Comment Period and Scoping Meetings Announced
As part of our Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 (Five-Year Program), BOEM intends to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) for the remaining proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease sales in the Western Planning Area (WPA) of the Gulf of Mexico. Proposed WPA Lease Sales 246 and 248 are tentatively scheduled to be held in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
BOEM proposes to offer for oil and gas leasing approximately 21.4 million acres in the WPA, with the exception of whole and partial blocks within the boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
As part of the scoping process, public scoping meetings will be held at the following places and times:
- Corpus Christi, Texas: Tuesday, April 22, 2014, Springhill Suites - Corpus Christi, 4331 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78411; meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT;
- New Orleans, Louisiana: Thursday, April 24, 2014, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123; meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
If you are unable to attend the meetings and would like to submit comments in writing, you may send an email to wpa246@boem.gov.
You may mail or hand deliver comments in an envelope labeled "Scoping Comments for the WPA 246 and 248 Supplemental EIS" to Mr. Gary D. Goeke, Chief, Environmental Assessment Section, Office of Environment (GM 623E), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394.
You may also go to the regulations.gov web portal: Navigate to http://www.regulations.gov and search for "Oil and Gas Lease Sales: Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf; Western Planning Area Lease Sales 246 and 248". (Note: It is important to include the quotation marks in your search terms.) Click on the "Comment Now!" button to the right of the document link. Enter your information and comment, then click "Submit".
Comments should specifically address factors related to the scope of the proposed WPA 246 and 248 Supplemental EIS and should be received within 30 days following publication in the April 4th Federal Register. The deadline for submitting comments is May 5, 2014.
BOEM does not consider anonymous comments and makes all comments, including names and addresses, available for public review. If you wish to have your name or address withheld, you must state your preference at the beginning of your comment and we will try, but cannot guarantee, to accommodate that request.
If you have questions, please call Mr. Gary D. Goeke at 504-736-3233.