Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012-2017. Western Planning Areas Lease Sales 229, 233, 238, 246 and 248. Central Planning Area Lease Sales 227, 231, 235, 241 and 247. Final Environmental Impact Statement. Volume I: Chapers 1-4.1.

摘要

This environmental impact statement (EIS) addresses 10 proposed Federal actions that offer for lease areas on the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) 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), five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the Western Planning Area (WPA) and five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the Central Planning Area (CPA). The proposed WPA lease sales are Lease Sale 229 in 2012, Lease Sale 233 in 2013, Lease Sale 238 in 2014, Lease Sale 246 in 2015, and Lease Sale 248 in 2016; the proposed CPA lease sales are Lease Sale 227 in 2013, Lease Sale 231 in 2014, Lease Sale 235 in 2015, Lease Sale 241 in 2016, and Lease Sale 247 in 2017. Federal regulations allow for several related or similar proposals to be analyzed in one EIS (40 CFR 1502.4). Since each lease sale proposal and projected activities are very similar each year for each sale area, a single EIS is being prepared for the 10 WPA and CPA lease sales. At the completion of this EIS process, decisions will be made only for proposed Lease Sale 229 in the WPA and proposed Lease Sale 227 in the CPA. A National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review will be conducted before each subsequent proposed lease sale.