[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 19317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10718]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Environmental Documents Prepared for Proposed Annual Lease Sales 
in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico in the New 5-Year Program 
(1997-2002)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposal to prepare a single Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for all of the proposed annual lease sales in the Central Gulf of 
Mexico Planning Area (CPA) and another for the Western Gulf of Mexico 
Planning Area (WPA) in the new 5-Year Program (1997-2002), followed by 
an Environmental Assessment (EA) prior to each sale.

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SUMMARY: Since least sale proposals in the CPA and WPA are very similar 
each year, it is proposed that a single EIS be prepared for all the 
sales (four or five) on the 5-year schedule in each planning area. 
Federal regulations allow for several proposals to be analyzed in one 
EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). The multisale EIS would include an analysis of a 
single, ``typical'' sale and a cumulative analysis that would include 
the effects of holding all four or five sales as well as the cumulative 
effects of the long-term development of the planning area. The 
multisale approach will apply only to the CPA and WPA. In subsequent 
years, an EA will be prepared to determine if a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI) should be prepared, or whether a 
Supplemental EIS (SEIS) is warranted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 1201 Elmwood 
Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, George Hampton, 
Telephone (504) 736-2465.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1983 the planning areas in the Gulf of 
Mexico were defined as Eastern, Central, and Western, and the 
boundaries of those areas were established. Since that time a sale has 
been planned and held annually in both the Central and Western Planning 
Areas. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document prepared 
for each of those sales has been an EIS. When the EIS for Sales 166 and 
168 is filed in December 1996, 15 final EIS's will have been produced 
on annual areawide sales in the CPA and WPA. A Draft EIS on the 5-year 
program was recently completed and is available for comment. 
Additionally, a Cumulative Effects Report, which includes an assessment 
of the cumulative effects from OCS Program activities that occurred 
from 1987 through 1991 (MMS 95-0007) was completed. Since the proposed 
action for each sale is basically the same (offer all available 
unleased blocks in each planning area) and the level of expected 
activity does not vary a great deal from year-to-year, the level of 
potential impacts remain within consistent ranges. Therefore, the EIS's 
prepared on these sales are very similar.
    The EIS will include an analysis of the environmental effects of 
holding one sale, a sale ``typical'' of any in the planning area, that 
may be held in the remainder of the 5-year program.
    The assumptions upon which the analysis is based would cover a 
range of resources and activities that would encompass any of the four 
follow-up proposed actions. Later sales could then be compared to the 
initial analysis in an EA or SEIS.
    The cumulative analysis, as identified in NEPA 1508.25(a)(2), would 
be in two parts. One part would be concentrated on the five proposed 
actions, emphasizing the cumulative aspect of holding the current sale 
proposal and four more annual sales. The second part would be a full 
cumulative analysis of all past, present, and reasonably foreseeable 
future actions.
    The MMS is requesting comments and recommendations from interested 
parties concerning the proposed multisale EIS process.
    The MMS will present the multisale approach to all interested 
parties at a public meeting in New Orleans. The meeting is scheduled 
for the following date, time, and location: May 22, 1996, MMS, Gulf of 
Mexico Regional Office, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 115, New 
Orleans, Louisiana, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

    Dated: April 22, 1996.
Chris C. Oynes,
Regional Director, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.
[FR Doc. 96-10718 Filed 4-30-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-M