Offshore staff
NEW ORLEANS-- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) has announced the completion of a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for proposed oil and gas Lease Sale 218 in the Western Planning Area in the Gulf of Mexico.
This draft SEIS updates the findings in several previously published EISs covering the Gulf of Mexico, as well as new analyses using the latest available information following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
“The analyses published in this SEIS will allow us to make objective, science-based decisions about the activities involved in offshore energy exploration, development and production,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “The public hearings on the draft SEIS we are announcing today are key steps to obtain public input on the environmental impact of oil and gas operations after Deepwater Horizon.”
The Notice of Availability for the draft SEIS is available for review in Federal Register: www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html. Included in the notice is information on how to submit comments and the schedule of public hearings on the draft SEIS. Comments will be used to prepare the Final SEIS for Sale 218.
Two public meetings will be held to give all interested parties an opportunity to comment on the draft SEIS. The meetings are scheduled as follows:
Houston, Texas: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental, 18700 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. CDT.
New Orleans, Louisiana: Thursday, May 19, 2011, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, 1201, Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. CDT.
