[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12100-12101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6084]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-100-03-1310-DB]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Provide Notice of Public Meeting, Jonah Infill Drilling Project, 
Sublette County, WY, and Notice of the Potential for Amendment of the 
Pinedale Resource Management Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and to conduct public scoping for the Jonah Infill 
Drilling Project, Sublette County, Wyoming, and Notice of the Potential 
for Amendment of the Pinedale Resource Management Plan.

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SUMMARY: EnCana Oil and Gas (USA) Inc., BP America, and other natural 
gas development companies (hereinafter referred to as ``the 
Operators'') have submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a 
proposal to expand natural gas exploration and development operations. 
The Jonah Infill Drilling Project is located in an area known as the 
Jonah Field, in Sublette County, Wyoming. Under the provisions of 
section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
BLM announces its intentions to prepare an EIS and to solicit public 
comments regarding issues and resource information. Based on the 
information developed during the course of this analysis, the BLM may 
decide it is necessary to amend the 1988 Pinedale Resource Management 
Plan (RMP).

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can 
best use public input if comments and resource information are 
submitted within 45 days of the Publication of Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) notice in the Federal Register. A Scoping Notice will be 
distributed by mail on or about the date of the publication of this 
notice. Information and a copy of the Scoping Notice may be obtained by 
writing, or visiting, the BLM Pinedale Field Office, address listed 
below.
    The BLM will host a public meeting within 30 days of the 
publication of this notice. Information regarding date, time, and 
location of the meeting will be available from the Pinedale Field 
Office and posted on its Web site listed at the end of this Notice. All 
comments received at the public meeting, submitted in writing by mail, 
or e-mail will aid the BLM in identifying issues, developing a range of 
alternatives, and analyzing environmental impacts.

ADDRESSES: Address questions and comments to the Pinedale Field Office, 
PO Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, phone number 307-367-5300, or send 
them electronically to [email protected]. Information and a copy 
of the Scoping Notice for the Jonah Infill Drilling Project EIS may be 
obtained by writing or visiting the BLM Pinedale field office. The 
scoping notice will also be posted on the Wyoming BLM NEPA Web site, 
http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/nepadocs.htm. Written comments may be sent, 
or hand-delivered, to the BLM Pinedale Field Office, 432 East Mill 
Street, PO Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941.
    Your response is important and will be considered in the 
environmental analysis process. If you do respond, we will keep you 
informed of decisions resulting from this analysis. Please note that 
public comments and information submitted regarding this project 
including names, e-mail addresses, and street addresses of the 
respondents will be available for public review and disclosure at the 
above address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name, email 
address, 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 the 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 inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eldon Allison, Project Manager, BLM, 
Pinedale Field Office, PO Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, telephone 
307-367-5300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Jonah Infill Drilling Project (JIDP) 
area is located in south-central Sublette County approximately 32 miles 
southeast of Pinedale, and 28 miles northwest of Farson, Wyoming. 
Drilling is proposed in Townships 28 and 29 North, Ranges 107 through 
109 West, 6th Principal Meridian.
    The operators have submitted to the BLM a proposal to expand 
exploration and development of natural gas resources in the Jonah Field 
area, spanning a period of about 25 years. The

[[Page 12101]]

total project area is approximately 30,200 acres. This acreage includes 
approximately 28,280 acres of Federal surface and mineral estate 
managed by BLM; 1,280 acres of State of Wyoming surface and minerals; 
and 640 acres of private surface ownership. All of the privately owned 
surface acres are split estate (private surface/Federal minerals) 
lands.
    The operators' original proposal to drill 450 wells in addition to 
47 existing wells at the same number of locations was approved by the 
BLM in the Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact 
and Decision Record for the Modified Jonah Field II Natural Gas 
Project, March 2000 (Modified Jonah Field II EA). The operators now 
propose to drill 1,250 additional wells from 850 well locations within 
the same area analyzed in the Modified Jonah Field II EA. The 
operators' new proposal is based on a 10 to 20 acre down-hole spacing 
pattern (32 to 64 wells per aliquot section). The operators propose to 
explore known productive formations as well as deeper formations that 
have not been tested. The planned development would include the 
following associated structures and facilities in addition to the 850 
proposed new well locations: needed separators and hydrators, storage 
tanks, field access and resource roads, a system of gathering and sales 
pipelines, compressor stations, and five additional water wells.
    During the preparation of the EIS, proposed development of 
additional exploratory wells within the project area on public lands 
may be approved subject to an environmental review by BLM and to a 
finding that such development is consistent with the 1988 Pinedale 
Resource Management Plan (RMP). Such a review will also ensure that the 
proposed development would not limit the consideration of a range of 
reasonable alternatives for this proposed Jonah Infill Drilling Project 
EIS.
    The purpose of this project is to extract and recover natural gas 
from the Jonah Field by allowing the operators to provide clean burning 
fuel for distribution to consumers. In addition, this project would 
meet the goals and objectives of the President's National Energy Plan 
by diversifying domestic energy supplies, improving and accelerating 
environmental protection, and strengthening America's energy security.
    BLM personnel, other agencies, and individuals have preliminarily 
identified the following issues that will be addressed in the EIS: Air 
quality; Federally-listed Threatened, Endangered, Candidate and 
Sensitive Species and their habitats; surface and groundwater 
resources; short-term revegetation and restoration of disturbed areas 
and their long-term stabilization, including control of noxious weeds; 
prehistoric and historic cultural resources; social and economic 
effects to the local communities; wildlife habitat and fisheries; 
nesting raptors; wetlands and riparian areas; visual and landscape 
resources; and recreation activities and opportunities, such as hunting 
and fishing.
    The BLM has identified the following benefits that may be derived 
from the natural gas development: Increased royalties and tax revenues 
to local, State, and Federal governments; additional opportunities for 
employment and economic benefits for communities near the project area; 
increases in Wyoming's share of new and existing natural gas markets; 
and development of natural gas resources to assist in attainment of 
clean air objectives in conformance with Presidential and Congressional 
directives.
    Any authorizations and actions proposed for approval in the EIS 
will be evaluated to determine if they conform to the decisions in the 
1988 Pinedale RMP. Actions that result in a change in the scope of 
resource uses, terms and conditions, and decisions of the Pinedale RMP 
may require amendment of the RMP. If the BLM determines that a plan 
amendment is necessary, preparation of the JIDP EIS and the analysis 
necessary for the RMP amendment may occur simultaneously. Appropriate 
analysis will accompany the decision to conduct an RMP amendment.
    Also, the Pinedale RMP is currently being revised, with completion 
scheduled for October 2004. Because the Jonah Infill Drilling Project 
EIS and the Pinedale RMP revision will be developed on overlapping 
schedules, the information and analysis needed for these planning 
efforts will be jointly prepared and used for both EISs, to the 
greatest extent possible. Further information of the status of this RMP 
revision may be obtained from the Web site at http://www.pinedalermp.com.
    The BLM will announce public meetings and comment periods through 
local news media and the Pinedale Field Office Web site, http://www.wy.blm.gov/pfo/info.htm, at least 15 days prior to the event. The 
first in a series of meetings is tentatively scheduled for late March 
2003, in Pinedale, Wyoming. The BLM will also provide additional 
opportunities for public participation throughout the preparation of 
the EIS.

    Dated: February 13, 2003.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-6084 Filed 3-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P