EcoZone Blog: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc: Proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil And Gas Leasing Program

Consistent with the Secretary's direction to proceed with caution and focus on leasing in areas with current active leases, the area in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico that remains under a congressional moratorium, and the Mid and South Atlantic planning areas are no longer under consideration for potential sales and development through 2017. Therefore, meetings will not be held in these areas. The Western Gulf of Mexico, Central Gulf of Mexico, and the Cook Inlet, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea areas offshore Alaska will continue to be considered for potential leasing in the 2012-2017 OCS Program.

Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), BOEMRE will hold public scoping meetings on the Draft Programmatic EIS for the proposed 2012-2017 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program (Programmatic EIS). (See, 40 CFR 1501.7). The dates and locations of the Programmatic EIS public scoping meetings are as follows:

Houston, Texas, Tuesday, February 15, 2011, Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 1 p.m. (This scoping meeting will also accept comments on the lease sale EIS addressing Central and Western Gulf of Mexico sales included in the 2012-2017 OCS 5-Year Program.) New Orleans, Louisiana, Wednesday, February 16, 2011, New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 Airline Drive, Kenner, Louisiana, 1 p.m. (This scoping meeting will also accept comments on the lease sale EIS addressing Central and Western Gulf of Mexico sales included in the 2012-2017 OCS 5-Year Program.) Mobile, Alabama, Thursday, February 17, 2011...