Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 8525 

Public Comments 

If you wish to comment on the permit 

applications, plans, and associated 

documents, you may submit comments 

by any one of the methods in 

ADDRESSES. 

Public Availability of Comments 

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 view, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority 

We provide this notice under section 

10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) 

and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). 

Dated: February 10, 2016. 

Stephen P. Henry, 

Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife 

Office, Ventura, California. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03303 Filed 2–18–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[16X; LLIDB00100. LF1000000. HT0000. 

LXSS024D0000. 241A00] 

Notice of Public Meeting: Resource 

Advisory Council (RAC) to the Boise 

District, Bureau of Land Management, 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

U.S. Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Boise District 

Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will 

hold a meeting as indicated below. 

DATES: The meeting will be held March 

16, 2016, at the Boise District Office, 

3948 Development Avenue, Boise, Idaho 

83705 beginning at 9:00 a.m. and 

adjourning by 4:00 p.m. Members of the 

public are invited to attend. A public 

comment period will be held from 11:00 

a.m. to 11:10 a.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: MJ 

Byrne, Public Affairs Officer and RAC 

Coordinator, BLM Boise District, 3948 

Development Ave., Boise, Idaho 83705, 

telephone (208) 384–3393. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15- 

member Council advises the Secretary 

of the Interior, through the BLM, on a 

variety of planning and management 

issues associated with public land 

management in southwestern Idaho. 

During the March meeting the Boise 

District RAC will receive updates on the 

Bruneau Off-Range Corrals, the Soda fire 

emergency stabilization and 

rehabilitation actions and sage-grouse 

conservation implementation efforts. 

The RAC’s subcommittee on the 

proposed Tri-State Fuels Breaks Project 

will provide a report about their first 

meeting. BLM staff will brief RAC 

members on the Gateway West Draft 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement. There will also be a 

discussion about the use of Prostrate 

kochia in fuel breaks. Agenda items and 

location may be modified due to 

changing circumstances. The public 

may present written or oral comments to 

members of the Council. At each full 

RAC meeting, time is provided in the 

agenda for hearing public comments. 

Depending on the number of persons 

wishing to comment and time available, 

the time for individual oral comments 

may be limited. Individuals who plan to 

attend and need special assistance 

should contact the BLM Coordinator as 

provided above. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

to contact Ms. Byrne. The FIRS is 

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 

to leave a message or question with Ms. 

Byrne. You will receive a reply during 

normal business hours. 

Dated: February 11, 2016. 

Lara Douglas, 

District Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03463 Filed 2–18–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[MMAA104000] 

Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area 

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas 

Lease Sale 226 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Final notice of sale. 

SUMMARY: On Wednesday, March 23, 

2016, BOEM will open and publicly 

announce bids for blocks offered in 

Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas 

Lease Sale 226 (EPA Sale 226), in 

accordance with the provisions of the 

OCS Lands Act (OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. 

1331–1356, as amended) and the 

implementing regulations issued 

pursuant thereto (30 CFR parts 550 and 

556). 

DATES: Date And Time: Public bid 

reading for EPA Sale 226 will begin at 

9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23, 

2016. All times referred to in this 

document are Central Time, unless 

otherwise specified. 

The EPA Sale 226 Final Notice of Sale 

(NOS) Package (Final NOS Package) 

contains information essential to 

potential bidders. Bidders are charged 

with knowing the contents of the 

documents contained in the Final NOS 

Package. 

Bid Submission Deadline: BOEM 

must receive all sealed bids between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on normal 

working days, or from 8:00 a.m. to the 

Bid Submission Deadline of 10:00 a.m. 

on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, the day 

before the lease sale. For more 

information on bid submission, see 

Section VII, ‘‘Bidding Instructions,’’ of 

this document. 

ADDRESSES: The Mercedes-Benz 

Superdome, 1500 Sugarbowl Drive, New 

Orleans, Louisiana, 70112. The lease 

sale will be held in the St. Charles Club 

Room on the second floor (Loge Level). 

Entry to the Superdome will be on the 

Poydras Street side of the building 

through Gate A on the Ground Level; 

parking will be available at Garage 6. 

