Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices 67543

issues based on the Memorandum of

Understanding between the two

agencies.

The ROD is the last step in the

National Environmental Policy Act

process. The ROD summarizes the

proposed action and the alternatives

evaluated in the EIS, the conclusions of

the EIS impact analyses, and other

information considered in reaching the

decision.

Dated: December 13, 2001.

Carolita U. Kallaur,

Associate Director for Offshore Minerals

Management.

[FR Doc. 01–32094 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska

Region, Cook Inlet, Oil and Gas Lease

Sales 191 and 199 for Years 2004 and

2006

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Call for Information and

Nominations and Notice of Intent

(CALL/NOI) to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

SUMMARY: The Secretary’s preliminary

decision to consider two sales in the

Cook Inlet area in the Proposed OCS Oil

and Gas Leasing Program for 2002–2007

provides for the first sale to be held in

2004, with a second sale in 2006. The

MMS has modified its prelease planning

and decision process for proposed Cook

Inlet sales included in the proposed

program. This Call/NOI reflects that

change and is in keeping with the

Secretary’s preliminary decision to

analyze these two sales in a multi-sale

EIS. The Secretary’s preliminary

decision is to offer only the Cook Inlet

portion of the Cook Inlet/Shelikof Strait

planning area as the program area for

this 5-year program. The sale process for

this first sale will require a minimum of

21⁄2 years to complete. In order to meet

the requirements of that schedule, we

are issuing this Call/NOI at this time,

recognizing that the final decision on

the 2002–2007 5-year program has not

been made and final delineation of the

program areas and number of sales may

change from that included in the

proposed program.

The multi-sale review process is

based on over 25 years of leasing in the

Cook Inlet/Shelikof Strait area. The

process will incorporate planning and

analysis for two sales: Sales 191 and

199. From the initial step in the process

(the Call for Information and

Nominations) through the final EIS/

Consistency Determination (CD) step,

this process will cover multiple sale

proposals. However, there will also be

complete National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA), OCS Lands Act, and

Coastal Zone Management Act coverage

for each sale after the first sale—either

an Environmental Assessment or

Supplemental EIS, CD, and a proposed

and final Notice of Sale. The

environmental analysis and the CD for

the subsequent sale, Sale 199, will focus

primarily on new issues or changes in

the State of Alaska’s federally-approved

coastal management plan.

This process will:

—Focus the environmental analysis by

making impact types and levels that

change between sales more easily

recognizable for all reviewers,

—Result in new issues being more

easily highlighted for the public,

—Eliminate issuance and public review

of repetitive, voluminous EIS’s for

each sale a practice that has resulted

in ‘‘review burnout’’ in Federal, state,

local and tribal governments, and the

public,

—Result in a more efficient and

responsive application of NEPA.

This Call does not indicate a

preliminary decision to lease in the area

described below. Final delineation of

the areas for possible leasing will be

made at a later date in the presale

process for each sale in compliance with

the final 5-year program and with

applicable laws including all

requirements of the NEPA and the OCS

Lands Act.

DATES: Nominations and comments

must be received on or before February

14, 2002 in envelopes labeled

‘‘Nominations for Proposed 2002–2007

Lease Sales in the Cook Inlet,’’ or

‘‘Comments on the Call for Information

and Nominations for Proposed 2002–

2007 Lease Sales in the Cook Inlet,’’ as

appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please call Tom Warren at (907) 271–

6691 in MMS’s Alaska OCS Region

regarding questions on the Call/NOI.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Call for Information and Nominations

1. Authority

This Call is published pursuant to the

OCS Lands Act as amended (43 U.S.C.

1331–1356, (1994)), and the regulations

issued thereunder (30 CFR 256); and in

accordance with the Proposed OCS Oil

and Gas Leasing Program 2002 to 2007.

2. Purpose of Call

The purpose of the Call is to gather

preliminary information for the

following tentatively scheduled OCS Oil

and Gas Lease Sales in the Cook Inlet

area:

Sale No. Tentative

sale date

191 ............................................ May 2004.

199 ............................................ May 2006.

Information and nominations on oil and

gas leasing, exploration, and

development and production within the

Cook Inlet area are sought from all

interested parties. This early planning

and consultation step is important for

ensuring that all interests and concerns

are communicated to the Department of

the Interior for future decisions in the

leasing process pursuant to the OCS

Lands Act and regulations at 30 CFR

256.

Responses are requested relative to all

sales included herein. This Call/NOI is

being issued in accordance with the

Proposed OCS Oil and Gas Leasing

Program 2002 to 2007 released on

October 26, 2001. The proposed

program offers three options for leasing

in the Cook Inlet area in the 2002–2007

5-year program: two sales, one sale, or

no sales.

3. Description of Area

The area that is the subject of this Call

is located offshore the State of Alaska in

Cook Inlet as depicted on the map that

accompanies this Call. This area

consists of approximately 517 whole

and partial blocks (about 2.5 million

acres). A page size map of the area

accompanies this Notice. A large scale

Call map showing the boundaries of the

area on a block-by-block basis is

available without charge from the

Records Manager at the address given

below, or by telephone request at (907)

271–6438 or 1–800–764–2627. Copies of

Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs) are

also available for $2 each.

