mammal and other wildlife habitat in Unimak Pass and Izembek 

 Lagoon; the effects of possible oil spills along a proposed 

 pipeline to Iketan Bay should be considered in the impact 

 assessment; and, because of the substantial level of seismic 

 activity in the area, it would be desirable to establish a 

 program, if one did not already exist, for assessing, 

 monitoring and, as possible, predicting seismic events in 

 the area. 



Proposed PCS Lease Sales #72, #74, and #79 

 Gulf of Mexico 



OCS Lease Sales #72, #74, and #79 are scheduled for 

 May, August, and November 1983, and include all unleased 

 blocks in the central, western, and eastern planning areas 

 of the Gulf of Mexico. The offerings consist of approximately 

 39 million acres for Sale #72, 33 million acres for Sale #74, 

 and 58 million acres for Sale #79. 



The Commission, in consultation with its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors, reviewed and, by letter of 19 October 

 1982, provided comments on the Draft Regional Environmental 

 Impact Statement (DREIS) for the proposed sales. In its 

 comments, the Commission concurred with the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service's Biological Opinion indicating that the proposed 

 leasing and exploration activities likely would not jeopardize 

 the continued existence of the West Indian manatee or result 

 in the destruction of habitat critical to its survival, 

 provided needed onshore support bases are located at existing 

 facilities in Port Manatee, Florida, and the probability of 

 an oil spill occurring during the exploration phase is 

 essentially zero. The Commission questioned a number of 

 statements and conclusions concerning the possible direct 

 and indirect effects of the proposed action on local populations 

 or subpopulations of bottlenose dolphins, and recommended 

 that the Minerals Management Service consult with the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, if it had not already done so, to 

 identify such additional information, lease stipulations, 

 monitoring programs or other measures that might be needed 

 to assure that bottlenose dolphins are not affected adversely 

 by the proposed action. The Commission also noted that 

 relevant studies were being conducted by the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service and other organizations, and recommended 

 that the Minerals Management Service consult with the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service and these other agencies 

 to determine whether and how programs might be coordinated 

 or integrated to meet data needs more effectively and 

 economically. 



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