Interested parties, upon request, may 

obtain a compact disc (CD–ROM) 

containing the Final NOS Package by 

contacting the BOEM Gulf of Mexico 

(GOM) Region at: Gulf of Mexico Region 

Public Information Office, Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, 1201 

Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, 

Louisiana 70123–2394, (504) 736–2519 

or (800) 200–GULF or by visiting the 

BOEM Web site at http://

www.boem.gov/Sale-226/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

This Final NOS includes the 

following sections: 

I. Lease Sale Area 

II. Statutes and Regulations 

III. Lease Terms and Financial Conditions 

IV. Lease Stipulations 

V. Information to Lessees 

VI. Maps 

VII. Bidding Instructions 

VIII. Bidding Rules and Restrictions 

IX. Forms 

X. The Lease Sale 

XI. Delay of Sale 


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8526 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 

I. Lease Sale Area 

Blocks Offered for Leasing: BOEM is 

offering for lease all blocks and partial 

blocks listed in the document ‘‘List of 

Blocks Available for Leasing’’ included 

in this Final NOS Package. All of these 

blocks are shown on the following 

leasing maps and Official Protraction 

Diagrams (OPDs): 

Outer Continental Shelf Official 

Protraction Diagrams 

NG16–02 Lloyd Ridge (revised 

February 28, 2007) 

NH16–11 De Soto Canyon (revised 

February 28, 2007) 

Blocks Not Offered for Leasing: All 

whole or partial blocks in the EPA 

deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy 

Security Act of 2006, Public Law 109– 

432. 

II. Statutes and Regulations 

Each lease is issued pursuant to 

OCSLA, and is subject to OCSLA, 

implementing regulations promulgated 

pursuant thereto, and other applicable 

statutes and regulations in existence 

upon the effective date of the lease, as 

well as those applicable statutes enacted 

and regulations promulgated thereafter, 

except to the extent that the afterenacted statutes and regulations 

explicitly conflict with an express 

provision of the lease. Each lease also is 

subject to amendments to statutes and 

regulations, including, but not limited 

to, OCSLA, that do not explicitly 

conflict with an express provision of the 

lease. The lessee expressly bears the risk 

that such new or amended statutes and 

regulations (i.e., those that do not 

explicitly conflict with an express 

provision of the lease) may increase or 

decrease the lessee’s obligations under 

the lease. 

III. Lease Terms and Financial 

Conditions 

Lease Terms 

OCS Lease Form 

BOEM will use Form BOEM–2005 

(October 2011) to convey leases 

resulting from this sale. This lease form 

may be viewed on the BOEM Web site 

at http://www.boem.gov/About-BOEM/

Procurement-Business-Opportunities/

BOEM-OCS-Operation-Forms/BOEM2005.aspx. The lease form will be 

amended to conform with the specific 

terms, conditions, and stipulations 

applicable to the individual lease. The 

terms, conditions, and stipulations 

applicable to this sale are set forth 

below. 

Initial Periods 

Initial periods are summarized in the 

following table: 

Water depth (meters) Initial period 

800 to <1,600 ............... Standard initial period is 7 years; the lessee will earn an additional 3 years (i.e., for a 10-year extended initial period) if 

a well is spudded during the first 7 years of the lease. 

1,600+ .......................... 10 years. 

(1) The standard initial period for a 

lease in water depths ranging from 800 

to less than 1,600 meters issued as a 

result of this sale will be 7 years. The 

lessee will earn an additional 3 years, 

resulting in a 10-year extended initial 

period, if the lessee spuds a well within 

the first 7 years of the lease. 

In order to earn the 10-year extended 

initial period, the lessee is required to 

submit to the appropriate Bureau of 

Safety and Environmental Enforcement 

(BSEE) District Manager, within 30 days 

after spudding a well, a letter providing 

the well number and spud date, and 

requesting concurrence that the lessee 

has earned the 10-year extended initial 

period. The BSEE District Manager will 

review the request and make a written 

determination within 30 days of receipt 

of the request. The BSEE District 

Manager must concur in writing that the 

conditions have been met by the lessee 

to earn the 10-year extended initial 

period. 

(2) The standard initial period for a 

lease in water depths 1,600 meters or 

greater issued as a result of this sale will 

be 10 years. 

Financial Conditions 

Minimum Bonus Bid Amount 

• $100.00 per acre or fraction thereof for 

all blocks 

BOEM will not accept a bonus bid 

unless it provides for a cash bonus in 

the amount equal to, or exceeding, the 

specified minimum bid of $100.00 per 

acre or fraction thereof. 

