[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10187-10188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03511]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWYR05000 L13140000.NB0000 19X]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Moneta Divide Natural Gas and Oil Development Project 
and Proposed Casper Resource Management Plan Amendment, WY

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 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Final Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for the proposed Moneta Divide Natural 
Gas and Oil Development Project within the BLM Lander, Casper and 
Rawlins field offices.

DATES: The BLM will issue a Record of Decision no earlier than 30 days 
from the date of the Notice of Availability published by the 
Environmental Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: Requests for information regarding the Final EIS may be 
mailed to:

     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Holly Elliott, Moneta Divide EIS Project Manager, 
BLM Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street Lander, WY 82520.

Copies of the Final EIS are available on the project website at: 
https://go.usa.gov/xnU9z or at the following locations:

 BLM Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street, Lander, Wyoming
 BLM Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospect Drive, Casper, Wyoming
 BLM Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North Third Rawlins, Wyoming

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Holly Elliott, Moneta Divide EIS 
Project Manager, BLM Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street, Lander, WY 
82520, 307-347-5100, [email protected] Persons who use 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during 
normal business hours. The FRS 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: The Moneta Divide project is principally 
located along U.S. Route 20/26 near the town of Lysite in Fremont and 
Natrona counties, Wyoming. A proposed product pipeline extends south 
from the oil and gas production area through Fremont and Sweetwater 
counties to Wamsutter, Wyoming. The project spans the BLM Wind River/
Bighorn Basin, High Plains and High Desert districts. The project area 
encompasses approximately 327,645 acres of public, state and private 
lands. Approximately 83 percent of the mineral estate in the project 
area is administered by the BLM.
    Aethon Energy Operating, LLC and Burlington Resources Oil & Gas 
Company, LP are proposing to develop up to 4,250 wells and associated 
facilities over a 15-year period. Under the Plan of Development, Aethon 
would drill up to 4,100 wells, of which approximately two-thirds would 
be drilled vertically from single-well pads and one-third would be 
drilled directionally from multi-well pads, consisting of four wells 
per pad. Burlington would drill up to 150 wells from single-well pads. 
The proponents would utilize disposal wells, water treatment plants, 
evaporation ponds, surface discharge and other approaches to produced-
water management. Water pipelines delivering treated produced water to 
Boysen Reservoir could also be built. Associated access roads, 
pipelines, compressor stations and other ancillary facilities would be 
co-located where possible to further minimize surface disturbance.
    The BLM analyzed five alternatives:
    Alternative 1, the No Action Alternative, includes existing 
standard stipulations and oil and gas well development authorized 
during the preparation of the EIS in accordance with the Interim 
Drilling Plan.
    Alternative 2, the Proposed Action, is the proponents' Plan of 
Development.
    Alternative 3 emphasizes resource production, analyzing development 
using only single-well pads and other measures that facilitate oil and 
gas development within the project area.
    Alternative 4 addresses a range of resource issues identified 
during scoping and provides the proponents greater flexibility to treat 
and dispose of produced water. Specifically, Alternative 4 analyzes 
reduced surface disturbance through more directionally drilled wells 
placed on multi-well pads, wildlife and cultural resources protection 
measures, and a water management strategy that would involve greater 
surface discharge of produced water and more disposal wells.
    All action alternatives (Alternatives 2, 3 and 4) analyzed the same 
rate of development, although Alternative 4 would allow a slower pace 
of development, if needed, for managing produced water in accordance 
with federal and state requirements.
    The Final EIS also evaluates amendments to the Casper RMP, which 
are analyzed under Alternatives 3 and 4. Under Alternative 3, the 
Casper RMP would be amended to establish a Designated Development Area 
in the portion of the Moneta Divide oil and gas well production area in 
the Casper Field Office to facilitate intensive mineral production. 
Under Alternative 4, the Casper RMP would be amended to increase the 
protections of the Cedar Ridge Traditional Cultural Property (TCP). The 
proposed amendments are not required in order to authorize the Moneta 
Divide project, which as proposed, is in conformance with the Casper 
RMP.
    The Agency Preferred Alternative was identified in the Final EIS. 
The Preferred Alternative was developed to incorporate resource 
conservation

[[Page 10188]]

considerations like those included in Alternative 4 (e.g., multi-well 
pads and less disturbance), as well as providing the Companies 
flexibility to use, treat, and dispose of water in response to changing 
technology and economic conditions like Alternative 4. However, the 
Preferred Alternative includes additional measures to prioritize water 
management in an effort to minimize impacts to BLM protected resources 
resulting from surface water discharge. The maximum number of wells 
would be the same as Alternative 4 and the Preferred Alternative would 
also include an amendment to the Casper RMP to increase protection 
measures for the Cedar Ridge TCP, but the Preferred Alternative would 
differ from Alternative 4 by encouraging the Companies to utilize the 
pipeline option rather than surface discharge. In addition, the 
Companies would be required to submit a conservation plan prior to 
approval of additional surface discharge point locations.
    All alternatives conform to the provisions of the Lander RMP Record 
of Decision (2014), Casper RMP Record of Decision (2007) and Rawlins 
RMP Record of Decision (2008), as amended.
    Treatment and disposal of produced water would be in compliance 
with State of Wyoming permit(s) including all protections against 
degradation of public lands. All alternatives require that interim and 
final reclamation activities would be implemented to return the 
landscape to proper biological and ecological function in conformance 
with the Moneta Divide Reclamation Plan and the relevant RMPs.
    The Draft EIS was published April 19, 2019, with the publication in 
the Federal Register of the Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS and 
a possible land use plan amendment to the Casper RMP (84 FR 16532). 
Comments on the Draft EIS and Draft Land Use Plan Amendment received 
from the public and internal agency review were considered and 
incorporated as appropriate into the proposed plan amendment. Public 
comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text, but did not 
significantly change proposed land use plan decisions. A response to 
substantive comments is included in the Final EIS and Proposed Land Use 
Plan Amendment.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment/Final EIS may be found 
in the ``Dear Reader'' Letter of the Final EIS and Proposed Land Use 
Plan Amendment and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing 
and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES 
section above. Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests 
unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either 
regular mail or overnight delivery postmarked by the close of the 
protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the email 
as an advanced copy, and it will receive full consideration. If you 
wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please direct 
emails to: [email protected].
    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.

Timothy J. Wilson,
Acting BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-03511 Filed 2-20-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-22-P