Alaska OCS Region, Minerals

Management Service, 949 East 36th

Avenue, Room 308, Anchorage,

Alaska, 99508–4302,

akwebmaster@mms.gov

4. Instructions on Call

The Call for Information Map and

indications of interest and/or comments

must be submitted to the Regional

Supervisor, Leasing and Environment,

at the above address.

The Call map delineates the area that

is the subject of this Call. Respondents

are requested to indicate interest in and

comment on any or all of the Federal

67544 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices

acreage within the boundaries of the

Call area that they wish to have

included in each of the proposed sales

in the Cook Inlet Call area.

If you wish to comment, you may

submit your comments by any one of

the following methods:

• You may mail comments to the

Alaska OCS Region, Minerals

Management Service, 949 East 36th

Avenue, Room 308, Anchorage, Alaska

99508–4302.

• You may also comment via e-mail

to CookInletMulti-Sale@mms.gov. Please

submit Internet comments as an ASCII

file avoiding the use of special

characters and any form of encryption.

Please also include ‘‘Attn: Comments on

Call for Information and Nominations

for Proposed 2002–2007 Lease Sales in

the Cook Inlet’’ and your name and

return address in your Internet message.

• Finally, you may hand-deliver

comments to the Alaska OCS Region,

Minerals Management Service, 949 East

36th Avenue, Room 308, Anchorage,

Alaska.

Our practice is to make comments,

including names and addresses of

respondents, available for public review

during regular business hours.

Individual respondents may request that

we withhold their address from the

rulemaking record, which we will honor

to the extent allowable by law. There

also may be circumstances in which we

would withhold a respondent’s identity,

as allowable by law. If you wish us to

withhold your name and/or address,

you must state this prominently at the

beginning of your comment. However,

we will not consider anonymous

comments. We will make all

submissions from organizations or

businesses, and from individuals

identifying themselves as

representatives or officials of

organizations or businesses, available

for public inspection in their entirety.

A. Areas of Interest to the Oil and Gas

Industry. Specific nominations are being

sought regarding the oil and gas

industry area(s) of interest. The MMS is

soliciting nominations of blocks that are

of significant industry interest for

exploration and development and

production.

Nominations must be depicted on the

Call map by outlining the area(s) of

interest along block lines. Nominators

are asked to submit a list of whole and

partial blocks nominated (by OPD and

block number) to facilitate correct

interpretation of their nominations on

the Call map. Although the identities of

those submitting nominations become a

matter of public record, the individual

nominations are proprietary

information.

Nominators also are requested to rank

blocks nominated according to priority

of interest (e.g., priority 1 (high), or 2

(medium)). Blocks nominated that do

not indicate priorities will be

considered priority 3 (low). Nominators

must be specific in indicating blocks by

priority and be prepared to discuss their

range of interest and activity regarding

the nominated area(s). The telephone

number and name of a person to contact

in the nominator’s organization for

additional information should be

included in the response. This person

will be contacted to set up a mutually

agreeable time and place for a meeting

with the Alaska OCS Regional Office to

present their views regarding the

company’s nominations.

B. Relation to Coastal Management

Plans (CMP). Comments also are sought

on potential conflicts with approved

local coastal management plans that

may result from the proposed sale and

future OCS oil and gas activities. These

comments should identify specific CMP

policies of concern, the nature of the

conflicts foreseen, and steps that MMS

could take to avoid or mitigate the

potential conflicts. Comments may be in

terms of broad areas or restricted to

particular blocks of concern.

Commenters are requested to list block

numbers or outline the subject area on

the large-scale Call map.

5. Use of Information From Call

Information submitted in response to

this Call will be used for several

purposes. Responses will be used to:

Help identify areas of potential oil and

gas development

Identify environmental effects and

potential use conflicts

Assist in the scoping process for the EIS

Develop possible alternatives to the

proposed action

Develop lease terms and conditions/

mitigating measures

Identify potential conflicts between oil

and gas activities and the Alaska CMP

6. Existing Information

The MMS has acquired a substantial

amount of information, including that

gained through the use of traditional

knowledge, on the issues and concerns

related to oil and gas leasing in the Cook

Inlet area.

An extensive environmental, social,

and economic studies program has been

underway in this area since 1975. The

emphasis has been on geologic

mapping, environmental

characterization of biologically sensitive

habitats, endangered whales and marine

mammals, physical oceanography,

ocean-circulation modeling, and

ecological and socio-cultural effects of

oil and gas activities.

Information on the studies program,

completed studies, and a program status

report for continuing studies in this area

may be obtained from the Chief,

Environmental Studies Section, Alaska

OCS Region, by telephone request at

(907) 271–6577, or by written request at

the address stated under Description of

Area. A request may also be made via

the Alaska Region website at

www.mms.gov/alaska/ref/pubindex/

pubsindex.htm.

