Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 139 / Friday, July 23, 2021 / Notices 39055 

with consulting parties to schedule 

consultation meetings. 

The BLM is seeking public comments 

on issues, planning criteria, concerns, 

potential impacts, alternatives, and 

mitigation measures that should be 

considered in the analysis. Substantive 

comments will be used to prepare an 

EA. Additional opportunities, for public 

participation will be available upon 

publication of the draft EA. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Chad Padgett, 

State Director, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. 2021–15726 Filed 7–22–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Safety and Environmental 

Enforcement 

[EEJJ000000 212E1700D2 

ET1EE0000.EIS000] 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement for Oil and Gas 

Decommissioning Activities on the 

Pacific Outer Continental Shelf 

AGENCY: Bureau of Safety and 

Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare 

a Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (PEIS). 

SUMMARY: Consistent with the 

regulations implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), BSEE 

intends to prepare a PEIS to inform 

future decisions on applications for the 

decommissioning of oil and gas 

pipelines, platforms, and other facilities 

offshore of Southern California on the 

Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM) is assisting BSEE 

in the preparation of this environmental 

analysis. 

DATES: BSEE requests comments 

concerning the scope of the analysis, 

identifying potential alternatives, 

significant issues for analysis (or those 

to be eliminated as insignificant), and 

potentially relevant information, 

studies, and analyses to be considered. 

All comments must be received by 

September 7, 2021. The draft PEIS is 

tentatively scheduled for publication in 

February 2022, followed by a 45-day 

public comment period. The final PEIS 

is tentatively scheduled for publication 

in June 2022, followed by a 

programmatic record of decision (ROD) 

no sooner than 30 days after publication 

of the final PEIS. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted in writing or through 

www.regulations.gov. If in written form, 

comments may be delivered by hand or 

by mail, enclosed in an envelope 

labeled, ‘‘Pacific Decommissioning’’ and 

addressed to Richard Yarde, Regional 

Supervisor, Office of Environment, 

BOEM Pacific Region, 760 Paseo 

Camarillo, Suite 102, Camarillo, CA, 

93010. Comments may also be 

submitted online through the 

regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to 

http://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket No. BOEM–2021–0043. Click 

on the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ button to the 

right of the document link. Enter your 

information and comment, then click 

‘‘Submit.’’ 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on the PEIS, contact 

Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, 

Office of Environment, at 

richard.yarde@boem.gov or 805–384– 

6379. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

Oil and gas lessees, owners of 

operating rights, and holders of rightsof-way must decommission all OCS 

wells, platforms, other facilities, and 

pipelines, and clear the seafloor of all 

obstructions, in compliance with 

regulatory requirements principally 

located at 30 CFR part 250 Subpart Q. 

There are currently 23 oil and gas 

platforms and associated wells, 

facilities, and pipelines on the OCS 

offshore Southern California that were 

installed between the late 1960s and 

early 1990s and that will eventually 

need to be decommissioned. Lessees 

and owners of operating rights and 

holders of rights-of-way must first apply 

for and obtain approval from the 

appropriate BSEE District Manager or 

Regional Supervisor before 

decommissioning platforms, pipelines, 

and facilities. 30 CFR 250.1703– 

250.1704. Well abandonment activities 

are reviewed and completed prior to 

removal of platforms, pipelines, and 

other facilities, and are therefore not 

included within the scope of this PEIS. 

BSEE reviews decommissioning 

applications to ensure compliance with 

applicable regulatory standards and for 

safety and protection of other OCS uses 

and the environment. The purpose and 

need for this PEIS is to support future 

Federal review of and action on 

decommissioning applications for 

platforms, pipelines, and other facilities 

offshore Southern California on the 

Pacific OCS. Currently, eight oil and gas 

platforms on the OCS offshore Southern 

California, near Point Conception and in 

the Santa Barbara Channel, no longer 

produce oil and gas and are located on 

terminated leases that no longer allow 

resumption of production. BSEE expects 

to receive decommissioning 

applications for these platforms and 

associated pipelines and other facilities 

in the near term. It is currently 

unknown when decommissioning may 

be initiated for the remaining 15 

platforms, though by regulation an 

initial platform removal application 

must be submitted for Pacific OCS 

facilities at least two years before 

production is projected to cease. 

Preliminary Proposed Action and 

Alternatives 

BSEE expects to analyze three 

alternatives in the PEIS: Complete 

Removal of platforms and associated 

facilities and pipelines (Preliminary 

Proposed Action); Partial Removal of 

platforms and any associated facilities 

and pipelines; and No Action. Each 

alternative is briefly described below. 

