Background

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has prepared a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 181 in the Eastern Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) OCS.  This proposed sale is the only Eastern GOM sale scheduled during the current 5-Year Oil and Gas Leasing Program and is the first proposed sale in the Eastern GOM since 1988.

Action

The MMS has prepared a final EIS for proposed Eastern GOM Lease Sale 181.  The sale is tentatively scheduled to be held in December 2001.  This final EIS was prepared based on more than 500 comments received on the draft EIS in both written and electronic form, as well as comments received at public hearings held in Pensacola and Tallahassee, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and New Orleans, Louisiana.  Section V of the final EIS includes copies of letters received that had specific comments on the draft EIS, as well as responses to the specific comments

The Notice of Availability of the final EIS will be published in the Federal Register in early July 2001.

You may obtain single copies of the final EIS from MMS, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Attention: Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 114, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394, or by calling 1-800-200-GULF.

You may review copies of the final EIS in the following libraries:

Alabama

Auburn University Library, Montgomery
Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Marine Environmental Science Consortium Library, Dauphin Island
Gulf Shores Public Library, Gulf Shores
Mobile Public Library, Mobile
Montgomery Public Library, Montgomery
Thomas B. Norton Public Library, Gulf Shores
University of South Alabama, Mobile

Florida

Bay County Public Library, Panama City
Charlotte-Glades Regional Library System, Port Charlotte
Collier County Public Library, Naples
Florida A&M, Coleman Memorial Library, Tallahassee
Florida Northwest Regional Library, Fort Walton Beach
Florida State University, Strozier Library, Tallahassee
Fort Walton Beach Public Library, Fort Walton Beach
Leon County Public Library, Tallahassee
Marathon Public Library, Marathon
Monroe County Public Library, Key West
Selby Public Library, Sarasota
St. Petersburg Public Library, St. Petersburg
Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library, Tampa
University of Florida, Holland Law Library, Gainesville
University of Miami Library, Miami
University of West Florida, Pensacola

Louisiana

Calcasieu Parish Library, Lake Charles
Cameron Parish Library, Cameron
Grand Isle Branch Library, Grand Isle
Iberville Parish Library, Plaquemines
Jefferson Parish Regional Branch Library, Metairie
Jefferson Parish West Bank Outreach Branch Library, Harvey
Lafayette Public Library, Lafayette
Lafitte Branch Library, Lafitte
Lafourche Parish Library, Thibodaux
Louisiana State University Library, Baton Rouge
Louisiana Tech University Library, Ruston
Loyola University, Government Documents Library, New Orleans
LUMCON Library, Chauvin
McNeese State University, Luther E. Frazar Memorial Library, Lake Charles
New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans
Nicholls State University, Nicholls State Library, Thibodaux
Plaquemines Parish Library, Buras
St. Bernard Parish Library, Chalmette
St. Charles Parish Library, Luling
St. John the Baptist Parish Library, LaPlace
St. Mary Parish Library, Franklin
St. Tammany Parish Library, Covington
St. Tammany Parish Library, Slidell
Terrebonne Parish Library, Houma
Tulane University, Howard Tilton Memorial Library, New Orleans
University of New Orleans Library, New Orleans
University of Southwestern Louisiana, Dupre Library, Lafayette
Vermilion Parish Library, Abbeville
West Bank Regional Library, Harvey

Mississippi

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Gunter Library, Ocean Springs
Hancock County Library System, Bay St. Louis
Harrison County Library, Gulfport
Jackson State University, Eudora Welty Library, Jackson

Oklahoma

University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library, Tulsa

MMS is the federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation's oil, natural gas and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf in federal offshore waters.  The agency also collects, accounts for and disburses mineral revenues from federal and Indian leases.  These collections totaled nearly $8 billion last year and more than $110 billion since the agency was created in 1982.  Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and federal park and recreation lands.