[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71169-71170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23064]
[[Page 71169]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-030-1310-DB]
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Seminoe Road Gas Development Project
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Seminoe Road Gas Development Project DEIS that analyzes the
environmental consequences of a proposed coalbed natural gas
development and production operation in south central Wyoming.
DATES: The DEIS will be available for review and comment for 60
calendar days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. The BLM can best use
comments and resource information if they are submitted by or before
close of business the day of the end of the comment and review period.
If you are uncertain as to what constitutes acceptable comment format
or when comments are due, please contact the Project Leader or the
Rawlins Field Office at the address below.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the DEIS was sent to affected Federal, State, and
local government agencies and to interested parties. The document may
also be available electronically on the following Web site: http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/nepadocs.htm. Copies of the DEIS will be available
for public inspection at the following locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N.
Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Simons, Project Leader, BLM
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third Street, Rawlins, WY 82301. Requests
for information may be sent electronically to: [email protected]
with ``Attention: Seminoe Road DEIS Information Request'' in the
subject line. Mr. Simons may also be reached at (307) 328-4328.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dudley & Associates, LLC (the Operators)
propose to explore and develop natural gas resources from coal beds
within their existing leases within the Seminoe Road Project Area. The
project is located approximately 20 miles northeast of Rawlins, Wyoming
near Seminoe Reservoir, Townships 21-24 North, Ranges 84-86 West, Sixth
Principal Meridian, Carbon County.
The Operators will drill up to 1,240 wells on up to 785 well pad
sites over the next 30 to 40 years. Depending on geologic conditions,
well density would range from two wells per 640 acres to four wells per
640 acres.
Forty-nine percent of the approximately 137,000 surface acre area
is public land administered primarily by the BLM. Of the remaining
project area surface, 49 percent is privately owned and less than 2
percent is owned and administered by the State of Wyoming. The Federal
mineral estate ownership pattern is the same as the surface ownership
pattern. Currently, approximately 18 gas wells operate within the
Seminoe Road Project Area from a pilot project drilled in 2001. The
Operators propose to drill up to 1,240 additional wells over the next
30 to 40 years.
The BLM published its Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Seminoe Road Gas Development Project in
the Federal Register on March 13, 2003. Based upon issues and concerns
identified during scoping and during the development of National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, the Seminoe Road DEIS focuses
on individual and cumulative impacts to air quality, biological and
physical resources, transportation, and socio-economics factors. In
compliance with section 7(c) of the Endangered Species Act, as amended,
the DEIS includes a biological assessment that identifies endangered or
threatened species which may be affected by the Proposed Action.
This DEIS assesses the effects of implementing the proposed action
at the scale presented by the project proponent. Subsequent site-
specific development proposals would be submitted to the BLM in the
form of Applications to Drill (APD). A NEPA analysis of the, APDs would
be conducted and analyzed to address site specific effects using best
management practices. These site-specific environmental analyses would
be tiered to this EIS.
The Seminoe Road DEIS analyzes four alternatives in detail:
1. Alternative A, the No Action alternative. This means the project
as proposed would not be approved;
2. Alternative B, the proposed action, with produced water from
coalbed natural gas drilling and production discharged into ephemeral
stream courses;
3. Alternative C, the proposed action, modified to provide for
produced water discharge in the North Platte River system using
pipelines, aqueducts, or other water transportation features; and
4. Alternative D, the proposed action, with produced water re-
injected into underground aquifers.
Agency Preferred Alternative: BLM's preferred alternative is
Alternative C.
The proposed action is to proceed with field development through
establishing 785 well pad sites, drilling up to 1,240 natural gas
wells, developing access roads and siting pipelines and other ancillary
facilities (gas processing plant, compressor stations, water disposal
sites, etc.). The proposed action identifies the drilling of multiple
wells from a single pad and well completion in multiple coal
formations. Produced water would be released into surface drainages
running into the North Platte River.
How To Submit Comments
Comments must be submitted using one of the following methods:
1. Comments may be electronically mailed to [email protected]
with ``Attention: Seminoe Road Project Manager'' in the subject line,
and avoiding the use of special characters or any form of encryption.
If you do not receive a confirmation from our system that your comment
has been received, please contact David Simons, Project Manager,
Rawlins Field Office, (307) 328-4328;
2. Written comments may be mailed directly or delivered to the BLM
at: Seminoe Road DEIS, Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, WY
82301; and
3. Comments may be sent via telefax to the BLM, Attn: David Simons,
at (307) 328-4224.
To be given consideration by BLM, all DEIS comments must include
the commenter's name and street address.
BLM's practice is to make all comments, including the names and
street addresses of each respondent, available for public review at the
BLM office listed above during business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. Your comments may
be published as part of the EIS process. Individual respondents may
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street
address or both from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom
of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of
your written comments.
[[Page 71170]]
Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. BLM will
not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations or
businesses will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Dated: November 15, 2005.
Martin G. Griffith,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-23064 Filed 11-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P