[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 174 (Friday, September 7, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55222-55223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21939]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCON05000 L16100000.DS0000]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Oil and Gas 
Development for the White River Field Office in Garfield, Moffat and 
Rio Blanco Counties, CO

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the White River Field Office 
(WRFO) and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment 
period.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS within 90 days 
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes this 
notice in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future meetings 
or hearings and any other public participation activities at least 15 
days in advance through public notices, media releases, and/or 
mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the WRFO Oil and Gas 
Development Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 970-878-3805.
     Mail: BLM--WRFO, 220 East Market Street, Meeker, Colorado 
81641.
    Copies of the WRFO Oil and Gas Development Draft RMP Amendment/
Draft EIS are available in the WRFO at the above address or on the WRFO 
Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/wrfo.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact 
Heather Sauls, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, telephone 970-
878-3855; see address above; email [email protected]. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is

[[Page 55223]]

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal 
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM prepared the WRFO Oil and Gas 
Development Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS to evaluate and amend, as 
necessary, the current management decisions for oil and natural gas 
resources within the WRFO planning area. The current management 
decisions for oil and natural gas resources are described in the White 
River Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP) 
(approved July 1, 1997), as amended (1997 WRFO RMP).
    The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS addresses public lands and 
resources managed by the WRFO. The WRFO planning area includes 
approximately 2.7 million acres of BLM, National Park Service, U.S. 
Forest Service, State, and private lands. It is located in northwestern 
Colorado, primarily in Rio Blanco County, with additional tracts 
located in Moffat and Garfield counties. Within the WRFO planning area, 
the BLM administers approximately 1.5 million surface acres and 2.2 
million acres of Federal oil and natural gas mineral (subsurface) 
estate. Surface management decisions made as a result of this Draft RMP 
Amendment/Draft EIS will apply only to the BLM-administered lands in 
the WRFO planning area.
    The WRFO has determined that an amendment to the current RMP is 
necessary to address an unanticipated increase in the rate of oil and 
natural gas development. The 1997 WRFO RMP projected and analyzed a 
Reasonable Foreseeable Development (RFD) Scenario of 1,100 oil and 
natural gas wells, with 10 acres of disturbance per well, over a 20-
year period. The 2007 RFD Scenario indicates that the potential exists 
to develop as many as 21,200 new wells on 2,556 multiple well pads, 
resulting in 31,257 acres of associated surface disturbance. The 
purpose of the WRFO Oil and Gas Development Draft RMP Amendment/Draft 
EIS is to provide effective management direction for public lands 
administered by the WRFO that analyzes oil and natural gas exploration 
and development activities in excess of levels evaluated in the 1997 
WRFO RMP. During the development of the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS, 
the BLM reviewed the decisions contained in the 1997 WRFO RMP. Many 
decisions contained in the 1997 WRFO RMP are adequate and remain valid. 
The BLM intends to carry those management decisions forward, in 
addition to the management decisions approved through this Draft RMP 
Amendment/Draft EIS process. None of the alternatives in this amendment 
considers the creation of new special designations, management of lands 
with wilderness characteristics, or changes which areas are open or 
closed to oil and natural gas leasing. These allocation decisions made 
in the 1997 WRFO RMP are still valid.
    The Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS evaluates four alternatives in 
detail, including the No Action Alternative (Alternative A) and three 
action alternatives (Alternatives B, C and D). The BLM identified 
Alternative C as the preferred alternative. However, it is important to 
note that identification of a preferred alternative does not constitute 
a commitment or decision in principle, and there is no requirement to 
select the preferred alternative in the Record of Decision. Various 
parts of separate alternatives analyzed in the draft can also be 
``mixed and matched'' to develop a complete alternative in the final 
EIS. Alternative A would retain the current management goals, 
objectives, and direction specified in the 1997 WRFO RMP, updating the 
20-year development projection. Alternative B incorporates a managed 
development approach that offers operator incentives for concentrated 
development (e.g., year-round drilling instead of timing limitations if 
development does not exceed a particular threshold) and emphasizes 
conservation and protection of other resources by limiting the duration 
and overall extent of oil and natural gas development. Its focus is on 
protection of resources and sustaining the ecological integrity of 
habitats for all priority plant, wildlife, and fish species, 
particularly the habitats needed for conserving and recovering 
threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Alternative C also 
incorporates a managed development approach, but higher disturbance 
thresholds, more exceptions and modifications to lease stipulations 
could be granted compared to Alternative B. Alternative C emphasizes a 
balance among competing human interests, land uses, and natural and 
cultural resource value conservation by strategically addressing 
demands across the landscape. Alternative D emphasizes maximizing oil 
and natural gas production while maintaining the basic protection 
needed to sustain resources afforded by applicable laws, regulations, 
and BLM policy.
    The BLM used public scoping comments to help identify planning 
issues to direct the formulation of alternatives and to frame the scope 
of analysis in the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS. The BLM also used the 
scoping process to introduce the public to preliminary planning 
criteria, which set limits on the scope of the Draft RMP Amendment/
Draft EIS.
    Major issues considered in the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS 
include air and water quality, biological resources, wild horse and 
rangeland management, fire management, special designations, cultural 
and paleontological resources, American Indian concerns, recreation 
management, social and economic values, utility corridors, roads and 
travel management, and visual resource management among others. The 
Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS details a range of possible mitigation 
measures to reduce impacts to Greater Sage-Grouse and their habitat. In 
addition, the BLM Colorado Northwest District is preparing a Greater 
Sage-Grouse EIS that may result in a subsequent WRFO RMP amendment 
prescribing additional protections for the Greater Sage-Grouse.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted 
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who 
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at 
the above address during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Before including your address, phone number, email 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:  40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2

Helen M. Hankins,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-21939 Filed 9-6-12; 8:45 am]
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