The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has prepared a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for exploration activities in the current sale area of the Eastern Planning Area (EPA) of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The EPA sale area was established for Lease Sale 181 in December 2001 (256 blocks). The exploration PEA is a reference document that considered areawide resources and impacts of exploratory drilling and well completion or abandonment. Exploration plans for valid leases in this 1.5 million mi2 sale area will be evaluated in site-specific EA’s that tier from the PEA. The goal of the PEA is to streamline the NEPA review process for exploration plans. A Notice of Availability for the PEA was published in the Federal Register on April 16, 2003.

A notice announcing that MMS was preparing the PEA was published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2002. The notice solicited comments or new information for the MMS to consider in preparing the document. No comments were received in response to this notice. On July 12, 2002, letters were sent from the MMS to the Governors of the States of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana notifying them that the PEA was in preparation and soliciting new information or issues for consideration. The State of Florida replied on August 26, 2002, stating a number of issues for consideration in the PEA. The State of Alabama replied on August 8, 2002, stating that the State’s concerns were expressed in earlier letters to the GOM Regional Director dated September 26, 2001, and May 28, 2002, regarding the 2002-2007 Central and Western Planning Area Multisale Draft EIS (MMS 2002-056), and the Proposed Notice of Sale for the Eastern GOM Lease Sale 181, respectively. The State was concerned about visual impacts presented by OCS drilling or production structures less than 15 miles offshore Alabama’s coastline and about the potential for mercury contamination in association with OCS platforms. The States of Louisiana and Mississippi did not reply to the July 12, 2002, letter. The MMS considered or addressed all of the issues provided by the States in the preparation of the PEA.

Exploration Activities in the Eastern Sale Area: EPA, GOM OCS PEA (MMS 2003-008)

Federal Register, April 16, 2003