7. Tentative Schedule

The following is a list of tentative

milestone dates applicable to sales

covered by this Call:

MULTI-SALE PROCESS MILESTONES

FOR PROPOSED 2002–2007 COOK

INLET SALES

Call/NOI published ............. December 2001.

Comments due on Call/

NOI.

February 2002.

Area Identification .............. March 2002.

Draft EIS published ........... November 2002.

Public Hearings ................. January 2003.

Final EIS/Consistency Determination/Proposed

Notice of Sale issued.

November 2003.

Governor’s Comments due

(Sale 191).

January 2004.

Final Notice of Sale published (Sale 191).April 2004.

Sale 191 ............................ May 2004.

SALE-SPECIFIC PROCESS MILESTONES

FOR PROPOSED 2002–2007 COOK

INLET SALE 199

Request for Information to

Begin Sale 199 Process.

December 2004.

Area Identification .............. February 2005.

NEPA Review published ... October 2005.

Proposed Notice and Consistency Determination.December 2005.

Governor’s Comments due

(Sale 199).

February 2006.

Final Notice of Sale published.April 2006.

Tentative Sale 199 ............ May 2006.

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement

1. Authority

The NOI is published pursuant to the

regulations (40 CFR 1501.7)

implementing the provisions of the

NEPA of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C.

4321 et seq. (1988)).

2. Purpose of Notice of Intent

Pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR

1501.7) implementing the procedural

provisions of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices 67545

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), MMS is

announcing its intent to prepare a multisale EIS on the tentatively scheduled oil

and gas lease sales in the Cook Inlet area

off Alaska for the 5-year program period

of July 2002 through June 2007. The EIS

analysis will focus on the potential

environmental effects of two sales, and

exploration and development and

production of the areas defined in the

Area Identification procedure as the

proposed areas of the Federal actions.

Alternatives to the proposals which may

be considered for each individual sale

are to delay the sale, modify the sale, or

cancel the sale. These and any

additional alternatives developed

through the process for each individual

sale will be considered in the salespecific decision process. This NOI also

serves to announce the initiation of the

scoping process for this EIS. Throughout

the scoping process, Federal, State,

tribal, and local governments and other

interested parties aid MMS in

determining the significant issues and

alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS

and the possible need for additional

information.

3. New EIS Procedure

The MMS is proposing to prepare a

single EIS for two proposed Cook Inlet

sales tentatively scheduled with the first

sale to be held in 2004 and the second

sale in 2006. The resource estimates and

scenario information on which the EIS

analysis are based will be presented as

a range of resources and activities that

would encompass either of the two

proposed sales in the Cook Inlet.

This proposal will provide several

benefits. It will focus the NEPA process

by making impact types and levels that

change between sales more easily

recognizable. New issues will be more

easily highlighted for the

decisionmakers and the public. The

NEPA regulations at 40 CFR 1502.4

require federal agencies, as appropriate,

to employ tiering and other methods to

relate broad and narrow actions and ‘‘to

avoid duplication and delay.’’ The

regulations further define broad actions

at § 1502.4(c) as actions that relate

geographically, including actions

occurring in the same general location,

and generically, including actions

which have relevant similarities such as

impacts, alternatives, methods of

implementation, media, or subject

matter. Further guidance is given at 40

CFR 1502.20 which encourage agencies

to tier their EIS’s to ‘‘eliminate

repetitive discussions of the same issues

and to focus on the actual issues ripe for

decision at each level of environmental

review.’’

The proposed actions analyzed in the

EIS will be the two sales on the

proposed 5-year schedule for the Cook

Inlet area. The EIS will include an

analysis of the environmental effects of

holding two sales. The scenario will

cover a range of resources and activities

that will encompass both proposed

actions. The second sale can then be

compared to the initial analysis in an

Environmental Assessment or

supplemental EIS. Formal consultation

with the public will be initiated for the

second sale to obtain input to assist in

the determination of whether or not the

information and analyses in the original

multi-sale EIS are still valid. A salespecific Request for Information will be

issued that will specifically describe the

action for which we are requesting

input. If the Secretary chooses to hold

only one sale in Cook Inlet as part of the

5-year decision in June 2002, then the

draft and final EIS’s will be modified to

evaluate a single sale.

4. Instructions on Notice of Intent

Federal, State, tribal, and local

governments and other interested

parties are requested to send their

written comments on the Scope of the

EIS, significant issues that should be

addressed, and alternatives that should

be considered to the Regional

Supervisor, Leasing and Environment,

Alaska OCS Region, at the address

stated under Instructions on Call above.

Comments should be enclosed in an

envelope labeled ‘‘Comments on the

Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS on

Proposed Cook Inlet Lease Sales

included in the 5-Year Program, 2002–

2007.’’ Comments are due no later than

45 days from publication of this Notice.

Scoping meetings will be held in

appropriate locations to obtain

additional comments and information

regarding the scope of this EIS.

Dated: December 17, 2001.

Lucy Querques Denett,

Acting Director, Minerals Management

Service.

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

67546 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices

[FR Doc. 01–32095 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–C