Rental Rate 

Annual rental rates are summarized in 

the following table: 

RENTAL RATES PER ACRE OR

FRACTION THEREOF

Water depth 

(meters) 

Years 

1–5 Years 6+ 

800+ .................. $11.00 $16.00 

Royalty Rate 

• 18.75 percent 

Minimum Royalty Rate 

• $11.00 per acre or fraction thereof per 

year 

IV. Lease Stipulations 

One or more of the following 

stipulations may be applied to leases 

issued as a result of this sale. The 

detailed text of these stipulations is 

contained in the ‘‘Lease Stipulations’’ 

section of the Final NOS Package. 

(1) Military Areas 

(2) Evacuation 

(3) Coordination 

(4) Protected Species 

V. Information to Lessees 

The Information to Lessees (ITL) 

clauses provide detailed information on 

certain issues pertaining to this oil and 

gas lease sale. The detailed text of these 

ITL clauses is contained in the 

‘‘Information to Lessees’’ section of the 

Final NOS Package: 

(1) Navigation Safety 

(2) Ordnance Disposal Areas in the EPA 

(3) Existing and Proposed Artificial 

Reefs/Rigs to Reefs 

(4) Lightering Zones 

(5) Military Areas in the EPA 

(6) Bureau of Safety and Environmental 

Enforcement (BSEE) Inspection and 

Enforcement of Certain Coast Guard 

Regulations 

(7) Air Quality Permits 

(8) Notice of Arrival on the Outer 

Continental Shelf 

(9) Bidder/Lessee Notice of Obligations 

Related to Criminal/Civil Charges 

and Offenses, Suspension, or 

Debarment; Disqualification Due to 

a Conviction under the Clean Air 

Act or the Clean Water Act 

(10) Protected Species 

VI. Maps 

The maps pertaining to this sale may 

be found on the BOEM Web site at 

http://www.boem.gov/Sale-226. The 

following map also is included in the 

Final NOS Package: 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 8527 

Lease Terms, Financial Conditions, and 

Stipulations Map 

The lease terms, financial conditions, 

stipulations, and the blocks to which 

these terms and conditions apply are 

shown on the map ‘‘Final, Eastern 

Planning Area, Lease Sale 226, March 

23, 2016, Lease Terms, Financial 

Conditions, and Stipulations’’ included 

in the Final NOS Package. 

VII. Bidding Instructions 

Instructions on how to submit a bid, 

secure payment of the advance bonus 

bid deposit (if applicable), and what 

information must be included with the 

bid are as follows: 

Bid Form 

For each block bid upon, a separate 

sealed bid must be submitted in a sealed 

envelope (as described below) and must 

include the following: 

• Total amount of the bid in whole 

dollars only; 

• sale number; 

• sale date; 

• each bidder’s exact name; 

• each bidder’s proportionate interest, 

stated as a percentage, using a 

maximum of five decimal places (e.g., 

33.33333 percent); 

• typed name and title, and signature 

of each bidder’s authorized officer; 

• each bidder’s qualification number; 

• map name and number or Official 

Protraction Diagram (OPD) name and 

number; 

• block number; and 

• statement acknowledging that the 

bidder(s) understand that this bid 

legally binds the bidder(s) to comply 

with all applicable regulations, 

including payment of one-fifth of the 

bonus bid amount on all apparent high 

bids. 

The information required on the 

bid(s) is specified in the document ‘‘Bid 

Form’’ in this Final NOS Package. A 

blank bid form will be provided therein 

for convenience and may be copied and 

completed with the necessary 

information described above. 

Bid Envelope 

Each bid must be submitted in a 

separate sealed envelope labeled as 

follows: 

• ‘‘Sealed Bid for Oil and Gas Lease 

Sale 226, not to be opened until 9:00 

a.m. Wednesday, March 23, 2016;’’ 

• map name and number or OPD 

name and number; 

• block number for block bid upon; 

and 

• the exact name and qualification 

number of the submitting bidder only. 

The Final NOS Package includes a 

sample bid envelope for reference. 

Mailed Bids 

If bids are mailed, please address the 

envelope containing the sealed bid 

envelope(s) as follows: Attention: 

Leasing and Financial Responsibility 

Section, BOEM Gulf of Mexico Region, 

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New 

Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394. 

Contains Sealed Bids for EPA Oil and 

Gas Lease Sale 226 Please Deliver to Ms. 