The action alternatives contain a 

number of overlapping elements. For 

example, a particular type of cutting 

tool might be used in either complete 

removal or partial removal, with no 

difference in the activity or the expected 

impacts. In these instances analysis of 

the options may be included as part of 

the Proposed Action only. 

Alternative 1—Complete Removal 

(the Preliminary Proposed Action). The 

Preliminary Proposed Action is to 

authorize applications for complete 

removal of platforms and other 

facilities, decommissioning of all 

pipelines by removal, and clearing the 

seafloor of all obstructions created by 

the lease or right-of-way operations, as 

described in 30 CFR part 250 Subpart Q. 

These activities must be completed in a 

manner that is safe, does not 

unreasonably interfere with other uses 

of the OCS, and does not cause undue 

or serious harm to the environment. 

Both the Proposed Action and Partial 

Removal alternative would consider 


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39056 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 139 / Friday, July 23, 2021 / Notices 

several decommissioning tools and 

techniques that might be proposed for 

use in future decommissioning projects. 

Some of the tools and techniques that 

BSEE expects to consider include the 

use of mechanical, hydraulic, laser, 

explosive, or other tools for the 

severance of structures; different types 

and sizes of vessels; various methods of 

excavation around the jacket to facilitate 

removal; and the possibility of reefing 

some parts of the structure either nearby 

or at an alternative reefing site on the 

OCS. 

Alternative 2—Partial Removal. 

Partial removal of platforms and other 

facilities may include removing the top 

of the platform jacket to a level that is 

at least 85 feet below the waterline 

while leaving the lower portions of the 

jacket intact. This alternative may 

include decommissioning pipelines in 

place once they have been properly 

prepared in accordance with 30 CFR 

250.1750–250.1751. 

Alternative 3—No Action. The PEIS 

will also evaluate a No Action 

alternative, which means no Federal 

action would be taken on 

decommissioning applications. This 

alternative would not meet the purpose 

and need of the Proposed Action or 

legal obligations of the bureau. 

However, this alternative is included as 

a comparison that helps in 

understanding the Proposed Action and 

the other action alternative and their 

associated impacts. 

Summary of Expected Impacts 

Potential environmental impacts may 

result from platform or other facility or 

pipeline removal, marine vessel 

operations, and, potentially, any objects 

or structures left in place. The primary 

resources potentially impacted may 

include air quality, water quality, 

wildlife habitat, benthic resources, fish, 

and marine mammals. Major socioeconomic considerations may include 

commercial and recreational fishing, 

vessel space-use issues, and changes to 

the viewshed during and after 

decommissioning activities. Factors that 

may produce impacts include air 

emissions, water pollution, noise, 

habitat alteration, and turbidity. 

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations 

Neither the PEIS nor the resulting 

programmatic ROD will authorize any 

specific activities or approve any 

individual applications. The PEIS and 

ROD will provide a programmatic 

environmental analysis and framework 

to support future decisionmaking on 

individual decommissioning 

applications. When decommissioning 

applications are submitted to BSEE, the 

site-specific characteristics of the 

project will be evaluated at that time by 

preparing additional environmental 

analyses that may tier to this PEIS. 

Based on the site-specific applications 

and evaluations, BSEE may then reach 

a site-specific NEPA determination and 

approve, approve with conditions, or 

deny individual decommissioning 

applications. This PEIS will inform 

future BSEE decisions on various 

decommissioning activities, but will not 

independently approve or authorize any 

applications or permits and therefore 

neither the PEIS nor ROD will constitute 

final agency action. 

Potential future BSEE decisions that 

may rely on this PEIS include decisions 

on initial platform removal applications 

(30 CFR 250.1726), decisions on final 

applications to remove a platform or 

other facility (30 CFR 250.1727), 

decisions on pipeline decommissioning 

applications (30 CFR 250.1750 and 

250.1752), decisions on departure 

requests (30 CFR 250.142 and 250.1730), 

and decisions on alternate procedures or 

equipment requests (30 CFR 250.141). 

The decommissioning process may also 

require permits and approvals from 

other agencies, potentially including the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. 

Coast Guard, and the California Coastal 

Commission, among others. Further, 

decommissioning of OCS facilities may 

proceed concurrently with 

decommissioning activities for related 

oil and gas infrastructure located in 

State waters and onshore, and therefore 

may involve additional oversight and 

approvals from the State of California. 

Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process 

The draft PEIS is tentatively 

scheduled for publication in February 

2022. The final PEIS is tentatively 

scheduled for publication in June 2022, 

with a ROD to follow no sooner than 30 

days later. 

The timing of regulatory decisions 

that BSEE must make on future 

decommissioning applications is 

uncertain. BSEE could receive 

applications for decommissioning at any 

time over the next several years, with 

actual decommissioning occurring any 

time into subsequent years and possibly 

decades. The intent of this 

programmatic analysis is to analyze 

broad commonalities among expected 

future decommissioning projects and to 

provide a forum for early consideration 

of programmatic impacts and policy 

choices. BSEE expects that once 

decommissioning applications are 

received, additional analyses will then 

be tiered to this PEIS (including any 

supplemental PEISs, as appropriate) and 

will consider the site-specific 

circumstances present at that time. 

Public Scoping Process 

This NOI initiates the scoping 

process, which guides the development 

of the PEIS. The scope of the PEIS is the 

range of issues, alternatives, impacts, 

and mitigation measures to be 

considered. Scoping will help focus the 

analysis in the PEIS on the significant 

issues and alternatives and will 

eliminate from detailed consideration 

any issues that are insignificant or 

irrelevant. After the publication of this 

NOI in the Federal Register, the public 

will have 45 days to submit comments; 

the deadline to submit comments is 

identified in the DATES section above. 

The methods to submit comments are 

provided in the ADDRESSES section 

above. Supplemental information to 

assist the public in providing scoping 

comments is available at 

www.boem.gov/Pacific-decomm-PEIS. 

This supplemental information includes 

maps of the relevant geographic area, a 

description of the environmental 

setting, and further details about 

existing oil and gas infrastructure. 

Please include your name and address 

as part of your comment. BSEE makes 

all comments, including the names, 

addresses, and other personally 

identifiable information included in the 

comment, available for public review 

online and during regular business 

hours. Individuals may request that 

BSEE withhold their names or addresses 

from the public record; however, BSEE 

cannot guarantee that it will be able to 

do so. In order for BSEE to withhold 

from disclosure your personally 

identifiable information, you must 

identify any information contained in 

your comments that, if released, would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of your privacy. You also must 

briefly describe any possible harmful 

consequences of the disclosure of 

information, such as embarrassment, 

injury, or other harm. All submissions 

from organizations or businesses and 

from individuals identifying themselves 

as representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses will be 

made available for public inspection in 

their entirety. 

NEPA Cooperating Agencies 

BSEE invites other Federal agencies 

and State, federally recognized tribes 

(Tribes), and local governments to 

consider becoming cooperating agencies 

in the preparation of this PEIS. The 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) NEPA regulations specify that 

qualified agencies and governments are 

those with ‘‘jurisdiction by law or 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 139 / Friday, July 23, 2021 / Notices 39057 

special expertise.’’ 40 CFR 1501.7(h). 

Potential cooperating agencies should 

consider their authority and capacity to 

assume the responsibilities of a 

cooperating agency and should be aware 

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, BSEE will provide 

potential cooperating agencies with a 

written summary of expectations for 

cooperating agencies, including 

schedules, milestones, responsibilities, 

scope and detail of cooperating 

agencies’ contributions, and availability 

of pre-decisional information. BSEE 

anticipates this summary will form the 

basis for a memorandum of agreement 

between BSEE and any cooperating 

agency outside the Department of the 

Interior. Agencies also should consider 

the factors for determining cooperating 

agency status in CEQ’s memorandum 

entitled, ‘‘Cooperating Agencies in 

Implementing the Procedural 

Requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act,’’ dated 

January 30, 2002. This document is 

available on the internet at: https://

www.energy.gov/nepa/downloads/ 

cooperating-agencies-implementingprocedural-requirements-nationalenvironmental. BSEE, as the lead 

agency, will not provide financial 

assistance to cooperating agencies. Even 

if a governmental entity is not a 

cooperating agency, it will have 

opportunities to provide information 

and comments to BSEE during the 

public input stages of the NEPA process. 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA) Consulting Parties 

Certain individuals and organizations 

with a demonstrated interest in the 

Preliminary Proposed Action or 

alternatives may request to participate 

as NHPA consulting parties under 36 

CFR 800.2(c)(5) based on their legal or 

economic stake in historic properties 

affected by the Preliminary Proposed 

Action or its alternatives. Additionally, 

the same provision allows those with 

concerns about the Preliminary 

Proposed Action’s effect on historic 

properties to request to be consulting 

parties. Parallel with its NEPA analyses, 

BSEE will compile a list of potential 

consulting parties and, in writing, invite 

these potential participants to become 

consulting parties. To become a 

consulting party, those invited must 

respond in writing. Interested 

individuals or organizations that do not 

receive an invitation may request to be 

consulting parties by writing to BSEE 

via the means provided in the 

ADDRESSES section above. BSEE will 

determine which interested parties 

should be consulting parties. 

