MMS hearing on Gulf lease set for Tuesday

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is hosting a public hearing Tuesday in Larose on a draft statement on the effect a proposed Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease.

The MMS draft statement speaks to the environmental impact of Lease Sale 224 in the Eastern Planning Area (EPA). The sale is scheduled for March 2008, to be held in conjunction with the Central Gulf of Mexico Sale 206.

Lease Sale 224 is located in the Gulf on the Alabama/Florida border.

Two public hearings are scheduled; the first in Larose and a second in Pensacola, Fla., later in the month.

The local hearing will be held at the Larose Civic Center, 307 East 5th St., in Larose Regional Park.

Statements – oral and written – will be received, according to MMS.

To allow time for all speakers, MMS officials said time limits may be set on oral testimony. Written statements presented at the hearing will be considered part of the hearing record.

Federal, state and local governmental agencies, and other interested parties can send comments:

• In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled “Comments on the Draft SEIS” and mailed (or hand-carried) to the Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environmental (MS 5410), Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70123-2394.

• Electronically to the MMS e-mail address: environment@mms.gov.

Comments should be submitted no later than Aug. 13.

To view a copy of the draft, visit http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/nepa/nepaprocess.html.

Several copies of the draft are also available for view at area libraries along the Gulf Coast. To find a nearby library with a copy, visit http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/regulate/environ/libraries.html.