The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management BOEM has announced its intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 247 (CPA 247 Supplemental EIS).
The CPA 247 Supplemental EIS will expand or update the environmental and socioeconomic analyses in: Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012–2017; Western Planning Area Lease Sales 229, 233, 238, 246, and 248; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 227, 231, 235, 241, and 247, Final Environmental Impact Statement (2012– 2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013–2014; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233; Central Planning Area Lease Sale 231, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2015–2017; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247, Final Supplemental EIS (CPA 235/241/247 Supplemental EIS); and Central Planning Area Lease Sales 241 and 247 and Eastern Planning Area Lease Sale 226, Final Supplemental EIS (CPA 241/ 247 and EPA 226 Supplemental EIS).
The CPA 247 Supplemental EIS will supplement the NEPA documents cited above in order to consider new circumstances and information arising from, among other things, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, oil spill, and response. It will focus on updating the baseline conditions and any new information on the potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in the CPA identified through the Area Identification procedure as the proposed lease sale area. In addition to the no action alternative (i.e., canceling a proposed lease sale), other alternatives may be considered for the proposed CPA lease sales, such as deferring certain areas from the proposed lease sale area.
Comments on the scope of the CPA 247 Supplemental EIS should be submitted by September 16, 2015.
Click here to read BOEM’s Federal Register notice of this action.
