Alaska Outer Continental Shelf OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2020-056 Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258 In Cook Inlet, Alaska Draft Environmental Impact Statement VOLUME 1: Chapters 1-5 Appendix A Prepared by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska OCS Region Estimated Lead Agency Total Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this EIS: $548,000.00 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management January 2021 Alaska OCS Region Page Intentionally Left Blank Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 Draft Environmental Impact Statement Contents CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION ................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION ............................. 3 2.1 Alternative 1 – Proposed Action ....................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Alternative 2 – No Action.................................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Alternatives 3A, 3B, and 3C – Beluga Whale Critical Habitat Exclusion, Critical Habitat Mitigation, and Nearshore Feeding Areas Mitigation ....................................................................... 5 2.4 Alternatives 4A and 4B – Northern Sea Otter SW DPS Critical Habitat Exclusion or Mitigation .......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.5 Alternative 5 – Gillnet Fishery Mitigation .......................................................................................... 7 2.6 Alternatives Considered but Dismissed from Detailed Analysis ...................................................... 9 2.6.1 Prohibition of Drilling Discharges ...................................................................................... 9 2.6.2 Directional Drilling ............................................................................................................. 9 2.6.3 Migrating Salmon Seismic Timing ..................................................................................... 9 2.6.4 North Pacific Right Whale and North Pacific Right Whale Critical Habitat ..................... 10 2.6.5 Northern Area Exclusion ................................................................................................. 10 2.6.6 Lower Kenai Peninsula Exclusion ................................................................................... 10 2.7 Comparison of Alternatives ............................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 3: ASSUMPTIONS FOR ANALYSIS ..................................................................15 3.1 Oil Spills and Gas Release Scenario ............................................................................................. 15 3.1.1 Small Oil Spills: <1,000 bbl ............................................................................................. 15 3.1.2 Large Oil Spill: ≥1,000 bbl ............................................................................................... 16 3.1.3 Gas Release .................................................................................................................... 17 3.1.4 Opportunities for Intervention and Spill Response .......................................................... 17 3.1.5 Very Large Oil Spill: ≥120,000 bbl ................................................................................... 18 3.2 Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Activities...................................................... 18 3.2.1 Oil and Gas Related Activities ......................................................................................... 18 3.2.2 Other Activities ................................................................................................................ 20 3.3 Regulatory and Administrative Framework .................................................................................... 23 3.3.1 Lease Stipulations ........................................................................................................... 23 3.3.2 Additional Requirements of NMFS and USFWS Relative to Marine Mammals .............. 25 3.4 Mitigation Measures Proposed ...................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 4: AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ..29 4.1 Exploration and Development Scenario ......................................................................................... 29 4.1.1 Exploration Activities ....................................................................................................... 31 TABLE OF CONTENTS i Draft Environmental Impact Statement Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 4.1.2 Development and Production Activities .......................................................................... 32 4.1.3 Decommissioning Activities ............................................................................................. 34 4.1.4 Transportation ................................................................................................................. 34 4.1.5 Schedule of E&D Scenario Activities Over Life of Field .................................................. 35 4.2 Impact Scale .................................................................................................................................. 35 4.3 Air Quality ....................................................................................................................................... 36 4.3.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 36 4.3.2 Environmental Consequences of the Proposed Action................................................... 37 4.3.3 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................... 41 4.3.4 Cumulative Effects .......................................................................................................... 41 4.3.5 Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions ............................................................................ 42 4.4 Water Quality ................................................................................................................................. 46 4.4.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 46 4.4.2 Environmental Consequences of the Proposed Action................................................... 47 4.4.3 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................... 49 4.4.4 Cumulative Effects .......................................................................................................... 50 4.5 Coastal and Estuarine Habitats ..................................................................................................... 51 4.5.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 51 4.5.2 Environmental Consequences of the Proposed Action................................................... 52 4.5.3 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................... 54 4.5.4 Cumulative Effects .......................................................................................................... 54 4.6 Fish and Invertebrates ................................................................................................................... 56 4.6.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 56 4.6.2 Environmental Consequences of the Proposed Action................................................... 58 4.6.3 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................... 61 4.6.4 Cumulative Effects .......................................................................................................... 61 4.7 Birds ............................................................................................................................................... 62 4.7.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 62 4.7.2 Environmental Consequences of the Proposed Action................................................... 67 4.7.3 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................... 71 4.7.4 Cumulative Effects .......................................................................................................... 73 4.8 Marine Mammals ............................................................................................................................ 75 4.8.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 75 4.8.2 Environmental Consequences of the Proposed Action................................................... 78 4.8.3 Environmental Consequences of the Alternatives .......................................................... 85 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 Draft Environmental Impact Statement 4.8.4 Cumulative Effects .......................................................................................................... 86 4.9 Terrestrial Mammals .....................................................................................................................