Request for Scoping Comments

U. S.  Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service  PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT Request for Scoping Comments For Preparation of Environmental Assessments For Granting Lease Suspensions on 36 Undeveloped OCS Leases July 21, 2004

Agency Action

On February 26, 2004, the Court in California v. Norton, No. 99-4964 (CW) N.D. Cal. ordered the Federal Defendants to propose a timetable for completing their analyses of applications for lease suspensions filed by the operators of 36 undeveloped leases offshore California, and submitting consistency determinations to the State of California under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA).  On June 28, 2004, the Court adopted the proposed timeline which included the time to prepare six environmental assessments to analyze the environmental impacts of granting the lease suspension requests.

The MMS action is to grant, deny, or take no action on each of the operator’s suspension requests. A suspension is defined in 30 CFR §250.105 as “a granted or directed deferral of the requirement to produce [Suspension of Production (SOP)] or to conduct lease holding operations [Suspension of Operations (SOO)]." A suspension provides an extension of a lease in certain circumstances (see 30 CFR 250.172-175). In certain instances, operators have proposed to conduct geohazards or other surveys to assist in the preparation of their revised Exploration Plans. These surveys will be addressed in the EAs that MMS is preparing and would be conducted after the suspension is granted. The granting of a suspension will not authorize any exploration or development and production operations.  

Description of the Suspension Requests and Location of the 36 Undeveloped Leases

Refer to the Table and maps (Santa Maria Basin) (Santa Barbara Channel) on the following pages.

NEPA Process and Public Scoping

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) an Environmental Assessment (EA) serves as an information document for government decision makers and the public. The purpose of an EA is to: help decision makers base their decision on an understanding of environmental consequences; identify ways that environmental effects can be mitigated or avoided; identify alternatives that would avoid or reduce effects to the environment by requiring changes in the proposal when feasible; and to disclose to the public the environmental information and analyses upon which Federal decisions will be based.

Scoping is the process used to help determine the appropriate content of an EA. Public input is an important part of the scoping process. The purpose of soliciting input is to properly identify as many relevant issues, alternatives, mitigation measures, and analytical tools as possible so they may be incorporated into the EA. The scoping comments assist in determining the breadth and depth of the analysis.

Based on the information received during the initial scoping effort and other information, such as the location of sensitive natural resources, time of year, projected oil and gas activity, alternatives to the proposal are identified that might reduce possible impacts. In addition, reasonable mitigation measures that could reduce or eliminate possible impacts are considered for analysis in the EA.

Detailed information concerning NEPA may be found at http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/nepanet.htm. Frequently asked questions about compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are provided at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/faqs/nepa/index.html .

MMS’s Environmental Assessment (EA) Preparation Schedule

1. Public Scoping Comments Due: 8/26/2004

2. Draft EAs Available for Public Comment: 11/17/2004

3. Draft EAs’ Public Comment Period Closes: 12/16/2004

4. MMS Finalizes EAs: 2/13/2005

Submittal of Scoping Comments

Comments may be sent to MMS by email or by mail and must be received by MMS no later than August 26, 2004. All comments should include the name and mailing address of the person commenting. It is the practice of MMS to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, part of the public record. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address and/or identity from the record. We will honor such requests to the extent allowable by law. If you wish for us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments. We will not consider any anonymous comments.

All interested persons, organizations and agencies wishing to provide scoping comments on the proposed actions may do so by sending them in time to reach MMS by August 26, 2004 to the appropriate address below:

By Email:       Suspension-EA@mms.gov

By Mail:         Minerals Management Service

          Attn: Suspension – EA Comments

                      Office of Environmental Evaluation

                      770 Paseo Camarillo

                      Camarillo, CA 93010-6064

The Draft EAs will be available for public review starting November 17, 2004. Draft EAs will be mailed to government agencies and elected officials. A digital copy will be posted on the MMS, Pacific Region homepage (index.htm). Members of the public, who are not able to access the Region’s website, and want to receive the Draft EAs, need to submit a written request to MMS at the mailing address given above. Requests for copies of the Draft EAs should specify whether “paper” or “CD” copy is preferred.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Questions concerning the Draft EAs should be directed to Mr. Maurice Hill, Office of Environmental Evaluation, Pacific OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo, California 93010-6064; phone 805.389.7815.

Questions concerning the operators’ suspension requests should be directed to Ms. Joan Barminski, Office Reservoir Evaluation and Production, Pacific OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo, California 93010-6064; phone 805.389.7707.