[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68087-68088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23761]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWY925000.L13400000.PQ0000 20X]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative (WPCI) Resource 
Management Plan Amendments to 9 BLM-Wyoming Resource Management Plans

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 Proposed Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for the proposed Wyoming Pipeline 
Corridor Initiative(WPCI) within the BLM Cody, Worland, Buffalo, 
Casper, Lander, Pinedale, Kemmerer, Rawlins and Rock Springs field 
offices. This notice identifies the initiation of the 30-day protest 
period and the 60-day Governor's consistency review period for the 
Proposed RMP Amendment.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's Final 
Programmatic EIS and Proposed RMP Amendment. A person who meets the 
conditions and files a protest must file the protest within 30 days of 
the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice 
of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Requests for information regarding the Final EIS may be 
mailed to:
     Mail: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box 261117, Lakewood, CO 
80226, Overnight Delivery: Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator 2850, Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215.
    Copies of the Final EIS are available on the project website at: 
https://go.usa.gov/xpCMr or https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1502028/570.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Schultz, Project Manager, 
telephone 307-775-6084; address 5353 Yellowstone Road Cheyenne Wyoming; 
email [email protected]. Contact Ms. Schultz to add your name to our 
mailing list. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf

[[Page 68088]]

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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: The State of Wyoming is proposing a pipeline 
corridor network for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), 
enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and other compatible uses to be designated 
on BLM-managed lands in Wyoming through the land use planning process. 
The State of Wyoming proposes that roughly 2,000 miles and 25 segments 
of pipeline corridors be designated on BLM-managed lands and in those 
lands' associated RMPs. The proposed WPCI corridors are divided into 
segments based on proposed width and the regions they will service. The 
BLM analyzed the State's proposal by preparing an EIS. Based on the 
findings of the EIS process, the BLM is proposing to amend the nine 
RMPs containing lands proposed for pipeline corridors to designate 
those corridors. If the BLM were to receive a right-of-way application 
for CCUS and EOR pipelines or related facilities in the future, project 
specific NEPA would be completed separately at that time. The analysis 
has identified issues to address within the planning area, including 
Greater Sage-Grouse; big game habitat (including migration corridors); 
potential conflicts with coal mining and other resource uses; air 
quality; transportation; vegetation and reclamation success; 
anticipated oil and gas development in the planning area; existing 
rights-of-way, valid existing rights and other authorizations that may 
not be permitted in the corridor; and opportunities to apply best 
management practices and design features.
    The BLM analyzed five alternatives:
    Alternative A: No Action Under this alternative, none of the RMPs 
would be amended to establish additional corridors, and the existing 
corridors would remain and would not be dedicated to pipelines and 
facilities associated with CCUS, EOR and other uses. These corridors 
would remain available for any type of potential future project.
    Alternative B: Proposed Action: Dedicates Corridors for CCUS and 
EOR Projects. Portions of existing corridors (300ft or 200ft wide) 
would be dedicated to pipelines and facilities associated with CCUS, 
EOR and other uses as outlined in the State of Wyoming Proposal. These 
corridors would be designated both in Sage Grouse Priority Habitat 
Management Areas (PHMA) and outside of PHMA as proposed by the state of 
Wyoming.
    Alternative C: Maintain Existing Management in Existing Corridors 
and create new corridors dedicated to CCUS and EOR Projects. Routes 
would be modified or eliminated from the Proposal to avoid resource 
conflicts, Sage Grouse PHMA, pre-existing rights, existing uses and 
infrastructure. Use of existing corridors would be maximized. 
Management of existing corridors would remain the same and would not be 
dedicated to pipelines and facilities associated with CCUS and EOR. 
Additional corridors would be created (300ft or 200ft wide) dedicated 
to CCUS, EOR and other uses as outlined in the Proposal and analyzed in 
the EIS. Additional corridors would be not be created in Sage Grouse 
PHMA.
    Alternative D: Dedicate portions of existing corridors and create 
new corridors dedicated to CCUS and EOR Projects. Routes would be 
modified or eliminated from the Proposal to avoid resource conflicts, 
Sage Grouse PHMA, pre-existing rights, existing uses and 
infrastructure. Portions of existing corridors (300ft or 200ft wide) 
would be dedicated to pipelines and facilities associated with CCUS and 
EOR and other uses as outlined in the State of Wyoming Proposal. 
Additional corridors would be not be created in Sage Grouse PHMA.
    Preferred Alternative (Alternative E): The Preferred Alternative 
was developed in response to public comments received on the Draft EIS, 
and combines the uniqueness of each of the 25 segments with the current 
RMP's as well as specific siting, resource conflicts, restrictions, 
etc. identified in the robust WPCI analysis. Alternative E does not 
represent new analysis conducted but rather blends the analysis 
developed in the Draft EIS under Alternatives B and D.
    Instructions for filing a protest 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.
    A protest may raise only those issues which were submitted for the 
record during the planning process. 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.
    All protests on the Proposed RMPA must be submitted in writing by 
any of the following methods:
    Website: https://go.usa.gov/xpCMr or https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1502028/570.
    Regular Mail: Director (210).
    Attention: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box 261117, Lakewood, CO 
80226.
    Overnight Delivery: Director (210) Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215.
    The BLM encourages submission of protests using the ePlanning 
online tools rather than by mail.
    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.

Kimber L. Liebhauser,
BLM Wyoming State Director (Acting).
[FR Doc. 2020-23761 Filed 10-26-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P