Cindy Thibodeaux or Mr. Carrol 

Williams, 2nd Floor, Immediately 

Please Note: Bidders mailing bid(s) are 

advised to call Ms. Cindy Thibodeaux at 

(504) 736–2809, or Mr. Carrol Williams at 

(504) 736–2803, immediately after putting 

their bid(s) in the mail. If BOEM receives 

bids later than the Bid Submission Deadline, 

the BOEM Gulf of Mexico Regional Director 

(RD) will return those bids unopened to 

bidders. Please see ‘‘Section XI. Delay of 

Sale’’ regarding BOEM’s discretion to extend 

the Bid Submission Deadline in the case of 

an unexpected event (e.g., flooding or travel 

restrictions) and how bidders can obtain 

more information on such extensions. 

Advance Bonus Bid Deposit Guarantee 

Bidders that are not currently an OCS 

oil and gas lease record title holder or 

designated operator, or those that ever 

have defaulted on a one-fifth bonus bid 

deposit, by Electronic Funds Transfer 

(EFT) or otherwise, must guarantee 

(secure) the payment of the one-fifth 

bonus bid deposit prior to bid 

submission using one of the following 

four methods: 

• Provide a third-party guarantee; 

• amend an areawide development 

bond via bond rider; 

• provide a letter of credit; or 

• provide a lump sum payment in 

advance via EFT. 

For more information on EFT 

procedures, see Section X of this 

document entitled, ‘‘The Lease Sale.’’ 

Affirmative Action 

Prior to bidding, each bidder should 

file Equal Opportunity Affirmative 

Action Representation Form BOEM– 

2032 (October 2011) and Equal 

Opportunity Compliance Report 

Certification Form BOEM–2033 

(October 2011) with the BOEM Gulf of 

Mexico Region Adjudication Section. 

This certification is required by 41 CFR 

part 60 and Executive Order No. 11246, 

issued September 24, 1965, as amended 

by Executive Order No. 11375, issued 

October 13, 1967, and by Executive 

Order 13672, issued July 21, 2014. Both 

forms must be on file for the bidder(s) 

in the GOM Region Adjudication 

Section prior to the execution of any 

lease contract. 

Geophysical Data and Information 

Statement (GDIS) 

The GDIS is composed of three parts: 

(1) The ‘‘Statement’’ page includes the 

company representatives’ information 

and lists of blocks bid on that used 

proprietary data and those blocks bid on 

that did not use proprietary data; 

(2) the ‘‘Table’’ listing the required 

data about each proprietary survey used 

(see below); and 

(3) the ‘‘Maps’’ being the live trace 

maps for each survey that are identified 

in the GDIS statement and table. 

Every bidder submitting a bid on a 

block in EPA Sale 226, or participating 

as a joint bidder in such a bid, must 

submit at the time of bid submission all 

three parts of the GDIS. A bidder must 

submit the GDIS even if a joint bidder 

or bidders on a specific block also have 

submitted a GDIS. Any speculative data 

that has been reprocessed externally or 

‘‘in-house’’ is considered proprietary 

due to the proprietary processing and is 

no longer considered to be speculative. 

The GDIS must be submitted in a 

separate and sealed envelope, and 

identify all proprietary data; 

reprocessed speculative data, and/or 

any Controlled Source Electromagnetic 

surveys, Amplitude Versus Offset 

(AVO), Gravity, or Magnetic data; or 

other information used as part of the 

decision to bid or participate in a bid on 

the block. The bidder and joint bidder 

must also include a live trace map (e.g., 

.pdf and ArcGIS shape file) for each 

proprietary survey that they identify in 

the GDIS illustrating the actual areal 

extent of the proprietary geophysical 

data in the survey (see the ‘‘Example of 

Preferred Format’’ in the Final NOS 

Package for additional information). The 

shape file must not include cultural 

information; only the live trace map of 

the survey itself. 

The GDIS statement must include the 

name, phone number, and full address 

of a contact person and an alternate who 

are both knowledgeable about the 

information and data listed and who are 

available for 30 days after the sale date. 

The GDIS statement also must include 

entries for all blocks bid upon that did 

not use proprietary or reprocessed preor post-stack geophysical data and 

information as part of the decision to 

bid or to participate as a joint bidder in 

the bid. The GDIS statement must be 

submitted even if no proprietary 

geophysical data and information were 

used in bid preparation for the block. 

