[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 122 (Friday, June 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41331-41333]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15023]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[16X L1109PF LLUTG01100 L13110000.EJ0000 24 1A]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Monument Butte Area Oil and Gas Development Project, 
Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Utah

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 (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Monument Butte Area 
Oil and Gas Development Project and is announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for at 
least 45 days after the date on which the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability of the Final EIS in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Monument Butte Area Oil and Gas Development 
Project Final EIS are available for public inspection at the BLM-Vernal 
Field Office at 170 South 500 East Vernal, Utah 84078. Interested 
persons may also review the Final EIS on the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/nepa_.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Howard, NEPA Coordinator; 
telephone: 435-781-4469; address 170 South 500 East Vernal, Utah 84078; 
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. Replies are provided during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Newfield Exploration Company (Newfield) 
submitted oil and gas field development plan for the Monument Butte 
Project Area (MBPA) to the BLM. The MBPA encompasses approximately 
119,784 acres in an already developed field containing approximately 
3,209 existing oil and gas wells. The MBPA contemplates the drilling of 
up to 5,750 new oil and gas wells over a 16-year period, and the 
construction and operation of ancillary transportation, transmission, 
processing, and treatment facilities. The MBPA is located in 
southeastern Duchesne County and southwestern Uintah County:

Salt Lake Meridian, Utah

Tps. 8 S., Rs. 15 thru 19 E.
Tps. 9 S., Rs. 15 thru 19 E.
    The areas described, including both Federal and non-Federal 
lands, aggregate 119,784.12 acres.

    The BLM's purpose and need for the action is to respond to 
Newfield's proposal. The BLM intends to approve, approve with 
modifications, or disapprove Newfield's proposed project and project 
components based on the analysis of potential impact in the Final EIS 
and related documents. As part of this process, the BLM worked with 
Newfield, the State of Utah, Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 
(EPA) to develop measures designed to avoid, minimize, or mitigate 
environmental impacts to the extent possible, while allowing Newfield 
to exercise its valid existing lease rights. The Federal Land Policy 
and Management Act of 1976 recognizes oil

[[Page 41332]]

