Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas Oil and Gas Lease Sales 209, 212, 217, and 221

Samenvatting

The purpose of the proposed Federal actions addressed in this DEIS (OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-055) is to offer for lease areas in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that may contain economically recoverable oil and natural gas resources. These lease sales would provide qualified bidders the opportunity to bid on certain blocks in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea OCS to gain conditional rights to explore, develop, and produce oil and natural gas. This DEIS is a draft of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis that will enable the Minerals Management Service (MMS) to make informed decisions on the configuration of the lease sales and the applicable mitigation measures. In the DEIS, the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of the proposed sales and alternatives, including projected exploration and development and production activities on the physical, biological, and human environments in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea areas, are analyzed. The DEIS integrates the biological assessment elements required under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (per Section 402.06 of the Act) for species under jurisdiction of the U.S