Availability of Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact

INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES AND MEXICO

Availability of Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No

Significant Impact

AGENCY: United States Section, International Boundary and Water

Commission, United States and Mexico.

ACTION: Notice of availability of final environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Final

Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508); and the Operational

Procedures of the United States Section, International Boundary and

Water Commission, United States and Mexico (USIBWC), for Implementing

Section 102 of NEPA, published in the Federal Register September 2,

1981 (46 FR 44083-44094); the USIBWC hereby gives notice that the Final

Environmental Assessment (EA) and Final Finding of No Significant

Impact (FONSI) to address the potential adverse environmental impacts

of placement of a natural gas well pad and associated works within the

Falcon Dam and Reservoir Project, Zapata County, Texas, are available.

The USIBWC finds that the proposed action to issue a land use permit to

construct a drill pad for the purpose of drilling natural gas wells on

an island located on USIBWC real property within the reservoir is not a

major federal action that would have a significant adverse effect on

the quality of the human environment. A notice of availability was

signed February 10, 1997, and published in the Federal Register on

February 19, 1997 (62 FR 7475-7477) for a thirty (30) day review and

comment period.

ADDRESSES: Mr. Yusuf E. Farran, Division Engineer, Environmental

Management Division, United States Section, International Boundary and

Water Commission, United States and Mexico, 4171 North Mesa Street, C-

310, El Paso, Texas 79902-1441. Telephone: 915/534-6704.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action

The action proposed is for the USIBWC to issue a land use permit to

TransTexas Gas Corporation (TransTexas) to construct a drill pad site

on an island above the 307-foot mean sea level elevation located on

USIBWC real property below the 307-foot elevation traverse (the United

States

[[Page 30887]]

property line also called the ``307-foot traverse'') within Falcon

Reservoir for the purpose of drilling natural gas wells. The

construction of the drill pad on an island within the reservoir is

desirable, due mainly to the constraints associated with current

directional drilling, to enable the full development of private and

public gas reserves in the western portion of TransTexas' lease area.

The gas lease area is situated entirely within Falcon Reservoir with

very limited land available to reach the required bottom hole

locations.

Alternatives Considered

Two alternatives were considered in the Final Environmental

Assessment (EA):

The Proposed Action Alternative is for the USIBWC to issue a land

use permit to TransTexas to construct a drill pad site on an island

above the 307-foot mean sea level elevation located on USIBWC real

property below the 307-foot traverse property line within Falcon

Reservoir. The USIBWC proposes to issue the land use permit based on

its determination to allow limited exceptions to its policy of

prohibiting oil and natural gas development upon USIBWC real property

within the reservoir. Approval of the application for permit to drill

for public reserves located within the reservoir by the United States

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would occur once the USIBWC land use

permit is issued.

The No Action Alternative is for the USIBWC to not issue a land use

permit to TransTexas to construct a drill pad and associated works on

an island on USIBWC real property at Porcion 18 at Falcon Reservoir.

BLM would only be able to approve an application for permit to drill

from a site above the 307-foot traverse property line; hence outside

the reservoir. TransTexas would need to consider use of alternative

means to recover private and public natural gas reserves within the

reservoir. The no action alternative would result in no development

below the 307-foot traverse for private and public reserves in the

western portion of TransTexas lease area; avoidance of any potential

impacts associated with the proposed action; the loss of tax and

royalty revenues to the local, state and federal governments; the loss

of royalty revenues to mineral owners; and the loss of an otherwise

recoverable clean energy source.

Environmental Assessment

TransTexas requested the USIBWC to grant them permission to

construct a drill pad site above the 307-foot mean sea level elevation

on an island located within USIBWC real property below the 307-foot

elevation traverse within the international Falcon Reservoir for the

purpose of drilling natural gas wells. The USIBWC began coordination

with BLM regarding the application by TransTexas for a permit to drill

for federal reserves within the reservoir. Both agencies agreed that

due to a lack of both funding resources and human resources for an

agency produced document and an immediate need by TransTexas to gain

access to private and public reserves within the reservoir, a third

party environmental analysis would be acceptable for determining the

significance of the impacts of the federal action of the USIBWC issuing

a land use permit to TransTexas to construct a natural gas well drill

pad site on an island within Falcon Reservoir.

The Final EA prepared by contract by TransTexas is tiered from a

Programmatic Environmental Assessment also prepared by TransTexas that

address the impacts of oil and natural gas development within the

Falcon Dam and Reservoir Project. The Final EA describes the historical

and existing development of oil and natural gas in the general vicinity

of Porcion 18 (but above the 307-foot traverse property line) of the

reservoir and the planned oil and natural gas activities within or

adjacent to the Porcion 18 site. It analyzes the specific impacts at

the Porcion 18 site expected from natural gas development in the

foreseeable future and the cumulative environmental impacts of natural

gas development upon USIBWC real property at Falcon Reservoir. The

Final EA discusses mitigation measures to avoid impacts to and minimize

degradation of environmental resources on and adjacent to the Porcion

18 site. The USIBWC approved the completed Final EA for proposed

natural gas development at Porcion 18, and it is currently available.

Finding of the Environmental Assessment

The Final EA finds that the proposed action for the USIBWC to issue

a land use permit for natural gas development within the USIBWC real

property at Porcion 18 at Falcon Reservoir does not constitute a major

federal action which would cause a significant local, regional, or

national adverse impact on the environment. The USIBWC has determined

that an environmental impact statement is not required to issue a land

use permit and hereby provides notice of FONSI based on the following

facts:

1. Construction, drilling and production activities at the Porcion

18 well pad site will have no significant adverse impacts on air

quality. Standard construction practices to control fugitive dust shall

be used, and emissions will be minimized through properly maintained

equipment.

2. The slight impacts from construction, drilling and production

activities associated with noise at the Porcion 18 well pad site are

fully mitigable through vegetative buffer zones, equipment noise

suppressors, and avoidance of critical wildlife use periods.

3. Negligible impacts to geologic and water resources are mitigable

through the use of erosion and sediment control measures and devices,

secondary containment measures, best management practices during all

phases of development at the Porcion 18 well pad site, and use of site

specific spill prevention control and countermeasure plans.

4. Biological resources shall be protected from impacts by total

avoidance of clearing within the heavy brush corridor adjacent to

Porcion 18, reptile exclusion fences around the drill pad location, and

an interior least tern monitoring plan coordinated by the appropriate

federal and state conservation agencies. Based on site surveys,

federally listed species are not likely to be adversely affected by the

proposed action provided these mitigation measures are followed.

5. Impacts to cultural resources shall be mitigated through

avoidance of sites determined to be eligible for the National Register

of Historic Places and implementation of a Memorandum of Agreement for

mitigating impacts if avoidance is not viable. These measures shall be

completed prior to BLM approval of the application for permit to drill,

USIBWC issuance of a land use permit, and any development at the

Porcion 18 drill site. Additionally, construction activity shall be

monitored by a qualified archaeologist with full authority to terminate

construction if cultural resources are likely to be impacted at the

site.

6. Negligible impacts associated with land use and transportation

will not require additional mitigation.

7. Negligible impacts associated with visual resources are

mitigable through properly placed night lighting, painting of the

facility to blend with the surrounding terrain and vegetation, and

alignment of the access road and utility corridor to limit the view of

the facility from the shoreline.

Availability

Copies of the Final EA and Final FONSI are available for public

review at

[[Page 30888]]

the USIBWC Falcon Dam Field Office, Falcon Road, Falcon Heights, Texas

78545, and have been distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies,

organizations and individuals that have commented on or have been

consulted and coordinated with in the preparation of the EA. A limited

number of copies are available to fill single copy requests at the

above address.

Dated: May 29, 1997.

Randall A. McMains,

Attorney.

[FR Doc. 97-14676 Filed 6-4-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710-03-M