[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 12 (Thursday, January 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3911-3913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00853]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-050-1310-DB]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Possible Amendment to the Casper Resource Management Plan, Fremont,
Sweetwater, and Natrona Counties, WY
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lander
Field Office, Rawlins Field Office, and Casper Field Office intend to
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prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Moneta
Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project, which may include a
land use plan amendment to the Casper Resource Management Plan (RMP),
and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process
to solicit public comments and identify issues.
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS and
possible land use plan amendment. You may submit written comments on
issues until March 4, 2013. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping
meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance through the local
news media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at www.blm.gov/wy/en/info/NEPA/documents/lfo/moneta-divide.html. In order to be addressed in the
Draft EIS, all comments must be received prior to the close of the
scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is
later. We will provide additional opportunities for public
participation upon publication of the Draft EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Web site: www.blm.gov/wy/en/info/NEPA/documents/lfo/moneta-divide.html.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 307-332-8444.
Mail: Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development
Project, Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street, Lander, WY 82520.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Lander
Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Chris Krassin, Project
Coordinator, telephone: 307-332-8400; address: 1335 Main Street,
Lander, WY 82520; email: [email protected].
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to
contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question
with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the
Lander Field Office, Rawlins Field Office, and Casper Field Office
intend to prepare an EIS to support decision-making regarding the
proposed Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project, begin
the public scoping period, and seek input on the preliminary issues
identified with respect to this Project. In addition, BLM authorization
of this proposed project may require amendment of the 2007 Casper RMP.
By this notice, the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR
1610.2(c) to notify the public of potential amendments to land use
plans, predicated on the findings of the EIS, and to seek public input
on preliminary planning issues. If a land use plan amendment is
necessary, the BLM will integrate the land use planning process with
the NEPA process for this project.
Proponent energy development companies (the companies) propose to
develop up to 4,250 natural gas and oil wells within the proposed
Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project area. The
proposed development project area is located in Fremont and Natrona
counties and encompasses approximately 265,000 acres of land, of which
138,000 acres are public land administered by the Lander Field Office.
Approximately 31,500 acres of the project area are public lands
administered by the Casper Field Office. The southern portion of a
proposed pipeline associated with the project is located in Sweetwater
County on lands administered by the Rawlins Field Office. The balance
of the development project area consists of State and private lands.
The Lander Field Office will serve as the lead for this Project.
The companies propose to develop using downhole well spacing of up
to 20 acres in select areas within the proposed project area using
directional, vertical, and other drilling techniques, and propose to
develop infrastructure to support oil and gas production in the project
area, including: Well pads; gathering, treating, processing and
compression production facilities; water wells, water treatment, water
injection and evaporation facilities; electric power lines, roads, gas
flow lines, and pipelines. The companies propose to transport gas
through pipelines to approximately five field compression and treatment
facilities. The companies propose to reinject produced water in some
instances, evaporate it in some instances, and treat and dispose of it
through the use of surface and subsurface facilities in other
instances. The companies also propose to construct gas processing
facilities in the project area to separate natural gas liquids from the
natural gas stream as well as to construct a new pipeline to transport
and deliver natural gas and natural gas liquids to market pipelines
located near Wamsutter, Wyoming (approximately 100 miles south of the
project area). The southern portion of the pipeline (approximately 42
miles in length) is proposed in Sweetwater County, Wyoming and public
lands included within this segment are administered by the Rawlins
Field Office.
Anticipated surface disturbance associated with the Moneta Divide
Project proposal will include approximately 13,500 acres of initial
surface disturbance for the construction of new roads, well pads,
pipelines and associated facilities, of which approximately 5,500 acres
could remain for the life of the project.
The BLM will evaluate any authorizations and actions within the
Casper Field Office administrative area that are proposed for approval
in the EIS to determine if they conform to the decisions in the 2007
Casper RMP. At this time, some management actions particularly for
surface disturbing activities and wildlife stipulations in the Casper
RMP do not match the Lander RMP (1987). In an effort to have
consistency in management actions within the Moneta Divide project area
and across the Lander and Casper Field Office administrative
boundaries, it is anticipated that some management actions may result
in a change in terms and conditions or decisions of the Casper RMP,
which in turn may require amendment of the RMP. Prior to approval, any
proposed actions that would result in a change in the scope of resource
uses, terms and conditions, and decisions of the Casper RMP would
require amendment of the RMP. If the BLM determines that a plan
amendment is necessary, the analysis necessary for the RMP amendment
would occur simultaneously with preparation of the Moneta Divide
Natural Gas and Oil Development Project EIS. The preliminary planning
criteria would include:
The RMP amendment will comply with NEPA, FLPMA, and other
applicable laws, executive orders, regulations and policy;
The RMP amendment will recognize valid existing rights;
The BLM would limit the scope of the RMP amendment to the
BLM-administered public lands and mineral estate within the project
area proposed for the Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development
Project EIS; and
A collaborative and multi-jurisdictional approach will be
used, where possible, to jointly determine the desired future condition
and management direction for the public lands. To the extent possible
and within
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legal and regulatory parameters, the BLM planning and management
decisions will complement the planning and management decisions of
other agencies, State and local governments, and Native American
tribes, with jurisdictions intermingled with, and adjacent to, the
planning area.
To provide the public with an opportunity to review the proposed
project and the project information, as well as the possible proposed
plan amendment, the BLM will host meetings in Riverton and Casper
within 45 days of the publication of this notice. The BLM will notify
the public of meetings and any other opportunities for the public to be
involved in the environmental review for this proposal at least 15 days
prior to the event. Meeting dates, locations and times will be
announced by a news release to the media, individual mailings and
postings on the project Web site.
The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis,
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS.
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues:
Potential impacts to air quality, disposal of produced water, and
potential effects of development and production on surface resources
including vegetation and wildlife habitat.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to
help fulfill the public involvement process under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in
36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural
resources within the area potentially affected by the proposed action
will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such
resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the NHPA.
Native American tribal consultations will be conducted in accordance
with policy, and tribal concerns will be given due consideration,
including impacts on Indian trust assets. Federal, State, and local
agencies, along with other stakeholders that may be interested or
affected by the BLM's decision on this project, are invited to
participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be
requested by the BLM to participate as a cooperating agency.
Before including your address, phone number, email 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2)
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2013-00853 Filed 1-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P