⁄3-Percent

Royalty. This royalty rate applies to

tracts in water depths of less than 400

meters (see aforementioned map).

Leases issued on the tracts offered in

this area will have a fixed royalty rate

of 16 2⁄3 percent, except during periods

of royalty suspension for leases in water

depths 200 meters or greater (see

paragraph 4(c)(3) of this Notice).

(3) Royalty Suspension. In accordance

with Public Law 104–58, signed by the

President on November 28, 1995, the

MMS has developed procedures

providing for the suspension of royalty

payments on production from eligible

leases issued as a result of this sale. The

final rule specifying royalty suspension

terms for lease sales in the Central and

Western Gulf was published in the

Federal Register on January 16, 1998

(63 FR 2626). Additional information

pertaining to royalty suspension matters

may be found in the document

‘‘Information to Lessees,’’ contained in

the Sale Notice Package.

The map titled ‘‘Lease Terms, Bidding

Systems, and Royalty Suspension Areas,

Sale 171’’ depicts the blocks in which

such suspensions may apply.

5. Equal Opportunity. The

certification required by 41 CFR 60–

1.7(b) and Executive Order No. 11246 of

September 24, 1965, as amended by

Executive Order No. 11375 of October

13, 1967, on the Compliance Report

Certification Form, Form MMS–2033

(June 1985), and the Affirmative Action

Representation Form, Form MMS–2032

(June 1985) must be on file in the MMS

Gulf of Mexico Regional Office prior to

lease award (see paragraph (e) of the

document ‘‘Information to Lessees,’’

contained in the Sale Notice Package).

6. Bid Opening. Bid opening will

begin at the bid opening time stated in

paragraph 2. The opening of the bids is

for the sole purpose of publicly

announcing bids received, and no bids

will be accepted or rejected at that time.

7. Deposit of Payment. Any payments

made in accordance with paragraph 3(b)

above will be deposited by the

Government in an interest-bearing

account in the U.S. Treasury during the

period the bids are being considered.

Such a deposit does not constitute and

shall not be construed as acceptance of

any bid on behalf of the United States.

8. Withdrawal of Tracts. The United

States reserves the right to withdraw

any tract from this sale prior to issuance

of a written acceptance of a bid for the

tract.

9. Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of

Bids. The United States reserves the

right to reject any and all bids. In any

case, no bid will be accepted, and no

lease for any tract will be awarded to

any bidder, unless:

(a) the bidder has complied with all

requirements of this Notice, including

the documents contained in the

associated Sale Notice Package (see

paragraphs 1 and 15 of this Notice), and

applicable regulations;

(b) the bid is the highest valid bid;

and

(c) the amount of the bid has been

determined to be adequate by the

authorized officer.

No bonus bid will be considered for

acceptance unless it provides for a cash

bonus as specified in paragraph 4 above.

Any bid submitted which does not

conform to the requirements of this

Notice, the OCS Lands Act, as amended,

and other applicable regulations may be

returned to the person submitting that

bid by the RD and not considered for

acceptance.

To ensure that the Government

receives a fair return for the conveyance

of lease rights for this sale, tracts will be

evaluated in accordance with

established MMS bid adequacy

procedures. A copy of the current

procedures (‘‘Summary of Procedures

for Determining Bid Adequacy at

Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales:

Effective August 1997, with Sale 168’’)

is available from the MMS Gulf of

Mexico Regional Office Public

Information Unit (see paragraph 15 of

this Notice). This document

incorporates changes announced in a

Federal Register Notice at 62 FR 37589,

dated July 14, 1997.

10. Successful Bidders. The following

requirements apply to successful

bidders in this sale:

(a) Lease Issuance. The MMS will

require each person who has submitted

a bid accepted by the authorized officer

to execute copies of the lease (Form

MMS–2005 (March 1986) as amended),

pay the balance of the cash bonus bid

along with the first year’s annual rental

for each lease issued by EFT in

accordance with the requirements of 30

CFR 218.155, and satisfy the bonding

requirements of 30 CFR 256, Subpart I,

as amended.

