[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 236 (Thursday, December 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69023-69024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31881]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

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


Continental Divide/Wamsutter II Natural Gas Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of final environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and

[[Page 69024]]

implementing regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces 
the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for 
the proposed Continental Divide/Wamsutter II (CD/WII) Natural Gas 
Project located in Carbon and Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming. This FEIS 
analyzes the potential impacts from natural gas exploration and 
development proposed by Amoco Production Company, Union Pacific 
Resources Company, Yates Petroleum Corporation, Snyder Oil Corporation, 
and other natural gas operators within the CD/WII project area and 
alternatives to that proposed development. The BLM preferred 
alternative for this project is the Proposed Action, with additional 
mitigation measures which would reduce environmental impacts.
    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) prepared for this 
project was made available to the public on April 30, 1999 (64 FR 
23349). The FEIS contains corrected and new material which supplements 
the DEIS. The DEIS and this FEIS comprise the complete document. Please 
refer to the DEIS for more detailed analyses and descriptions of the 
proposed action and alternatives.
    This FEIS is not a decision document. A Record of Decision will be 
prepared and made available to the public after the public comment 
period expires.

DATES: BLM will accept comments on the FEIS for a period of 30 days 
from the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes their 
Notice of Availability (NOA) of this FEIS in the Federal Register. We 
anticipate that EPA will publish its NOA on December 10, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Clare Miller, Bureau of Land 
Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North Third Street, P.O. Box 
2407, Rawlins, WY 82301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clare Miller, Team Leader, Telephone: 
307-328-4245, or Teresa Deakins, Telephone: 307-352-0211. Copies of the 
FEIS may be obtained from the BLM Rawlins Field Office (307-324-4200), 
1300 North Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, WY 82301 or from the 
BLM Rock Springs Field Office, (307-352-0256) 280 Highway 191 North, 
Rock Springs, WY 82901.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS contains corrected and new material 
which supplements the DEIS issued April 30, 1999. The DEIS air quality 
impact assessment was revised in order to address the following items: 
(a) The CD/WII near-field particulate matter emission assumptions and 
impact analyses were revised using Rock Springs, WY, meteorological 
data; (b) potential well blowdown emissions were included and the 
hazardous air pollutant (HAP) and ozone impact analyses were revised; 
(c) potential oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions for the CD/
WII wells were corrected; (d) potential NOX and sulfur 
dioxide (SO2) emissions from the Lost Cabin Gas Plant were 
corrected for seasonal operation; (e) potential particulate matter 
emissions from the Seneca Coal facility (Colorado Permit No. 82R0258F) 
were corrected; (f) potential particulate matter, NOX and 
SO2 emissions from the SF Phosphates facility (Wyoming 
Permit No. CT-550A4) were added to the emissions inventory; (g) several 
other Colorado emission sources were correctly analyzed as potential 
NOX emissions, rather than as SO2 emissions 
reported in the DEIS; and (h) hourly scaling factors were applied to 
several Wyoming portable emission sources. Based on these revisions, 
potential air quality impacts were reanalyzed and reported in both the 
FEIS and the Revised Technical Support Document text.
    In addition to air quality updates, some revisions to the DEIS were 
made in sections of the document dealing with wildlife resources, 
mineral resources, and aesthetics and visual resources.
    Upon recommendation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 
the BLM has initiated formal consultation and conferring with the USFWS 
on issues dealing with the listed Threatened and Endangered species of 
Black-footed Ferret and with the proposed listed species of Mountain 
Plover. Some additional mitigation measures to protect these species 
are expected from this process. The results of the consultation/
conferring will be addressed in the Record of Decision for this EIS.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the BLM offices listed above during 
regular business hours (7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If 
you wish to withhold your name 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 of officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Dated: December 3, 1999.
Alan L. Kesterke,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-31881 Filed 12-8-99; 8:45 am]
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