[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 162 (Monday, August 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51839-51840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20875]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Environmental Impact Statement for Oil and Gas Development 
Activities on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, Utah

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), in cooperation with the Ute Indian Tribe, Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Army Corp of 
Engineers (ACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Utah, and Duchesne 
County, intends to gather information necessary for preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates proposed oil and 
gas development activities on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation 
(Reservation), Utah. The Proposed Action consists of drilling up to 
4,899 oil and/or natural gas wells over the next 15 years, with a life-
of-project of 40 years. In addition to well pad development, linear 
developments would include roads, pipelines, and power lines. The 
Proposed Action would also include the development of ancillary 
facilities such as compressor stations, water treatment facilities, and 
storage areas. This notice also announces public scoping meetings that 
will be held to identify potential issues and alternatives to be 
considered in the EIS.

DATES: The dates of the public scoping meetings will be included in 
notices posted in the Vernal Express, Basin Standard, and Salt Lake 
Tribune, 15 days prior to the meeting. Written comments on the scope of 
the EIS or implementation of the proposal must arrive within 30 days 
following the public scoping meeting.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Bucky 
Secakuku, Realty Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Uintah and Ouray 
Agency, 988 South 7500 East, P.O. Box 130, Fort Duchesne, Utah 84026; 
telephone: (435) 722-4331; e-mail: [email protected]. 
The locations of the public scoping meetings will be included in 
notices posted in the Vernal Express, Basin Standard, and Salt Lake 
Tribune, 15 days prior to the meeting. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
for instructions for submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Manuel Moyre, Acting Energy Minerals 
Director, Ute Indian Tribe, Energy and Minerals Department, 988 South 
7500 East Annex Building, P.O. Box 70, Fort Duchesne, Utah 84026; 
telephone: (435) 725-4967; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The goals of this EIS are to provide agency 
decision makers, the Ute Tribe, and the general public with a 
comprehensive analysis and understanding of oil and gas development 
alternatives on the Reservation, and their existing and potential 
future impacts; to provide a better understanding of the cumulative 
impacts of increased development on the Reservation; to identify and 
propose mitigation measures that would minimize or prevent significant 
adverse impacts; to provide a programmatic National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) document from which to tier future site-specific 
environmental analyses of oil and gas development proposals; and to 
provide a framework for approval of oil and gas operations for the next 
15 years.
    This EIS analyzes oil and gas development strategies on the 
Reservation over the next 15 years. For the purposes of this EIS the 
``Analysis Area'' will include a total of 1,886,770 acres. This acreage 
includes a non-congruent combination of Tribal surface (1,064,570 
acres) and estate (873,540 acres) that intermittently overlap across 
the Reservation.
    The Proposed Action consists of drilling up to 4,899 oil and/or 
natural gas wells over the next 15 years, with a life-of-project of 40 
years. Approximately 10 percent of the wells would be drilled on 
existing pads. Economic conditions and the evaluation of the drilling 
results would determine the actual number of wells that would be 
drilled. In addition to well pad development, linear developments would 
include roads, pipelines, and powerlines. Surface disturbance would 
also occur as a result of development of ancillary facilities such as 
compressor stations, water treatment facilities, and storage areas. 
Initial disturbance from construction of these components is estimated 
to be approximately 23,254 acres.
    The purpose for the activities proposed in this EIS is to 
economically extract, in an efficient and environmentally compatible 
manner, the oil and gas resources known to exist in mineral estates 
held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Ute Indian 
Tribe and individual Indians. The action is proposed to meet the Ute 
Indian Tribe's need to maximize their economic benefit from this trust 
source.
    The BIA will have authority over decisions regarding the EIS and 
these decisions will be documented in a Record of Decision. Cooperating 
agencies will provide expertise and data for their resources of 
interest and will aid in the development of alternatives and mitigation 
measures that will minimize or prevent significant adverse impacts.

[[Page 51840]]

Directions for Submitting Public Comments

    Please include your name, return address, and the caption ``EIS, 
Uintah and Ouray Oil and Gas Development,'' on the first page of your 
written comments. You may also submit comments at the public scoping 
meetings.

Public Availability of Comments

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the BIA address shown in the ADDRESSES 
section, during business hours, 7:30 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, you should be aware 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 your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with sections 1503.1 of the 
Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 
U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), 
and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, by part 209 of the Departmental 
Manual.

    Dated: August 6, 2010.
George T. Skibine,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2010-20875 Filed 8-20-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P