Additional information pertaining to

this matter may be found in the

document ‘‘Information to Lessees’’

contained in the Sale Notice Package.

(b) Certification Regarding

Nonprocurement Debarment,

Suspension, and Other Responsibility

Matters—Primary Covered Transactions.

Each person involved as a bidder in a

successful high bid must have on file, in

the MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Office

Adjudication Unit, a currently valid

certification that the person is not

excluded from participation in primary

covered transactions under Federal

nonprocurement programs and

activities. A certification previously

provided to that office remains currently

valid until new or revised information

applicable to that certification becomes

available. In the event of new or revised

applicable information, the MMS will

require a subsequent certification before

lease issuance can occur. Persons

submitting such certifications should

review the requirements of 43 CFR, Part

12, Subpart D.

A copy of the certification form is

contained in the Sale Notice Package.

11. Leasing Maps and Official

Protraction Diagrams. The following

Leasing Maps and Official Protraction

Diagrams, which may be purchased

from the MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional

Office Public Information Unit (see the

document ‘‘Information to Lessees’’

contained in the Sale Notice Package),

depict the tracts offered for lease in this

sale:

(a) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)

Leasing Maps—Texas, Nos. 1 through 8.

This is a set of 16 maps which sells for

$18.00.

(b) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)

Official Protraction Diagrams. These

diagrams sell for $2.00 each.

NG 14–3 Corpus Christi (rev. 01/27/

76)

NG 14–6 Port Isabel (rev. 01/15/92)

NG 15–1 East Breaks (rev. 01/27/76)

NG 15–2 Garden Banks (rev. 10/19/

81)

NG 15–4 Alaminos Canyon (rev. 04/

27/89)

NG 15–5 Keathley Canyon (rev. 04/

27/89)

NG 15–8 (No Name) (rev. 04/27/89)

12. Description of the Areas Offered

for Bids.

(a) Acreage Available for Leasing.

Acreage of blocks is shown on Leasing

Maps and Official Protraction Diagrams.

Some of these blocks, however, may be

partially leased or transected by
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 142 / Friday, July 24, 1998 / Notices 39889

administrative lines such as the Federal/

State jurisdictional line. Information on

the unleased portions of such blocks,

including the exact acreage, is included

in the document:

Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 171—

Final. Unleased Split Blocks and Unleased

Acreage of Blocks with Aliquots and Irregular

Portions Under Lease.

The Sale Notice Package contains this

document.

(b) Tracts not available for leasing.

The areas offered for leasing include all

those blocks shown on the OCS Leasing

Maps and Official Protraction Diagrams

listed in paragraph 11(a) and (b), except

for those blocks or partial blocks already

under lease and those blocks or partial

blocks listed below. A list of Western

Gulf of Mexico tracts currently under

lease, titled ‘‘Western Gulf of Mexico

Leased Lands List dated July 15, 1998,’’

is included in the Sale Notice Package.

Although currently unleased, no bids

will be accepted on High Island Area,

East Addition, South Extension, Blocks

A–375, A–398, and A–401 (at the

Flower Garden Banks), and High Island

Area, South Addition, Block A–513 (at

Stetson Bank).

Although currently unleased, no bids

will be accepted on the following blocks

located off Corpus Christi which have

been identified by the Navy as needed

for testing equipment and training mine

warfare personnel: Mustang Island Area

Blocks 793, 799, and 816.

Although currently unleased, no bids

will be accepted on the following blocks

which are currently under appeal: High

Island Area Block 170, and Galveston

Area, South Addition, Block A–125.

Although currently unleased, no bids

will be accepted in this Sale on the

following blocks which are beyond the

United States Exclusive Economic Zone

(EEZ). The offering of these blocks,

which are identified as the Northern

portion of the Western Gap, has been

temporarily deferred by the Department

of the Interior due to ongoing

negotiations with the Government of

Mexico on the delimitation of the

continental shelf in the Western Gap

beyond the EEZ of both countries.