and gas development as one of the uses of the public lands. Federal 
mineral leasing statutes, including the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, 30 
U.S.C. 181 et seq., and their implementing regulations recognize the 
right of lease holders to develop Federal mineral resources to meet 
continuing national needs and economic demands, subject to lease 
stipulations and reasonable measures that the BLM may require to 
minimize adverse impacts.
    The BLM is the lead Federal agency for this Final EIS. Cooperating 
agencies include the EPA, Utah's Public Lands Policy and Coordination 
Office, and Duchesne and Uintah Counties.
    On August 25, 2010, the BLM published in the Federal Register a 
Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS. Public response to the NOI 
and public meetings included seven letters: Two from Federal agencies, 
one from a State agency, one from a county agency, and three from 
industry or private individuals. Comments focused on air quality 
impacts, impacts to adjacent gilsonite mining operations, recognition 
of valid existing lease rights, requests for flexibility in the 
decision, economic benefits, water impacts and protection, produced 
water treatment and management alternatives, noise impacts to wildlife 
and residences, weed expansion, the BLM's statutory and regulatory 
authority to manage air resources, and resource management plan (RMP) 
conformance.
    On December 20, 2013, the BLM published a Notice of Availability in 
the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Draft EIS. The 
Draft EIS was made available for a 45-day public comment period, which 
was subsequently extended by an additional 30 days at the request of 
the State of Utah. Twenty-three unique comment letters or emails were 
submitted: One from a Federal agency, one from the House of 
Representatives, one from a State agency, two from county governments, 
one from the proponent (Newfield), nine from other oil and gas industry 
representatives or trade groups, one from the proponent's outside legal 
counsel, one from a non-governmental organization, and six from private 
individuals. There were also 1,780 form letters received from members 
of the public that expressed concern regarding ozone impacts, and 161 
form letters received from Newfield employees that expressed concern 
over impacts to their livelihoods from the Agency Preferred 
Alternative. Substantive comments focused on technical flaws, water 
impacts and protection, air quality impacts, the BLM's statutory or 
regulatory authority to protect air quality or enforce air quality 
laws, economic benefits and losses, protection of wetlands and streams, 
produced water treatment and management alternatives, and surface 
restrictions in the Pariette Wetlands Area of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACEC) and Sclerocactus core conservation areas.
    The parameters of the Agency Preferred Alternative, Alternative D, 
were adjusted between the Draft EIS and the Final EIS in response to 
issues raised during the public comment period, which were not 
considered when the alternative was originally designed. The BLM 
engineers determined that the data provided regarding these technical 
issues was accurate and that measures presented in Alternative D 
adversely affected the proponent's ability to diligently and 
efficiently develop oil and gas resources in the MBPA consistent with 
their valid existing rights. The BLM also determined that other 
adjustments to the alternative were necessary. Since these adjustments 
were all within the range of alternatives considered in the Draft EIS, 
the BLM determined that a supplement to the Draft EIS was not 
necessary. However, the review period following release of the Final 
EIS has been extended to 45 days to provide additional time for review 
of these changes prior to BLM making a decision on the project.
    The Final EIS describes and analyzes the impacts of Newfield's 
Proposed Action and three alternatives, including the No Action 
Alternative. The following is a summary of the alternatives:
    1. Proposed Action--Up to 5,750 new oil or gas wells would be 
drilled over a period of 16 years. Additionally, this alternative 
includes the construction of approximately 243 miles of new roads and 
pipelines, 363 miles of new pipeline adjacent to existing roads, 21 new 
compressor stations, one gas processing plant, 7 new water treatment 
and injection facilities, 12 gas and oil separation plants, 6 water 
pump stations, as well as the drilling of a freshwater collector well, 
and the expansion of 6 existing water treatment and injection 
facilities and 3 existing compressor stations. Total new surface 
disturbance under the Proposed Action would be approximately 16,129 
acres, which would be reduced to 7,808 acres through interim 
reclamation.
    2. No Action Alternative--Drilling and completion of development 
wells and infrastructure would continue as previously approved, and the 
proposed natural gas development on BLM lands as described in the 
Proposed Action would not be implemented. Based on the foregoing 
documents and a review of information from Utah Division of Oil, Gas 
and Mining, the BLM has estimated that, as of December 31, 2012, 788 
wells remain to be drilled including construction of roads, pipelines, 
and additional support facilities. Total new surface disturbance under 
the No Action Alternative would be 870 acres of new disturbance, which 
would be reduced to 659 acres through interim reclamation.
    3. Field-wide Electrification Alternative--This alternative is 
identical to the Proposed Action, in that it would allow the drilling 
of up to 5,750 new wells in addition to the existing producing wells, 
with associated facilities. However, this alternative also incorporates 
a phased field-wide electrification component which consists of 
construction of 34 miles of overhead cross-country 69kV transmission 
lines, 156 miles of distribution lines, and 11 substations. Total new 
surface disturbance under this alternative would be approximately 
20,112 acres, which would be reduced to 10,173 acres through interim 
reclamation.
    4. Agency Preferred (Resource Protection) Alternative--This 
alternative was revised to meet the purpose and need for the project 
while: (1) Protecting the relevant and important values of the Pariette 
Wetlands ACEC; (2) minimizing the amount of new surface disturbance and 
habitat fragmentation within and around the Fish and Wildlife Service 
proposed Level 1 and 2 Core Conservation Areas (for two federally-
listed plant species: The Uinta Basin hookless cactus and the Pariette 
cactus); (3) precluding new well pads (with the exception of Newfield's 
proposed water collector well) and minimizing new surface disturbance 
(roads or pipelines) within 100-year floodplains; (4) precluding new 
well pads, pipelines, or roads within riparian habitats; and, (5) 
minimizing overall impacts from the proposed oil and gas development 
through the use of directional drilling technology. Under the Resource 
Protection Alternative, up to 5,750 new wellbores would be drilled. 
Additionally, this alternative includes the construction of 
approximately 226 miles of new roads and pipelines, 318 miles of new 
pipeline adjacent to existing roads, 21 new compressor stations, a gas 
processing plant, 7 new water treatment and injection facilities, 12 
gas and oil separation plants, 6 water pump stations, as well as the 
drilling of a freshwater collector well, and the expansion of 6 
existing water treatment and injection facilities and 3 existing 
compressor stations. Total new surface disturbance under the Agency 
Preferred

