The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), announces the availability of the Gulf of Mexico OCS Lease Sale: Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 2018 (2018 GOM Draft Supplemental EIS). The document addresses a proposed Federal action – a region-wide lease sale.
The 2018 GOM Draft Supplemental EIS contains analyses of the potential environmental impacts that could result from a proposed region-wide lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico, including preliminary results of new air quality modelling. The preliminary results have not yet been subject to review. BOEM is interested in comments regarding the modelling and analysis. The Supplemental EIS is expected to be used to inform decisions on proposed Lease Sales 250 and 251, as scheduled in the 2017‑2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing: Proposed Final Program (Five-Year Program). The analyses may also be applied and supplemented as necessary to inform decisions for each of the remaining proposed lease sales scheduled in the Five-Year Program.
In the region-wide sale, BOEM proposes to offer all available unleased blocks within the Western Planning Area, Central Planning Area, and Eastern Planning Area, with the exception of the whole and portions of blocks deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Security Act of 2006, blocks that are adjacent to or beyond the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap, and whole and partial blocks within thecurrent boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The region-wide lease sale area covers about 95 million acres.
BOEM will hold public meetings to obtain comments regarding the 2018 GOM Draft Supplemental EIS. These public meetings will be held in an open-house format and may be attended any time between 4:00 p.m. CDT and 7:00 p.m. CDT. The meetings are scheduled as follows:
- New Orleans, Louisiana: Tuesday, April 25, 2017, Wyndham Garden New Orleans Airport, 6401 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, Louisiana 70003;
- Houston, Texas: Thursday, April 27, 2017, Houston Marriott North, 255 North Sam Houston Pkwy East, Houston, Texas 77060;
- Pensacola, Florida: Monday, May 1, 2017, Hilton Garden Inn Pensacola Airport, 1144 Airport Blvd., Pensacola, Florida 32504;
- Mobile, Alabama: Tuesday, May 2, 2017, The Admiral Hotel Mobile, Curio Collection by Hilton, 251 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36602; and
- Gulfport, Mississippi: Wednesday, May 3, 2017, Courtyard by Marriott, Gulfport Beachfront MS Hotel, 1600 East Beach Boulevard, Gulfport, Mississippi 39501.
If you cannot attend the meetings, you may submit your written comments on the 2018 GOM Draft Supplemental EIS no later than May 15, 2017, in one of the following ways:
- In an envelope labeled “Comments on the 2018 GOM Draft Supplemental EIS” and mailed (or hand delivered) to Mr. Greg Kozlowski, Deputy Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment (GM 623E), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394; or
- Through the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. BOEM-2017-0001. Click on the “Comment Now!” button to the right of the document link. Enter your information and comment, and then click “Submit.”
The Notice of Availability will be available today for inspection in the Federal Register at: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html and will be published in the March 31, 2017 Federal Register. You may download or view the 2018 GOM Draft Supplemental EIS on BOEM’s website at http://www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/. The deadline for submitting a comment is May 15, 2017.
If you have questions regarding the document, please call Mr. Greg Kozlowski at 504-736-2512.
Media Contact:
John Filostrat: 504-731-7815
Caryl Fagot: 504-736-2590