[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17672-17673]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8266]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[CO-170000]


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and Public Scoping; San Juan Basin, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, USDI, and U.S. Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and conduct public scoping; San Juan Basin, Colorado. Also, the 
action proposes to amend both the BLM's San Juan and San Miguel 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) of 1985, and the Colorado Oil and Gas 
Leasing and Development Final EIS of 1991.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, 
notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the 
U.S. Forest Service (USFS), as joint lead agencies, are initiating the 
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with associated 
public scoping, on the proposed continued development of Fruitland 
Coalbed Methane (CBM) gas. The EIS analysis area (106,000 acres) 
generally encompasses land north of the Southern Ute Line and within 
the San Juan Basin, and is bordered on the north, west, and east by the 
Fruitland Outcrop. The east side of the analysis area dips south at the 
San Juan National Forest boundary and includes all San Juan National 
Forest lands within the Basin, south of the Southern Ute line. This EIS 
will be undertaken in cooperation with La Plata County, Colorado. The 
proposed action, within the analysis area, is for the development

[[Page 17673]]

of additional Fruitland CBM wells and associated facilities on multi-
jurisdictional lands (BLM, USFS, and non-federal) within the San Juan 
Basin of southwestern Colorado. The EIS will address environmental 
impacts and mitigation measures associated with drilling, production 
and eventual abandonment of these additional Fruitland CBM wells. The 
EIS will also disclose direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of 
projected CBM development on non-federal land within the described 
area.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until June 1, 2000. Two public 
scoping meetings will be held, one beginning at 4:00 p.m. on May 16, 
2000 at the BLM/USFS Public Lands Center, Durango, Colorado and the 
other beginning at 5:00 p.m. on May 17, 2000 at the Bayfield High 
School, in Bayfield, Colorado.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Bureau of Land Management, 
San Juan Field Office Manager, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, Colorado 
81301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ilyse Auringer, Jim Powers, or Paul 
Peck (970) 247-4874.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The objectives of the EIS will be to study 
and assess the impacts of additional Fruitland CBM drilling and 
development within the described area of southwestern Colorado. 
Potential impacts of the proposed action involve various natural and 
human resources including, geology, water resources, biological (e.g., 
threatened and endangered species) wildlife, cultural, visual, land 
use, suburban interface and subdivisions, socioeconomic and others that 
are identified through the scoping process.
    The proposed action will involve federal jurisdictions of the BLM 
and Forest Service. Two Record of Decisions, one by the BLM and one by 
the Forest Service will be issued. Much of the BLM jurisdiction is 
split estate land (where the mineral owner is not the same as the 
surface owner). Because of the large proportion of private mineral and 
surface estate contained in the proposed action, La Plata County will 
participate on this EIS as a Cooperating Agency. The Colorado Oil and 
Gas Conservation Commission will be an active, though informal, 
contributor. A memorandum of agreement is anticipated between the BLM, 
USFS, and La Plata County.
    The BLM and Forest Service will issue interim criteria for those 
proposed Applications for Permit to Drill (APDs) received prior to the 
completion of the EIS and the two Record of Decisions (ROD's). The 
interim criteria will define those actions that would not limit the 
choice of reasonable alternatives and thus may be approved; as well as 
define those actions that may preclude future options and therefore may 
not be approved during preparation of the EIS and ROD's. The interim 
criteria will be subject to their own 30-day public comment period.
    It is anticipated that the EIS process will take 24 months to 
complete and will include public information and meetings. Publication 
of the two ROD's is anticipated in March 2002. Public information, 
scoping meetings, and request for input on the EIS will begin with 
publication of this notice. Written comments must be submitted on or 
before June 1, 2000.

    Dated: March 27, 2000.
Calvin N. Joyner,
San Juan Field Office Manager, BLM, Colorado, and Forest Supervisor, 
San Juan National Forest, USFS, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 00-8266 Filed 4-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P