[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 226 (Friday, November 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58054-58055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28592]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for a Permit for Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Development for the 
Northstar Unit in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Corps is evaluating issuance of a permit to BP Exploration 
(Alaska), Inc. for activities to develop an off-shore oil and gas 
facility in State waters of the Beaufort Sea north of the Prudhoe Bay 
oilfields through an Environmental Impact Statement.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Terry Carpenter, Regulatory Branch, Corps of Engineers, Alaska 
District, Post Office Box 898, Anchorage, Alaska 99506; telephone (907) 
753-2712, or in Alaska 1-(800)-478-2712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BP Exploration proposes to develop the 
Northstar reservoir from an off-shore structure in about 40 feet of 
water, 2-7 miles north of the Kuparuk River Delta, and a pipeline to 
the shore. An on-shore pipeline would connect to existing facilities 
for further transportation. Placement of structures and/or fill 
material would require issuance of a permit under Section 10 of the 
Rivers and Harbor Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Other 
permits and authorizations may be required from the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Fish and Wildlife Service 
(FWS), State agencies, and the North Slope Borough. BP Exploration 
proposes a start-up date of 1997 for construction.
    A preferred alternative has not been proposed by BP Exploration. 
Alternatives will be identified and evaluated throughout the EIS 
process with a preferred alternative identified in the Draft EIS. Some 
options that will be considered include (1) whether produced fluids 
will be processed at the off-shore facility with only oil transported 
to shore, partially processed, or transported in 3-phase (oil, gas, 
water) to on-shore facilities for processing, (2) the means of 
transporting produced fluids (buried or drilled subsea pipeline, raised 
pipeline, tankering), (3) the route of a pipeline to shore, and (4) the 
spill-detection system to be employed. It is estimated that the DEIS 
will be available to the public by July 1996. 

[[Page 58055]]

    The Corps began early scoping with federal and state agencies in 
June 1995. EPA, the FWS, the NMFS, and MMS will be cooperating federal 
agencies for the EIS. State agencies, the North Slope Borough, Borough 
residents, and the general public will be contacted during the scoping 
process. A third-party contractor will prepare the EIS under direction 
by the Corps; the contractor is expected to be identified by December 
1, 1995.
    Significant issues that have been identified for the DEIS include 
oil spill risk and spill response plans, effects on bowhead whale 
migration and subsistence hunting of whales and other marine mammals, 
effects on denning polar bears and human interactions with polar bears, 
discharge of wastes from the facility that may affect air and water 
quality and marine food chains, navigation, and bird strikes on 
structures. The Corps is inviting comments from the public, agencies 
(Federal, State and local), Native interests, and other interested 
parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed 
activities.
    Scoping meetings are tentatively planned for the following dates 
and locations:

Barrow, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
Nuiqsut, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
    Anchorage, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
    Fairbanks, Alaska--late-January or February 1996

    Further information about these public meetings will be published 
locally and can be obtained by contracting the Corps as described 
above.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-28592 Filed 11-22-95; 8:45 am]
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