SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS, BOEM evaluated three alternatives for CPA Lease Sale 231, which are summarized below:

Alternative A—The Proposed Action: This is BOEM's preferred alternative. This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks within the CPA for oil and gas operations, except whole and partial blocks deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.

The proposed CPA lease sale area encompasses about 63 million acres of the total CPA area of 66.45 million acres. As of December 2013, approximately 40 million acres of the proposed CPA lease sale area are currently unleased. The estimated amount of resources projected to be developed as a result of proposed CPA Lease Sale 231 is 0.460-0.894 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 1.939-3.903 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.

Alternative B—The Proposed Action Excluding the Unleased Blocks Near Biologically Sensitive Topographic Features: This alternative would offer for lease all unleased blocks within the proposed CPA lease sale area, as described for the proposed action (Alternative A), with the exception of any unleased blocks subject to the Topographic Features Stipulation.

Alternative C—No Action: This alternative is the cancellation of proposed CPA Lease Sale 231 and is identified as the environmentally preferred alternative.

After careful consideration, BOEM has selected a subset of the proposed action, (a portion of the lease sale area analyzed in Alternative A) in the WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS. As noted in its Record of Decision, BOEM has decided to hold CPA Lease Sale 231 and offer for lease all unleased blocks in the CPA, except: (1) whole and partial of blocks deferred by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006; (2) blocks that are adjacent or beyond the United States Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap; and (3) whole and partial blocks that lie within the 1.4 nautical mile buffer zone north of the Continental Shelf Boundary between the United States and Mexico. BOEM's selection of a subset of the preferred alternative reflects an orderly resource development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments, while also ensuring that the public receives an equitable return for these resources and that free-market competition is maintained. ( printed page 10842)

Record of Decision Availability: To obtain a single printed or CD-ROM copy of the ROD for proposed CPA Lease Sale 231, you may contact the BOEM, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public Information Office (GM 335A), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 (1-800-200-GULF). An electronic copy of the ROD is available on BOEM's Internet Web site at http://boem.gov/​Environmental-Stewardship/​Environmental-Assessment/​NEPA/​nepaprocess.aspx.