Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2014-2016, Eastern Planning Area Lease Sales 225 and 226, Final Environmental Impact Statement. Volume I: Chapters 1-8 and Keyword Index.

摘要

This environmental impact statement (EIS) addresses two proposed Federal actions that offer for lease an area on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that may contain economically recoverable oil and gas resources. Under the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 (Five-Year Program) (USDOI, BOEM, 2012a), two proposed lease sales are scheduled for the Eastern Planning Area (EPA). Proposed EPA Lease Sale 225 is tentatively scheduled for 2014 and proposed EPA Lease Sale 226 is tentatively scheduled for 2016. Federal regulations allow for several related or similar proposals to be analyzed in one EIS (40 CFR Section 1502.4). Since each lease sale proposal and projected activities are very similar for the proposed EPA lease sale area, a single EIS is being prepared for the two proposed EPA lease sales. Pursuant to OCSLA's staged leasing process, for each lease sale proposed in the final Five-Year Program, BOEM makes individual decisions on whether and how to proceed with a lease sale. At the completion of this EIS process, a decision will be made on whether or how to proceed with proposed EPA Lease Sale 225. A separate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, in a form to be determined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), will be conducted prior to BOEM's decision on whether or how to proceed with proposed EPA Lease Sale 226. This summary is only a brief overview of the proposed EPA lease sales, alternatives, significant issues, potential environmental and socioeconomic effects, and proposed mitigating measures contained in this EIS. To obtain the full perspective and context of the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts discussed, it is necessary to read the entire analyses.