[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13068-13069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6808]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[CO-078-98-1430-00]


Resource Management Plan Amendment and Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) on Oil and Gas Development

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulations 
in CFR 1610.5-5, BLM intends to amend the Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) for its Glenwood Springs Resource Area (GSRA). As described in a 
Notice of Intent published on April 21, 1997 (62 FR 19349), BLM is 
preparing a supplemental EIS on the impacts of oil and gas development 
in the GSRA. That EIS process has indicated that some changes in the 
leasing decisions are necessary and that an RMP amendment will be 
required. Further, as anticipated in that original Notice of Intent, 
the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1998 (November 18, 1997) 
transferred management authority for Naval Oil Shale Reserves (NOSR) 1 
and 3 from the Department of Energy to BLM. The Act directs BLM to 
lease certain lands in the NOSRs for oil and gas development by 
November 18, 1998. Those lands will be included in the supplemental 
EIS, and the RMP will be amended to reflect decisions made on leasing 
of the NOSR lands as well as leasing decisions on other BLM lands in 
the GSRA.

DATES: Comments will be accepted until April 16, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Area Manager, Glenwood 
Springs Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 1009, 
Glenwood Springs, CO 81602, ATTN: Oil and Gas EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Moore, (970) 947-2824.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare a supplemental 
EIS on oil and gas leasing and development in the GSRA was published on 
April 21, 1997 (62 FR 19349). That EIS process has indicated that some 
changes in the leasing decisions are necessary and that an RMP 
amendment will be required. Further, as anticipated in that original 
notice, the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1998 (November 
18, 1997) transferred management authority for the NOSRs from the 
Department of Energy to BLM. In addition to transferring management 
authority to BLM, the Act directs BLM to lease approximately 6,000 
acres in the NOSRs for oil and gas development by November 18, 1998. 
Prior to the transfer, the Department of Energy had already begun 
development of this oil and gas production area. Oil and gas leases for 
the production area will be sold at auction next fall.
    The general character of the NOSR lands that are to be offered for 
lease is similar to the surrounding BLM lands which are being evaluated 
in the supplemental EIS. Additionally, many of the issues concerning 
oil and gas development of those lands are the same as those being 
considered in the supplemental EIS. It has been decided, therefore, to 
include the NOSR lands in the supplemental EIS, and the RMP will be 
amended to reflect decisions made on leasing of the NOSR lands as well 
as other BLM lands in the GSRA.
    Anticipating the change in management authority for the NOSRs, the 
GSRA has been collecting environmental and resource data on the 
production area and has already initiated preliminary evaluation of 
impacts.
    Consideration of the wildlife, visual, soils, riparian, 
socioeconomic and other issues being evaluated in the supplemental EIS 
will now formally include the NOSR production area. A draft of the 
supplemental EIS is planned for late May, 1998.
    Formal scoping for the supplemental EIS will be re-opened for the 
next 30 days. Comments concerning the potential impacts of oil and gas 
development in the NOSR production area as well as impacts of 
development

[[Page 13069]]

in the rest of the GSRA are welcome. Additional scoping measures will 
include a press release describing the addition of the NOSR production 
area to the EIS, an informational mailing to interested citizens and 
ongoing consultation with interested organizations.
Michael S. Mottice,
Area Manager.
[FR Doc. 98-6808 Filed 3-16-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P