[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57648-57649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27868]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-040-00-1310-EJ]


Jonah Field Environmental Assessment, Sublette County, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment and to 
conduct public scoping for a modified proposal for development of the 
Jonah Field Natural Gas Project.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) and to conduct public scoping to address 
a proposed modification of the Record of Decision (ROD) issued April 
27, 1998, for the Jonah Field II Natural Gas Project Environmental 
Impact Statement (April 1998). In that decision, BLM approved 
development of the Jonah Field at one gas well per 80 acres. Project 
proponents, McMurry Oil Company and Amoco Production Company, have 
requested BLM approval of development of the field at one well per 40 
acres.
    Should the scoping process or the EA identify the potential for 
significant impacts, BLM would deem the EA to be a draft supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Further scoping would not be 
conducted. However, the public will be notified through newspaper 
articles and a subsequent Federal Register notice if significant 
impacts are identified in the EA. BLM will also conduct a conformance 
review of the Pinedale Resource Management Plan (RMP) as part of the 
EA. Any needed changes in existing management or any new management 
actions to be prescribed for the area will be identified and, if 
necessary, the Pinedale RMP would be amended.

DATES: Public comments concerning this proposed modification will be 
accepted for 30 days following the date this notice is published in the 
Federal Register. A Public Notice will be distributed by mail to local 
media and known interested parties on or about the date of this notice.
    BLM will hold an open house at the Sublette County Library (155 S. 
Tyler Street, Pinedale, Wyoming) on November 2, 1999, from 10 a.m. to 4 
p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to answer questions concerning the 
proposed project modification and to explain the National Environmental 
Policy Act process chosen for this action.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Bureau of Land Management, Rock 
Springs Field Office, ATTN: Arlan Hiner, Project Manager, 280 Highway 
191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arlan Hiner, Project Manager, Bureau 
of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, Telephone 307-352-0206. 
Information and a copy of the Public Notice for the Jonah Field EA can 
be obtained from the following BLM offices: Rock Springs Field Office, 
280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901; Pinedale Field 
Office, 432 East Mill Street, PO Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941; and 
Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, PO Box 1828, Cheyenne, 
Wyoming 82003.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Jonah Field Natural Gas Project is 
located approximately 32 miles south of Pinedale, Wyoming and 28 miles 
north of Farson, Wyoming, within Townships 28 and 29 North, Ranges 107, 
108, and 109 West, Sublette County. The 30,320 acre project area 
includes 28,400 acres Federal surface, 640 acres private surface, and 
1,280 acres State surface. The mineral estate includes 29,040 acres 
Federal minerals and 1,280 acres State minerals. Currently, 170 active 
gas wells out of 497 wells approved in the Jonah II EIS ROD have been 
drilled in the project area.
    The project proponents would like to proceed with drilling gas 
wells within the area at a 40 acre spacing (16 wells per section) 
beginning in the summer of

[[Page 57649]]

2000. They expect that drilling 497 wells will allow them to adequately 
extract the natural gas. There are 170 wells located within the Jonah 
Field, which are served by three transportation pipelines. This field 
development project will not require any additional transportation 
pipelines. The potential development would include a separator, 
dehydrator, production tanks, and tinhorns (for holding produced water) 
at each surface well location; an access road and a 3 to 4 inch gas 
gathering pipeline to each surface well location; water supply wells; 
and produced water disposal systems (either injection wells or surface 
pits).
    The companies will be allowed to continue to drill wells at 80 acre 
spacing as approved by the ROD for the Jonah II EIS while the EA is 
being prepared.

    Dated: October 19, 1999.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-27868 Filed 10-25-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P