[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 73 (Thursday, April 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20029-20030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8218]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT-069-1310-DB-034E]


Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping and Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Blackleaf Project, Teton County, MT

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Startech Energy, Inc. (Operator of the Blackleaf Unit, a 
Federal Oil and Gas Unit), hereinafter referred to as ``Startech'' has 
submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Applications for 
Permit to Drill for natural gas on lease, MTM 24615. This lease is 
located on BLM managed land, in Teton County along the Rocky Mountain 
Front. The proposed drilling location is within the Montana Thrust 
Belt, approximately 75 miles northwest of Great Falls, Montana.
    Under provisions of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and pertinent Federal regulations, the BLM announces 
its intention to prepare an EIS, and to solicit public comments 
regarding issues, concerns and resource information pertaining to this 
proposed project.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the BLM Lewistown Field Office during 
regular business hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except holidays, and may be published as part of the EIS. 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 comments. Such requests will be honored to 
the extent allowed by law. Anonymous comments will not be accepted. All 
submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

DATES: This Notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can 
best determine the scope of this EIS if issues/concerns are submitted 
within 45 days of the publication of this Notice. Scoping meeting dates 
and locations will be announced in local newspapers, on local radio 
stations, by mail and on the BLM Lewistown Field Office Web page 
(http://www.mt.blm.gov/ldo/index.html). Public scoping meeting 
announcements will be made at least 15 days prior to the meetings. All 
comments received at the public meetings or submitted in writing by 
mail or electronically via the internet will aid the BLM in identifying 
issues, developing a range of alternatives, and analyzing environmental 
impacts. The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation throughout the preparation of the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted in writing to: Field Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Lewistown Field Office, P.O. Box 1160, 
Lewistown, Montana 59457, Attn: Blackleaf Project EIS Team Lead; via 
electronic submittal, the e-mail address is [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Ricci, Blackleaf Project EIS Team 
Lead, BLM, Lewistown Field Office,

[[Page 20030]]

P.O. Box 1160, Lewistown, Montana 59457, 406/538-1922.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Startech proposes to drill a total of three 
wells from one location within the existing Blackleaf Exploration Unit 
at T. 25 N., R. 8 W., section 6. The proposed exploratory/development 
well would offset a Known Geologic Structure that was tested for 
natural gas from an exploratory well in Muddy Creek drilled in 1959. 
The surface location of Startech's proposed drill site is located 
within BLM's Blind Horse Outstanding Natural Area. In addition to 
public land managed by the BLM, the proposed action involves privately 
owned surface estate and land managed by the Montana Department of 
Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
    The first well would be drilled vertically to approximately 6,500 
feet, and the next two wells would be drilled directionally from the 
same drill site to fully develop the natural gas reservoir. 
Approximately four acres would be disturbed in order to construct a 
well pad (400 feet by 400 feet) to accommodate the drilling rig and 
subsequent production equipment. Existing roads and pipelines would be 
utilized to minimize impacts to the area, though portions of the road 
system would need to be upgraded. Approximately 200 feet of new road 
would be constructed from the existing road to the proposed well site. 
Approximately eight miles of new pipeline would be constructed from the 
well site to the existing production facility located in T. 26 N., R. 8 
W., section 8.
    In order to minimize activity at the well site following the 
drilling and completion of the wells, Startech proposes to produce full 
well stream fluids to the existing production facility that would be 
upgraded, located in section 8. Produced fluids would be compressed at 
this production facility, and then transferred by pipeline to a distant 
gas processing facility. At the gas plant, hydrocarbon condensate (oil) 
and water would be separated and recovered. The gas would be sweetened 
to remove approximately 0.5% hydrogen sulfide (H2S) 
contaminant, and then processed to place it into marketable condition 
for sale into an existing natural gas pipeline approximately 25 miles 
north east of the project area. Two shut-in wells, from previous 
drilling and production activity in the Blackleaf Unit in the 1980s, 
would be returned to production upon successful completion of the 
proposed wells.
    The EIS will analyze the applicant's proposal and the reasonable 
foreseeable development scenario (RFD) expected during the life of this 
project, which includes an additional eight potential locations. The 
gas processing plant is also a reasonable foreseeable action and 
therefore, expected impacts would be evaluated but not to the same 
degree as for the proposed action.
    Issues that will be analyzed in the EIS include: cultural heritage 
resources; visual resource management; social and economic conditions; 
threatened and endangered species, and sensitive species of wildlife 
and plants and their habitats; air quality; water quality; recreation; 
noxious weeds; and reasonable foreseeable future actions.

    Dated: April 6, 2004.
David L. Mari,
Lewistown Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 04-8218 Filed 4-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-$$-P