[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 244 (Friday, December 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70834-70835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31123]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT080-1310-00]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on the Greater Deadman Bench Oil and Gas Producing Region Field 
Development Project, Uintah County, UT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Vernal Field 
Office, Vernal, Utah, will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS). The EIS will focus on Questar Exploration and Production 
Company's (QEP) proposed gas and oil development on about 99,000 acres 
in the Greater Deadman Bench oil and gas production region.

DATES: Public scoping comments will be accepted on or before February 
4, 2004. A public scoping open house and information meeting will be 
held on January 14, 2004 from 7-9 p.m., at the Uintah County Commission 
Chambers, 147 E Main Street, Vernal, Utah. If you have any information, 
data, concerns, or suggestions related to the potential impacts of the 
proposed action, including the issues identified above, please submit 
them to the address listed below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area, located about 20 miles 
south of Vernal, Utah, involves about 85% BLM-administered lands 
(83,864 acres); 12% (11,448 acres) State of Utah-administered lands; 
and, 3% (3,473 acres) patented land. Currently 278 oil and water-
injection wells and about 300 gas wells with their attendant service 
roads exist within the project area. The proponent anticipates the 
drilling of up to 1239 new wells over a period of 10 years, or until 
the resource base is fully developed. Of these new wells, 826 would be 
new locations and 470 would be twins drilled from existing locations 
(representing 38% of the total new wells that would be drilled). 
Required infrastructure includes electric power lines, roads, oil and 
gas flow lines and pipelines, well pads (with pumping units for oil 
wells), central facilities, water injection facilities, gas treatment 
and compression facilities. Gas would be transported via pipeline to 
centralized compression and treatment facilities. Produced water would 
be trucked or piped to one of several existing QEP water injection 
plants where it would be re-injected into the oil reservoir or disposal 
zone via an injection well system.
    Major issues at this time include potential impacts on desert and 
semi-desert ecosystems and their dependent wildlife species (including 
antelope, sage grouse, white-tailed prairie dog colonies and their 
associated species), vegetation (including noxious weeds and 
reclamation), riparian habitat associated with the Green River 
corridor. Alternatives identified at this time include the proposed 
action and the no action alternatives.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Nitschke-Sinclear, (435) 781-4437 
or e-mail: jean--nitschke-sinclear@blm.

ADDRESSES: Written scoping comments should be sent to: Field Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, 
Vernal, Utah 84078, Attn: QEP Field Development Project.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents will 
be available for public review at the BLM Vernal Field Office and will 
be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 
They may be

[[Page 70835]]

published as part of the EIS and other related documents. Individual 
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your 
name or street address from public review and disclosure under the 
FOIA, 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 will be made available 
for public inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: October 9, 2003.
Gene Terland,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-31123 Filed 12-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-$$-P