Overview

In preparation for this EA, the U.S. Department of the Interior (USDOI) Minerals Management Service (MMS) reexamined the potential environmental effects of the proposed action and the alternatives based on any new information regarding potential impacts and issues not available at the time MMS prepared the multisale EIS in November 2002. New information was reviewed to determine if any resources should be reevaluated or if the new information would alter conclusions of the multisale EIS. It was determined that three resources (marine mammals, sea turtles, and snowy plover) should be reevaluated because of new information. The new information for these three resources is the mitigation measures for protected species and a revised oil-spill probability for the snowy plover.