Gulf of Mexico OCS, Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2015 and 2016. Western Planning Area Lease Sales 246 and 248. Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.

摘要

This Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) addresses two proposed Federal actions: proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sales 246 and 248 in the Western Planning Area (WPA) of the Gulf of Mexico, as scheduled in the Proposed Final Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 (Five-Year Program) (USDOI, BOEM, 2012a). This Supplemental EIS updates the baseline conditions and potential environmental effects of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration, development, and production in the WPA since publication of Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012-2017; Western Planning Area Lease Sales 229, 233, 238, 246, and 248; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 227, 231, 235, 241, and 247, Final Environmental Impact Statement (2012-2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS) (USDOI, BOEM, 2012b); Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013-2014; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233; Central Planning Area Lease Sale 231, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS) (USDOI, BOEM, 2013a); and Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2014-2016; Western Planning Area Lease Sales 238, 246, and 248, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 238/246/248 Supplemental EIS) (USDOI, BOEM, 2014). This Supplemental EIS analyzes the potential impacts of a WPA proposed action on sensitive coastal environments, offshore marine resources, and socioeconomic resources both onshore and offshore. It is important to note that this Supplemental EIS was prepared using the best information that was publicly available at the time the document was prepared. Where relevant information on reasonably foreseeable significant adverse impacts is incomplete or unavailable, the need for the information was evaluated to determine if it was essential to a reasoned choice among the alternatives and if so, it was either acquired or in the event it was impossible or exorbitant to acquire the information, accepted scientific methodologies were applied in its place.