10902 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 20, 2001 / Notices

1, 1995; (ii) to comply with

requirements not associated with the

information collection; (iii) for reasons

other than to provide information or

keep records for the Government; or (iv)

as part of customary and usual business

or private practices.

Dated: February 6, 2001.

E.P. Danenberger,

Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.

[FR Doc. 01–4059 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Environmental Documents Prepared

for Proposed Oil and Gas Operations

on the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service

(MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of the Availability of

Environmental Documents Prepared for

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Mineral

Exploration Proposal on the Alaska

OCS.

SUMMARY: The Minerals Management

Service (MMS), in accordance with

Federal regulations (40 CFR 1501.4 and

1506.6) that implement the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),

announces the availability of a NEPArelated Environmental Assessment

prepared by the MMS for oil and gas

exploration activities proposed on the

Alaska OCS. This listing includes the

only proposal for which the Alaska OCS

Office prepared a Finding of No

Significant Impact (FONSI) in the 3-

month period preceding this Notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

matters pertaining to this notice, contact

Mr. Paul Stang (Alaska OCS Region,

Anchorage) at (907) 271–6045. The

FONSI and associated EA are available

for public inspection between the hours

of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday

through Friday at: Minerals

Management Service, Alaska OCS

Region, Resource Center, 949 East 36th

Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99508–

4363, phone (907) 271–6070 or (907)

271–6621 or toll free at 1–800–764–

2627. Request may also be sent to MMS

at akwebmaster@mms.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposal is for exploratory-drilling

operations that would be conducted in

accordance with the OCS Lands Act.

The purpose of the Environmental

Assessment (EA) is to evaluate the

probable environmental effects of the

operations, described in the Exploration

Plan (EP) for McCovey #1 Well, Beaufort

Sea, Alaska, dated September 19, 2000.

The McCovey drill site would be located

approximately 12.5 miles northeast of

West Dock at Prudhoe Bay, 60 miles

northeast of Nuiqsut, 7 miles northwest

of Cross Island, and 110 miles northwest

of Kaktovik in the Beaufort Sea.

The methods by which the

exploratory well would be drilled are

detailed in the EP and in the associated

Environmental Report and Oil Discharge

Prevention and Contingency Plan.

Additional details about the proposed

operations are included in Federal

Register Notice 65 FR 60407 dated

October 11, 2000, summarizing Phillip’s

(Alaska) Inc. application for an

Incidental Harassment Authorization

from the National Marine Fisheries

Service.

Location: Lease:OCS–1577; Block:

6515.

EA Number: AK 00–01.

FONSI Date: October 19, 2000.

MMS prepares EA’s and FONSI’s for

proposals which relate to exploration

for oil and gas resources on the Alaska

OCS. The EA’s examine the potential

environmental effects of activities

described in the proposals and present

MMS conclusions regarding the

significance of those effects. The EA is

used as a basis for determining whether

or not approvals of the proposals

constitute major Federal actions that

significantly affect the quality of the

human environment in accordance with

NEPA 102(2)(C). A Finding Of No

Significant Impact (FONSI) is prepared

in those instances where MMS finds

that approval will not result in

significant effects on the quality of the

human environment. The FONSI briefly

presents the basis for that finding and

includes a summary or copy of the EA.

This Notice constitutes the public

Notice of Availability of environmental

documents required under the NEPA

regulations. Persons interested in

reviewing environmental documents for

the proposal listed above, or in

obtaining information about EA’s and

FONSI’s prepared for activities on the

Alaska OCS, are encouraged to contact

the Alaska OCS Regional Office of

MMS.

Dated: February 13, 2001.

Carolita U. Kallaur,

Associate Director for Offshore Minerals

Management.

[FR Doc. 01–4037 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service (MMS)

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Gulf of

Mexico (GOM) Region, Proposed Use

of Floating Production, Storage and

Offloading (FPSO) Systems on the

GOM OCS

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the final

environmental impact statement (EIS)

on the proposed use of FPSO systems on

the central and western GOM OCS.

The MMS prepared an EIS on FPSO

systems which will be used in

deepwater areas of the OCS in the GOM.

The MMS based the EIS analyses on

estimates of the kinds and amounts of

activity onshore and offshore that could

result from the deployment and use of

FPSO systems to produce oil and gas in

areas of the GOM where the present day

oil pipeline system does not yet extend.

The FPSO systems will produce the oil

in the conventional fashion, but will

store it on board rather than direct it

into pipelines. The FPSO systems will

be unloaded regularly by shuttle tankers

which will transport the oil to Gulf

Coast seaports.

You may obtain single copies of the

final EIS, or a CD version, from the

MMS, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region,

Attention: Public Information Office

(MS–5034), 1201 Elmwood Park

Boulevard, Room 114, New Orleans,

Louisiana 70123–2394, or by calling 1–

800–200–GULF.

You may look at copies of the final

EIS in the following libraries:

Texas

Abilene Christian University, Margaret

and Herman Brown Library, 1600

Campus Court, Abilene;

Alma M. Carpenter Public Library, 330

South Ann, Sourlake;

Aransas Pass Public Library, 110 North

Lamont Street, Aransas Pass;

Austin Public Library, 402 West Ninth

Street, Austin;

Bay City Public Library, 1900 Fifth

Street, Bay City;

Baylor University, 13125 Third Street,

Waco;

Brazoria County Library, 410 Brazoport

Boulevard, Freeport;

Calhoun County Library, 301 South

Ann, Port Lavaca;

Chambers County Library System, 202

Cummings Street, Anahuac;

Comfort Public Library, Seventh & High

Streets, Comfort;

Corpus Christi Central Library, 805

Comanche Street, Corpus Christi;