Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Monument Butte Area Oil and Gas Development Project, Duchesne and Uintah Counties, UT, 77165-77166 [2013-30225]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2013 / Notices Project Coordinator, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1951 Constitution Avenue NW., South Interior Building—Room 20, Washington, DC 20245. Dated: December 6, 2013. Kevin K. Washburn, Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. [FR Doc. 2013–30281 Filed 12–19–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–4M–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLUTG01100–14–L13100000–EJ0000] Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Monument Butte Area Oil and Gas Development Project, Duchesne and Uintah Counties, UT Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and associated regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates, analyzes, and discloses to the public the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of a proposal to develop oil and natural gas in Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Utah. This notice announces a 45-day public comment period to meet the requirements of NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. DATES: The Draft EIS will be available for public review for 45 calendar days following the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM can best use comments and resource information submitted within this 45-day review period. Three public meetings will be held during the 45-day public comment period in Roosevelt, Salt Lake City, and Vernal, Utah. The dates, times, and places will be announced at least 15 days prior to the meeting dates through the local news media and the BLM Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/info/ newsroom.html. ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft EIS may be submitted by any of the following methods: • Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Stephanie Howard, Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, UT 84078. • Email: BLM_UT_Vernal_Comments@blm.gov. emcdonald on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:44 Dec 19, 2013 Jkt 232001 • Fax: 435–781–4410. Please reference the ‘‘Monument Butte EIS’’ when submitting comments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Howard, Project Manager, BLM, Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, UT 84078. Ms. Howard may also be reached at 435–781–4400. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to leave a message or question for the above individual. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS is located online at https:// www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/ planning/nepa_.html. In response to a proposal submitted by Newfield Exploration Company (Newfield), the BLM published in the August 25, 2010, Federal Register a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS (75 FR 52362). The Monument Butte Project Area (MBPA) encompasses approximately 119,743 acres in an existing oil and gas producing area located primarily on BLM-administered land south of Myton in Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Utah. Of the 119,743 acres within the MBPA, approximately 87 percent is on Federal lands administered by the BLM; 11 percent is owned by the State of Utah and administered by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration; and 2 percent is privately owned. The Draft EIS analyzes a proposal by Newfield to further develop Federal oil and natural gas resources on its leases. This proposal is located within a highly developed field that currently contains approximately 3,395 producing oil and gas wells. The Proposed Action includes drilling up to 5,750 new oil and gas wells over a 16-year period, and constructing and operating associated ancillary transportation, transmission, processing, and treatment facilities within the MBPA. The productive life of each well is estimated to be approximately 20–30 years. The wells would be drilled to productive formations, including but not limited to, the Green River, Wasatch, Mesaverde, Blackhawk/Mancos, and/or Frontier/ Dakota formations. Target depths would range from approximately 4,500–18,000 feet. Infill drilling would be performed on 40-acre surface spacing throughout the MBPA, which is equivalent to a density of 16 two- to five-acre well pads per square mile. The Proposed Action and alternatives incorporate best management practices for oil and gas PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 77165 development and other measures necessary to adequately address impacts to transportation, public safety, cultural resources, recreational opportunities, wildlife, threatened and endangered species, visual resources, air quality, and other relevant issues. The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the impacts of Newfield’s Proposed Action and three alternatives, including the No Action Alternative. The following is a summary of the alternatives: 1. Proposed Action—Up to 5,750 new oil or gas wells would be drilled over a period of 16 years. Additionally, approximately 243 miles of new roads and pipelines would be constructed within the same corridor; 21 new compressor stations would be constructed; 3 existing compressor stations would be expanded; 1 gas processing plant would be constructed; 7 new water treatment and injection facilities would be built; 6 existing water treatment and injection facilities would be expanded; 12 gas and oil separation plants would be constructed; 1 freshwater collector well would be drilled; and 6 water pump stations would be built. Total new surface disturbance under the proposed action would be approximately 16,129 acres. 2. No Action Alternative—Drilling and completion of development wells and infrastructure would continue as previously analyzed in other NEPA decision documents and the proposed natural gas development on BLM lands as described in the Proposed Action would not be implemented. Based on the foregoing documents and a review of information from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, the BLM has estimated that, as of December 31, 2012, 788 wells remain to be drilled. Total new surface disturbance under the No Action Alternative would be 870 acres of new disturbance, including construction of roads, pipelines, and additional support facilities. 3. Field-Wide Electrification Alternative—This alternative is identical to the Proposed Action, in that it would allow the drilling of up to 5,750 new wells in addition to the existing producing wells, with associated facilities. However, this alternative also incorporates a phased field-wide electrification component which consists of construction of 34 miles of overhead cross-country 69kV transmission lines, 156 miles of distribution lines, and 11 substations. Total new surface disturbance under this alternative would be approximately 16,308 acres. 4. Agency Preferred (Resource Protection) Alternative—This alternative E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1 emcdonald on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 77166 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2013 / Notices is designed to avoid new surface disturbance within the Pariette Area of Critical Environmental Concern, adopt U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service management guidelines for two threatened Sclerocactus species and their core conservation areas, and maximize directional drilling throughout the rest of the project area. Up to 5,058 new wells would be drilled in addition to the existing producing wells. Additionally, approximately 73 miles of new roads and pipelines would be constructed within the same corridor; 17 new compressor stations would be constructed; 1 gas processing plant would be constructed; 5 new water treatment and injection facilities would be built; 5 existing water treatment and injection facilities would be expanded; 8 gas and oil separation plants would be constructed; 1 freshwater collector well would be drilled; and, 4 water pump stations would be built. Total new surface disturbance under the Agency Preferred Alternative would be approximately 9,805 acres. The public is encouraged to comment on any of the alternatives. Comments and information submitted on the Draft EIS for the Monument Butte project, including names, email addresses, and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the Vernal Field Office. The BLM will not accept anonymous comments. Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in any comments, please be aware that the entire comment— including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. The BLM asks that those submitting comments make them as specific as possible with reference to chapters, page numbers, and paragraphs in the Draft EIS document. Comments that contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response; however, they will be considered, and included, as part of the BLM decision-making process. The most useful comments will contain new technical or scientific information, identify data gaps in the impact analysis, or provide technical or scientific rationale for opinions or preferences. Authority: Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and 40 CFR 1506.6 Megan M. Crandall, Acting State Director. [FR Doc. 2013–30225 Filed 12–19–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:44 Dec 19, 2013 Jkt 232001 INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION it shall exclude the articles concerned from the United States: [Investigation No. 337–TA–860] unless, after considering the effect of such exclusion upon the public health and welfare, competitive conditions in the United States economy, the production of like or directly competitive articles in the United States, and United States consumers, it finds that such articles should not be excluded from entry. Certain Optoelectronic Devices for Fiber Optic Communications, Components Thereof, and Products Containing the Same; Notice of Request for Statements on the Public Interest U.S. International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that the presiding administrative law judge has issued a Final Initial Determination and Recommended Determination on Remedy and Bonding in the abovecaptioned investigation. The Commission is soliciting comments on public interest issues raised by the recommended relief, specifically, remedial orders directed to products of respondents IPtronics A/S of Roskilde, Denmark; IPtronics Inc. of Menlo Park, California; FCI USA, LLC of Etters, Pennsylvania; FCI Deutschland GmbH of Berlin, Germany; FCI SA of Guyancourt, France; Mellanox Technologies, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California; and Mellanox Technologies Ltd. of Yokneam, Israel. This notice is soliciting public interest comments from the public only. Parties are to file public interest submissions pursuant to 19 CFR 210.50(a)(4). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Liberman, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436, telephone (202) 205–3115. The public version of the complaint can be accessed on the Commission’s electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov, and will be available for inspection during official business hours (8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.) in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436, telephone (202) 205–2000. General information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet server (https:// www.usitc.gov). The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission’s electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov. Hearingimpaired persons are advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting the Commission’s TDD terminal on (202) 205–1810. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 provides that if the Commission finds a violation SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 19 U.S.C. 1337(d)(1). A similar provision applies to cease and desist orders. 19 U.S.C. 1337(f)(1). The Commission is interested in further development of the record on the public interest in these investigations. Accordingly, members of the public are invited to file submissions of no more than five (5) pages, inclusive of attachments, concerning the public interest in light of the administrative law judge’s Recommended Determination on Remedy and Bonding issued in this investigation on December 13, 2013. Comments should address whether issuance of a limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order in this investigation would affect the public health and welfare in the United States, competitive conditions in the United States economy, the production of like or directly competitive articles in the United States, or United States consumers. In particular, the Commission is interested in comments that: (i) Explain how the articles potentially subject to the recommended orders are used in the United States; (ii) identify any public health, safety, or welfare concerns in the United States relating to the recommended orders; (iii) identify like or directly competitive articles that complainant, its licensees, or third parties make in the United States which could replace the subject articles if they were to be excluded; (iv) indicate whether complainant, complainant’s licensees, and/or third party suppliers have the capacity to replace the volume of articles potentially subject to the recommended exclusion order and/or a cease and desist order within a commercially reasonable time; and (v) explain how the limited exclusion order would impact consumers in the United States. Written submissions must be filed no later than by close of business on January 13, 2014. Persons filing written submissions must file the original document electronically on or before the deadlines stated above and submit 8 true paper copies to the Office of the Secretary by noon the next day pursuant to section E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM 20DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77165-77166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30225]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLUTG01100-14-L13100000-EJ0000]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Monument Butte Area Oil and Gas Development Project, Duchesne 
and Uintah Counties, UT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and associated regulations, 
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates, analyzes, and discloses to the 
public the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of a 
proposal to develop oil and natural gas in Duchesne and Uintah 
Counties, Utah. This notice announces a 45-day public comment period to 
meet the requirements of NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act.

DATES: The Draft EIS will be available for public review for 45 
calendar days following the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. 
The BLM can best use comments and resource information submitted within 
this 45-day review period. Three public meetings will be held during 
the 45-day public comment period in Roosevelt, Salt Lake City, and 
Vernal, Utah. The dates, times, and places will be announced at least 
15 days prior to the meeting dates through the local news media and the 
BLM Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/info/newsroom.html.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft EIS may be submitted by any of the 
following methods:
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Stephanie Howard, 
Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, UT 84078.
     Email: BLM_UT_Vernal_Comments@blm.gov.
     Fax: 435-781-4410.
    Please reference the ``Monument Butte EIS'' when submitting 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Howard, Project Manager, 
BLM, Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, UT 84078. Ms. 
Howard may also be reached at 435-781-4400. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message 
or question for the above individual. The FIRS is available 24 hours a 
day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS is located online at https://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/nepa_.html. In response to a 
proposal submitted by Newfield Exploration Company (Newfield), the BLM 
published in the August 25, 2010, Federal Register a Notice of Intent 
to prepare an EIS (75 FR 52362). The Monument Butte Project Area (MBPA) 
encompasses approximately 119,743 acres in an existing oil and gas 
producing area located primarily on BLM-administered land south of 
Myton in Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Utah. Of the 119,743 acres 
within the MBPA, approximately 87 percent is on Federal lands 
administered by the BLM; 11 percent is owned by the State of Utah and 
administered by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands 
Administration; and 2 percent is privately owned.
    The Draft EIS analyzes a proposal by Newfield to further develop 
Federal oil and natural gas resources on its leases. This proposal is 
located within a highly developed field that currently contains 
approximately 3,395 producing oil and gas wells. The Proposed Action 
includes drilling up to 5,750 new oil and gas wells over a 16-year 
period, and constructing and operating associated ancillary 
transportation, transmission, processing, and treatment facilities 
within the MBPA. The productive life of each well is estimated to be 
approximately 20-30 years. The wells would be drilled to productive 
formations, including but not limited to, the Green River, Wasatch, 
Mesaverde, Blackhawk/Mancos, and/or Frontier/Dakota formations. Target 
depths would range from approximately 4,500-18,000 feet. Infill 
drilling would be performed on 40-acre surface spacing throughout the 
MBPA, which is equivalent to a density of 16 two- to five-acre well 
pads per square mile. The Proposed Action and alternatives incorporate 
best management practices for oil and gas development and other 
measures necessary to adequately address impacts to transportation, 
public safety, cultural resources, recreational opportunities, 
wildlife, threatened and endangered species, visual resources, air 
quality, and other relevant issues.
    The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the impacts of Newfield's 
Proposed Action and three alternatives, including the No Action 
Alternative. The following is a summary of the alternatives:
    1. Proposed Action--Up to 5,750 new oil or gas wells would be 
drilled over a period of 16 years. Additionally, approximately 243 
miles of new roads and pipelines would be constructed within the same 
corridor; 21 new compressor stations would be constructed; 3 existing 
compressor stations would be expanded; 1 gas processing plant would be 
constructed; 7 new water treatment and injection facilities would be 
built; 6 existing water treatment and injection facilities would be 
expanded; 12 gas and oil separation plants would be constructed; 1 
freshwater collector well would be drilled; and 6 water pump stations 
would be built. Total new surface disturbance under the proposed action 
would be approximately 16,129 acres.
    2. No Action Alternative--Drilling and completion of development 
wells and infrastructure would continue as previously analyzed in other 
NEPA decision documents and the proposed natural gas development on BLM 
lands as described in the Proposed Action would not be implemented. 
Based on the foregoing documents and a review of information from the 
Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, the BLM has estimated that, as 
of December 31, 2012, 788 wells remain to be drilled. Total new surface 
disturbance under the No Action Alternative would be 870 acres of new 
disturbance, including construction of roads, pipelines, and additional 
support facilities.
    3. Field-Wide Electrification Alternative--This alternative is 
identical to the Proposed Action, in that it would allow the drilling 
of up to 5,750 new wells in addition to the existing producing wells, 
with associated facilities. However, this alternative also incorporates 
a phased field-wide electrification component which consists of 
construction of 34 miles of overhead cross-country 69kV transmission 
lines, 156 miles of distribution lines, and 11 substations. Total new 
surface disturbance under this alternative would be approximately 
16,308 acres.
    4. Agency Preferred (Resource Protection) Alternative--This 
alternative

[[Page 77166]]

is designed to avoid new surface disturbance within the Pariette Area 
of Critical Environmental Concern, adopt U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
management guidelines for two threatened Sclerocactus species and their 
core conservation areas, and maximize directional drilling throughout 
the rest of the project area. Up to 5,058 new wells would be drilled in 
addition to the existing producing wells. Additionally, approximately 
73 miles of new roads and pipelines would be constructed within the 
same corridor; 17 new compressor stations would be constructed; 1 gas 
processing plant would be constructed; 5 new water treatment and 
injection facilities would be built; 5 existing water treatment and 
injection facilities would be expanded; 8 gas and oil separation plants 
would be constructed; 1 freshwater collector well would be drilled; 
and, 4 water pump stations would be built. Total new surface 
disturbance under the Agency Preferred Alternative would be 
approximately 9,805 acres.
    The public is encouraged to comment on any of the alternatives. 
Comments and information submitted on the Draft EIS for the Monument 
Butte project, including names, email addresses, and street addresses 
of respondents, will be available for public review at the Vernal Field 
Office. The BLM will not accept anonymous comments. Before including an 
address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in any comments, please be aware that the entire comment--
including personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying 
information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot 
guarantee that it will be able to do so.
    The BLM asks that those submitting comments make them as specific 
as possible with reference to chapters, page numbers, and paragraphs in 
the Draft EIS document. Comments that contain only opinions or 
preferences will not receive a formal response; however, they will be 
considered, and included, as part of the BLM decision-making process. 
The most useful comments will contain new technical or scientific 
information, identify data gaps in the impact analysis, or provide 
technical or scientific rationale for opinions or preferences.

    Authority:  Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and 40 CFR 
1506.6

Megan M. Crandall,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-30225 Filed 12-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P
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