The GDIS table should have columns 

that clearly state the sale number; the 

bidder company’s name; the block area 

and block number bid on; the owner of 

the original data set (i.e., who initially 


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8528 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 

acquired the data); the industry’s 

original name of the survey (e.g., E 

Octopus); the BOEM permit number for 

the survey; whether the data set is a fast 

track version; whether the data is 

speculative or proprietary; the data type 

(e.g., 2–D, 3–D, or 4–D; pre-stack or 

post-stack; and time or depth); 

migration algorithm (e.g., Kirchhoff 

Migration, Wave Equation Migration, 

Reverse Migration, Reverse Time 

Migration) of the data and areal extent 

of bidder survey (i.e., number of line 

miles for 2–D or number of blocks for 

3–D). Provide the computer storage size, 

to the nearest gigabyte, of each seismic 

data and velocity volume used to 

evaluate the lease block in question. 

This will be used in estimating the 

reproduction costs for each data set, if 

applicable. The availability of 

reimbursement of production costs will 

be determined consistent with 30 CFR 

551.13. The next column should state 

who reprocessed the data (e.g., external 

company name or ‘‘in-house’’) and 

when the date of final reprocessing was 

completed (month and year). If the data 

was sent to BOEM for bidding in a 

previous lease sale, list the date the data 

was processed (month and year) and 

indicate if AVO data was used in the 

evaluation. BOEM reserves the right to 

query about alternate data sets, to 

quality check, and to compare the listed 

and alternative data sets to determine 

which data set most closely meets the 

needs of the fair market value 

determination process. An example of 

the preferred format of the table may be 

found in the Final NOS Package, and a 

blank digital version of the preferred 

table may be accessed on the EPA Sale 

226 sale Web page at http://

www.boem.gov/Sale-226. 

The GDIS maps are live trace maps (in 

.pdf and ArcGIS shape files) that should 

be submitted for each proprietary survey 

that is identified in the GDIS table. They 

should illustrate the actual areal extent 

of the proprietary geophysical data in 

the survey (see the ‘‘Example of 

Preferred Format’’ in the Final NOS 

Package for additional information). As 

previously stated, the shape file must 

not include cultural information; only 

the live trace map of the survey itself. 

Pursuant to 30 CFR 551.12 and 30 CFR 

556.32, as a condition of the sale, the 

BOEM Gulf of Mexico RD requests that 

all bidders and joint bidders submit the 

proprietary data identified on their 

GDIS within 30 days after the lease sale 

(unless they are notified after the lease 

sale that BOEM has withdrawn the 

request). This request only pertains to 

proprietary data that is not 

commercially available. Commercially 

available data is not required to be 

submitted to BOEM, and reimbursement 

will not be provided if such data is 

submitted by a bidder. The BOEM Gulf 

of Mexico RD will notify bidders and 

joint bidders of any withdrawal of the 

request, for all or some of the 

proprietary data identified on the GDIS, 

within 15 days of the lease sale. 

Pursuant to 30 CFR part 551 and as a 

condition of this sale, all bidders 

required to submit data must ensure that 

the data is received by BOEM no later 

than the 30th day following the lease 

sale, or the next business day if the 

submission deadline falls on a weekend 

or Federal holiday. The data must be 

submitted to BOEM at the following 

address: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Resource Studies, GM 

881A, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New 

Orleans, LA 70123–2304. 

BOEM recommends that bidders mark 

the submission’s external envelope as 

‘‘Deliver Immediately to DASPU.’’ 

BOEM also recommends that the data be 

submitted in an internal envelope, or 

otherwise marked, with the following 

designation: ‘‘Proprietary Geophysical 

Data Submitted Pursuant to EPA 226 

and used during <Bidder Name’s> 

evaluation of Block <Block Number>.’’ 

In the event a person supplies any 

type of data to BOEM, that person must 

meet the following requirements to 

qualify for reimbursement: 

(1) Persons must be registered with 

the System for Award Management 

(SAM), formerly known as the Central 

Contractor Registration (CCR). CCR 

usernames will not work in SAM. A 

new SAM User Account is needed to 

register or update an entity’s records. 

The Web site for registering is https:// 

www.sam.gov. 

