U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region

Introduction

In November 1996, Chevron U.S.A., Inc. filed with the Minerals Management Service (MMS) a Development and Production Plan (DPP) for the Destin Dome 56 Unit.  A map depicting the location of the proposed project is attached.  The MMS conducted a thorough completeness review of the DPP and the plan was deemed complete on August 12, 1997.  The MMS will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the DPP to assess the environmental consequences of the proposed action.  A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS was published in the Federal Register on August 22, 1997, in accordance with Section 1508.22 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  In order to provide an early and open process for determining the scope of the EIS and for identifying the significant issues, alternatives, and potential mitigating measures to be addressed in the EIS, the MMS will hold formal scoping meetings in the affected States.  The dates, times, and locations of the scoping meetings are as follows:

In addition to this special information packet that has been distributed to an extensive list of interested parties, the MMS will also advertise the upcoming scoping meetings in local newspapers.

Scoping Meeting Format

A sign-in table will be available at each scoping meeting location.  Participants will be requested to sign in, providing their name and address, so that the scoping report prepared subsequent to the completion of the scoping meetings can be distributed to them.  Each meeting will convene in a large conference room and will begin with a presentation by an MMS representative.  The presentation will include a discussion of the purpose of the scoping meetings, the overall EIS process, and a description of Chevron's proposed natural gas development project.  Following the presentation, time will be allotted for questions from the audience in order to clarify the purpose of the scoping meetings and to ensure that participants possess a general understanding of the project so they can provide meaningful input to the EIS process.  It should be emphasized that the purpose of the scoping meetings is to receive public input into the EIS process to ensure that the EIS will be thorough and will address all pertinent issues.  The decision to prepare an EIS has been made and information contained in the EIS will play a major role in the decision of whether or not to grant a permit for the proposed gas development project.  Statements presented at the scoping meetings that merely reflect opposition or support for the proposed project will be of little use in preparation of the EIS.

Following the presentation and question and answer session, participants will be randomly broken into smaller groups.  The size of the groups will be based on the number of attendees and the number of available breakout rooms.  Breaking into smaller groups is much more effective for receiving input from participants than remaining in one large group, particularly if there are many people in attendance.  Working in smaller groups offers a more relaxed forum for the public to provide input, and individuals are generally more comfortable expressing their concerns than they might be in a room with hundreds of people.  It is also more efficient in terms of time.

The meetings with each of the smaller groups will be handled by two MMS staff members, with one serving as a facilitator and one as a recorder.  The procedure will entail going around the room in a round-robin fashion, allowing participants to state what topics or issues they wish to have addressed in the EIS.  The facilitator will work with each individual to agree on the actual wording to ensure that their concern is properly expressed; the recorder will write it on an easel pad.  Each person will be allowed to bring up one item at a time, and the process will continue until no one has further comments to offer.  An open dialogue will be maintained between the participants and MMS staff as needed to answer questions and to clarify certain matters.  However, lengthy discussion of technical issues that will ultimately be addressed in the EIS will be avoided.

Input received at all of the scoping meetings will be compiled into a scoping report and distributed to all attendees who wish to receive the report.  Everyone will be able to see what comments and issues were brought forth in all of the smaller breakout sessions.

The MMS looks forward to meeting with the public to receive their valuable input to the EIS process.  Any questions regarding the upcoming scoping meetings should be directed to Mr. Dennis Chew at (504)736-2793.

MMS is the Federal Agency that manages the Nation's oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. MMS also collects, accounts for, and disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore Federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands.