On January 25, 1999, the MMS published the Call for information and Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for proposed Eastern Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 181 in the Federal Register. In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, scoping was conducted to solicit comments on proposed Lease Sale 181

This study examines the role of the courts in the public policy process by analyzing the federal-state conflicts over offshore energy development--known as the Seaweed Rebellion--from the Roosevelt through Clinton administrations. Dr. Edward A. Fitzgerald posits that the courts play an important role interpreting statutes and overseeing administrative actions to ensure 'that important legislative purposes, heralded in the halls of Congress, are not lost or misdirected in the vast hallways of the federal bureaucracy.' He concludes that the court's interpretations and deference towards executive decisions undermined the important statutory role of the coastal states, decreased environment protection, and has caused a breakdown in the program of outer continental shelf energy development.

This environmental assessment (EA) addresses one proposed Federal action: oil and gas Lease Sale 197 in the proposed lease sale area of the Eastern Planning Area (EPA) of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as scheduled in the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2002-2007 (5-Year Program) (USDOI, MMS, 2002a). This EA incorporates by reference all of the relevant material in the multisale environmental impact statement (EIS) from which it tiers (Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales 198 and 197; Eastern Planning Area; Final Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (USDOI, MMS, 2003a)). It has been prepared to aid in the determination of whether or not newly available information indicates that the proposed lease sale would result in new significant impacts not addressed in the multisale EIS.

U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.

This is the first report of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) to summarize status and trends in biotic elements in the arctic marine environment. The effort has identified knowledge gaps in circumpolar biodiversity monitoring. CBMP is the cornerstone program of Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF).