Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Development Project, Wyoming, 22628-22630 [2016-09010]
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22628
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 74 / Monday, April 18, 2016 / Notices
Mail written comments to
the BLM Field Manager, Las Vegas Field
Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las
Vegas, Nevada 89130.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luis
Rodriguez, 702–515–5069, email:
lrodriguez@blm.gov. 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: Clark
County submitted the parcel of land
legally described as:
ADDRESSES:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada
T. 22 S., R. 60 E.,
Sec. 18, N1⁄2NE1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, N1⁄2SW1⁄4
NE1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, N1⁄2SE1⁄4NE1⁄4NE1⁄4
SW1⁄4,E1⁄2NW1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, and E1⁄2
SW1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1⁄4.
The area described contains 17.5 acres,
more or less, in Clark County.
The parcel is located in the southwest part
of the Las Vegas Valley.
In accordance with the R&PP Act,
Clark County has filed an application in
which it proposes to develop the abovedescribed land as a community park
with children’s playground area,
perimeter walking path, picnic shade
areas, restroom facilities, athletic
facilities, and ancillary equipment.
Additional detailed information
pertaining to this application, plan of
development, and site plan is located in
case file N–80613, which is available for
review at the BLM Las Vegas Field
Office at the above address. Clark
County is a political subdivision of the
State of Nevada and is therefore a
qualified applicant under the R&PP Act.
Subject to limitations prescribed by
law and regulation, prior to patent
issuance, the holder of any right-of-way
grant within the lease area may be given
the opportunity to amend the right-ofway grant for conversion to a new term,
including perpetuity, if applicable.
The land identified is not needed for
any Federal purpose. The lease and
conveyance is consistent with the BLM
Las Vegas Resource Management Plan
dated October 5, 1998, and would be in
the public interest. Clark County has not
applied for more than the 640 acre
limitation for public purpose uses in a
year and has submitted a statement in
compliance with the regulations at 43
CFR 2741.4(b).
The lease and conveyance, when
issued, will be subject to the provisions
of the R&PP Act and applicable
regulations of the Secretary of the
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Interior, and will contain the following
reservations to the United States:
1. A right-of-way thereon for ditches
or canals constructed by the authority of
the United States, Act of August 30,
1890 (43 U.S.C. 945); and
2. All minerals shall be reserved to
the United States, together with the
right to prospect for, mine, and remove
such deposits from the same under
applicable law and such regulations as
the Secretary of the Interior may
prescribe.
Any lease and/or conveyance will
also be subject to valid existing rights,
will contain any terms or conditions
required by law (including, but not
limited to, any terms or conditions
required by 43 CFR 2741.4), and will
contain an appropriate indemnification
clause protecting the United States from
claims arising out of the lessee’s/
patentee’s use, occupancy, or operations
on the leased/patented lands. It will also
contain any other terms and conditions
deemed necessary and appropriate by
the Authorized Officer.
Any lease and conveyance will also
be subject to all valid and existing
rights.
Upon publication of this notice in the
Federal Register, the land described
above will be segregated from all other
forms of appropriation under the public
land laws, including the general mining
laws, except for lease and conveyance
under the R&PP Act, leasing under the
mineral leasing laws and disposals
under the mineral material disposal
laws.
Interested parties may submit written
comments on the suitability of the land
for a public park in the Enterprise area.
Comments on the classification are
restricted to whether the land is
physically suited for the proposal,
whether the use will maximize the
future use or uses of the land, whether
the use is consistent with local planning
and zoning, or if the use is consistent
with State and Federal programs.
Interested parties may also submit
written comments regarding the specific
use proposed in the application and
plan of development, and whether the
BLM followed proper administrative
procedures in reaching the decision to
lease and convey under the R&PP Act.
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 can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
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do so. Only written comments
submitted to the Field Manager, BLM
Las Vegas Field Office, will be
considered properly filed. Any adverse
comments will be reviewed by the BLM
Nevada State Director, who may sustain,
vacate, or modify this realty action. In
the absence of any adverse comments,
the decision will become effective on
June 17, 2016. The lands will not be
available for lease and conveyance until
after the decision becomes effective.
Authority: 43 CFR 2741.5.
Vanessa L. Hice,
Assistant Field Manager, Division of Lands.
[FR Doc. 2016–08895 Filed 4–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYD03000 16XL13100000.DM0000]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Continental Divide-Creston Natural
Gas Development Project, Wyoming
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field
Office has prepared a final
environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the proposed Continental DivideCreston Natural Gas Development
Project (CD–C) in Rawlins, Wyoming,
and by this notice announces its
availability.
SUMMARY:
The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days of the date that the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes this notice in the Federal
Register.
DATES:
The CD–C Final EIS is
available for public review at the BLM
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North Third
Street, Rawlins, Wyoming; the BLM
High Desert District Office, 280
Highway 191 North, Rock Springs,
Wyoming; and the BLM Wyoming State
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road,
Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Final EIS may
also be reviewed online at
www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/
documents/rfo/cd_creston.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Fleuret, Project Manager, at
(307) 328–4314; 1300 North Third
ADDRESSES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 74 / Monday, April 18, 2016 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Street, Rawlins, WY 82301; or jfleuret@
blm.gov. 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: BP
America Production Company (BP) and
20 other companies propose to expand
development of natural gas resources
and condensate (oil) within the existing
Continental Divide/Wamsutter II and
Creston Blue Gap natural gas fields.
More than 4,700 wells have been drilled
in the project area since the 1950s under
previous authorizations. Existing
surface disturbance from natural gas and
oil development in the project area is
approximately 49,218 acres, including
nearly 8,500 acres of long-term
disturbance.
The CD–C project would drill and
develop up to 8,950 additional natural
gas wells (some of which would also
produce condensate (oil)), including 100
to 500 coalbed methane wells, using a
combination of vertical and directional
drilling techniques over an estimated
15-year period. The total estimated life
of the project is 30 to 40 years and
includes approximately 47,200
additional acres of disturbance. Planned
facilities would include well pads, gas,
condensate and water collection
pipelines, compressor stations, water
disposal systems, an access road
network, and an electrical distribution
system. All surface facilities would be
removed when the project is completed
and the land would be re-contoured to
near pre-disturbance condition and revegetated with native plant
communities.
The project is located in the following
area:
Sixth Principal Meridian
T. 14 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 6, 7, secs. 17 to 20, inclusive, and
secs. 29 to 32, inclusive.
T. 18 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 3 to 10, inclusive, secs. 15 to 21,
inclusive, and secs. 28 to 32, inclusive.
T. 19 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 1 to 23, inclusive, and secs. 26 to 34,
inclusive.
T. 20 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31.
T. 21 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, secs. 16 to 21,
inclusive, and secs. 28 to 33, inclusive.
T. 22 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, secs. 16 to 21,
inclusive, and secs. 28 to 33, inclusive.
T. 23 N., R. 91 W.,
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Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, secs. 16 to 21,
inclusive, and secs. 28 to 33, inclusive.
T. 14 N., R. 92 W.,
T. 15 N., R. 92 W.,
Secs. 3 to 10, inclusive, secs. 14 to 23,
inclusive, and secs. 25 to 36, inclusive.
T. 16 N., R. 92 W.,
Secs. 4 to 8, inclusive, secs. 18, 19, and
secs. 29 to 33, inclusive.
T. 17 N., R. 92 W.,
Secs. 1 to 23, inclusive, and secs. 27 to 34,
inclusive.
Tps. 18 to 23 N., R. 92 W.
T. 14 N., R. 93 W.,
Secs. 1, 2, secs. 11 to 14, inclusive, secs.
23 to 26, inclusive, secs. 35 and 36.
T. 15 N., R. 93 W.,
Secs. 1, 2, 3, secs. 10 to 15, inclusive, secs.
22 to 27, inclusive, secs. 34, 35, and 36.
Tps. 16 to 23 N., R. 93 W.
T. 16 N., R. 94 W.,
Secs. 1 to 14, inclusive, secs. 23 to 26,
inclusive, secs. 35 and 36.
Tps. 17 to 23 N., R. 94 W.
T. 16 N., R 95. W.,
Secs. 1, 2, and 3.
Sec. 4, E1⁄2.
Secs. 10, 11, and 12.
T. 17 N., R. 95 W.,
Secs. 1 to 15, inclusive, secs. 22 to 27,
inclusive, secs. 34, 35, and 36.
Tps. 18 to 24 N., R. 95 W.
Tps. 18 to 24 N., R. 96 W.
T. 19 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and secs. 9 to 16,
inclusive; those portions of secs. 17, 19,
and 20 lying south of the right-of-way
granted to the Union Pacific Railroad
Company by the United States, serial
number WYE–05871;
Secs. 21 to 36, inclusive.
T. 20 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1 to 4, inclusive, secs. 9 to 16,
inclusive, secs. 21 to 28, inclusive, and
secs. 33 to 36, inclusive.
T. 22 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1, 2, 3, and secs. 10 to 15, inclusive.
T. 23 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1 to 4, inclusive, secs. 9 to 16,
inclusive, secs. 21 to 28 inclusive, and
secs. 33 to 36, inclusive.
T. 24 N., R. 97 W.,
Sec. 8, SE1⁄4;
Sec. 9, S1⁄2;
Sec. 10, S1⁄2;
Sec. 11, S1⁄2;
Sec. 12, S1⁄2;
Secs. 13 to 16, inclusive;
Sec. 17, E1⁄2;
Sec. 20, E1⁄2;
Secs. 21 to 28, inclusive;
Sec. 29, E1⁄2;
Secs. 33 to 36, inclusive.
T. 19 N., R. 98 W.,
Those portions of secs. 23 and 24 lying
south of the right-of-way granted to the
Union Pacific Railroad Company by the
United States, serial number WYE–05871;
Sec. 25;
Those portions of secs. 26 to 31, inclusive,
lying south of the right-of-way granted to the
Union Pacific Railroad Company by the
United States, serial number WYE–05871;
Secs. 32 to 36, inclusive.
The CD–C project area includes about
1.1 million acres, or 1,672 square miles,
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22629
in Carbon and Sweetwater counties,
Wyoming. Approximately 626,932 acres
(58.6 percent) are administered by the
BLM Rawlins Field Office,
approximately 48,684 acres (4.5 percent)
are State of Wyoming owned and
approximately 394,470 acres (36.9
percent) are privately-owned. The
project area is bisected by Interstate 80
and extends from 25 miles west of
Rawlins, Wyoming, to 50 miles east of
Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Cooperating agencies for this EIS
include the State of Wyoming, with
active participation from many state
agencies including the State Planning
Office, Wyoming Game and Fish
Department, State Historic Preservation
Office, the Wyoming Department of
Environmental Quality and the
Wyoming Department of Agriculture.
Regional cooperating agencies include
Sweetwater and Carbon counties and
the Little Snake River and Sweetwater
County conservation districts.
The Notice of Intent to prepare the
EIS was published on September 8,
2005 (70 FR 53381), and again on March
3, 2006 (71 FR 10989). Public scoping
meetings were held in Rawlins,
Wyoming, on October 13, 2005, and on
April 6, 2006. Fifty comment letters,
faxes and emails were received during
the extended scoping period. Key issues
identified during scoping include:
• Air quality: Potential project and
cumulative impacts on air quality,
including air quality-related values.
• Cultural resources: The impact on
the historical trails and historical travel
routes in the project area.
• Hydrology: Potential degradation of
surface and/or groundwater quality by
project construction and drilling
activities.
• Land ownership: The majority of
the project area is in the checkerboard
pattern of mixed public and private land
ownership, complicating landscape
scale mitigation on public lands where
adjacent sections are nonpublic lands
not subject to BLM regulations and
requirements.
• Non-native, invasive plant species:
The effect of current and projected
infestations of non-native, invasive
species.
• Rangeland management: Loss of
livestock forage and the impact of
project-associated hazardous conditions
to area livestock operators.
• Special-status species: The impact
from project activities upon threatened
and endangered and sensitive wildlife
species.
• Socioeconomics: The impact of the
project on traditional socioeconomic
indicators.
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22630
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 74 / Monday, April 18, 2016 / Notices
• Surface disturbance/reclamation:
The extent of existing and proposed
surface disturbance and its effect on all
resources in the project area; and
• Wildlife habitat: The project’s
potential to further fragment wildlife
habitats and diminish the value of those
habitats for many species.
In response, the BLM developed five
alternatives to the Proposed Action,
which were analyzed in the Draft EIS:
• Alternative A, 100-Percent Vertical
Drilling—This alternative assumes that
all natural gas wells would be drilled
from single-well pads, and that no
directional drilling would occur;
• Alternative B, Enhanced Resource
Protection—This alternative identifies
those resources that may be most at risk
from mineral development, defines
areas within the CD–C project area
where those resource risks are likely to
occur, and describes the enhanced
protection and mitigations that could
diminish those risks;
• Alternative C, Surface Disturbance
Cap, Core and Non-Core Areas—This
alternative places a cap on unreclaimed
surface disturbance caused by mineral
development, a 60-acre cap in areas that
have seen the greatest mineral
development to date and a 30-acre cap
in the rest of the project area. The cap
is expressed in terms of acres per 640acre section;
• Alternative D, Directional Drilling—
This alternative requires that all future
natural gas wells on Federal mineral
estate be drilled from multi-well pads,
one new multi-well pad per section; and
• Alternative E, No Action—NEPA
regulations require that the EIS
alternatives analysis ‘‘include the
alternative of no action’’ (40 CFR
1502.14(d)). For the analysis in the Draft
EIS, this means that the development
activities on Federal lands proposed by
the CD–C operators would not be
approved or authorized. Lease rights on
Federal lands or mineral estate granted
by the BLM would remain in effect and
other, additional or supplemental
proposals to develop leased resources,
such as oil and/or gas, could be received
and would be considered by the BLM as
appropriate.
The Draft EIS Notice of Availability
was published on December 7, 2012 (77
FR 73049), opening a 90-day public
comment period. A public meeting was
held on January 15, 2013, and the public
comment period closed on March 7,
2013. Over 8,000 individual comment
letters were received and identified
issues such as the lack of a preferred
alternative and concerns associated with
each of the alternatives, including
feasibility, sufficiency of the analysis
and impacts to specific resources as a
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result of each alternative. Comments
were considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the Final EIS; however,
the analysis of the alternatives and the
identified impacts did not significantly
change.
The Final EIS differs from the Draft
EIS by:
• Dropping Alternative A, 100Percent Vertical Drilling, from
consideration due to public comments
on feasibility and the magnitude of total
disturbance;
• Amending Alternative D, 100Percent Directional Drilling, to
recognize the impact the restrictions in
that alternative would have on well
density; as a result, this alternative now
analyzes a 20-percent decrease in total
wells drilled;
• Redefining the No Action
Alternative to include an analysis of
impacts associated with development
on state and private mineral estate in
addition to potential development on
Federal mineral estate; and
• Including Alternative F, AgencyPreferred Alternative—This alternative
responds to Draft EIS scoping concerns
and comments by limiting development
to eight wellpads per square mile
section, requiring that wellpads be
placed in the most environmentally
suited areas, and creating a CD–C
consultation and coordination group to
response to evolving energy issues and
concerns relating to the project. This
alternative is a reconfiguration of
elements of alternatives that were
analyzed in the Draft EIS. The CD–C
consultation and coordination group
and protection measures of Alternative
F were originally analyzed in the DEIS
under Alternative B; and the emphasis
on directional drilling was analyzed in
Alternative D.
The Final EIS includes potential
landscape scale mitigation strategies.
Consistent with Secretarial Order No.
3330 and the BLM’s obligations under
the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act, BLM Wyoming
drafted a landscape-scale mitigation
appendix, Appendix S, for inclusion in
the Final EIS. The appendix has been
reviewed by the Washington Office and
the cooperating agencies.
Upon conclusion of the 30-day public
availability period following the date
the EPA publishes the NOA in the
Federal Register, the BLM will prepare
and sign the record of decision (ROD) to
announce its final decision on the
Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas
Development Project. Availability of the
ROD will be announced to the local
media and the project mailing list, and
the ROD itself will be posted on the
project Web page.
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Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Acting BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016–09010 Filed 4–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–PWR–PWRO–17327; PPPWLAKER6/
PPMRSNR1Z.Y00000]
Record of Decision for Development
Concept Plans for Cottonwood Cove
and Katherine Landing, Lake Mead
National Recreation Area, Nevada and
Arizona
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The National Park Service has
prepared and approved a Record of
Decision for the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Development
Concept Plans (DCP) for Katherine
Landing and Cottonwood Cove.
Approval of the DCP concludes an
extensive conservation planning and
environmental impact analysis effort
that began during 2008.
ADDRESSES: Those wishing to review the
Record of Decision may obtain a copy
by request to the Superintendent, Lake
Mead National Recreation Area, 601
Nevada Way, Boulder City, Nevada
89005 or via telephone request at (702)
293–8978.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Boyles, Acting Chief, Resource
Management and Visitor Services, (702)
293–8978.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Park Service has prepared and
approved a Record of Decision for the
Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the DCP for Cottonwood Cove and
Katherine Land. This process was
conducted pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the
implementing regulations promulgated
by the Council on Environmental
Quality (40 CFR part 1505.2). The
requisite no-action ‘‘wait period’’ was
initiated on November 14, 2014, with
the Environmental Protection Agency’s
Federal Register announcement of the
filing of the Final EIS.
Three alternatives, all including
mitigation measures, were evaluated
during the DCP process. The ‘‘agency
preferred’’ Alternative 3 Enhance Visitor
Experience and Park Operations has
been selected as the approved DCP. All
primary project components of the
selected alternative will be
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 74 (Monday, April 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22628-22630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09010]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYD03000 16XL13100000.DM0000]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Development
Project, Wyoming
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field
Office has prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for
the proposed Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Development Project
(CD-C) in Rawlins, Wyoming, and by this notice announces its
availability.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes this notice in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The CD-C Final EIS is available for public review at the BLM
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming; the
BLM High Desert District Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs,
Wyoming; and the BLM Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road,
Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Final EIS may also be reviewed online at
www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/cd_creston.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Fleuret, Project Manager, at
(307) 328-4314; 1300 North Third
[[Page 22629]]
Street, Rawlins, WY 82301; or jfleuret@blm.gov. 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: BP America Production Company (BP) and 20
other companies propose to expand development of natural gas resources
and condensate (oil) within the existing Continental Divide/Wamsutter
II and Creston Blue Gap natural gas fields. More than 4,700 wells have
been drilled in the project area since the 1950s under previous
authorizations. Existing surface disturbance from natural gas and oil
development in the project area is approximately 49,218 acres,
including nearly 8,500 acres of long-term disturbance.
The CD-C project would drill and develop up to 8,950 additional
natural gas wells (some of which would also produce condensate (oil)),
including 100 to 500 coalbed methane wells, using a combination of
vertical and directional drilling techniques over an estimated 15-year
period. The total estimated life of the project is 30 to 40 years and
includes approximately 47,200 additional acres of disturbance. Planned
facilities would include well pads, gas, condensate and water
collection pipelines, compressor stations, water disposal systems, an
access road network, and an electrical distribution system. All surface
facilities would be removed when the project is completed and the land
would be re-contoured to near pre-disturbance condition and re-
vegetated with native plant communities.
The project is located in the following area:
Sixth Principal Meridian
T. 14 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 6, 7, secs. 17 to 20, inclusive, and secs. 29 to 32,
inclusive.
T. 18 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 3 to 10, inclusive, secs. 15 to 21, inclusive, and secs.
28 to 32, inclusive.
T. 19 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 1 to 23, inclusive, and secs. 26 to 34, inclusive.
T. 20 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, and 31.
T. 21 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, secs. 16 to 21, inclusive, and secs. 28
to 33, inclusive.
T. 22 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, secs. 16 to 21, inclusive, and secs. 28
to 33, inclusive.
T. 23 N., R. 91 W.,
Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, secs. 16 to 21, inclusive, and secs. 28
to 33, inclusive.
T. 14 N., R. 92 W.,
T. 15 N., R. 92 W.,
Secs. 3 to 10, inclusive, secs. 14 to 23, inclusive, and secs.
25 to 36, inclusive.
T. 16 N., R. 92 W.,
Secs. 4 to 8, inclusive, secs. 18, 19, and secs. 29 to 33,
inclusive.
T. 17 N., R. 92 W.,
Secs. 1 to 23, inclusive, and secs. 27 to 34, inclusive.
Tps. 18 to 23 N., R. 92 W.
T. 14 N., R. 93 W.,
Secs. 1, 2, secs. 11 to 14, inclusive, secs. 23 to 26,
inclusive, secs. 35 and 36.
T. 15 N., R. 93 W.,
Secs. 1, 2, 3, secs. 10 to 15, inclusive, secs. 22 to 27,
inclusive, secs. 34, 35, and 36.
Tps. 16 to 23 N., R. 93 W.
T. 16 N., R. 94 W.,
Secs. 1 to 14, inclusive, secs. 23 to 26, inclusive, secs. 35
and 36.
Tps. 17 to 23 N., R. 94 W.
T. 16 N., R 95. W.,
Secs. 1, 2, and 3.
Sec. 4, E\1/2\.
Secs. 10, 11, and 12.
T. 17 N., R. 95 W.,
Secs. 1 to 15, inclusive, secs. 22 to 27, inclusive, secs. 34,
35, and 36.
Tps. 18 to 24 N., R. 95 W.
Tps. 18 to 24 N., R. 96 W.
T. 19 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and secs. 9 to 16, inclusive; those
portions of secs. 17, 19, and 20 lying south of the right-of-way
granted to the Union Pacific Railroad Company by the United States,
serial number WYE-05871;
Secs. 21 to 36, inclusive.
T. 20 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1 to 4, inclusive, secs. 9 to 16, inclusive, secs. 21 to
28, inclusive, and secs. 33 to 36, inclusive.
T. 22 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1, 2, 3, and secs. 10 to 15, inclusive.
T. 23 N., R. 97 W.,
Secs. 1 to 4, inclusive, secs. 9 to 16, inclusive, secs. 21 to
28 inclusive, and secs. 33 to 36, inclusive.
T. 24 N., R. 97 W.,
Sec. 8, SE\1/4\;
Sec. 9, S\1/2\;
Sec. 10, S\1/2\;
Sec. 11, S\1/2\;
Sec. 12, S\1/2\;
Secs. 13 to 16, inclusive;
Sec. 17, E\1/2\;
Sec. 20, E\1/2\;
Secs. 21 to 28, inclusive;
Sec. 29, E\1/2\;
Secs. 33 to 36, inclusive.
T. 19 N., R. 98 W.,
Those portions of secs. 23 and 24 lying south of the right-of-
way granted to the Union Pacific Railroad Company by the United
States, serial number WYE-05871;
Sec. 25;
Those portions of secs. 26 to 31, inclusive, lying south of the
right-of-way granted to the Union Pacific Railroad Company by the
United States, serial number WYE-05871;
Secs. 32 to 36, inclusive.
The CD-C project area includes about 1.1 million acres, or 1,672
square miles, in Carbon and Sweetwater counties, Wyoming. Approximately
626,932 acres (58.6 percent) are administered by the BLM Rawlins Field
Office, approximately 48,684 acres (4.5 percent) are State of Wyoming
owned and approximately 394,470 acres (36.9 percent) are privately-
owned. The project area is bisected by Interstate 80 and extends from
25 miles west of Rawlins, Wyoming, to 50 miles east of Rock Springs,
Wyoming.
Cooperating agencies for this EIS include the State of Wyoming,
with active participation from many state agencies including the State
Planning Office, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, State Historic
Preservation Office, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
and the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Regional cooperating
agencies include Sweetwater and Carbon counties and the Little Snake
River and Sweetwater County conservation districts.
The Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS was published on September
8, 2005 (70 FR 53381), and again on March 3, 2006 (71 FR 10989). Public
scoping meetings were held in Rawlins, Wyoming, on October 13, 2005,
and on April 6, 2006. Fifty comment letters, faxes and emails were
received during the extended scoping period. Key issues identified
during scoping include:
Air quality: Potential project and cumulative impacts on
air quality, including air quality-related values.
Cultural resources: The impact on the historical trails
and historical travel routes in the project area.
Hydrology: Potential degradation of surface and/or
groundwater quality by project construction and drilling activities.
Land ownership: The majority of the project area is in the
checkerboard pattern of mixed public and private land ownership,
complicating landscape scale mitigation on public lands where adjacent
sections are nonpublic lands not subject to BLM regulations and
requirements.
Non-native, invasive plant species: The effect of current
and projected infestations of non-native, invasive species.
Rangeland management: Loss of livestock forage and the
impact of project-associated hazardous conditions to area livestock
operators.
Special-status species: The impact from project activities
upon threatened and endangered and sensitive wildlife species.
Socioeconomics: The impact of the project on traditional
socioeconomic indicators.
[[Page 22630]]
Surface disturbance/reclamation: The extent of existing
and proposed surface disturbance and its effect on all resources in the
project area; and
Wildlife habitat: The project's potential to further
fragment wildlife habitats and diminish the value of those habitats for
many species.
In response, the BLM developed five alternatives to the Proposed
Action, which were analyzed in the Draft EIS:
Alternative A, 100-Percent Vertical Drilling--This
alternative assumes that all natural gas wells would be drilled from
single-well pads, and that no directional drilling would occur;
Alternative B, Enhanced Resource Protection--This
alternative identifies those resources that may be most at risk from
mineral development, defines areas within the CD-C project area where
those resource risks are likely to occur, and describes the enhanced
protection and mitigations that could diminish those risks;
Alternative C, Surface Disturbance Cap, Core and Non-Core
Areas--This alternative places a cap on unreclaimed surface disturbance
caused by mineral development, a 60-acre cap in areas that have seen
the greatest mineral development to date and a 30-acre cap in the rest
of the project area. The cap is expressed in terms of acres per 640-
acre section;
Alternative D, Directional Drilling--This alternative
requires that all future natural gas wells on Federal mineral estate be
drilled from multi-well pads, one new multi-well pad per section; and
Alternative E, No Action--NEPA regulations require that
the EIS alternatives analysis ``include the alternative of no action''
(40 CFR 1502.14(d)). For the analysis in the Draft EIS, this means that
the development activities on Federal lands proposed by the CD-C
operators would not be approved or authorized. Lease rights on Federal
lands or mineral estate granted by the BLM would remain in effect and
other, additional or supplemental proposals to develop leased
resources, such as oil and/or gas, could be received and would be
considered by the BLM as appropriate.
The Draft EIS Notice of Availability was published on December 7,
2012 (77 FR 73049), opening a 90-day public comment period. A public
meeting was held on January 15, 2013, and the public comment period
closed on March 7, 2013. Over 8,000 individual comment letters were
received and identified issues such as the lack of a preferred
alternative and concerns associated with each of the alternatives,
including feasibility, sufficiency of the analysis and impacts to
specific resources as a result of each alternative. Comments were
considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final EIS; however,
the analysis of the alternatives and the identified impacts did not
significantly change.
The Final EIS differs from the Draft EIS by:
Dropping Alternative A, 100-Percent Vertical Drilling,
from consideration due to public comments on feasibility and the
magnitude of total disturbance;
Amending Alternative D, 100-Percent Directional Drilling,
to recognize the impact the restrictions in that alternative would have
on well density; as a result, this alternative now analyzes a 20-
percent decrease in total wells drilled;
Redefining the No Action Alternative to include an
analysis of impacts associated with development on state and private
mineral estate in addition to potential development on Federal mineral
estate; and
Including Alternative F, Agency-Preferred Alternative--
This alternative responds to Draft EIS scoping concerns and comments by
limiting development to eight wellpads per square mile section,
requiring that wellpads be placed in the most environmentally suited
areas, and creating a CD-C consultation and coordination group to
response to evolving energy issues and concerns relating to the
project. This alternative is a reconfiguration of elements of
alternatives that were analyzed in the Draft EIS. The CD-C consultation
and coordination group and protection measures of Alternative F were
originally analyzed in the DEIS under Alternative B; and the emphasis
on directional drilling was analyzed in Alternative D.
The Final EIS includes potential landscape scale mitigation
strategies. Consistent with Secretarial Order No. 3330 and the BLM's
obligations under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, BLM
Wyoming drafted a landscape-scale mitigation appendix, Appendix S, for
inclusion in the Final EIS. The appendix has been reviewed by the
Washington Office and the cooperating agencies.
Upon conclusion of the 30-day public availability period following
the date the EPA publishes the NOA in the Federal Register, the BLM
will prepare and sign the record of decision (ROD) to announce its
final decision on the Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas
Development Project. Availability of the ROD will be announced to the
local media and the project mailing list, and the ROD itself will be
posted on the project Web page.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
Acting BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-09010 Filed 4-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