(2) Persons must be enrolled in the 

Department of Treasury’s Internet 

Payment Platform (IPP) for electronic 

invoicing. The person must enroll in the 

IPP at https://www.ipp.gov/. Access 

then will be granted to use the IPP for 

submitting requests for payment. When 

a request for payment is submitted, it 

must include the assigned Purchase 

Order Number on the request. 

(3) Persons must have a current Online Representations and Certifications 

Application at https://www.sam.gov. 

Please Note: The GDIS Information Table 

must be submitted digitally, preferably as an 

Excel spreadsheet, on a CD or DVD along 

with the seismic data map(s). If bidders have 

any questions, please contact Ms. Dee Smith 

at (504) 736–2706, or Mr. John Johnson at 

(504) 736–2455. Bidders should refer to 

Section X of this document, ‘‘The Lease Sale: 

Acceptance, Rejection, or Return of Bids,’’ 

regarding a bidder’s failure to comply with 

the requirements of the Final NOS, including 

any failure to submit information as required 

in the Final NOS or Final NOS Package. 

Telephone Numbers/Addresses of 

Bidders 

BOEM requests that bidders provide 

this information in the suggested format 

prior to or at the time of bid submission. 

The suggested format is included in the 

Final NOS Package. The form must not 

be enclosed inside the sealed bid 

envelope. 

Additional Documentation 

BOEM may require bidders to submit 

other documents in accordance with 30 

CFR 556.46. 

VIII. Bidding Rules and Restrictions 

Restricted Joint Bidders 

On November 2, 2015, BOEM 

published the most recent List of 

Restricted Joint Bidders in the Federal 

Register at 80 FR 67416. Potential 

bidders are advised to refer to the 

Federal Register, prior to bidding, for 

the most current List of Restricted Joint 

Bidders in place at the time of the lease 

sale. Please refer to the joint bidding 

provisions at 30 CFR 556.41 for 

additional restrictions. 

Authorized Signatures 

All signatories executing documents 

on behalf of bidder(s) must execute the 

same in conformance with the BOEM 

qualification records. Bidders are 

advised that BOEM considers the signed 

bid to be a legally binding obligation on 

the part of the bidder(s) to comply with 

all applicable regulations, including 

payment of one-fifth of the bonus bid on 

all high bids. A statement to this effect 

must be included on each bid form (see 

the document ‘‘Bid Form’’ to be 

contained in the Final NOS Package). 

Unlawful Combination or Intimidation 

BOEM warns bidders against violation 

of 18 U.S.C. 1860, prohibiting unlawful 

combination or intimidation of bidders. 

Bid Withdrawal 

Bids may be withdrawn only by 

written request delivered to BOEM prior 

to the Bid Submission Deadline. The 

withdrawal request must be on 

company letterhead and must contain 

the bidder’s name, its BOEM 

qualification number, the map name/

number, and the block number(s) of the 

bid(s) to be withdrawn. The withdrawal 

request must be executed in 

conformance with the BOEM 

qualification records. Signatories must 

be authorized to bind their respective 

legal business entities (e.g., a 

corporation, partnership, or LLC) and 

documentation must be on file with 


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BOEM setting forth this authority to act 

on the business entity’s behalf for 

purposes of bidding and lease execution 

under OCSLA (e.g., business charter or 

articles, incumbency certificate, or 

power of attorney). The name and title 

of the authorized signatory must be 

typed under the signature block on the 

withdrawal request. The BOEM Gulf of 

Mexico RD, or the RD’s designee, will 

indicate their approval by signing and 

dating the withdrawal request. 

Bid Rounding 

Minimum bonus bid calculations, 

including rounding, for all blocks will 

be shown in the document ‘‘List of 

Blocks Available for Leasing,’’ included 

in the Final NOS Package. The bonus 

bid amount must be stated in whole 

dollars. If the acreage of a block contains 

a decimal figure, then prior to 

calculating the minimum bonus bid, 

BOEM rounded up to the next whole 

acre. The appropriate minimum rate per 

acre was then be applied to the whole 

(rounded up) acreage. If this calculation 

resulted in a fractional dollar amount, 

the minimum bonus bid was rounded 

up to the next whole dollar amount. The 

bonus bid amount must be greater than 

or equal to the minimum bonus bid in 

whole dollars. 

IX. Forms 

The Final NOS Package includes 

instructions, samples, and/or the 

preferred format for the following items. 

BOEM strongly encourages bidders to 

use these formats; should bidders use 

another format, they are responsible for 

including all the information specified 

for each item in the Final NOS Package. 

