Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 8535 

provided in the ‘‘Instructions for 

Making Electronic Funds Transfer 

Bonus Payments’’ found on the BOEM 

Web site identified above. 

BOEM requires bidders to use EFT 

procedures for payment of one-fifth 

bonus bid deposits for CPA Sale 241, 

following the detailed instructions 

contained on the ONRR Payment 

Information Web page at http://

www.onrr.gov/FM/PayInfo.htm. 

Acceptance of a deposit does not 

constitute and will not be construed as 

acceptance of any bid on behalf of the 

United States. 

Withdrawal of Blocks 

The United States reserves the right to 

withdraw any block from this lease sale 

prior to issuance of a written acceptance 

of a bid for the block. 

Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids 

The United States reserves the right to 

reject any and all bids. No bid will be 

accepted, and no lease for any block 

will be awarded to any bidder, unless: 

(1) The bidder has complied with all 

requirements of the Final NOS and 

applicable regulations; 

(2) the bid submitted is the highest 

valid bid; and 

(3) the amount of the bid has been 

determined to be adequate by the 

authorized officer. 

Any bid submitted that does not 

conform to the requirements of the Final 

NOS and Final NOS Package, OCSLA, 

or other applicable statute or regulation 

may be rejected and returned to the 

bidder. The U.S. Department of Justice 

and the Federal Trade Commission will 

review the results of the lease sale for 

antitrust issues prior to the acceptance 

of bids and issuance of leases. 

Bid Adequacy Review Procedures for 

CPA Sale 241 

To ensure that the U.S. Government 

receives a fair return for the conveyance 

of leases from this sale, high bids will 

be evaluated in accordance with 

BOEM’s bid adequacy procedures. A 

copy of the updated Bid Adequacy 

Procedures can be obtained from the 

BOEM Gulf of Mexico Region Public 

Information Office, or via the BOEM 

Gulf of Mexico Region Web site at 

http://www.boem.gov/Oil-and-GasEnergy-Program/Leasing/RegionalLeasing/Gulf-of-Mexico-Region/BidAdequacy-Procedures.aspx. 

BOEM published a notification in the 

Federal Register, 79 FR 62461–62463 

(October 17, 2014), available at http://

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-10-17/

pdf/2014-24727.pdf, proposing the 

elimination of one of its acceptance 

rules, the Number of Bids Rule, from its 

bid adequacy procedures. BOEM 

carefully considered the comments 

submitted in response to the notice and 

met with industry representatives. 

BOEM believes that none of the 

submitted comments offered a 

compelling reason to retain the Number 

of Bids Rule, suggested a preferable 

alternative which BOEM had not 

considered, or indicated that our 

analysis or rationale was deficient. 

Therefore, BOEM removed the Number 

of Bids rule from its procedures. This 

bid adequacy change is in effect and 

will be applied to any bids received for 

the CPA Sale 241. 

Lease Award 

BOEM requires each bidder awarded 

a lease to: (1) Execute all copies of the 

lease (Form BOEM–2005 (October 

2011), as amended); (2) pay by EFT the 

balance of the bonus bid amount and 

the first year’s rental for each lease 

issued in accordance with the 

requirements of 30 CFR 218.155 and 

556.47(f); and (3) satisfy the bonding 

requirements of 30 CFR part 556, 

subpart I, as amended. ONRR requests 

that only one transaction be used for 

payment of the four-fifths bonus bid 

amount and the first year’s rental. 

XI. Delay of Sale 

The BOEM Gulf of Mexico RD has the 

discretion to change any date, time, 

and/or location specified in the Final 

NOS Package in case of an event that the 

BOEM Gulf of Mexico RD deems may 

interfere with the carrying out of a fair 

and orderly lease sale process. Such 

events could include, but are not 

limited to, natural disasters (e.g., 

earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods), 

wars, riots, acts of terrorism, fires, 

strikes, civil disorder, or other events of 

a similar nature. In case of such events, 

bidders should call (504) 736–0557, or 

access the BOEM Web site at http://

www.boem.gov, for information 

regarding any changes. 

Dated: February 10, 2016. 

Abigail Ross Hopper, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03278 Filed 2–18–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2015–0118; 

MMAA104000] 

Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf 

(OCS), Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Oil 

and Gas Lease Sale 226 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of a 

Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the 

availability of a Record of Decision for 

proposed oil and gas EPA Lease Sale 

226. This Record of Decision identifies 

the Bureau’s selected alternative for 

proposed EPA Lease Sale 226, which is 

analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil 

and Gas Lease Sales: 2016 and 2017; 

Central Planning Area Lease Sales 241 

and 247; Eastern Planning Area Lease 

Sale 226; Final Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (CPA 

241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS). The 

Record of Decision and associated 

information are available on the agency 

Web site at http://www.boem.gov/

nepaprocess/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more information on the Record of 

Decision, you may contact Mr. Gary D. 

Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard 

(GM 623E), New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394. You may also contact Mr. 

Goeke by telephone at 504–736–3233. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 

CPA 241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS, 

BOEM evaluated the two alternatives 

that are summarized below with regard 

to proposed EPA Lease Sale 226: 

Alternative A—The Proposed Action: 

This is BOEM’s preferred alternative. 

This alternative would offer for lease all 

unleased blocks within the proposed 

EPA lease sale area for oil and gas 

operations. 

All unleased blocks in the EPA that 

BOEM will offer for leasing in proposed 

EPA Lease Sale 226 are listed in the 

document ‘‘List of Blocks Available for 

Leasing,’’ which is included in the Final 

Notice of Sale for EPA Lease Sale 226. 

