[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 118 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33435-33436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16055]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-060-1310-00]


Cave Gulch-Bullfrog-Waltman Natural Gas Development Project in 
Natrona County, Wyoming; Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS)

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Cave Gulch-Bullfrog-Waltman Natural Gas Development Project 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) which analyzes the 
environmental consequences of the operators' proposal to continue to 
drill wells on their leased acreage within the Cave Gulch-Bullfrog-
Waltman Natural Gas project area. This development area is located in 
Natrona County and generally located within Townships 36 and 37 North; 
Ranges 86 and 87 West, 6th Principal Meridian. The area is accessed by 
U.S. Highway 20/26 west of Casper, Wyoming; and, north of Waltman, 
Wyoming via county road 104. Access to the interior of the Cave Gulch-
Bullfrog-Waltman project area is provided by a road system developed to 
service prior and on-going drilling and production activities.

DATES: Comments on the FEIS will be accepted for 30 days following the 
date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes their Notice of 
Availability in the Federal Register. The EPA notice is expected on or 
about June 20, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the FEIS should be sent to Ms. Kate Padilla, 
Team Leader for the Cave Gulch-Bullfrog-Waltman Natural Gas Development 
Project EIS, Bureau of Land Management, Casper District Office, 1701 
East ``E'' Street, Casper, Wyoming 82601, 307-261-7603.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS is abbreviated to reflect only 
changes to the Draft EIS based on public and internal comments and 
therefore is used in combination with the Draft EIS to analyze a 
proposed action, two (2) development alternatives, and the no action 
alternative. The proposal presented by the operators is to continue to 
drill additional wells on their leased acreage within this natural gas 
development area. The current oil and gas operators are Chevron U.S.A., 
Barrett Resources Corporation, Prima Oil & Gas Company, Goldmark 
Engineering, Inc., W.A. Moncrief, Jr., Marathon Oil Company, and John 
P. Lockridge, Inc. The surface land ownership of the Cave Gulch-
Bullfrog-Waltman project area is 66 percent private, 29 percent Federal 
(BLM), and 5 percent State of Wyoming. The mineral ownership is as 
follows: 20 percent private, 77 percent Federal (BLM), and 3 percent 
State of Wyoming.
    Over the next 10 years, the Operators propose to drill up to 160 
additional wells where approximately 40 wells are currently active to 
obtain maximum recovery of natural gas from existing Federal, State, 
and private oil and gas leases. The area was divided into four segments 
by the operators to define the Proposed Action with regard to well 
spacing and density. The two development alternatives analyze wells 
based on areas defined in the BLM's June 1996 Cave Gulch-Bullfrog-
Waltman EIS Final Geologic, Well Spacing, and Reserve Evaluation 
Report. The draft EIS describes the physical, biological, cultural, 
historic, and socio-economic resources in and surrounding the project 
area. The focus of the impact analysis was based upon resource issues 
and concerns identified during public scoping. Potential impacts of 
concern from development were primarily concerned with raptor breeding 
and nesting, sensitive soils, and economics.

[[Page 33436]]

    The Agency Preferred Alternative identified in the FEIS is the 
proposed action. The Agency Preferred Alternative in the DEIS was 
Alternative B, which included a proposed Key Raptor Area (KRA) intended 
to provide for secure long term nesting habitat adjacent to the project 
area and serve as a core or refuge area where long term reproduction 
opportunity for raptors of multiple species would be ensured.
    Based on new information and comments on the DEIS, consultation 
with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and further analysis of 
the range of alternatives and actions presented in the DEIS, the BLM 
concluded that (1) an adequate number of secure sites for the placement 
of Alternative Nesting Sites (ANSs) are likely to be available, and (2) 
that the use of ANSs to mitigate the expected displacement of four to 
seven raptor pairs from the project area would be adequate without the 
use of the proposed KRA. The USFWS's concurrence with the placement of 
ANSs outside of existing raptor territories and outside of, but 
proximal to, the designated Greater Raptor Area of analyses, and the 
offer to the BLM by Chevron and Barrett to provide long term secure 
ANSs sites on portions of their leaseholds within the Greater Cave 
Gulch Raptor Analysis Area, greatly expanded the area over which the 
BLM could select ANSs and substantially increased the likelihood that 
14 suitable ANSs are available.
    The FEIS also includes a detailed Cumulative Air Quality Impact 
Analysis-Technical Support Document and accompanying addendum that 
describes the cumulative impacts from the standpoint of assessing the 
potential impacts from all existing, reasonable foreseeable, and 
proposed sources of emissions.

    Dated: June 6, 1997.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 97-16055 Filed 6-18-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P