Continental Divide/Wamsutter II Natural Gas Project

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-030-1310-00]

Continental Divide/Wamsutter II Natural Gas Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

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

of the Continental Divide/Wamsutter II (CD/WII) Natural Gas Project

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which analyzes the

environmental consequences of the CD/WII proposed natural gas

development and production operation. Expansion of natural gas

exploration and development is proposed in and adjacent to other oil

and gas developments including the Greater Wamsutter Area II, Creston/

Blue Gap, Table Rock field, Hay Reservoir, Patrick Draw, and Mulligan

Draw. The 1,061,200 acre CD/WII project area is located within the

administrative jurisdictions of the BLM Rawlins and Rock Springs Field

Offices, approximately 25 miles west of Rawlins and 40 miles east of

Rock Springs along Interstate Highway 80 in Townships 15-23 North,

Ranges 91-99 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Sweetwater and Carbon

Counties, Wyoming. Most of the 531,400 acres of Federal land in the

project area lie within the ``checkerboard''--a land ownership pattern

created when the United States conveyed alternate sections of land to

the Union Pacific Railroad along their railroad right-of-way. Currently

there are approximately 845 oil and gas wells drilled within the

project area and up to 3,000 additional wells could be drilled over the

next 20 years.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS will be accepted for 60 days

following the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

publishes their notice of availability of the DEIS in the Federal

Register. The EPA notice is expected to be published April 30, 1999.

Two public meetings are scheduled to obtain public comments on the

proposed project and the DEIS: May 24, 1999, 7 p.m., at the BLM Rock

Springs Field Office conference room, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock

Springs, Wyoming; and May 25, 1999, 7 p.m., at the BLM Rawlins Field

Office conference room, 1300 North Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming.

Also, the above field offices will hold open houses on the respective

public meeting dates from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to answer any

questions interested parties may have regarding the proposed project.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Clare Miller, Team Leader, Rawlins

Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 1300 N. Third Street, P.O. Box

2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301, or e-mail to Clare__M[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clare Miller, phone 307-328-4245, or

Teresa Deakins, phone 307-352-0211.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amoco Production Company, Union Pacific

Resources, Snyder Oil Corporation, Yates Petroleum Corporation, and

other companies (Operators) propose to drill up to 3,000 wells over the

next 20 years exploring and developing their existing leases within the

CD/WII project area. Well density would range from one well per 640

acres to eight wells per 640 acres.

The CD/WII DEIS analyzes the impacts of the Proposed Action--full

field development of 3,000 wells, along with access roads, pipelines,

and other ancillary facilities (gas processing plant, compressor

stations, water disposal sites, etc.). Alternative A is similar to the

Proposed Action, but would limit disturbance on Federal lands in

Sensitive Resource Areas (SRA)--areas containing high value resources--

to no more than 14 acres of additional disturbance per section.

Alternative B also is similar to the Proposed Action, but would limit

disturbance to no more than 30 acres of additional disturbance per

section on Federal lands within SRAs. The No Action Alternative

analyzes the current, ongoing level of development (845 wells) in the

CD/WII area and continuation of that activity into the future. The

Proposed Action would be denied under the No Action Alternative.

Based upon issues and concerns identified during the scoping

process, this DEIS focuses on the impacts to air quality, biological

and physical resources, transportation, socio-economics, and cumulative

effects. The DEIS, in compliance with Section 7(c) of the Endangered

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

purpose of identifying endangered or threatened species which may be

affected by the proposed action.

Comments, including the names and street addresses of respondents,

will be available for public review at the BLM offices listed above

during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through

Friday, except for Federal holidays. Your comments may be published as

part of the EIS process. Individual respondents may request

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and/or street

address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of

Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of

your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent

allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and

from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials

of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public

inspections in their entirety.

Dated: April 26, 1999.

Alan R. Pierson,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 99-10822 Filed 4-29-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-22-P