[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 248 (Friday, December 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73877-73879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24955]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-100-05-1310-DB]


Notice of Availability of a Revised Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Pinedale Anticline Oil and Gas 
Exploration and Development Project, Sublette County, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) announces the availability of a Revised Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement for long-term development of natural gas 
resources in the Pinedale Anticline Project Area (PAPA).
    The BLM released a Draft Supplemental Impact Statement (DSEIS) on 
December 15, 2006. The comment period for the DSEIS closed on April 6, 
2007. Based upon public comments, BLM is reissuing a Revised Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (RDSEIS) to include the 
analysis of two additional alternatives.

[[Page 73878]]

The RDSEIS includes the three alternatives that were analyzed in the 
original draft: the no action, proposed action, and the BLM preferred 
alternative. It also includes two additional alternatives: One based 
upon the comments BLM received from oil and gas proponents and the 
State of Wyoming Game and Fish; and an additional alternative which 
analyzes full field development with current wildlife timing 
stipulations in place.
    The first added alternative analyzes the effects of continued 
development activities during winter under relaxed wildlife timing 
stipulations within a core area of the PAPA. In addition, leases on the 
East and West flanks of the PAPA are proposed to be placed in suspense 
to offset affected winter habitat in the core development areas. A 
wildlife matrix and mitigation fund has been incorporated into this 
alternative to address on and off-site mitigation.
    The second added alternative analyzes the effects of full field 
development with wildlife timing stipulations carried forward from the 
2000 PAPA ROD and subsequent PAPA decision documents. This alternative 
would allow for the development of 4399 wells, the level of development 
currently considered necessary to effectively recover the oil and gas 
resources.
    In addition to the two new alternatives, the RDSEIS will analyze 
pace of development. This analysis will show levels of impact 
associated with the number of rigs operating at any one time in the 
PAPA.

DATES: This notice initiates the public comment process. The BLM can 
best use public input if comments and resources information are 
submitted within 45 days of the publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments or resource information to the 
Bureau of Land Management, Pinedale Field Office, Caleb Hiner, Project 
Manager, 432 East Mill Street, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 82941. 
Electronic mail may be sent to: [email protected]. The RDSEIS 
will be posted at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/pfodocs/anticline/seis.html when available. 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). Before including your 
address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold 
from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bureau of Land Management, Caleb 
Hiner, Project Manager, 1625 West Pine, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, Wyoming 
82941. Mr. Hiner may also be reached by telephone at (307) 367-5352, or 
by sending an electronic message to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM released a Draft SEIS on December 
15, 2006, based on a proposal received for long-term development of 
natural gas resources in the PAPA from Questar Exploration and 
Production (Questar), Shell Exploration and Production Company (Shell), 
and Ultra Resources Inc. (Ultra). The Operators proposed to conduct 
year round drilling and completions in Concentrated Development Areas 
within a Core Development Area (coinciding with the Anticline Crest) in 
the PAPA. In 2000, the PAPA Record of Decision (ROD) for development on 
the PAPA established seasonal restrictions on natural gas development 
to minimize adverse effects on wintering big game and sage grouse 
during breeding and nesting. The Operators proposed an additional 4,399 
wells on approximately 10-acre bottom hole spacing from an additional 
250 well pads to effectively recover the mineral resource. The proposed 
development included construction of new well pads and substantial 
expansion of existing well pads to allow for multiple wells drilled 
from a pad.
    The PAPA ROD established restrictions on when oil and gas 
development activities may occur. The NEPA document did not include 
analysis of the potential impacts of oil and gas development activities 
(specifically drilling and completions) to big game on crucial winter 
ranges during the period of November 15 through April 30.
    The air quality impact analysis considered a total of 900 wells 
drilled with 700 producing well pads. The PAPA ROD stated that if the 
level of development exceeds that analyzed in the Draft EIS, BLM would 
conduct additional environmental analysis. There are currently 
approximately 460 producing wells in the PAPA. In addition, the BLM has 
determined that there is a need for new pipeline corridors between the 
PAPA and processing plants in southwestern Wyoming. Therefore, the 
RDSEIS will also include analysis of new corridors. In addition, 
specific analysis is included in the RDSEIS for two additional gas 
sales pipelines from the PAPA, one to the Granger and Blacks Fork gas 
plants and one from the PAPA to the Opal and Pioneer gas plants.
    The BLM has identified the following resources that may be 
adversely impacted by the proposal: Surface and ground water resources; 
air quality; wildlife and their habitats; reclamation; visual 
resources; transportation; noxious weed control; grazing, cultural and 
paleontological resources; wetland and riparian resources; threatened 
and endangered animal and plant species; and socioeconomic resources.
    The BLM conducted NEPA analysis and issued a ROD for the Pinedale 
Anticline Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Project in July 2000. 
The BLM conducted this analysis in response to increasing numbers of 
operators requesting approval to drill and develop gas wells on the 
Pinedale Anticline. The NEPA document analyzed three alternatives with 
different levels of required mitigation and for each alternative there 
were three exploration and development scenarios based on the density 
and distribution of well pad development. The PAPA ROD established 
protection of big game crucial winter ranges from oil and gas 
developments (well drilling and completion) during the winter months.
    The PAPA ROD provided that the BLM could grant limited exceptions 
to this winter closure period based on current conditions such as 
presence of wintering animals or depth of snow cover. However, each 
exception was to be made on a case-by-case basis (annually) and usually 
with the requirement that should winter conditions prevail, those 
activities would cease.
    Starting in the winter 2002-2003, the BLM authorized Questar 
Exploration and Development Company (Questar) to continue gas 
development operations at one well pad within big game crucial winter 
range with the requirement that Questar work closely with the Wyoming 
Game and Fish Department in its study of impacts to the Sublette Mule 
Deer. In November 2004, the BLM issued a Decision Record allowing 
Questar to expand their development activities in crucial mule deer 
winter range during

[[Page 73879]]

winter while continuing to support the Sublette Mule Deer Study 
(Questar Year-Round Drilling Proposal Environmental Assessment, 
November 2004).
    Since then other operators within the Pinedale Anticline have 
expressed interest in conducting gas development activities including 
year-round drilling within big game crucial winter range. In the summer 
of 2005, Anschutz, Shell, and Ultra submitted a proposal to the BLM for 
year-round drilling demonstration project on three well pads within 
their leaseholds during one year. In September 2005, BLM issued a 
Decision Record to allow them to proceed (ASU Year-Round Drilling 
Demonstration Project, September 2005). The Decision Record allowed 
each of the three operators to drill year-round on one well pad each on 
crucial winter range during the winter of 2005-2006. The result of that 
project led the Operators to the current proposal and to BLM's 
determination that a Supplemental EIS is necessary. The PAPA 
encompasses approximately 198,034 acres of primarily Federal lands 
(nearly 80 percent), and state and private land. Approximately 83 
percent of the mineral estate underlying the PAPA is federally-owned.

James K. Murkin,
Acting Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-24955 Filed 12-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P