Availability of a Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment, Proposed Drilling and Production Operations; EP Operating Limited Partnership, Padre Island National Seashore, Kleberg, County, TX

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Availability of a Plan of Operations and Environmental

Assessment, Proposed Drilling and Production Operations; EP Operating

Limited Partnership, Padre Island National Seashore, Kleberg, County,

TX

The National Park Service has received for approval a Plan of

Operation for exploratory drilling and production of a gas well at

Padre Island National Seashore, Kleberg County, Texas, from EP

Operating Limited Partnership (EP Operating).

Pursuant to Sec. 9.52(b) of Title 36 of the Code of Federal

Regulations, part 9, subpart B (36 CFR part 9B); Executive Order 11988,

Floodplain Management; and Executive Order 11990, Protection of

Wetlands, the Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment are

available for public review and comment for a period of 60 days from

the publication date of this notice in the Office of the

Superintendent, Padre Island National Seashore, 9405 South Padre Island

Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas; and in the Division of Environmental

Coordination, National Park Service, Southwest Regional Office, 1220 S.

St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Copies of the documents are

available from the Superintendent, Padre Island National Seashore, 9405

South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78418-5597, and will be

sent upon request.

EP Operating has sited their proposed operations to avoid, as much

as possible, impacts to wetlands, and has developed mitigation measures

to minimize unavoidable impacts. EP Operating proposes to compensate

for direct loss of 0.11 acres of non-tidal wetlands by restoring 0.22

acres of an abandoned oil and gas access road to its original wind-

tidal flat condition. The wetlands compensation project is also located

at Padre Island National Seashore.

Dated: October 13, 1994.

Philip A. Francis,

Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region.

[FR Doc. 94-25918 Filed 10-18-94; 8:45 am]

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