Contact: Caryl Fagot, 504-736-2590
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 sale in the Western Planning Area (WPA) of the Gulf of Mexico. Proposed WPA Lease Sale 248 is tentatively scheduled to be held in 2016.
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, BOEM's public scoping meetings will be held at the following places and times:
- Houston, Texas: Tuesday, April 14, 2015, Hilton Garden Inn Houston/Bush Intercontinental Airport, 15400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032, one meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. CDT
- New Orleans, Louisiana: Thursday, April 16, 2015, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123, one 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 wpa248@boem.gov.
You may mail or hand deliver comments in an envelope labeled "Scoping Comments for the WPA 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 "Western Planning Area Lease Sales 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 248 Supplemental EIS. The deadline for submitting comments is April 29, 2015.
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.