[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 12 (Thursday, January 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3911-3913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00853]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-050-1310-DB]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Possible Amendment to the Casper Resource Management Plan, Fremont, 
Sweetwater, and Natrona Counties, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lander 
Field Office, Rawlins Field Office, and Casper Field Office intend to

[[Page 3912]]

prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Moneta 
Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project, which may include a 
land use plan amendment to the Casper Resource Management Plan (RMP), 
and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process 
to solicit public comments and identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS and 
possible land use plan amendment. You may submit written comments on 
issues until March 4, 2013. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping 
meeting will be announced at least 15 days in advance through the local 
news media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at www.blm.gov/wy/en/info/NEPA/documents/lfo/moneta-divide.html. In order to be addressed in the 
Draft EIS, all comments must be received prior to the close of the 
scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is 
later. We will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation upon publication of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Web site: www.blm.gov/wy/en/info/NEPA/documents/lfo/moneta-divide.html.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 307-332-8444.
     Mail: Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development 
Project, Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street, Lander, WY 82520.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Lander 
Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Chris Krassin, Project 
Coordinator, telephone: 307-332-8400; address: 1335 Main Street, 
Lander, WY 82520; 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 
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: This document provides notice that the 
Lander Field Office, Rawlins Field Office, and Casper Field Office 
intend to prepare an EIS to support decision-making regarding the 
proposed Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project, begin 
the public scoping period, and seek input on the preliminary issues 
identified with respect to this Project. In addition, BLM authorization 
of this proposed project may require amendment of the 2007 Casper RMP. 
By this notice, the BLM is complying with requirements in 43 CFR 
1610.2(c) to notify the public of potential amendments to land use 
plans, predicated on the findings of the EIS, and to seek public input 
on preliminary planning issues. If a land use plan amendment is 
necessary, the BLM will integrate the land use planning process with 
the NEPA process for this project.
    Proponent energy development companies (the companies) propose to 
develop up to 4,250 natural gas and oil wells within the proposed 
Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project area. The 
proposed development project area is located in Fremont and Natrona 
counties and encompasses approximately 265,000 acres of land, of which 
138,000 acres are public land administered by the Lander Field Office. 
Approximately 31,500 acres of the project area are public lands 
administered by the Casper Field Office. The southern portion of a 
proposed pipeline associated with the project is located in Sweetwater 
County on lands administered by the Rawlins Field Office. The balance 
of the development project area consists of State and private lands. 
The Lander Field Office will serve as the lead for this Project.
    The companies propose to develop using downhole well spacing of up 
to 20 acres in select areas within the proposed project area using 
directional, vertical, and other drilling techniques, and propose to 
develop infrastructure to support oil and gas production in the project 
area, including: Well pads; gathering, treating, processing and 
compression production facilities; water wells, water treatment, water 
injection and evaporation facilities; electric power lines, roads, gas 
flow lines, and pipelines. The companies propose to transport gas 
through pipelines to approximately five field compression and treatment 
facilities. The companies propose to reinject produced water in some 
instances, evaporate it in some instances, and treat and dispose of it 
through the use of surface and subsurface facilities in other 
instances. The companies also propose to construct gas processing 
facilities in the project area to separate natural gas liquids from the 
natural gas stream as well as to construct a new pipeline to transport 
and deliver natural gas and natural gas liquids to market pipelines 
located near Wamsutter, Wyoming (approximately 100 miles south of the 
project area). The southern portion of the pipeline (approximately 42 
miles in length) is proposed in Sweetwater County, Wyoming and public 
lands included within this segment are administered by the Rawlins 
Field Office.
    Anticipated surface disturbance associated with the Moneta Divide 
Project proposal will include approximately 13,500 acres of initial 
surface disturbance for the construction of new roads, well pads, 
pipelines and associated facilities, of which approximately 5,500 acres 
could remain for the life of the project.
    The BLM will evaluate any authorizations and actions within the 
Casper Field Office administrative area that are proposed for approval 
in the EIS to determine if they conform to the decisions in the 2007 
Casper RMP. At this time, some management actions particularly for 
surface disturbing activities and wildlife stipulations in the Casper 
RMP do not match the Lander RMP (1987). In an effort to have 
consistency in management actions within the Moneta Divide project area 
and across the Lander and Casper Field Office administrative 
boundaries, it is anticipated that some management actions may result 
in a change in terms and conditions or decisions of the Casper RMP, 
which in turn may require amendment of the RMP. Prior to approval, any 
proposed actions that would result in a change in the scope of resource 
uses, terms and conditions, and decisions of the Casper RMP would 
require amendment of the RMP. If the BLM determines that a plan 
amendment is necessary, the analysis necessary for the RMP amendment 
would occur simultaneously with preparation of the Moneta Divide 
Natural Gas and Oil Development Project EIS. The preliminary planning 
criteria would include:
     The RMP amendment will comply with NEPA, FLPMA, and other 
applicable laws, executive orders, regulations and policy;
     The RMP amendment will recognize valid existing rights;
     The BLM would limit the scope of the RMP amendment to the 
BLM-administered public lands and mineral estate within the project 
area proposed for the Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development 
Project EIS; and
     A collaborative and multi-jurisdictional approach will be 
used, where possible, to jointly determine the desired future condition 
and management direction for the public lands. To the extent possible 
and within

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legal and regulatory parameters, the BLM planning and management 
decisions will complement the planning and management decisions of 
other agencies, State and local governments, and Native American 
tribes, with jurisdictions intermingled with, and adjacent to, the 
planning area.
    To provide the public with an opportunity to review the proposed 
project and the project information, as well as the possible proposed 
plan amendment, the BLM will host meetings in Riverton and Casper 
within 45 days of the publication of this notice. The BLM will notify 
the public of meetings and any other opportunities for the public to be 
involved in the environmental review for this proposal at least 15 days 
prior to the event. Meeting dates, locations and times will be 
announced by a news release to the media, individual mailings and 
postings on the project Web site.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS. 
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: 
Potential impacts to air quality, disposal of produced water, and 
potential effects of development and production on surface resources 
including vegetation and wildlife habitat.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to 
help fulfill the public involvement process under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 
36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural 
resources within the area potentially affected by the proposed action 
will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such 
resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the NHPA. 
Native American tribal consultations will be conducted in accordance 
with policy, and tribal concerns will be given due consideration, 
including impacts on Indian trust assets. Federal, State, and local 
agencies, along with other stakeholders that may be interested or 
affected by the BLM's decision on this project, are invited to 
participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be 
requested by the BLM to participate as a cooperating agency.
    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 may 
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 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2)

Donald A. Simpson,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2013-00853 Filed 1-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P