Uinta National Forest, Utah; Oil and Gas Leasing Environmental Impact Statement, 5640-5641 [E6-1397]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5640-5641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1397]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Uinta National Forest, Utah; Oil and Gas Leasing Environmental 
Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Uinta National Forest is initiating the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement that would determine under what 
conditions (stipulations) leases would be issued. The EIS would analyze 
all lands with a federally-owned leasable mineral estate within the 
Uinta National Forest.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be postmarked 
or received within 45 days from date of publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register to ensure full consideration. The draft 
environmental impact statement is expected December 2006 and the final 
environmental impact statement is expected November 2007.

ADDRESSES: Please submit substantive issues or concerns to the 
Responsible Official: Dan Dallas, Acting Forest Supervisor, Uinta 
National Forest, P.O. Box 1428, 88 West 100 North, Provo, UT, 84603; 
phone (801) 342-5100; fax (801) 342-5185; e-mail: comments-intermtn-
uinta@fs.fed.us. E-mailed comments must be submitted in MS Word (*.doc) 
or rich text format (*.rtf) and should include the project name in the 
subject line. Oral comments as well as written comments may also be 
submitted at the above address during regular business hours of 8 a.m. 
to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding Federal holidays.
    Each individual or representative from each organization submitting 
substantive comments must either sign the comments or otherwise verify 
identity in order to attain appeal eligibility. Comments received in 
response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those 
who comment, will be considered part of the public record for this 
project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Jarnecke, Environmental 
Coordinator, or Kim Martin, Minerals Staff Officer, Supervisor's Office 
of the Uinta National Forest at the address and phone number listed 
above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS analysis area includes the entire 
Uinta National Forest (approximately 897,400 acres), with the exception 
of designated wilderness areas (approximatley 58,400 acres) and 
privately held mineral resources in the Strawberry Reservoir area which 
cover approximately 61,300 acres, for a total study area of 
approximately 777,700 acres.
    The Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), acts 
as the onshore leasing agent for the Federal government. The Federal 
Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act states that the BLM cannot lease 
over the objection of the Forest Service and authorizes the Forest 
Service to regulate all surface-distrubing activities conducted 
pursuant to a lease. Therefore, the Forest Service has established an 
incremental decision-making framework for the consideration of oil and 
gas leasing activites on National Forest System lands. In general, the 
various steps that are undertaken are: (1) Forest Service leasing 
analysis; (2) Forest Service notification to BLM of lands 
administratively available for leasing; (3) Forest Service review and 
verification of BLM leasing proposals; (4) BLM assessment of Forest 
Service conditions of surface occupancy; (5) BLM offers lease; (6) BLM 
issues lease; (7) Forest Service review and approval of lessee's 
surface use plan of operations; (8) BLM review and approval of lessee's 
application for permit to drill; and (9) ensures final reclamation.
    Based upon the Forest Service leasing analysis (step 1 from above) 
the Forest Service decides whether or not lands will be available for 
leasing and decides under what conditions (stipulations) the leases 
will be issued. This EIS will fullfill this step.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the proposed action is to complete a forest-wide 
leasing analysis. The need is to be responsive to requests for oil and 
gas leasing on the Forest. Currently only a portion of the Forest is 
available for leasing and most of that area has already been leased. 
Also, the proposed action is needed in order to comply with the Federal 
Onshore Oil and Gas Reform Act of 1987 which requires the Forest 
Service to analyze lands under its jurisdiciton that are legally 
avialable for leasing in accordance with the National Enviornmental 
Policy Act of 1969.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action would make leasing decisions, including 
identification of stipulations as required by 36 CFR 228.102(d) for the 
Uinta National Forest System lands. Leasing stipulations outlined on 
page 3-7 of the 2003 LRMP will be the basis of the stipulations applied 
forest-wide. The Proposed Action may result in an amendment to the 
Uinta Revised Forest Plan.

Possible Alternatives

    In addition to the Proposed Action, the No Action alternative will 
be analyzed in detail. The No Action Alternative would continue current 
management of leasing activities on approximately 197,000 acres of the 
Uinta National Forest. The remainder of the Uinta National Forest would 
continue to have no leasing opportunities.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake Field Office, and the 
State of Utah are cooperating agencies for this project.

Responsible Official

    Dan Dallas, Acting Forest Supervisor, Uinta National Forest, P.O. 
Box 1428, 88 West 100 North, Provo, UT, 84603.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide which lands with federal mineral 
ownership are administratively available for oil and gas leasing and 
determine what conditions (stipulations) would be applied to future oil 
leases on the Uinta National Forest. This decision will not result in 
ground-disturbing activities within National Forest System lands 
administered by the Uinta NF such as exploration, drilling, and/or 
field development. Any ground disturbing activity that may be proposed 
subsequent to leasing would require further review and environmental 
analysis prior to approval, as outlined in current Federal regulations 
(36 CFR 228.107).

Scoping Process

    One public scoping meeting will be held using an informal workshop 
format on Friday, March 3, 2006, at the Provo City Library's Bullock 
Room from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. The Library is located at 550 North University 
Avenue, Provo, UT 84601.

Preliminary Issues

    Issues which may be analyzed in both alternatives include: the 
socioeconomic effects of oil and gas leasing and subsequent activities; 
effects on terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna, including 
threatened and endangered species, sensitive species, and management 
indicator species; effects

[[Page 5641]]

on both developed and dispersed recreation; effects on air resources; 
effects on water resources, including wetlands, floodplains, riparian 
areas, culinary and municipal water systems, and groundwater; effects 
on visual resources; effects of leasing stipulations and mitigation 
measures on oil and gas exploration and development activity; effects 
on soils and geologic hazards; effects on cultural and traditional 
heritage resources; effects on transportation; effects on upland 
vegetation; effects on riparian vegetation; effects on inventoried 
roadless areas; effects on other mineral resource extraction 
activities; and effects on noxious weeds and invasive species.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for 
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement 
will be 45-days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
draft environmental impact statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is 
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the 
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may 
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, 
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action 
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that 
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is 
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the 
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft 
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer 
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing 
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

    Dated: January 27, 2006.
Dan S. Dallas,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
 [FR Doc. E6-1397 Filed 2-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P