Keathley Canyon (Area NG15–05)

Blocks

722 through 724

764 through 770

807 through 816

849 through 861

892 through 907

934 through 953

978 through 999

Area NG15–08

Blocks

11 through 34

56 through 81

102 through 128

148 through 173

194 through 217

239 through 261

284 through 305

336 through 349

13. Lease Terms and Stipulations.

(a) Leases resulting from this sale will

have initial terms as shown on the map

‘‘Lease Terms, Bidding Systems, and

Royalty Suspension Areas, Sale 171.’’ A

copy of this map is included in the Sale

Notice Package. Copies of the lease form

are available from the MMS Gulf of

Mexico Regional Office Public

Information Unit (see the document

‘‘Information to Lessees’’ contained in

the Sale Notice Package).

(b) The map titled ‘‘Stipulations and

Deferred Blocks, Sale 171’’ depicts the

blocks to which the three lease

stipulations (Topographic Features,

Military Areas, and Naval Mine Warfare

Area) apply. The text of the lease

stipulations is contained in the

document ‘‘Lease Stipulations for Oil

and Gas Lease Sale 171;’’ this map and

document are contained in the Sale

Notice Package. These stipulations will

become a part of any leases on

applicable blocks resulting from Sale

171. These stipulations are the same

stipulations used in Sale 168, Western

Gulf, held in August 1997. (See the

Final Notice of Sale for Sale 168 in the

Federal Register at 62 FR 39863, July

24, 1997.)

14. Information to Lessees. The Sale

Notice Package contains a document

titled ‘‘Information to Lessees.’’ These

Information to Lessees items provide

information on various matters of

interest to potential bidders.

15. Sale Notice Package. The Sale

Notice Package, and individual

documents contained therein, are

available from the Public Information

Unit, Minerals Management Service,

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New

Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394, either

in writing or by telephone at (504) 736–

2519 or (800) 200–GULF.

The documents referenced below and

contained in the Sale Notice Package

contain information essential for

bidders, and bidders are charged with

the knowledge contained therein.

Included in the Package are:

Cover sheet

Final Notice of Sale for Sale 171

Information to Lessees for Sale 171

Western Gulf of Mexico Leased Lands

List dated July 15, 1998

Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale

171—Final. Unleased Split Blocks

and Unleased Acreage of Blocks with

Aliquots and Irregular Portions Under

Lease

Lease Stipulations for Oil and Gas Lease

Sale 171

Debarment Certification Form

Bid Form and Envelope

Phone Numbers/Addresses of Bidders

Form

Instructions for Making EFT 1/5th

Bonus Payments

Lease Terms, Bidding Systems, and

Royalty Suspension Areas, Sale 171

Map

Stipulations and Deferred Blocks, Sale

171 Map

For additional information, contact

the Regional Supervisor for Leasing and

Environment, Minerals Management

Service, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard,

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394, or

by telephone at (504) 736–2759. In

addition, certain documents may be

viewed and downloaded from the MMS

World Wide Web site at http://

www.mms.gov. The MMS also

maintains a 24-hour Fax-on-Demand

Service at (202) 219–1703.

Dated: July 20, 1998.

Cynthia Quarterman,

Director, Minerals Management Service.

Approved:

Bob Armstrong,

Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals

Management.

[FR Doc. 98–19843 Filed 7–23–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

General Management Plan, Lassen

Volcanic National Park, California;

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement

Summary: The National Park Service

will prepare a General Management

Plan/Environmental Impact Statement

(GMP/EIS) for Lassen Volcanic National

Park, California and initiate the scoping

process for this document. This notice

is in accordance with 40 CFR 1501.7

and 40 CFR 1508.22, of the regulations

of the President’s Council on

Environmental Quality for the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969,

Public Law 91–190.

Background: The purpose of the

GMP/EIS will be to state the

management philosophy for the park

and provide strategies for addressing

major issues facing the area. Two types