Request for Identification of Potential 

Alternatives, Information, and 

Analyses Relevant to the Proposed 

Action 

BSEE invites interested Federal and 

State agencies, Tribes, organizations and 

enterprises, and individuals to submit 

comments or suggestions that assist in 

identifying potentially significant 

environmental issues, relevant 

information, alternatives to the 

Proposed Action, and determining the 

scope of the Proposed Action. 

Decision Maker 

The decision maker for approving 

Pacific OCS decommissioning activities 

is the BSEE Pacific OCS Regional 

Director. The responsible official for the 

environmental analysis process and 

development of this PEIS is the BSEE 

Director. 

Nature of Future Decisions To Be Made 

The BSEE Pacific OCS Regional 

Director will render decisions regarding 

decommissioning applications for oil 

and gas platforms, pipelines, and other 

facilities and associated infrastructure 

on the OCS offshore Southern California 

in accordance with the applicable 

implementing regulations of the Outer 

Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), 

30 CFR part 250 Subpart Q— 

Decommissioning Activities. Potential 

future decisions include approvals for 

initial platform removal applications, 

final applications to remove a platform 

or other facility, applications to 

decommission pipelines, and the 

granting of departures or alternate 

procedures or equipment. 

Scott Mabry, 

Acting Director, Bureau of Safety and 

Environmental Enforcement, Associate 

Director for Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2021–15723 Filed 7–22–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–VH–P 

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 

COMMISSION 

[Investigation Nos. 701–TA–528–529 and 

731–TA–1264–1268 (Review)] 

Uncoated Paper From Australia, Brazil, 

China, Indonesia, and Portugal; 

Scheduling of Full Five-Year Reviews 

AGENCY: United States International 

Trade Commission. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives 

notice of the scheduling of full reviews 

pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (‘‘the 

Act’’) to determine whether revocation 

of the antidumping duty orders on 

uncoated paper from Australia, Brazil, 

China, Indonesia, and Portugal and the 

countervailing duty orders on uncoated 

paper from China and Indonesia would 

be likely to lead to continuation or 

recurrence of material injury within a 

reasonably foreseeable time. The 

Commission has determined to exercise 

its authority to extend the review period 

by up to 90 days. 

DATES: July 19, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Caitlyn Hendricks (202–205–2058), 

Office of Investigations, U.S. 

International Trade Commission, 500 E 

Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. 

Hearing-impaired persons can obtain 

information on this matter by contacting 

the Commission’s TDD terminal on 202– 

205–1810. Persons with mobility 

impairments who will need special 

assistance in gaining access to the 

Commission should contact the Office 

of the Secretary at 202–205–2000. 

General information concerning the 

Commission may also be obtained by 

accessing its internet server (https://

www.usitc.gov). The public record for 

these reviews may be viewed on the 

Commission’s electronic docket (EDIS) 

at https://edis.usitc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background.—On May 7, 2021, the 

Commission determined that responses 

to its notice of institution of the subject 

five-year reviews were such that full 

reviews should proceed (86 FR 27650, 

May 21, 2021); accordingly, full reviews 

are being scheduled pursuant to section 

751(c)(5) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 

U.S.C. 1675(c)(5)). A record of the 

Commissioners’ votes, the 

Commission’s statement on adequacy, 

and any individual Commissioner’s 

statements are available from the Office 

of the Secretary and at the 

Commission’s website. 

Participation in the reviews and 

public service list.—Persons, including 

industrial users of the subject 

merchandise and, if the merchandise is 

sold at the retail level, representative 

consumer organizations, wishing to 

participate in these reviews as parties 

must file an entry of appearance with 

the Secretary to the Commission, as 

provided in section 201.11 of the 

Commission’s rules, by 45 days after 

publication of this notice. A party that 

filed a notice of appearance following 

publication of the Commission’s notice 

of institution of these reviews need not 

file an additional notice of appearance. 

The Secretary will maintain a public 

service list containing the names and 


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