Expanded Moxa Arch Area Natural Gas Development Project, Sweetwater, Lincoln, and Uinta Counties, WY; Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[WY-040-05-1310-01]

Expanded Moxa Arch Area Natural Gas Development Project,

Sweetwater, Lincoln, and Uinta Counties, WY; Availability of Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior--Lead Agency; Bureau of

Reclamation, Interior--Cooperating Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability

of the Expanded Moxa Arch Area Natural Gas Development Project Draft

EIS which analyzes the environmental consequences of the Moxa Arch

operators proposal to continue to drill additional development wells in

their leased acreage within the Moxa Arch oil and gas development area

of southwestern Wyoming. The Moxa analysis area includes portions of

western Sweetwater, southwestern Lincoln, and northeastern Uinta

Counties, Wyoming. The project area is generally located within

Townships 15 through 23 North, Ranges 111 through 113 West, 6th

Principal Meridian. The area is accessed by Interstate 80 and U.S.

Highway 30. Access to the interior of the Moxa analysis area is

provided by an extensive road network developed to service prior and

on-going drilling and production activities.

DATES: Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted for 45 days following

the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes their

Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The EPA notice is

expected to be published on April 28, 1995. There are presently no

plans to hold a public hearing on the Expanded Moxa Arch Area Natural

Gas Development Project draft EIS because of apparent lack of

unresolved substantial environmental controversy concerning the

proposed project. Reviewers are encouraged to visit the local BLM

offices in Cheyenne, Rock Springs, and Kemmerer, Wyoming, and talk with

the managers about any concerns. If enough people indicate a desire to

testify by returning the tear-out sheet provided in the draft EIS, a

public hearing(s) will be scheduled. Information on the hearing(s) will

be published in State and local newspapers and other media sources, and

direct mailing to the recipients of the draft EIS to give the public

enough notice.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the draft EIS should be sent to Bureau of Land

Management, Bill McMahan (Project Coordinator), P.O. Box 1869, Rock

Springs, WY 82902-1869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The draft EIS analyzes a proposed action,

one development alternative, and the no action alternative. The

proposal by the Moxa Arch operators is to continue to drill additional

development wells in their leased acreage within the Moxa Arch oil and

gas development area of southwestern Wyoming. The Moxa Arch operators

include Amoco Production Company, Union Pacific Resources Company,

Wexpro/Celsius Energy Company, Bannon Energy, Marathon Oil Company,

Presidio Exploration, and other companies (collectively referred to as

the Moxa Operators). Lands associated with the additional drilling

program include those previously analyzed in the Amoco Production

Company Moxa Arch Natural Gas Production Environmental Assessment (EA)

and Decision Record (DR) (USDI-BLM 1991) and the supplemental EA and DR

to the Amoco Production Company Moxa Arch Natural Gas Production

Project (USDI-BLM 1992). Additional areas analyzed in the EIS include

lands north and south of the area analyzed in the previous EAs. The

additional area combined with the lands analyzed in the previous two

environmental analysis documents form the Expanded Moxa Arch Natural

Gas Development (Moxa) analysis area (approximately 476,261 acres).

The Moxa analysis area includes portions of western Sweetwater,

southwestern Lincoln, and northeastern Uinta Counties, Wyoming. The

project area is generally located within Townships 15 through 23 North,

Ranges 111 through 113 West, 6th Principal Meridian. The area is

accessed by [[Page 19956]] Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 30. Access to

the interior of the Moxa analysis area is provided by an extensive road

network developed to service prior and on-going drilling and production

activities. The Moxa Arch Field is located in an area of checkerboard

land ownership with approximately 55 percent Federal, 42 percent

private, and 3 percent State. An extensive infrastructure of roads and

pipelines for natural gas production is already in place within the

Moxa Arch Development Area.

Over the next 10 years, the Moxa Operators propose to drill up to

1,325 additional infill wells, where 957 wells are presently active, to

allow for the maximum recovery of natural gas from existing Federal,

State, and private oil and gas leases. Additional roads and pipelines

would be necessary to link the wells with existing transportation

pipelines. Drilling estimates were based on the Moxa operators

reasonable expectations that the ``tight-gas'' formation in this area

could be developed at a average level of four wells per section within

the ``proven'' production area and up to two wells per section within

the ``flank'' area. A portion of the project area is presently

developed on a 160 acre spacing (four wells per 640 acres). The Moxa

Operators' plans and drilling schedules would be contingent upon both

an increased demand for natural gas supplies in response to the Clean

Air Act amendments of 1990 and an adequate price for the gas at the

wellhead. The draft EIS describes the physical, biological, cultural,

historic, and socio-economic resources in and surrounding the project

area. The focus for impact analysis was based upon resource issues and

concerns identified during public scoping. Potential impacts of concern

from development were to livestock forage; recreation associated with

Fontenelle Reservoir; crucial big game winter range and antelope

migrations; sage grouse and raptor breeding and nesting; special status

plant and wildlife species; soil erosion and sediment increases to the

Hams Fork, Blacks Fork, and Green Rivers; groundwater contamination;

Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, Pony Express, and California Historic Trails

condition and viewshed; and cumulative effects.

This draft EIS, in compliance with Section 7(c) of the Endangered

Species Act (as amended), includes the Biological Assessment for the

purpose of identifying any endangered or threatened species which are

likely to be affected by the proposed action.

Dated: April 14, 1995.

Alan R. Pierson,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 95-9881 Filed 4-20-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-22-M