Salazar postpones program meetings on next OCS plan

US Interior Sec. Ken Salazar announced that public meetings about the environmental impact statement in the 2012-17 Outer Continental Shelf program will be postponed until later in the year so that safety and environmental issues can be more fully reviewed.

July 1, 2010

Nick Snow
OGJ Washington Editor

WASHINGTON, DC, July 1 -- US Interior Sec. Ken Salazar announced that public meetings about the environmental impact statement in the 2012-17 Outer Continental Shelf program will be postponed until later in the year so that safety and environmental issues can be more fully reviewed.

“Offshore oil and gas will remain an important element of our nation’s energy portfolio…but we must ensure that decisions made about development are based on safe operations, ensuring protection of the environment, using the best science, and engaging in an open and transparent process,” he said.

DOI published a notice of intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed program on Apr. 2 and scheduled the meetings during June and July in coastal areas which potentially would be affected. It said that it would publish a notice later this year identifying a new public comment period and locations and dates of the public meetings.

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].