[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 226 (Friday, November 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58054-58055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28592]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
for a Permit for Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Development for the
Northstar Unit in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Corps is evaluating issuance of a permit to BP Exploration
(Alaska), Inc. for activities to develop an off-shore oil and gas
facility in State waters of the Beaufort Sea north of the Prudhoe Bay
oilfields through an Environmental Impact Statement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Terry Carpenter, Regulatory Branch, Corps of Engineers, Alaska
District, Post Office Box 898, Anchorage, Alaska 99506; telephone (907)
753-2712, or in Alaska 1-(800)-478-2712.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BP Exploration proposes to develop the
Northstar reservoir from an off-shore structure in about 40 feet of
water, 2-7 miles north of the Kuparuk River Delta, and a pipeline to
the shore. An on-shore pipeline would connect to existing facilities
for further transportation. Placement of structures and/or fill
material would require issuance of a permit under Section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbor Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Other
permits and authorizations may be required from the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS), State agencies, and the North Slope Borough. BP Exploration
proposes a start-up date of 1997 for construction.
A preferred alternative has not been proposed by BP Exploration.
Alternatives will be identified and evaluated throughout the EIS
process with a preferred alternative identified in the Draft EIS. Some
options that will be considered include (1) whether produced fluids
will be processed at the off-shore facility with only oil transported
to shore, partially processed, or transported in 3-phase (oil, gas,
water) to on-shore facilities for processing, (2) the means of
transporting produced fluids (buried or drilled subsea pipeline, raised
pipeline, tankering), (3) the route of a pipeline to shore, and (4) the
spill-detection system to be employed. It is estimated that the DEIS
will be available to the public by July 1996.
[[Page 58055]]
The Corps began early scoping with federal and state agencies in
June 1995. EPA, the FWS, the NMFS, and MMS will be cooperating federal
agencies for the EIS. State agencies, the North Slope Borough, Borough
residents, and the general public will be contacted during the scoping
process. A third-party contractor will prepare the EIS under direction
by the Corps; the contractor is expected to be identified by December
1, 1995.
Significant issues that have been identified for the DEIS include
oil spill risk and spill response plans, effects on bowhead whale
migration and subsistence hunting of whales and other marine mammals,
effects on denning polar bears and human interactions with polar bears,
discharge of wastes from the facility that may affect air and water
quality and marine food chains, navigation, and bird strikes on
structures. The Corps is inviting comments from the public, agencies
(Federal, State and local), Native interests, and other interested
parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed
activities.
Scoping meetings are tentatively planned for the following dates
and locations:
Barrow, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
Nuiqsut, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
Anchorage, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
Fairbanks, Alaska--late-January or February 1996
Further information about these public meetings will be published
locally and can be obtained by contracting the Corps as described
above.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-28592 Filed 11-22-95; 8:45 am]
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