BOEM schedules public meetings about draft proposed 5-year OCS plan

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold the first of 20 public meetings in Washington on Feb. 9 to receive public comments on potential environmental impacts of the draft proposed 2017-22 5-year US Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The US Department of the Interior and BOEM released the draft on Jan. 27 (OGJ Online, Jan. 27, 2015).

BOEM said the meetings will feature information stations hosted by experts from the agency who will informally discuss environmental issues with the public. It will use information it gathers to help determine which environmental issues will be analyzed for the next 5-year leasing program.

Attendees also will be able to provide hand-written or electronic comments on-site and any other information they feel can assist BOEM in developing the draft programmatic environmental impact statement, the agency said.

Additional information, including locations and times, of the 20 public meetings in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions and Alaska can be found online.

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].