[[Page 41333]]

Alternative would be approximately 10,122 acres, which would be reduced 
to 4,978 acres through interim reclamation.
    The Final EIS contains detailed analysis of impacts to: Air 
quality, including greenhouse gas emissions; geology and minerals; 
paleontological resources; soil, surface water and groundwater 
resources; vegetation, including weeds; range, including livestock 
grazing; fish and wildlife, including migratory birds and raptors; 
special status wildlife and plant species; cultural resources; land use 
and transportation; recreation; visual resources; special designations, 
including Pariette Wetlands ACEC, Lower Green River Corridor ACEC, and 
Suitable Lower Green River Wild and Scenic River; and social and 
economic resources, including environmental justice. Based on the 
impact analysis, on-site, landscape and compensatory conservation and 
mitigation actions have been identified for each alternative to achieve 
resource objectives.
    Also worth noting are changes between the draft and final EIS to 
the air quality section. In the Draft EIS BLM committed to conducting 
photochemical modeling post-ROD through the Air Resource Management 
Strategy modeling platform. However, that modeling platform became 
available shortly after the comment period on the Draft EIS closed, so 
that modeling was conducted for, and the results are included in, the 
Final EIS. Upon review of those modeling results, applicant-committed 
air quality mitigation measures were refined, and additional applicant- 
and BLM-committed measures to further reduce emissions from the MBPA 
were included in the Final EIS. This robust suite of measures was 
developed in consultation between Neufield, the BLM, EPA and the State 
of Utah. The robust measures will help minimize and mitigate impacts to 
important air resource values. These measures have been analyzed in the 
Final EIS and are within the range of alternative analyzed in the Draft 
EIS.
    All required consultations, including Endangered Species Act 
section 7 Consultation, National Historic Preservation Act section 106 
Consultation, and government-to-government consultation with interested 
Native American Tribes, have been completed. During the section 7 
Consultation for the Final EIS, many additional applicant- and agency-
committed mitigation measures, including a detailed Conservation, 
Restoration and Mitigation Strategy for the Pariette and Uinta Basin 
Hookless Cactus, were developed and incorporated into the Agency 
Preferred Alternative. This process is explained in greater detail in 
the Biological Opinion. The Biological Assessment, Biological Opinion, 
and additional mitigation measures and cactus strategy are all attached 
to the Final EIS as Appendix J.
    Since the publication of the Monument Butte Draft EIS, the Utah 
Greater Sage-Grouse Land Use Plan Amendment Record of Decision (ROD) 
has been issued. No Sagebrush Focal Areas, General Habitat Management 
Areas, or Priority Habitat Management Areas are present within the 
Monument Butte project boundary. Therefore, the BLM determined that the 
provisions of the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Land Use Plan Amendment do 
not affect the MBPA.
    After the conclusion of Final EIS review period, the BLM will issue 
a ROD which will describe the selected alternative and any conditions 
of approval, including a mitigation strategy.
    The selected alternative will be conceptual only. Any well pads, 
roads, pipelines and other facilities and infrastructure that may be 
constructed in the future in the project area will be subject to an 
appropriate level of site-specific NEPA analysis prior to final 
approval.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Jenna Whitlock,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-15023 Filed 6-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P