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THE NEWS ROOM
FOR RELEASE:
January 03, 2011 |
THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY
MANAGEMENT,
REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT
Office of Public Affairs
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BOEMRE Plans Meetings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for Proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
New
Public Comment Period Extends to March 31, 2011
WASHINGTON
– The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today announced that it will
hold a series of public scoping meetings in February 2011 on the
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the proposed
2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The public notice is available for
public inspection today through the Federal Register’s website at:
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html.
On December 1,
2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced an updated oil
and gas leasing strategy for the OCS and identified the areas that
would be considered for environmental scoping for the 2012 – 2017
program (http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-Revised-OCS-Leasing-Program.cfm).
The final PEIS will cover areas in the Central and Western Gulf of
Mexico along with a small portion of the Eastern Gulf that was set
aside by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act for Lease Sale 224.
Additional areas to be considered are Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort
Seas and Cook Inlet.
“As we look to the future and identify areas to offer
for oil and gas development under the next five year program, we
will make decisions based upon the best scientific information
available,” BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich said. “We strongly
encourage public participation in this process to ensure we are
reviewing all of the relevant and important information about these
areas. This PEIS will inform our decisions on when and where to
offer leases and will help identify specific requirements that may
be needed to ensure potential risks to the environment are
appropriately managed and mitigated.”
The PEIS public
scoping meetings are scheduled as follows:
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• Monday, February 14, 2011 at 7:00 pm: |
Kotzebue Middle-High School, 744 Third
Avenue, Kotzebue, Alaska. |
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• Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at
1:00 pm: |
Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush
International, 18700 John F. Kennedy Blvd.,
Houston, Texas |
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• Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at
7:00 pm: |
Point Hope School Library, Point Hope, Alaska. |
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• Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at
1:00 pm: |
New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 Airline Dr., Kenner, Louisiana. |
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• Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at
7:00 pm: |
Point Lay Community Center, Point Lay,
Alaska. |
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• Thursday, February 17, 2011 at
1:00pm: |
Five Rivers-Alabama’s Delta Resource Center, 30945 Five Rivers Blvd., Spanish Fort,
Alabama. |
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• Thursday, February 17, 2011 at
7:00pm: |
Alak School Library, Wainwright, Alaska. |
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• Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7:00
pm: |
Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, Alaska.
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• Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at
7:00 pm: |
Nuiqsut Community Center, Nuiqsut, Alaska.
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• Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at
7:00 pm: |
Kaktovik Community Center, Kaktovik, Alaska. |
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• Thursday, February 24, 2011 at
1:00 pm: |
Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, 45020 Aviation Dr., Dulles,
Virginia. |
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• Friday, February 25, 2011 at 7:00
pm: |
BOEMRE
Alaska Region Office, 3801 Centerpoint Dr., Anchorage, Alaska. |
During the meetings
in the Gulf of Mexico region, BOEMRE will also accept public
comments on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement being
completed for the remaining Central and Western Gulf of Mexico lease
sales under the current Five Year Program, which expires in 2012.
In addition to the
scoping meetings, the public may submit written comments on the PEIS
until March 31, 2011, via mail, to: J. F. Bennett, Chief, Branch of
Environmental Assessment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation and Enforcement, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4042,
Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817, or online at
http://ocs5yeareis.anl.gov.
Information concerning the leasing
program and PEIS can be accessed at
http://www.boemre.gov/5-year/.
Contact:
BOEMRE Public
Affairs
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