[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