The Regions: MMS staff prepare most NEPA analyses for
OCS oil and gas proposals. However, four EISs for Pacific Region development
proposals were prepared under contract and in cooperation with California State and local
governments. Contractors are also preparing an EA for geological and geophysical
surveys and an EIS for floating production, storage, and offloading systems. On
occasion, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies are involved in
preparing certain EIS sections. Regional staff prepare lease sale EISs in their
entirety and contribute substantially to program EISs. Preparing EAs and CERs is
also a regional responsibility. To prepare NEPA documents, the three Regional
Offices have staff with expertise in most or all of the following disciplines:
Air Quality
Sociology
Geology
Water Quality
Archaeology
Physical Oceanography
Biology
Economics
Engineering
MMS Headquarters: The Environmental Division (ENVD) has the primary
responsibility for all NEPA compliance activities at headquarters. The Branch of
Environmental Assessment (BEA) within ENVD prepares the 5-Year program EIS with input from
the Regions. BEA provides procedures for EIS preparation, coordinates the
Departmental review of lease sale EISs, and reviews the EISs for technical adequacy.
The BEA develops NEPA procedures and oversees NEPA compliance for approvals of
lease operations and for development of operating regulations.
The Department: The Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance
(OEPC) reviews and approves the draft and final EISs for proposed lease sales and 5-year
programs. It has also been a longstanding policy in the Department that the
Solicitor’s endorsement be obtained for the EISs for 5-year programs and proposed
lease sales. Neither OEPC nor the Solicitor have formal responsibilities related to
EISs for lease operations because the MMS Associate Director for Offshore Minerals
Management approves those documents.
