[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 93 (Friday, May 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26435-26436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12210]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-030-1310-00]


South Baggs Area Natural Gas Development Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the South Baggs 
Area Natural Gas Project. The DEIS analyzes the environmental 
consequences of Merit Energy Company's proposal to drill up to fifty

[[Page 26436]]

(50) additional natural gas wells in the project area over the next 10 
years. The project area encompasses approximately 12,352 acres of 
Federal, State, and private lands located approximately 3 miles west of 
the town of Baggs in Carbon County, Wyoming, within the administrative 
jurisdiction of the BLM Rawlins Field Office. Approximately 43 oil and 
gas wells have been drilled within the project area to date.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS will be accepted for 60 days 
following the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes their notice of availability of the DEIS in the Federal 
Register. The EPA notice is expected to be published May 14, 1999.
    BLM has scheduled a public meeting for June 22, 1999, 7 p.m., at 
the BLM Rawlins Field Office conference room, 1300 North Third Street, 
Rawlins, Wyoming, to obtain public comments on the proposed project and 
the DEIS. BLM will also hold an open house from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
on June 22, 1999, at the same location to answer any questions 
interested parties may have regarding the proposed project.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Larry Jackson, Team Leader, Rawlins 
Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 1300 N. Third Street, P.O. Box 
2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301, or e-mail to Larry__J[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Jackson, phone 307-328-4231.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project DEIS analyzes the impacts of 
drilling from 40 (Alternative A) to 90 (Alternative B) natural gas 
wells along with constructing access roads, pipelines, and other 
ancillary facilities (compressor station, water disposal sites, etc.) 
on 10,067 acres of Federal land and 2,285 acres of non-Federal lands. 
The exact numbers of additional wells, the locations of those wells, 
and the timing for drilling them are contingent upon drilling success, 
production technology, and economic considerations. The No Action 
Alternative analyzes the current level of drilling and development (43 
wells) in the South Baggs Project area and continuation of that level 
of activity into the future. The Proposed Action would be denied under 
the No Action Alternative.
    Based upon issues and concerns identified during the scoping 
process, this DEIS focuses on the impacts to air quality, biological 
and physical resources, transportation, socio-economics, and cumulative 
effects. The DEIS, in compliance with Section 7(c) of the Endangered 
Species Act, as amended, incorporates the Biological Assessment for the 
purpose of identifying endangered or threatened species which may be 
affected by the proposed action.
    Comments, including the names and street addresses of respondents, 
will be available for public review at the BLM office listed above 
during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through 
Friday, except for Federal holidays. Your comments may be published as 
part of the EIS process. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and/or street 
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials 
of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
inspections in their entirety.

    Dated: May 7, 1999.
Alan L. Kesterke,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-12210 Filed 5-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P