(1) Bid Form 

(2) Sample Completed Bid 

(3) Sample Bid Envelope 

(4) Sample Bid Mailing Envelope 

(5) Telephone Numbers/Addresses of 

Bidders Form 

(6) GDIS Form 

(7) GDIS Envelope Form 

X. The Lease Sale 

Bid Opening and Reading 

Sealed bids received in response to 

the Final NOS will be opened at the 

‘‘DATE AND TIME’’ and ‘‘LOCATION’’ 

sections of this document. The opening 

of the bids is for the sole purpose of 

publicly announcing and recording the 

bids received; no bids will be accepted 

or rejected at that time. 

Bonus Bid Deposit for Apparent High 

Bids 

Each bidder submitting an apparent 

high bid must submit a bonus bid 

deposit to the Office of Natural 

Resources Revenue (ONRR) equal to 

one-fifth of the bonus bid amount for 

each such bid. A copy of the notification 

of the high bidder’s one-fifth bonus bid 

requirement deposit may be obtained at 

the EFT Area outside the Bid Reading 

Room on the day of the bid opening, or 

it may be obtained on the BOEM Web 

site at http://www.boem.gov/Sale-226/ 

under the heading ‘‘Notification of EFT 

1/5 Bonus Liability.’’ All payments must 

be deposited electronically into an 

interest-bearing account in the U.S. 

Treasury by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time the 

day following the bid reading (no 

exceptions). Account information is 

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 EPA Sale 226, 

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, 

including those set forth in the 

documents contained in the Final NOS 

Package and applicable regulations; 

(2) the bid 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 

EPA Sale 226 

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 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 procedural 

guidelines for bid acceptance, (referred 

to as 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 keep 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 bid adequacy 

procedures. This bid adequacy change is 

in effect and will apply to any bids 

received for the EPA Sale 226. 

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 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
8530 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 33 / Friday, February 19, 2016 / Notices 

regarding any changes. 

Dated: February 10, 2016. 

Abigail Ross Hopper, 

Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03279 Filed 2–18–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[MMAA104000] 

Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area 

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas 

Lease Sale 241 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM), Interior. 

ACTION: Final notice of sale. 

SUMMARY: On Wednesday, March 23, 

2016, BOEM will open and publicly 

announce bids received for blocks 

offered in the Central Planning Area 

(CPA) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil 

and Gas Lease Sale 241 (CPA Sale 241), 

in accordance with the provisions of the 

OCS Lands Act (OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. 

1331–1356, as amended) and the 

implementing regulations issued 

pursuant thereto (30 CFR parts 550 and 

556). 

The CPA Sale 241 Final Notice of Sale 

(NOS) Package (Final NOS Package) 

contains information essential to 

potential bidders. Bidders are charged 

with knowing the contents of the 

documents contained in the Final NOS 

Package. 

DATES:

Dates and Time: Public Bid reading 

for CPA 241 will begin at 9:00 a.m. on 

Wednesday, March 23, 2016. All times 

referred to in this document are Central 

Time, unless otherwise specified. 

Bid Submission Deadline: BOEM 

must receive all sealed bids between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on normal 

working days, or from 8:00 a.m. to the 

Bid Submission Deadline of 10:00 a.m. 

on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, the day 

before the lease sale. For more 

information on bid submission, see 

Section VII, ‘‘Bidding Instructions,’’ of 

this document. 

ADDRESSES: The Mercedes-Benz 

Superdome, 1500 Sugarbowl Drive, New 

Orleans, Louisiana 70112. The lease sale 

will be held in the St. Charles Club 

Room on the second floor (Loge Level). 

Entry to the Superdome will be on the 

Poydras Street side of the building 

through Gate A on the Ground Level; 

parking will be available at Garage 6. 

Interested parties, upon request, may 

obtain a compact disc (CD–ROM) 

containing the Final NOS Package by 

contacting the BOEM Gulf of Mexico 

(GOM) Region at: Gulf of Mexico Region 

Public Information Office, Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, 1201 

Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, 

Louisiana 70123–2394, (504) 736–2519 

or (800) 200–GULF. or by visiting the 

BOEM Web site at http://

www.boem.gov/Sale-241/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

This Final NOS includes the 

following sections: 

I. Lease Sale Area 

II. Statutes and Regulations 

III. Lease Terms and Financial Conditions 

IV. Lease Stipulations 

V. Information to Lessees 

VI. Maps 

VII. Bidding Instructions 

VIII. Bidding Rules and Restrictions 

IX. Forms 

X. The Lease Sale 

XI. Delay of Sale 

I. Lease Sale Area 

Blocks Offered for Leasing: BOEM 

proposes to offer for bid in this lease 

sale all of the available unleased acreage 

in the CPA, except those blocks listed in 

‘‘Blocks Not Offered for Leasing’’ below. 