The proposed EPA lease sale area covers 

approximately 657,905 acres (ac) and 

includes those blocks previously 

included in EPA Lease Sale 225. The 

area is south of eastern Alabama and 

western Florida; the nearest point of 

land is 125 miles (201 kilometers) 

northwest in Louisiana. As of October 

2015, approximately 595,475 ac of the 

proposed EPA lease sale area are 

available for lease. The estimated 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
8536 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 

amount of natural resources projected to 

be developed as a result of proposed 

EPA Lease Sale 226 is 0–0.071 billion 

barrels of oil and 0–0.162 trillion cubic 

feet of gas. 

Alternative B—No Action: This 

alternative is the cancellation of 

proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 and is 

identified as the environmentally 

preferred alternative. 

Lease Stipulations—The CPA 241/

EPA 226 Supplemental EIS describes all 

lease stipulations, which are included 

in the Final Notice of Sale Package. The 

four lease stipulations for proposed EPA 

Lease Sale 226 are the Protected Species 

Stipulation, the Military Areas 

Stipulation, the Evacuation Stipulation, 

and the Coordination Stipulation. The 

stipulations will be added as lease terms 

where applicable and will therefore be 

enforceable as part of the lease. 

Appendix A of the CPA 241/EPA 226 

Supplemental EIS provides a list and 

description of standard postlease 

mitigating measures that may be 

required by BOEM or the Bureau of 

Safety and Environmental Enforcement 

as a result of plan and permit review 

processes for the Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region. 

After careful consideration, BOEM 

has selected the proposed action, which 

is identified as BOEM’s preferred 

alternative (Alternative A) in the CPA 

241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS. 

BOEM’s selection of the preferred 

alternative reflects an orderly resource 

development with protection of the 

human, marine, and coastal 

environments, while also ensuring that 

the public receives an equitable return 

for these resources and that free-market 

competition is maintained. 

Authority: This NOA of a Record of 

Decision is published pursuant to regulations 

(40 CFR part 1503) implementing the 

provisions of the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq.). 

Dated: February 10, 2016. 

Abigail Ross Hopper, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03277 Filed 2–18–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2015–0119] 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Gulf of 

Mexico (GOM), Oil and Gas Western 

Planning Area (WPA) Lease Sale 248, 

MMAA104000 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the 

availability of a Final Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 

for proposed GOM OCS Oil and Gas 

WPA Lease Sale 248. The Final SEIS 

provides a discussion of the potential 

significant impacts of the proposed 

action, provides an analysis of 

reasonable alternatives to the proposed 

action, and identifies the Bureau’s 

preferred alternative. 

The Final SEIS is available on 

BOEM’s Web site at http://

www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/. BOEM 

will primarily distribute digital copies 

of the Final SEIS on compact discs. You 

may request a paper copy or the location 

of a library with a digital copy of the 

Final SEIS from the Bureau of Ocean 

Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico 

OCS Region, Public Information Office 

(GM 250C), 1201 Elmwood Park 

Boulevard, Room 250, New Orleans, 

Louisiana 70123–2394 (1–800–200– 

GULF). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more information on the WPA 248 Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement, you may contact Mr. Gary D. 

Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region, Office of Environment (GM 

623E), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, 

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394 or 

by email at wpa248@boem.gov. You 

may also contact Mr. Goeke by 

telephone at 504–736–3233. 

Authority: This Notice of Availability of 

a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement is in compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and is 

published pursuant to 43 CFR 46.415. 

Dated: January 4, 2016. 

Abigail Ross Hopper, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2016–02653 Filed 2–18–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR––P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2015–0117] 

Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf 

(OCS), Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil 

and Gas Lease Sale 241; MMAA104000 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of a 

Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the 

availability of a Record of Decision for 

proposed oil and gas CPA Lease Sale 

241. This Record of Decision identifies 

the Bureau’s selected alternative for 

proposed CPA Lease Sale 241, which is 

analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil 

and Gas Lease Sales: 2016 and 2017; 

Central Planning Area Lease Sales 241 

and 247; Eastern Planning Area Lease 

Sale 226; Final Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (CPA 

241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS). The 

Record of Decision and associated 

information are available on the agency 

Web site at http://www.boem.gov/

nepaprocess/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more information on the Record of 

Decision, you may contact Mr. Gary D. 

Goeke, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS 

Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard 

(GM 623E), New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394. You may also contact Mr. 

Goeke by telephone at 504–736–3233. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 

CPA 241/EPA 226 Supplemental EIS, 

BOEM evaluated the three alternatives 

that are summarized below with regard 

to proposed CPA Lease Sale 241: 

Alternative A—The Proposed Action: 

This is BOEM’s preferred alternative. 

This alternative would offer for lease for 

oil and gas operations all unleased 

blocks within the proposed CPA lease 

sale area with the following exceptions: 

whole and partial blocks deferred by the 

Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 

2006; and blocks that are adjacent to or 

beyond the United States’ Exclusive 

Economic Zone in the area known as the 

northern portion of the Eastern Gap. 

All unleased whole and partial blocks 

in the CPA that BOEM will offer for 

leasing in proposed CPA Lease Sale 241 

are listed in the document ‘‘List of 

Blocks Available for Leasing,’’ which is 

included in the Final Notice of Sale for 

CPA Lease Sale 241. The proposed CPA 

lease sale area encompasses about 63 

million acres (ac) of the total CPA area 

of 66.45 million acres. As of October 

2015, approximately 46.9 million ac of 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES