[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 147 (Monday, August 3, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38466-38467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-18309]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-100-1310-DB]


Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the LaBarge Platform Project, Sublette County and Lincoln 
County, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Field Office, Pinedale, 
WY, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to 
solicit public comments pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and in response to a proposal 
filed by EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) regarding issues and resource 
information for the proposed LaBarge Platform Project, Sublette County 
and Lincoln County, Wyoming. The project is primarily a natural gas 
exploration and development project.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can 
best use public input if comments and resource information are 
submitted within 45 days from publication of this notice.
    To provide the public with an opportunity to review the proposal 
and project information, the BLM will host public meetings in Pinedale, 
LaBarge, Big Piney, and Kemmerer, Wyoming. The BLM will announce the 
dates, times, and locations for these meetings at least 15 days prior 
to the event. Announcements will be made by news release to the media, 
individual letter mailings, and posting on the project, Web site listed 
below.
    http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/pfodocs/labarge_platform.html.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the LaBarge Platform Project EIS by any of the following 
methods:
     Web Site: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/pfodocs/labarge_platform.html.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (307) 367-5329.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Pinedale Field Office, 
Attn: LaBarge Platform Project Manager, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, WY 
82941.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the 
Pinedale Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information or to add your name to 
the

[[Page 38467]]

project mailing list, contact Lauren McKeever, Project Leader, 
Telephone 307-367-5300; e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The LaBarge Platform Project is generally 
located between Townships 26 and 31 North, Ranges 111 through 114 West, 
6th Principal Meridian, Sublette, and Lincoln Counties, Wyoming. The 
project area is located within 3 miles of Big Piney, Wyoming, within 1 
mile of La Barge, Wyoming and 60 miles northwest of Rock Springs, 
Wyoming. The project area covers approximately 218,000 acres of mixed 
Federal, State, and private lands. The BLM Pinedale Field Office and 
Rock Springs Field Office manage the Federal lands in the project area. 
The Pinedale Field Office will serve as the lead office.
    The proposed action is in conformance with the Pinedale Resource 
Management/Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision 
(ROD), 2008, and the Green River Resource Management Plan and its ROD, 
1997.
    The LaBarge Platform Project is located in an area of existing oil 
and gas development, some of which dates back to the 1920s. The project 
area is comprised of 70 percent public lands administered by the BLM, 5 
percent lands managed by the State of Wyoming and 24 percent private 
lands. Approximately 74 percent of the subsurface resources are Federal 
mineral estate. In April 2008, EOG submitted to the BLM a proposal to 
expand oil and natural gas exploration and development operations that 
would result in further development and additional wells in the 
existing LaBarge Platform and East LaBarge fields which have been in 
production since the 1920s.
    The purpose of the proposed project is to explore, extract, and 
recover oil and natural gas. EOG proposes to develop up to 
approximately 605 new oil and gas wells from an estimated 455 well pads 
as infill, exploratory, or step-out wells to all productive formations 
including but not limited to: Baxter, Frontier, and Mesa Verde. 
Associated facilities in the proposal include roads, well pads, and 
gathering pipelines. No additional ancillary facilities are included as 
part of the proposal nor considered as part of this analysis.
    The estimated life-of-project would be about 40-50 years. Depending 
on the geological characteristics of the target formation, wells would 
be drilled using a combination of vertical, directional, and horizontal 
drilling techniques. The proposal calls for a 10-year construction and 
drilling period.
    A number of other operators within or near the EOG project area 
expect to drill and develop approximately 175 natural gas wells within 
the reasonably foreseeable future. These possible wells would be 
analyzed in a separate alternative and addressed in the cumulative 
effects portion of this EIS document.
    During the preparation of the EIS, interim exploration and 
development will be subject to development guidelines and decisions 
made in applicable NEPA documents, including but not limited to: 
Coordinated Activity Plan for the Big Piney/LaBarge Area, and ROD, 
1991; Enron Oil & Gas Company East LaBarge Infill Drilling Project 
Environmental Assessment (EA), Finding of No Significant Impact and 
Decision Record 1992; the Green River Resource Management Plan and 
Final EIS and ROD, 1997; and the Pinedale Resource Management Plan/
Final EIS and ROD, 2008.
    The LaBarge Platform Project area is adjacent to the project area 
considered in the South Piney Natural Gas Project Draft EIS (2005). The 
proponent of the South Piney Project has not submitted any revised 
proposals nor has the BLM been contacted about continuing any further 
NEPA process. Therefore, the BLM has concluded its NEPA process and no 
further environmental documents will be prepared for the South Piney 
Project proposal.
    The EIS for the LaBarge Platform Project will analyze the 
environmental consequences of implementing the proposed action and 
alternatives to the proposed action, including a No Action alternative. 
Other alternatives that may be considered in detail include drilling 
surface densities and pace of development different from those of the 
proposed action.
    Your input is important and will be considered in the environmental 
analysis process. All comment submittals must include the commenter's 
name and street address. Comments including the names and addresses of 
the respondent will be available for public inspection at the above 
offices during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 
address, or any other personal identifying information in your comment, 
be advised that your entire comment, including your personal 
identifying information may be 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.
    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.

    Dated: May 22, 2009.
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. E9-18309 Filed 7-31-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P