GREATER FAIRBANKS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (GFCC) NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE TO HOST COFFEE, CROISSANTS & COMMENTS EVENT FOR OUTER CONTINENTAL OIL & GAS LEASE PUBLIC SCOPING PERIOD
 
On Wednesday, March 9, the GFCC’s Natural Resources Committee will host “Coffee, Croissants & Comments” from 7am until 11am at the Chamber office (located at 100 Cushman Street (attached to the Key Bank Building downtown) to give members of the Chamber and the community the opportunity to submit public comment to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) regarding oil and gas leasing sales on Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
 
The BOEMRE has held hearings all over the state, but bypassed Fairbanks and the Interior because the BOEMRE did not think that Fairbanks would have an interest.  “Well, the Interior really does have an interest in this issue,” said Lisa Herbert, the Chamber’s Executive Director.  Development of Alaska’s OCS is just as important to the Interior as it is to the rest of the state.  The Fairbanks Chamber’s Board of Directors in August 2009 passed a resolution supporting oil and gas leasing, exploration, development and production in Alaska’s OCS.
 
Herbert, expressed the hope “that many Interior business leaders and residents will come to the event to not only tell the Interior Department that the greater Fairbanks area should be included in all future scheduled hearings, but that the department’s OCS decisions affect the entire economy of Alaska.”  The BOEMRE needs input on a range or scope of issues and alternatives to be considered in the preparation of the draft programmatic EIS. The Chamber will provide comment cards for businesses and residents to sign, but personalized letters and comments are welcome.  Herbert said, “our goal is to send a statement by including more than 75 comment cards and/or letters in one large package to the BOEMRE.” 
     
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For more information, please contact Lisa Herbert: Phone: 374-6706, Fax: 456-6968, Email:lisa@fairbankschamber.org
 
 
Lisa Herbert
Executive Director
Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce
P: (907) 374.6706
F: (907) 456.6968
Community Advisory not indicating the public would be able to speak at tomorrow’s public meeting:

 

COMMUNITY ADVISORY
March 7, 2011
For Immediate Release
 
 
*** PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 ***
 
SUBJECT
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed 2012 – 2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program
 
WHAT
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) will host a supplemental public scoping meeting on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program, to include the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and Cook Inlet proposed planning areas. The public notice is available for public inspection through the Federal Register’s website, at:
 
WHEN
Wednesday, March 9, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
 
WHERE
First floor conference room, Centerpoint Bldg (3801 Centerpoint Drive, Anchorage, Alaska)
 
WHY
The purpose of the meeting is to obtain public comment on the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the proposed 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. This meeting is to give an additional opportunity to speak to members of the public who attended a similar meeting Friday, Feb. 25, but did not have the opportunity to speak.
 
HOW
There are several ways the public can comment on the PEIS for the proposed 2012-2017 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
* Members of the public are welcome to attend and speak at Wednesday’s meeting.
* Comments may be submitted online at: http://ocs5yeareis.anl.gov
* Comments may be mailed to: J. F. Bennett, Chief, BOEMRE Branch of Environmental Assessment; 381 Elden St, Mail Stop 4042; Herndon, VA 20170-4817
Comments will be accepted until March 31, 2011. All comments received by that time will be reviewed and considered in preparing the PEIS.
 
BOEMRE cautions that, before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask BOEMRE (prominently at the beginning of your submission) to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, BOEMRE cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.  BOEMRE will not consider anonymous comments, and BOEMRE will make available for inspection, in their entirety, all comments submitted by organizations or businesses or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or businesses.
 
 
BACKGROUND
On Dec. 1, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced an updated oil and gas leasing strategy for the OCS and identified the areas that would be considered for environmental scoping for the 2012–2017 program – please refer to: http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-Revised-OCS-Leasing-Program.cfm
 
The Federal Register notice published on April 2, 2010, (75 FR 16828) established a comment period that closed on June 30, 2010. The new comment period extends to March 31, 2011.
 
All comments received during the public comment period that closed on June 30 and all comments received during the new public comment period will be considered by BOEMRE as part of the EIS scoping process. Information concerning the leasing program and PEIS can be accessed, at: http://www.boemre.gov/5-year/
 
– BOEMRE –