The
Alaska Region has adopted a number of mitigating measures to protect
sensitive habitat and resources. Mitigation measures in the form of lease
stipulations are added to the lease terms and are therefore enforceable.
Stipulations are developed for a specific lease sale area. For example,
following is a list of the lease stipulations adopted for Beaufort Sea OCS
Lease Sale 195:
 |
Stipulation No. 1.
Protection of Biological Resources |
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Stipulation No. 2.
Orientation Program |
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Stipulation No. 3.
Transportation of Hydrocarbons |
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Stipulation No. 4.
Industry Site-Specific Bowhead Whale-Monitoring Program
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Stipulation No. 5.
Conflict Avoidance Mechanisms to Protect Subsistence Whaling and Other
Subsistence-Harvesting Activities |
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Stipulation No. 6.
Pre-Booming Requirements for Fuel Transfers |
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Stipulation No. 7.
Lighting of Lease Structures to Minimize Effects to Spectacled and
Steller’s Eiders |
A lease sale notice also includes Information to Lessees
(ITL) that provides additional direction and guidance to operators to
protect sensitive habitat and resources. For example, the OCS Lease Sale
195 notice included an ITL advising operators of sensitive habitats and
resources to be considered in developing oil spill contingency plans. In
another ITL, lessees are referred to guidelines developed by Alaska
Native Communities
that identify local concerns and customs, and the lessees are advised to
incorporate this information into environmental orientation programs.
The Alaska Region reviews each OCS plan to ensure that
the operator has incorporated lease stipulations and ITL advisories into
their plan.
A complete list of stipulations and
ITLs for Beaufort OCS Lease Sale 195 is available at
http://www.mms.gov/alaska/cproject/beaufortsale/FNOS195Package/FNOS195pac
kage.htm. A discussion of the objectives and effectiveness of these
measures can be found in the
Beaufort Sea Multiple-Sale Final Environmental Impact Statement OCS EIS/EA
MMS 2003-001.
A complete list of stipulations and ITLs for Cook Inlet
OCS Lease Sales 191 & 199 is available at:
http://www.mms.gov/alaska/cproject/Cook_Inlet/CI191FNOSPackage/CI191Stips.pdf
Information about Cook Inlet OCS Lease Sales 191 & 199
is located at:
http://www.mms.gov/alaska/cproject/Cook_Inlet/Cook Inlet Sale.htm
