[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 119 (Friday, June 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 35378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14290]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[MMAA104000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea
Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS).
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SUMMARY: BOEM is giving notice of its intent to prepare a Supplemental
EIS for OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea Planning
Area, Alaska. This Supplemental EIS will provide new analysis in
response to a remand by the United States Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: The NOI is published pursuant to the regulations (40
CFR 1508.22) implementing the procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321
et seq.)
Purpose of Notice of Intent: BOEM is announcing its intent to
prepare a Supplemental EIS for Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 in the
Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Alaska. The Supplemental EIS will supplement
the analysis from the Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 Final EIS (OCS EIS/EA
MMS 2007-0026) and the Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 Final Supplemental
EIS (OCS EIS/EA BOEMRE 2011-041) by providing an updated oil and gas
exploration, development and production scenario and associated
environmental effects analysis. The Final EIS for Oil and Gas Lease
Sale 193 evaluated the potential effects of four alternatives that
included a proposed action, a no action alternative, and two other
alternatives with sale area configurations that would defer areas from
leasing along the coast adjacent to the proposed sale area. The Final
Supplemental EIS evaluated the potential effects of exploration seismic
surveying and drilling; oil development, production, and
transportation; and accidental crude oil spills. The Final Supplemental
EIS also evaluated potential effects of a natural gas development and
production scenario, as well as a hypothetical Very Large Oil Spill
event. The proposed action and alternatives from the Final EIS and
Final Supplemental EIS will be carried forward in this supplemental
EIS. The Assistant Secretary will issue a new Record of Decision after
evaluating this supplemental EIS and public comments. Implementation of
the Secretary's selection among the alternatives will require the
Secretary to either reaffirm, modify, or vacate the leases previously
sold.
Scoping: In accordance with 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), there will be no
scoping conducted for this Supplemental EIS. The scope of the Final EIS
for Sale 193 and the remand by the United States Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit establish the scope for this Supplemental EIS. The
Draft Supplemental EIS will be announced for public review and comment:
(1) In the Federal Register by BOEM and the Environmental Protection
Agency; (2) on the BOEM Alaska OCS Region homepage; and (3) in the
local media. Public hearings will be held following release of the
Draft Supplemental EIS. Dates and locations will be determined and
published at a later date.
Cooperating Agencies: The Department of the Interior's policy is to
invite other Federal agencies, and state, tribal, and local governments
to become cooperating agencies during the preparation of an EIS.
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations state that qualified
agencies and governments are those with ``jurisdiction by law or
special expertise.'' Potential cooperating agencies should consider
their authority and capacity to assume the responsibilities of a
cooperating agency. Cooperating agency status neither enlarges nor
diminishes the final decision making authority of an agency involved in
the NEPA process. BOEM invites qualified government entities to inquire
about cooperating agency status for this Supplemental EIS. Upon
request, BOEM will provide qualified cooperating agencies with a
written summary of ground rules for cooperating agencies, including
time schedules and critical action dates, milestones, responsibilities,
and scope and detail of cooperating agencies' contributions. Potential
cooperating agencies should also consider the CEQ's ``Factors for
Determining Cooperating Agency Status.'' This document is available on
the CEQ Web site at: http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/cooperating/cooperatingagencymemofactors.html. Even if your organization is not a
cooperating agency, you will have an opportunity to provide information
and comments to BOEM during the comment phase of the Supplemental EIS
process. Additional information may be found at the following Web site:
http://www.boem.gov/Alaska-Region.
FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frances Mann, Chief, Environmental
Analysis Section II, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Alaska OCS
Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-
5820, telephone (907) 334-5277.
Dated: June 9, 2014.
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-14290 Filed 6-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P