[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73791-73792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23976]
[[Page 73791]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WO-300-1310-PP-OSHL]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and Plan Amendments for Oil Shale and Tar Sands
Resources Leasing on Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land
Management in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 369(d)(1) of the Energy Policy Act
of 2005, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare a
Programmatic EIS for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources Leasing on Lands
Administered by the BLM in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and by this
notice is announcing public scoping meetings. The Programmatic EIS will
amend existing applicable Resource Management Plans to open lands for
oil shale and tar sands resources leasing in these three states. The
Programmatic EIS will also inform the development of the regulations
required by section 369(d)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
DATES: The BLM will accept written comments on the scope of the
Programmatic EIS that are postmarked or delivered by January 31, 2006,
and electronic comments that are received by January 31, 2006. The BLM
will hold public scoping meetings to obtain comments at the following
locations on the dates specified below:
Salt Lake City, Utah: Tuesday, January 10, 2006;
Price, Utah: Wednesday, January 11, 2006;
Vernal, Utah: Thursday, January 12, 2006;
Rock Springs, Wyoming: Friday, January 13, 2006;
Rifle, Colorado: Wednesday, January 18, 2006;
Denver, Colorado: Thursday, January 19, 2006;
Cheyenne, Wyoming: Friday, January 20, 2006;
The BLM will announce exact times and locations for all public
meetings through the local media, newsletters, and the project Web site
(http://ostseis.anl.gov) at least 15 days prior to the meeting. We will
provide formal opportunities for public participation upon publication
of the Draft Programmatic EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by the following methods:
Written: Mail or deliver to BLM Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources
Leasing Programmatic EIS Scoping, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S.
Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439.
Electronic: Through the Web site at http://ostseis.anl.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Sherri Thompson, Bureau of
Land Management, Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street,
Lakewood, CO 80215, (303) 239-3758 or visit the Oil Shale and Tar Sands
Resources Leasing Programmatic EIS Web site at http://ostseis.anl.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice Of Intent provides public notice
that the BLM intends to prepare the Programmatic EIS to amend
applicable resource management plans to open BLM lands for oil shale
and tar sands leasing in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It also announces
opportunities for the public to provide comments relating to the
preparation, scope, and content of the Programmatic EIS. The
Programmatic EIS will also inform the development of the regulations
required by section 369(d)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The planning area for the oil shale resources is the Piceance and
Washakie Basins in Colorado, the Uintah Basin in Utah, and the Green
River and Washakie Basins in Wyoming. For the tar sands resources, the
planning area is certain sedimentary provinces in the Colorado Plateau
in Utah. The plan will fulfill the needs and obligations set forth by
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act (FLPMA), and BLM policies. The BLM will work
collaboratively with interested parties to identify the leasing
decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs
and concerns. The Programmatic EIS will analyze the no action
alternative and leasing under stipulations to protect other resource
values and other alternatives identified during scoping. The purpose of
the public scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will
influence the scope of the environmental analysis and the alternatives.
These issues also guide the planning process. You may submit comments
on issues and planning criteria in writing to the BLM at any public
scoping meeting, or by using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES
section above. The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the
meeting should participants wish to clarify their views. Individual
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your
name and/or address from public review or disclosure under the Freedom
of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of
your written comment. The BLM will honor such requests 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, are available for public inspection in
their entirety.
Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by
BLM personnel, other agencies, and in meetings with individuals and
user groups. They represent the BLM's knowledge to date regarding the
issues and concerns with current land management. The major issues that
will be addressed in this planning effort include: Management of the
oil shale and tar sands resources; surface and groundwater protection;
air quality protection; wildlife and wildlife habitat quality and
fragmentation; protection of wilderness, riparian, and scenic values;
cultural resource protection; threatened and endangered species and
habitat protection; transportation corridors; multiple mineral
development; and socio-economic impacts on local economies.
After BLM has gathered public input on issues the plan should
address, we will categorize comments as follows:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy, regulation, or
administrative action; or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
The BLM will provide an explanation in the Programmatic EIS as to
why we placed an issue in category two or three. In addition to these
major issues, a number of management questions and concerns will be
addressed in the Programmatic EIS. The public is encouraged to help
identify these questions and concerns during the scoping phase.
Planning criteria are the standards, rules, and other factors used
in formulating judgments about data collection, analysis and
decisionmaking associated with preparation of the Programmatic EIS.
These criteria establish parameters and help focus preparation of the
EIS. We welcome public comment on the following preliminary planning
criteria, which will be utilized in the preparation of the Programmatic
EIS:
A. The Programmatic EIS and plan amendments will be completed in
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compliance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and all
other applicable laws.
B. BLM will work collaboratively with the States of Colorado, Utah,
and Wyoming, tribal governments, county and municipal governments,
other Federal agencies, and all other interested groups, agencies and
individuals. Public participation will be encouraged throughout the
process.
C. The Programmatic EIS will amend the appropriate individual land
use plans to address leasing of oil shale and tar sands resources on
BLM-administered lands.
D. A strategy to mitigate socio-economic impacts including the
infrastructure to accommodate the required workforce will be addressed
in the Programmatic EIS and plan amendments.
E. Preparation of the Programmatic EIS and plan amendments will
involve coordination with Native American Tribal governments and will
provide strategies for the protection of recognized traditional uses.
F. BLM will coordinate with local, State, and Federal agencies in
the Programmatic EIS and plan amendments to strive for consistency with
their existing plans and Policies, to the extent practicable.
G. The Programmatic EIS will comply with the legislative directives
set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the
Programmatic EIS in order to consider the variety of resource issues
and concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following
disciplines will be involved in the planning process: Minerals and
geology, wildlife and fisheries, air quality, outdoor recreation,
archeology, paleontology, hydrology, soils, sociology and economics.
Thomas P. Lonnie,
Assistant Director, Minerals, Realty, and Resource Protection.
[FR Doc. 05-23976 Filed 12-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P