Blocks Not Offered for Leasing: The 

following whole and partial blocks are 

not offered for lease in this sale: 

Whole and partial blocks deferred by 

the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act 

of 2006, Public Law 109–432: 

Pensacola (OPD NH 16–05) 

Whole Blocks: 751 through 754, 793 

through 798, 837 through 842, 881 

through 886, 925 through 930, and 969 

through 975 

Destin Dome (OPD NH 16–08) 

Whole Blocks: 1 through 7, 45 through 51, 

89 through 96, 133 through 140, 177 

through 184, 221 through 228, 265 

through 273, 309 through 317, 353 

through 361, 397 through 405, 441 

through 450, 485 through 494, 529 

through 538, 573 through 582, 617 

through 627, 661 through 671, 705 

through 715, 749 through 759, 793 

through 804, 837 through 848, 881 

through 892, 925 through 936, and 969 

through 981 

DeSoto Canyon (OPD NH 16–11) 

Whole Blocks: 1 through 15, 45 through 59, 

and 92 through 102 

Partial Blocks: 16, 60, 61, 89 through 91, 

103 through 105, and 135 through 147 

Henderson (OPD NG 16–05) 

Partial Blocks: 114, 158, 202, 246, 290, 334, 

335, 378, 379, 422, and 423 

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: 

Lund South (OPD NG 16–07) 

Whole Blocks: 128, 129, 169 through 173, 

208 through 217, 248 through 261, 293 

through 305, and 349 

Henderson (OPD NG 16–05) 

Whole Blocks: 466, 508 through 510, 551 

through 554, 594 through 599, 637 

through 643, 679 through 687, 722 

through 731, 764 through 775, 807 

through 819, 849 through 862, 891 

through 905, 933 through 949, and 975 

through 992 

Partial Blocks: 467, 511, 555, 556, 600, 644, 

688, 732, 776, 777, 820, 821, 863, 864, 

906, 907, 950, 993, and 994 

Florida Plain (OPD NG 16–08) 

Whole Blocks: 5 through 24, 46 through 67, 

89 through 110, 133 through 154, 177 

through 197, 221 through 240, 265 

through 283, 309 through 327, and 363 

through 370 

The following blocks whose lease statuses 

are currently under appeal: 

West Cameron (Leasing Map LA1) Block 171 

East Cameron (Leasing Map LA2) Block 71 

and Block 72 

II. Statutes and Regulations 

Each lease is issued pursuant to 

OCSLA, and is subject to OCSLA, 

implementing regulations promulgated 

pursuant thereto, and other applicable 

statutes and regulations in existence 

upon the effective date of the lease, as 

well as those applicable statutes enacted 

and regulations promulgated thereafter, 

except to the extent that the afterenacted statutes and regulations 

explicitly conflict with an express 

provision of the lease. Each lease is also 

subject to amendments to statutes and 

regulations, including, but not limited 

to, OCSLA, that do not explicitly 

conflict with an express provision of the 

lease. The lessee expressly bears the risk 

that such new or amended statutes and 

regulations (i.e., those that do not 

explicitly conflict with an express 

provision of the lease) may increase or 

decrease the lessee’s obligations under 

the lease. 

III. Lease Terms and Financial 

Conditions 

Lease Terms 

OCS Lease Form 

BOEM will use Form BOEM–2005 

(October 2011) to convey leases 

resulting from this sale. This lease form 

may be viewed on the BOEM Web site 

at http://www.boem.gov/About-BOEM/ 

Procurement-Business-Opportunities/ 

BOEM-OCS-Operation-Forms/BOEM2005.aspx. The lease form will be 

amended to conform with the specific 

terms, conditions, and stipulations 

applicable to the individual lease. The 

terms, conditions, and stipulations 

applicable to this sale are set forth 

below. 

Initial Periods 

Initial periods are summarized in the 

following table: 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES