Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings for the Proposed St. Johns, Arizona COINF2/INF-Helium Project

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-050-7122-00-824G]

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and

Conduct Public Scoping Meetings for the Proposed St. Johns, Arizona

CO2-Helium Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS and to Conduct Public

Scoping Meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(20)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), Council on Environmental Quality regulations

(40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the BLM, Socorro Field Office, New Mexico,

will be preparing an EIS regarding the proposal to develop a carbon

dioxide (CO2) and helium field in Apache County, Arizona,

and Catron County, New Mexico. The CO2-helium field appears

to underlie approximately 500 square miles of private, state, and

federal lands. The EIS will identify the potential impacts that the

development of a CO2-helium field and subsequent activities

could have on the environment and identify appropriate measures to

mitigate those impacts. A Federal Register Notice dated October 2,

1998, announced the intent to prepare the EIS. In this notice, BLM

announces public information and scoping meetings for the proposed

action and EIS.

DATES: BLM's public information and scoping meetings will include:

notification of the public, federal, state, tribal, and local agencies

of the proposed action; identification by the public of issues to be

considered in the EIS, and the solicitation of assistance from the

public to identify reasonable alternatives. In addition, the public

will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the proposed

project.

The BLM will conduct four public scoping meetings in the area of

the project. All of the public meetings will be informal to encourage

public attendance and input. The dates, times, and locations for these

meetings are as follows:

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Date Location

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Monday, December 7, 1998, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. St. Johns Council Chambers,

245 W. Bursell Street, St.

Johns, AZ.

Tuesday, December 8, 1998, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m Senior Citizens Center, 356

S. Papago Drive,

Springerville, AZ.

Wednesday, December 9, 1998, 6 p.m. to 8 Village Community Center,

p.m. 4th Street (Across from

High School), Reserve, NM.

Thursday, December 10, 1998, 6 p.m. to 8 Quemado School Highway 60,

p.m. Quemado, NM.

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Also, a press release announcing the meeting dates and times will

be submitted to newspapers in each area where the meetings will be

held.

Comments: Comments on the EIS will be accepted throughout the NEPA

process; however, comments specific to this early stage of scoping for

the EIS will be accepted until the end of the

[[Page 60017]]

scoping period, which is December 21, 1998. Comments should address:

(1) Issues to be considered, (2) feasible and reasonable alternatives

to examine, and (3) relevant information having a bearing on the EIS.

Comments should be sent to the Field Manager, Bureau of Land

Management, Socorro Field Office, 198 Neel Ave., Socorro, NM 87801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: BLM will maintain a mailing list of

parties and persons interested in being kept informed about the

progress of the EIS. If you are interested in obtaining more

information about the scoping meetings, EIS, or receiving future

information, please call Carol Van Dorn, Team Leader, at (505) 835-

0412.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The St. Johns, Arizona CO2-Helium

Project is a proposal of Ridgeway Arizona Oil Corporation, a wholly

owned subsidiary of Ridgeway Petroleum Corporation. The purpose of the

proposal is to develop the CO2-helium field that appears to

underlie approximately 500 square miles of lands in Apache County, east

central Arizona and Catron County, west-central New Mexico. Ridgeway

has been exploring the field since 1994 and results of the technical

studies to date indicate that a large scale production of

CO2 is viable. Ridgeway intends to develop the field

primarily for enhanced oil recovery. To obtain and process the large

volume of CO2, Ridgeway proposes to develop approximately

200 wells, a network of access roads and gathering pipelines, and a gas

processing plant.

In both, Apache and Catron counties, some lands are privately

owned, but the majority of lands in the project area are administered

by state and federal agencies. The federal lands in the project area

are administered by the BLM. In order to conduct development and

production activities, the BLM, as lead federal agency, has determined

that an EIS will be required in accordance with NEPA. The EIS will

analyze the entire proposed action and associated cumulative effects.

The EIS studies also will refine the proposed action and will develop

alternatives, including no action and others that are identified

through the scoping process. In addition, potential resource

sensitivities and environmental impacts will be identified, as well as

a mitigation plan to guide development and production. Resource

concerns to be addressed include soils, water resources, hazardous

materials, geology, minerals, air quality, noise, vegetation, wildlife,

special status species, range resources, land use and access,

recreation, wilderness study areas, visual resources, social and

economic values, and cultural resources.

It is anticipated that the EIS process will require approximately

18 to 24 months to complete and will include public and agency scoping,

coordination and consultation with Federal, state, tribal and local

agencies, public review and possible hearings on the published draft

EIS, and a published proposed final EIS. Publication of the Record of

Decision is anticipated in mid-year 2000.

Dated: November 3, 1998.

Jon Hertz,

Assistant Field Manager.

[FR Doc. 98-29933 Filed 11-5-98; 8:45 am]

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