[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 42 (Friday, March 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10989-10990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3043]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-030-1310-DB]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Continental Divide--Creston Natural Gas Project, Carbon and 
Sweetwater Counties, WY

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 Continental 
Divide--Creston Natural Gas Project, Carbon and Sweetwater Counties, 
Wyoming.

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SUMMARY: Under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 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 natural gas well development with 
some coalbed natural gas wells.
    In April 2005, Devon Energy Corporation (Devon), representing 
itself and other lease holders, submitted to BLM a proposal to drill 
and develop up to 1,250 wells from an estimated 1,000 well pads and 
associated facilities. The Devon proposal was named ``Creston/Blue Gap 
II Natural Gas Project.'' The BLM published its NOI to prepare an EIS 
for this project in the Federal Register on September 8, 2005.
    In November 2005, BP America Production Company (BP), representing 
itself and other lease holders, submitted a proposal to drill and 
develop up to 7,700 wells and associated facilities within a portion of 
the Continental Divide/Wamsutter II (CD/W2) Natural Gas Project area 
adjacent to the Creston/Blue Gap II EIS (CBC2) project area. Upon 
reviewing BP's proposal the BLM determined that the CD/W2 proposal and 
the CBC2 proposal were similar actions within the same geographic area, 
with similar timing. Based on these factors, the BLM has determined 
that the best way to analyze these actions and identify their 
cumulative impacts adequately is to treat them in a single impact 
statement. The combined proposals, henceforth known as the Continental 
Divide--Creston (CDC) Natural Gas Project, will be considered in one 
EIS.

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 scoping 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, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301. Electronic 
mail may be sent to: [email protected]. The scoping notice will 
be posted on the Wyoming BLM NEPA Web page at http://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/nepadocs.htm.
    Prior comments submitted in response to the September 8, 2005, NOI 
for the CBG2 EIS will be considered along with comments received from 
the CDC EIS scoping. If you have submitted comments in response to the 
CBG2 EIS and would like to supplement them in light of the combined 
proposals announced here, the BLM will accept supplemental comments 
during the public scoping period for CDC Natural Gas Development EIS. 
In your submittal please note that you have provided comments or 
resource information during the initial scoping period for the CBG2 
EIS.
    All responses 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 and email 
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 address, 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, Rawlins, Wyoming 
82301. Mr. Allison may also be reached by telephone at (307) 328-4291, 
or by e-mail to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Continental Divide--Creston Natural Gas 
Project is located in Townships 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 
and 24 North, Ranges 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 and 98 West, Sixth 
Principal Meridian, Carbon and Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming. The 
project area is about 25 air miles west of the city of Rawlins, Wyoming 
and comprises 1.1 million acres of mostly Federal (59 percent) and 
private (39 percent) surface, with some State land (2 percent). The BLM 
Rawlins Field Office manages the Federal surface lands and the Federal 
mineral estate.
    The proposed project is further development of natural gas fields 
previously analyzed for field development under the Continental Divide/
Wamsutter II Natural Gas Project (CDW2) EIS and Record of Decision 
(2000) and the Creston/Blue Gap (CBG) EIS and Record of Decision 
(1994).

[[Page 10990]]

Development to date includes 1,805 active wells and 394 plugged and 
reclaimed wells within the CDW2 area. Currently within the CBG project 
area, 369 wells are active and 105 wells have been plugged and 
reclaimed. Existing infrastructure developed for CDW2 and CBG projects 
approved under previous environmental documents include: Arterial, 
collector, and well pad roads; compressor stations; connecting and 
sales pipelines; water wells; and powerlines.
    BP America Production Company, the lead applicant representing 
itself, Devon, and other leaseholders, has proposed drilling and 
developing about 8,950 natural gas wells, including 100 to 500 coalbed 
natural gas wells, within the Continental Divide--Creston (CDC) project 
area. Wells would use a combination of vertical and directional 
drilling techniques. The proposal calls for a 15-year construction 
period with a 30 to 40 year life of project development and operational 
period.
    Associated project facilities would include additional roads, gas 
and water collection pipelines, compressor stations, water disposal 
systems, and an electrical distribution system. During the preparation 
of the EIS, any interim development on public lands within the CDC 
project area will require a detailed environmental review by the BLM.
    The purpose of the development is to extract and recover natural 
gas from the Continental Divide--Creston area for distribution to 
consumers. This project would help meet the need, goals and objectives 
of the President's National Energy Plan. Natural gas consumption in the 
United States is expected to increase by 25% over the next decade.
    The EIS will analyze the environmental consequences of implementing 
the proposed action and alternatives. Identified agency concerns 
include, but are not limited to direct, indirect and cumulative effects 
to: Surface and ground water resources; air quality; wildlife 
populations and their habitats; cultural and paleontological resources; 
threatened and endangered wildlife and plant species; and local and 
regional socioeconomics. Other issues of concern include access to 
private and public land; impacts of road development and transportation 
to noxious weed control and livestock grazing operations; ability to 
successfully reclaim disturbed areas.
    In addition to the Proposed Action, the EIS will analyze the 
effects of a No Action alternative. Contents for alternatives being 
considered include: A range of drilling surface densities; phased 
development; a range of mitigation measures; and best management 
practices.
    The proposed development is in conformance with the 1990 Great 
Divide Resource Management Plan (RMP). This RMP is currently being 
revised under the title Rawlins Resource Management Plan. BLM released 
the Draft EIS for the Rawlins RMP in December 2004.

Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. E6-3043 Filed 3-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P