Proposed OCS Sale No. 111 is one of 41 proposed OCS sales included in the Five Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Schedule. Coordination with other governmental agencies, industry, and the public regarding this proposal began with the publication of a Call for Information, published in the Federal Register on October 20, 1983. Responses were received from six petroleum companies, eight states, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). For a detailed description of these responses and the issues raised, see Chapter I, Section C. The process involved in the indentification of the sale area is described in Chapter I, Section B. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Technical Working Group was briefed on these issues at a meeting on March 28, 1984. At this time, alternatives to the proposal, development scenarios, and mitigating measures to be considered in the DEIS were discussed with this advisory group. Development of the DEIS During preparation of the DEIS, Federal, State, and local agencies, industry, and the public were consulted in order to obtain descriptive information and to identify significant issues, effective mitigating measures, and reasonable alternatives to the proposal. Information and written comments received during the development of the proposal were used in preparation of the DEIS. A description of the scoping process and its results can be found in Section I.C. Pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, formal consultation between MMS, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was initiated in June 1984. For prior OCS Sale No. 76, both FWS and NMFS issued regional biological opinions in which they determined that OCS leasing and exploration activities would not jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species in the mid-Atlantic region. The FWS continues to support their opinion for Sale No. 111 (See Appendix F). The NMFS has not yet provided an update of their existing regional biological opinion. Agencies and organizations that were contacted or contributed to the development of the proposal and the DEIS: Federal Agencies Marine Mammal Commission U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coastal Zone Management National Ocean Survey National Marine Fisheries Service U.S. Department of Defense Army Army Corps of Engineers Air Force Navy U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Regulatory Commission U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Regulatory Commission U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fish and Wildlife Service Geological Survey National Park Service U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of Transportation Coast Guard Federal Aviation Administration U.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration State and Local Government Agencies Massachusetts Rhode Island New York State Department of Environmental Conservation New Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland Virginia Council on the Environment City of Virginia Beach, Virginia Local Planning Agencies Cape May County (New Jersey) Planning Board Private Interest Groups and Industry National Resources Defense Council Committee to Preserve Assateague Island, Inc. Private Citizen Prof. D. J. Zinn, University of Rhode Island Review of the DEIS The DEIS will be available for review for a period of 60 days by Federal, State, and local governments and the public, and public hearings will be held on the proposal in December 1984. All comments and information are due in the Atlantic OCS Office by January 8, 1985, in order to be considered during preparation of the DEIS. The DEIS will be distributed to those Federal agencies with interest or expertise pertinent to OCS oil and gas leasing, to State and local governments in the affected States, to organizations and individuals having an interest in the proposal, and will be available to the public on request from the MMS's Atlantic OCS Office and Washington Office. Federal Agencies and States from which comments will be requested include the following: U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service National Ocean Survey U.S. Department of Defense Army Corps of Engineers Naval Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility, Virginia Capes U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Leasing Policy Development U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Geological Survey National Park Service Bureau of Mines |