[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13068-13069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6808]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CO-078-98-1430-00]
Resource Management Plan Amendment and Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) on Oil and Gas Development
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulations
in CFR 1610.5-5, BLM intends to amend the Resource Management Plan
(RMP) for its Glenwood Springs Resource Area (GSRA). As described in a
Notice of Intent published on April 21, 1997 (62 FR 19349), BLM is
preparing a supplemental EIS on the impacts of oil and gas development
in the GSRA. That EIS process has indicated that some changes in the
leasing decisions are necessary and that an RMP amendment will be
required. Further, as anticipated in that original Notice of Intent,
the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1998 (November 18, 1997)
transferred management authority for Naval Oil Shale Reserves (NOSR) 1
and 3 from the Department of Energy to BLM. The Act directs BLM to
lease certain lands in the NOSRs for oil and gas development by
November 18, 1998. Those lands will be included in the supplemental
EIS, and the RMP will be amended to reflect decisions made on leasing
of the NOSR lands as well as leasing decisions on other BLM lands in
the GSRA.
DATES: Comments will be accepted until April 16, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Area Manager, Glenwood
Springs Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 1009,
Glenwood Springs, CO 81602, ATTN: Oil and Gas EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Moore, (970) 947-2824.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare a supplemental
EIS on oil and gas leasing and development in the GSRA was published on
April 21, 1997 (62 FR 19349). That EIS process has indicated that some
changes in the leasing decisions are necessary and that an RMP
amendment will be required. Further, as anticipated in that original
notice, the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1998 (November
18, 1997) transferred management authority for the NOSRs from the
Department of Energy to BLM. In addition to transferring management
authority to BLM, the Act directs BLM to lease approximately 6,000
acres in the NOSRs for oil and gas development by November 18, 1998.
Prior to the transfer, the Department of Energy had already begun
development of this oil and gas production area. Oil and gas leases for
the production area will be sold at auction next fall.
The general character of the NOSR lands that are to be offered for
lease is similar to the surrounding BLM lands which are being evaluated
in the supplemental EIS. Additionally, many of the issues concerning
oil and gas development of those lands are the same as those being
considered in the supplemental EIS. It has been decided, therefore, to
include the NOSR lands in the supplemental EIS, and the RMP will be
amended to reflect decisions made on leasing of the NOSR lands as well
as other BLM lands in the GSRA.
Anticipating the change in management authority for the NOSRs, the
GSRA has been collecting environmental and resource data on the
production area and has already initiated preliminary evaluation of
impacts.
Consideration of the wildlife, visual, soils, riparian,
socioeconomic and other issues being evaluated in the supplemental EIS
will now formally include the NOSR production area. A draft of the
supplemental EIS is planned for late May, 1998.
Formal scoping for the supplemental EIS will be re-opened for the
next 30 days. Comments concerning the potential impacts of oil and gas
development in the NOSR production area as well as impacts of
development
[[Page 13069]]
in the rest of the GSRA are welcome. Additional scoping measures will
include a press release describing the addition of the NOSR production
area to the EIS, an informational mailing to interested citizens and
ongoing consultation with interested organizations.
Michael S. Mottice,
Area Manager.
[FR Doc. 98-6808 Filed 3-16-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P
