[Federal Register: March 13, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 49)]
[Notices]
[Page 12100-12101]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13mr03-114]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-100-03-1310-DB]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Provide Notice of Public Meeting, Jonah Infill Drilling Project,
Sublette County, WY, and Notice of the Potential for Amendment of the
Pinedale Resource Management Plan
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and to conduct public scoping for the Jonah Infill
Drilling Project, Sublette County, Wyoming, and Notice of the Potential
for Amendment of the Pinedale Resource Management Plan.
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SUMMARY: EnCana Oil and Gas (USA) Inc., BP America, and other natural
gas development companies (hereinafter referred to as ``the
Operators'') have submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a
proposal to expand natural gas exploration and development operations.
The Jonah Infill Drilling Project is located in an area known as the
Jonah Field, in Sublette County, Wyoming. Under the provisions of
section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the
BLM announces its intentions to prepare an EIS and to solicit public
comments regarding issues and resource information. Based on the
information developed during the course of this analysis, the BLM may
decide it is necessary to amend the 1988 Pinedale Resource Management
Plan (RMP).
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can
best use public input if comments and resource information are
submitted within 45 days of the Publication of Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) notice in the Federal Register. A Scoping Notice will be
distributed by mail on or about the date of the publication of this
notice. Information and a copy of the Scoping Notice may be obtained by
writing, or visiting, the BLM Pinedale Field Office, address listed
below.
The BLM will host a public meeting within 30 days of the
publication of this notice. Information regarding date, time, and
location of the meeting will be available from the Pinedale Field
Office and posted on its Web site listed at the end of this Notice. All
comments received at the public meeting, submitted in writing by mail,
or e-mail will aid the BLM in identifying issues, developing a range of
alternatives, and analyzing environmental impacts.
ADDRESSES: Address questions and comments to the Pinedale Field Office,
PO Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, phone number 307-367-5300, or send
them electronically to pinedale--wymail@blm.gov. Information and a copy
of the Scoping Notice for the Jonah Infill Drilling Project EIS may be
obtained by writing or visiting the BLM Pinedale field office. The
scoping notice will also be posted on the Wyoming BLM NEPA Web site,
http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/nepadocs.htm. Written comments may be sent,
http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/nepadocs.htm. Written comments may be sent,
or hand-delivered, to the BLM Pinedale Field Office, 432 East Mill
Street, PO Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941.
Your response is important and will be considered in the
environmental analysis process. If you do respond, we will keep you
informed of decisions resulting from this analysis. Please note that
public comments and information submitted regarding this project
including names, e-mail addresses, and street addresses of the
respondents will be available for public review and disclosure at the
above address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name, email
address, or street address from public review or from disclosure under
the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the
extent allowed by the law. All submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public inspection in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eldon Allison, Project Manager, BLM,
Pinedale Field Office, PO Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, telephone
307-367-5300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Jonah Infill Drilling Project (JIDP)
area is located in south-central Sublette County approximately 32 miles
southeast of Pinedale, and 28 miles northwest of Farson, Wyoming.
Drilling is proposed in Townships 28 and 29 North, Ranges 107 through
109 West, 6th Principal Meridian.
The operators have submitted to the BLM a proposal to expand
exploration and development of natural gas resources in the Jonah Field
area, spanning a period of about 25 years. The
[[Page 12101]]
total project area is approximately 30,200 acres. This acreage includes
approximately 28,280 acres of Federal surface and mineral estate
managed by BLM; 1,280 acres of State of Wyoming surface and minerals;
and 640 acres of private surface ownership. All of the privately owned
surface acres are split estate (private surface/Federal minerals)
lands.
The operators' original proposal to drill 450 wells in addition to
47 existing wells at the same number of locations was approved by the
BLM in the Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact
and Decision Record for the Modified Jonah Field II Natural Gas
Project, March 2000 (Modified Jonah Field II EA). The operators now
propose to drill 1,250 additional wells from 850 well locations within
the same area analyzed in the Modified Jonah Field II EA. The
operators' new proposal is based on a 10 to 20 acre down-hole spacing
pattern (32 to 64 wells per aliquot section). The operators propose to
explore known productive formations as well as deeper formations that
have not been tested. The planned development would include the
following associated structures and facilities in addition to the 850
proposed new well locations: needed separators and hydrators, storage
tanks, field access and resource roads, a system of gathering and sales
pipelines, compressor stations, and five additional water wells.
During the preparation of the EIS, proposed development of
additional exploratory wells within the project area on public lands
may be approved subject to an environmental review by BLM and to a
finding that such development is consistent with the 1988 Pinedale
Resource Management Plan (RMP). Such a review will also ensure that the
proposed development would not limit the consideration of a range of
reasonable alternatives for this proposed Jonah Infill Drilling Project
EIS.
The purpose of this project is to extract and recover natural gas
from the Jonah Field by allowing the operators to provide clean burning
fuel for distribution to consumers. In addition, this project would
meet the goals and objectives of the President's National Energy Plan
by diversifying domestic energy supplies, improving and accelerating
environmental protection, and strengthening America's energy security.
BLM personnel, other agencies, and individuals have preliminarily
identified the following issues that will be addressed in the EIS: Air
quality; Federally-listed Threatened, Endangered, Candidate and
Sensitive Species and their habitats; surface and groundwater
resources; short-term revegetation and restoration of disturbed areas
and their long-term stabilization, including control of noxious weeds;
prehistoric and historic cultural resources; social and economic
effects to the local communities; wildlife habitat and fisheries;
nesting raptors; wetlands and riparian areas; visual and landscape
resources; and recreation activities and opportunities, such as hunting
and fishing.
The BLM has identified the following benefits that may be derived
from the natural gas development: Increased royalties and tax revenues
to local, State, and Federal governments; additional opportunities for
employment and economic benefits for communities near the project area;
increases in Wyoming's share of new and existing natural gas markets;
and development of natural gas resources to assist in attainment of
clean air objectives in conformance with Presidential and Congressional
directives.
Any authorizations and actions proposed for approval in the EIS
will be evaluated to determine if they conform to the decisions in the
1988 Pinedale RMP. Actions that result in a change in the scope of
resource uses, terms and conditions, and decisions of the Pinedale RMP
may require amendment of the RMP. If the BLM determines that a plan
amendment is necessary, preparation of the JIDP EIS and the analysis
necessary for the RMP amendment may occur simultaneously. Appropriate
analysis will accompany the decision to conduct an RMP amendment.
Also, the Pinedale RMP is currently being revised, with completion
scheduled for October 2004. Because the Jonah Infill Drilling Project
EIS and the Pinedale RMP revision will be developed on overlapping
schedules, the information and analysis needed for these planning
efforts will be jointly prepared and used for both EISs, to the
greatest extent possible. Further information of the status of this RMP
revision may be obtained from the Web site at http://
www.pinedalermp.com.
The BLM will announce public meetings and comment periods through
local news media and the Pinedale Field Office Web site, http://
www.wy.blm.gov/pfo/info.htm
, at least 15 days prior to the event. The
www.wy.blm.gov/pfo/info.htm, at least 15 days prior to the event. The
first in a series of meetings is tentatively scheduled for late March
2003, in Pinedale, Wyoming. The BLM will also provide additional
opportunities for public participation throughout the preparation of
the EIS.
Dated: February 13, 2003.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-6084 Filed 3-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P