[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 240 (Friday, December 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64354-64355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27154]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYD04000-L51010000-ER0000-LVRWK16K1600 16X]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Riley Ridge to Natrona Project, Wyoming
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 (NEPA), as amended, and the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as
amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office
has prepared a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Riley
Ridge to Natrona Project (RRNP or Project) and by this notice announces
a 30-day availability period before making any final decisions.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days after the date on which the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the final
EIS in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the final EIS have been sent to affected Federal,
State, and local governments; public libraries in the Project area; and
interested parties that previously requested a copy. The final EIS and
other supporting documents will be available electronically on the
following BLM website: https://go.usa.gov/xPfkk.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Mackiewicz, BLM Senior National
Project Manager, telephone 435-636-3616; address 280 Highway 191 North,
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901; email [email protected].
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to speak with
Mr. Mackiewicz during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question for the
above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM is responding to four applications
for right-of-way grants submitted by Denbury Green Pipeline-Riley
Ridge, LLC (Denbury) and PacifiCorp, doing business as Rocky Mountain
Power (collectively referred to as the Applicant), to the BLM for the
Project. Denbury submitted an ``Application for Transportation and
Utility Systems and Facilities on Federal Lands'' (Standard Form 299)
to the BLM for two underground pipeline projects: (1) The Riley Ridge
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Pipeline Project (WYW-167867) and (2)
the Bairoil to Natrona CO2 Pipeline Project (WYW-168290). In
addition, Denbury has proposed two hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
injection wells (WYW-181373) to be sited near the proposed Riley Ridge
Sweetening Plant, which is included in the Riley Ridge CO2
Pipeline Project application. PacifiCorp submitted an application for a
right-of-way for a 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line (WYW-185369) to
supply energy to the Riley Ridge Sweetening Plant. The applications for
right-of-way grants for Denbury's Proposed Action were submitted to the
BLM on February 19, 2013 (Denbury), and January 25, 2016 (PacifiCorp);
the proposal for the injection wells was submitted to the BLM on
September 12, 2013. Collectively, the Project consists of the following
components (as proposed):
An underground non-gaseous H2S/CO2
pipeline from the existing Riley Ridge Treating Plant (a methane and
helium recovery facility) to the proposed Riley Ridge Sweetening Plant,
consisting of 31 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipe within Sublette County;
[[Page 64355]]
A CO2 underground pipeline from the proposed
Riley Ridge Sweetening Plant to the Bairoil Interconnect, consisting of
129 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipe, and continuing from the
interconnect another 84 miles to the terminus at the Natrona Hub within
Natrona County;
The 4.3-acre proposed Riley Ridge Sweetening Plant,
located on BLM-administered lands, constructed and operated to separate
the CO2 from the H2S; the H2S would be
reinjected into deep geologic formations via two proposed injection
wells;
An approximately 1-mile-long 230 kV overhead transmission
line that would bring power to the Riley Ridge Sweetening Plant from an
existing 230 kV transmission line; and
Ancillary facilities, such as roads, valves, flowlines,
etc.
The purpose of this Federal action is to respond to the Applicant's
right-of-way applications for construction, operation, and maintenance
of the Project infrastructure across Federal land. Section 28 of the
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 provides authority for BLM to issue right-
of-way grants for pipeline purposes, and FLPMA provides the BLM with
discretionary authority to grant use of public lands, including rights-
of-way, taking into consideration impacts on natural, cultural, and
historical resources.
The BLM is the lead Federal agency for this EIS as defined at 40
CFR part 1501.5. Cooperating agencies include U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the State
of Wyoming; Freemont, Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, and Natrona
counties in Wyoming; and the Natrona County, Popo Agie, Sublette
County, and Sweetwater County conservation districts in Wyoming.
In accordance with NEPA, the BLM prepared an EIS analyzing the
right-of-way applications using an interdisciplinary approach to
consider a variety of resource issues and concerns identified during
internal, interagency, and public scoping. The BLM published a NOA of
the Draft EIS for public review and comment in the Federal Register on
March 23, 2018 (83 FR 12810). The EPA published a NOA of the Draft EIS
for public review and comment in the Federal Register on the same day,
which initiated a 45-day public review period.
To allow the public an opportunity to review information associated
with the Project and comment on the Draft EIS, the BLM hosted four
public meetings in April 2018. The public meetings on the Draft EIS
were held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the following locations:
[ssquf] April 9--Ramada Plaza Riverside, 300 West F Street, Casper,
Wyoming
[ssquf] April 10--Rodeway Inn/Pronghorn Lodge, 150 East Main Street,
Lander, Wyoming
[ssquf] April 11--Marbleton Town Hall, 10700 Highway 189, Marbleton,
Wyoming
[ssquf] April 12--BLM High Desert District Office, 280 Highway 191
North, Rock Springs, Wyoming
During the 45-day comment period, 19 submittals offering comments
on the Draft EIS were received from various federal, State, and local
agencies; various special interest groups; corporations; and public
citizens. This included 14 letters, 3 comment forms, and 2 emails with
comments submitted at the public open house meetings and mailed to the
BLM. In compliance with the requirements of the Council on
Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA, all
substantive comments received were assessed and a response provided. Of
the 19 comment submittals received, 70 comments were identified as
substantive according to BLM guidelines.
The BLM responded to comments received on the draft EIS in the
final EIS. After the final waiting period, and based on the
environmental analysis in the final EIS, the BLM will prepare a Record
of Decision documenting the BLM Authorized Officer's decision.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Tim Wakefield,
High Desert District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2018-27154 Filed 12-13-18; 8:45 am]
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