Notice2025-00854
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Oil and Gas Leasing Decisions in Seven States From February 2015 to December 2020
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 16, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for approximately 3,224 oil and gas leases sold in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming and issued pursuant to 74 individual lease sale decisions. The EIS will provide a comprehensive analysis of the potential environmental impacts from these leases, which have been remanded to BLM for further review, including the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions (to include the social cost of carbon) and other common impacts.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4779-4780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00854]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[PO #4820000251]
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Oil
and Gas Leasing Decisions in Seven States From February 2015 to
December 2020
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for approximately 3,224 oil and
gas leases sold in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming and issued pursuant to 74 individual lease
sale decisions. The EIS will provide a comprehensive analysis of the
potential environmental impacts from these leases, which have been
remanded to BLM for further review, including the impacts of greenhouse
gas emissions (to include the social cost of carbon) and other common
impacts.
DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS.
Comments on issues, impacts, and potential new alternatives to be
analyzed, as well as on relevant information, studies, or analyses, may
be submitted in writing until March 17, 2025. The BLM will announce on
its website any additional venues for commenting during scoping.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2036015/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2036015/510</a>.
<bullet> Mail: BLM, Headquarters, Division of Fluid Minerals,
Attention--Oil and Gas litigated leases EIS, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa
Fe, New Mexico 87508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janna Simonson, Project Lead, or John
Ajak, Division Chief, via email at bllm_hq_litigated
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bcd0d9ddcfd9cfe3f9f5effcded0d192dbd3ca"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e38f8682908690bca6aab0a3818f8ecd848c95">[email protected]</span></a>, or via telephone at 505-954-2000; or by mail at
Bureau of Land Management, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508. You
may also request to be added to the mailing list for the EIS. The 2022
supplemental EA may be found at the <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022218/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022218/510</a>.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services for contacting
Ms. Headen. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM will review the environmental
analyses for the leasing decisions that were challenged in the
following lawsuits: WildEarth Guardians v. BLM, 19-cv-00505 (D.N.M.),
20-2146 (10th Cir.) (challenging leasing decisions in New Mexico);
WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt, 16-cv-01724 (D.D.C.) (challenging
leasing decisions in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming); WildEarth Guardians
v. Bernhardt, 20-cv-00056 (D.D.C.) (challenging leasing decisions in
Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming); WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt, 21-cv-00175 (D.D.C.)
(challenging leasing decisions in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and
Wyoming); and WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt, 21-cv-00004 (D. Mont.)
(challenging leasing decisions in Montana, North Dakota and South
Dakota). Impacts to other resources were also raised in the subject
complaints. The BLM may elect to include additional analysis in the EIS
for resources and impacts beyond greenhouse gas emissions, climate
change, and the social cost of greenhouse gases.
The area encompassed by the challenged oil and gas leases includes
approximately 3.5 million acres within the States of Colorado, Montana,
New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. In September
2022, the BLM prepared and solicited public comments on the
Supplemental Environmental Assessment Analysis for Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Related to Oil and Gas Leasing in Seven States from February
2015 to December 2020. In consideration of new science and information
related to greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and the social
cost of greenhouse gases (e.g., the Department's adoption, on October
16, 2024, of new estimates of the social cost as the best available
science), and the number of oil and gas leases under consideration
across seven States, the BLM is electing to prepare an EIS, with
associated opportunities for public comment. The number of leases and
amount of acreage at issue may also warrant analysis of other common
impacts, such as those to wildlife, water resources, and night skies.
The purpose of this public scoping process is to solicit
information from the public related to these leases. Information
received during this process will influence the development of the EIS
and guide the scope of the environmental analysis.
The leasing decisions that will be analyzed in this EIS arise from
BLM's responsibility under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
and the Mineral Leasing Act. The purpose and need for the EIS is to
address issues raised in multiple civil lawsuits about the adequacy of
the environmental analyses for the various decisions at issue and to
ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act,
applicable Executive and Secretarial Orders, and Departmental policies
regarding analysis of the impacts from greenhouse gas emissions and the
social cost of greenhouse gases--including Executive Order 13990,
Secretary's Order 3399, and new information provided in the 2023 BLM
Specialist Report on Annual Greenhouse Gas
[[Page 4780]]
Emissions and Climate Trends. Potential new alternatives to be
considered in the EIS include, but are not limited to, those that would
affirm the issuance of these leases under the terms, conditions, and
stipulations as originally issued, or not affirm their issuance under
their original terms, conditions, and stipulations.
After the scoping comment period is closed, the BLM will review and
consider the scoping comments received and will develop a Draft EIS,
which BLM estimates will be completed approximately 6 to 8 months after
the scoping period ends. At that time, the Draft EIS will be made
available for public comment for at least 45 days. After the close of
the Draft EIS comment period, the BLM will develop a Final EIS
incorporating comments received on the Draft, which the BLM estimates
will be completed approximately 6 months after the Draft EIS comment
period ends. A record of decision selecting an alternative from the
Final EIS would be issued no sooner than 30 days after notice of the
availability of the Final EIS is published in the Federal Register.
(Authority: 30 U.S.C. 181 and 226; 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.; 42 U.S.C.
4332; and 43 CFR part 3100 (2024))
Steven Feldgus,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 2025-00854 Filed 1-15-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-27-P
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