[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 148 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 46171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16563]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWYP06000.LL13100000.DB0000]


Notice of Availability of a Proposed Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Converse 
County Oil and Gas Project, Converse County, 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, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates, analyzes, and 
discloses to the public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental 
impacts of the project proposal and the amendment for the Casper RMP to 
allow relief from timing stipulations for non-eagle raptors within the 
Converse County Oil and Gas Project Area (CCPA) in Converse County, 
Wyoming. This notice announces a 30-day protest period pursuant to 43 
CFR 1610.

DATES: This notice initiates a 30-day protest period for the Proposed 
RMP Amendment. In accordance with 43 CFR 1610.5-2, protests on the 
Proposed RMP Amendment must be submitted on or before August 31, 2020. 
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: The Proposed RMP Amendment and Final EIS may be examined 
online at https://go.usa.gov/xdYhv or at the following offices:
     BLM Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 
Wyoming 82604;
     BLM Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, 
Wyoming 82009.
    All protests on the Proposed RMP Amendment must be submitted in 
writing by any of the following methods:
    Website: https://go.usa.gov/xdYhv.
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Robinson, Project Manager, 
telephone: 307-261-7520; address: 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 
Wyoming 82604; 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 contact Mr. Robinson 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: An operator group (OG) comprised of 
Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Devon Energy, EOG Resources, Inc., 
Northwoods Energy and Occidental Petroleum, propose to develop oil and 
gas leases within the CCPA in Converse County, Wyoming.
    The CCPA encompasses approximately 1.5 million acres of land, of 
which approximately 88,466 surface acres (6 percent of the CCPA) are 
public lands administered by the BLM and approximately 63,911 surface 
acres (4 percent of the CCPA) are administered by the United States 
Forest Service. The remaining surface estate consists of approximately 
101,012 surface acres (7 percent) administered by the State of Wyoming 
and approximately 1,247,477 surface acres (83 percent) that are 
privately owned. The BLM administers approximately 964,525 acres of 
mineral estate (64 percent) within the CCPA. Split estate lands, lands 
with private surface and Federal mineral ownership, comprise 
approximately 812,189 acres of those 964,525 acres (54 of the 64 
percent) of the mineral ownership within the CCPA.
    The Final EIS describes and analyzes the impacts of Alternative A, 
the No Action Alternative, Alternative B, the OG's Proposed Action 
including six options as amendments to the Casper RMP and Alternative 
C. The Supplement to the Draft EIS detailed options 1 through 5 for 
Alternative B. Option 6, the Proposed RMP Amendment, was developed to 
incorporate comments from the Governor of the State of Wyoming and the 
OG.
    The agency preferred alternative and proposed plan amendment was 
identified in the Final EIS as Alternative B and Option 6. These 
presented the best means to allow for continued development in the area 
while minimizing impacts to resources.
    Any person who participated in the planning process and has an 
interest which is, or may be, adversely affected by the approval or 
amendment of the RMP may protest such approval or amendment. A protest 
may raise only those issues which were submitted for the record during 
the planning process. Instructions for filing a protest with the 
Director of the BLM regarding the Proposed RMP Amendment/Final EIS may 
be found in the ``Dear Reader'' Letter of the Final EIS and Proposed 
RMP 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)

Duane Spencer,
State Director, Wyoming.
[FR Doc. 2020-16563 Filed 7-30-20; 8:45 am]
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