17804 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 1995 / Notices

Walker Ridge

22, 45, 46, 66, 120, 121, 164, 197, 198, 678,

723, 766

[FR Doc. 95–8625 Filed 4–6–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

Outer Continental Shelf Central Gulf of

Mexico; Notice of Leasing System,

Sale 152

Section 8(a)(8) (43 U.S.C. 1337(a)(8))

of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands

Act (OCSLA) requires that, at least 30

days before any lease sale, a Notice be

submitted to the Congress and

published in the Federal Register:

1. Identifying the bidding systems to

be used and the reasons for such use;

and

2. Designating the tracts to be offered

under each bidding system and the

reasons for such designation.

This Notice is published pursuant to

these requirements.

1. Bidding systems to be used. In the

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Sale 152,

blocks will be offered under the

following two bidding systems as

authorized by section 8(a)(1) (43 U.S.C.

1337(a)(1): (a) Bonus bidding with a

fixed 162⁄3-percent royalty on all

unleased blocks in less than 400 meters

of water; and (b) bonus bidding with a

fixed 121⁄2-percent royalty on all

remaining unleased blocks.

a. Bonus Bidding with a 162⁄3-Percent

Royalty. This system is authorized by

section (8)(a)(1)(A) of the OCSLA. This

system has been used extensively since

the passage of the OCSLA in 1953 and

imposes greater risks on the lessee than

systems with higher contingency

payments but may yield more regards if

a commercial field is discovered. The

relatively high front-end bonus

payments may encourage rapid

exploration.

b. Bonus Bidding with a 121⁄2-Percent

Royalty. This system is authorized by

section (8)(a)(1)(A) of the OCSLA. It has

been chosen for certain deeper water

blocks proposed for Central Gulf of

Mexico (GOM) (Sale 152) because these

blocks are expected to require

substantially higher exploration,

development, and production costs, as

well as longer times before initial

production in comparison to shallowwater blocks. Department of the Interior

analyses indicated that the minimum

economically developable discovery on

a block in such high-cost areas under a

121⁄2-percent royalty system would be

less than for the same blocks under a

162⁄3-percent royalty system. As a result,

more blocks may be explored and

developed. In addition, the lower

royalty rate system is expected to

encourage more rapid production and

higher economic profits. It is not

anticipated, however, that the larger

cash bonus bid associated with a lower

royalty rate will significantly reduce

competition, since the higher costs for

exploration and development are the

primary constraints to competition.

2. Designation of Blocks. The

selection of blocks to be offered under

the two systems was based on the

following factors:

a. Lease terms on adjacent, previously

leased blocks were considered to

enhance orderly development of each

field.

b. Blocks in deep water were selected

for the 121⁄2-percent royalty system

based on the favorable performance of

this system in these high-cost areas as

evidenced in our analyses.

The specific blocks to be offered

under each system are shown on the

‘‘Stipulations, Lease Terms, and Bidding

Systems Map’’ for Central GOM Lease

Sale 152. This map is available from the

Minerals Management Service, GOM

Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard,

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394.

Dated: April 4, 1995.

Carolita U. Kallaur,

Acting Deputy Director, Minerals

Management Service.

Bob Armstrong,

Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals

Management.

[FR Doc. 95–8624 Filed 4–6–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–M

National Park Service

Glacier National Park General

Management Plan/Environmental

Impact Statement, Glacier National

Park, Montana

AGENCY: National Park Service,

Department of Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare

Environmental Impact Statement for the

General Management Plan, Glacier

National Park.

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act, the

National Park Service is preparing an

environmental impact statement for the

General Management Plan for Glacier

National park. This statement will be

approved by John Cook, Regional

Director for the Rocky Mountain Region.

The purpose of this federal action is to

facilitate management of visitor use,

natural and cultural resources,

development, and operation of Glacier

National Park according to the enabling

legislation and other laws and

regulations affecting management of this

National Park area. The general

management plan (GMP) and

implementation plans that result from

this process will guide the management

of Glacier National Park for the next 10

to 15 years. The GMP will replace an

existing master plan that has been

guiding management of the park since

1977 and contains actions that have

either been completed or are no longer

appropriate to do. All previously

approved development concept and

implementation plans will be reviewed

and assessed to insure that their

proposals are appropriate in light of the

new general management plan.

Major issues that will be addressed in

the plan include ecosystem

management, visitor experience and

resource protection, role and

management of historic structures and

other cultural resources, the Secretary of

Interior’s trust responsibilities to Native

americans and relationships with Native

americans and park resources, land

protection strategies for private lands

within the park to insure protection of

park resources, administrative facilities

and the concept of sustainability as it

relates to park infrastructure and visitor

use.

A scoping brochure is being prepared

that explains, in more detail, the issues

identified to date and outlines the

public involvement for this planning

effort. Copies of this brochure will be

available in mid April and can be

obtained by writing GMP/EIS Project,

Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Mt

59936 (406) 888–5441

The National Park Service is seeking

information and comments from

individuals and organizations who may

be interested in, or affected by the

proposed action, as well as Federal,

State and local agencies. Scoping will

include the following: a scoping

brochure that will be mailed out to

interested individuals, groups and

federal, state and local agencies asking

for comments, identification of issues,

concerns to interested and potentially

affected individuals, groups, Federal,

State, and local governments;

newsletters, public meetings; and news

releases.

The first set of public meetings were

held as Open Houses, during early

March. Open houses were held in

Missoula, Kalispell, Helena, West

Glacier, Browning, St. Mary and Great

Falls Montana, and in Lethbridge and

Fernie Canada. A summary of issues

identified to date is being compiled

following those meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for information and to be

added to the General Management Plan