[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 173 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53381-53382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17919]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-030-1310-DB]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Creston/Blue Gap II Natural Gas Project, Carbon and Sweetwater 
Counties, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Under Section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 
Rawlins Field Office, announces its intent to prepare an EIS on the 
potential impacts of a proposed natural gas development project 
consisting primarily of conventional gas well development, but also 
including approximately 100 coal bed natural gas wells.
    In April 2005, the BLM received a proposal from Devon Energy 
Corporation representing themselves and other lease holders in the 
area, to drill and develop up to 1,250 wells from an estimated 1000 
well pad sites and install and operate associated facilities. The 
proposed project area encompasses approximately 184,000 acres of mixed 
Federal, State, and private land, and overlies a natural gas field 
analyzed

[[Page 53382]]

under the Creston/Blue Gap Natural Gas Project Final EIS (1994). 
Project development and the operational period is expected to have a 30 
to 40 year life. The project area is located approximately 40 air miles 
southwest of the city of Rawlins, Carbon County, Wyoming.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can 
best use public input if comments and resources information are 
submitted within 60 days of the publication of this notice. To provide 
the public with an opportunity to review the proposal and project 
information, the BLM will host a meeting in Rawlins, Wyoming. The BLM 
will notify the public of the meeting date, time and location at least 
15 days prior to the event. Announcement will be made by news release 
to the media, individual letter mailings, and posting on the BLM Web 
site listed below if it is available.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments or resource information to the 
Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, Eldon Allison, Team 
Leader, 1300 North Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301. 
Electronic mail may be sent to: [email protected]. Additionally, 
if available, the scoping notice will be posted on the Wyoming BLM NEPA 
Web page at http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/nepadocs.htm.
    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, e-mail, or 
street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom 
of Information Act, you must state this plainly 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: Bureau of Land Management, Eldon 
Allison, Project Manager, 1300 North Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, 
Rawlins, Wyoming 82301. Mr. Allison may also be reached by telephone at 
(307) 328-4291, or by sending an electronic message to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Devon Energy Corporation (Devon) is the 
primary applicant and has proposed drilling and developing up to 1,250 
conventional natural gas and coal bed natural gas wells from up to 1000 
well pad locations. Associated project facilities would include roads, 
well pads, gas and water collection pipelines, compressor stations, 
water disposal systems, and a power supply system. During the 
preparation of the EIS, any interim development on public lands will 
require a detailed environmental review by the BLM. Such a review will 
determine what, if any, development could and/or would be authorized 
based on the analysis of the environmental impacts without having an 
adverse environmental impact and/or potential to limit selection within 
the range of reasonable alternatives for this proposed Creston/Blue Gap 
II Project and/or the range of reasonable within alternatives pending 
Rawlins RMP revision/EIS.
    The Creston Blue/Gap II Natural Gas Project is located in Townships 
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 North, Ranges 91, 92, 93, and 94 West, Sixth 
Principal Meridian, Carbon and Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming. The 
project area is located approximately 40 air miles southwest of Rawlins 
along the east and west sides of Wyoming State Highway 789. The project 
area is approximately 184,000 acres in size and involves a mixture of 
mostly Federal (71%) and private (26%) surface with some State land 
(3%). The BLM Rawlins Field Office manages the Federal surface lands 
and the Federal mineral estate.
    The purpose of the natural gas development is to extract and 
recover natural gas from the Creston/Blue Gap II area and to provide 
more natural gas for distribution to consumers. This project confirms 
with the goals and objectives of the President's National Energy Plan, 
through proposing to increase domestic energy supplies and strengthen 
America's energy security. The proposed action may add up to 200 
million cubic feet of natural gas per day into the market to help meet 
this growing national demand.
    The EIS will address cumulative impacts and will include 
consideration of the effects of the project. Potential issues to be 
addressed in the EIS include but are not limited to: surface and ground 
water resources, air quality, wildlife populations and their habitats, 
private and public land access concerns, road development and 
transportation, reclamation, noxious weeds livestock grazing, cultural 
and paleontological resources, threatened and endangered wildlife and 
plant species, and socioeconomic impacts.
    The project area is managed under the Great Divide Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) (1990). This RMP is currently being revised under 
the title of Rawlins Resource Management Plan. A Draft EIS for the 
Rawlins RMP was released in December 2004. A decision for the Creston/
Blue Gap II Natural Gas Project (C/BG2 Project) will not be made nor 
implemented until after a Record of Decision is issued for the Rawlins 
RMP revision FEIS.

    Dated: June 24, 2005.
Alan L. Kesterke,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-17919 Filed 9-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P