Notice2025-11481
Intent To Prepare the Bakersfield Field Office Oil and Gas Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Potential Resource Management Plan Amendment, California
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Published
June 23, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California intends to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) and a potential resource management plan (RMP) amendment for the Bakersfield Field Office. The supplemental EIS will analyze the impacts of oil and gas leasing and development on BLM- managed public land and mineral estate in the Bakersfield Field Office planning area exclusive of the California Coastal National Monument and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Lands withdrawn from mineral entry by law, including national monuments and designated wilderness areas, would remain unavailable for leasing and development. This notice initiates the process to solicit public comments to identify issues and announces a potential RMP amendment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 118 (Monday, June 23, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 118 (Monday, June 23, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26605-26606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11481]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[PO#4820000251; Order #02412-014-004-047181.0]
Intent To Prepare the Bakersfield Field Office Oil and Gas
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Potential Resource
Management Plan Amendment, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
California intends to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement (EIS) and a potential resource management plan (RMP)
amendment for the Bakersfield Field Office. The supplemental EIS will
analyze the impacts of oil and gas leasing and development on BLM-
managed public land and mineral estate in the Bakersfield Field Office
planning area exclusive of the California Coastal National Monument and
the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Lands withdrawn from mineral entry
by law, including national monuments and designated wilderness areas,
would remain unavailable for leasing and development. This notice
initiates the process to solicit public comments to identify issues and
announces a potential RMP amendment.
DATES: The BLM requests that the public submit comments by July 23,
2025. The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public
participation upon publication of the draft supplemental EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to this supplemental EIS and potential RMP amendment through
the BLM National NEPA Register: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2037500/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2037500/510</a>.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined during regular
business hours at Bureau of Land Management, Bakersfield Field Office,
35126 McMurtrey Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93308.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Mathews, Project Manager, Bureau
of Land Management, 35126 McMurtrey Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93308,
telephone: (661) 391-6145; or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9edcd2d3c1dddfc1dcd5d8d1c1d1d7d2c1d9dfcdc1cddbd7cddefcf2f3b0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8dcfc1c0d2ceccd2cfc6cbc2d2c2c4c1d2caccded2dec8c4decdefe1e0a3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></a>.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing,
or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to
access telecommunications relay services for contacting Ms. Mathews.
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: This document provides notice that the BLM
California Bakersfield Field Office will prepare, in accordance with
FLPMA and NEPA, a supplemental EIS for oil and gas leasing and
development and a potential RMP amendment for the 2014 Bakersfield
Field Office RMP. Furthermore, this document announces the beginning of
the scoping process and seeks public input on issues and planning
criteria, which may inform whether the BLM will amend the current RMP.
Based on information gathered during scoping, the BLM may consider
additional alternatives.
The planning area is located in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San
Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties in California
and encompasses approximately 400,000 acres of public land and an
additional 450,000 acres of Federal mineral estate (i.e., split
estate). In addition, the BLM intends to include an analysis in the
supplemental EIS concerning a previous implementation level decision
issuing seven oil and gas leases, encompassing 4,134 acres of public
land in Kern County.
The scope of this land use planning process does not include
addressing the evaluation or designation of areas of critical
environmental concern (ACEC) and the BLM is not considering ACEC
nominations as part of this process.
Purpose and Need
The purpose of the supplemental EIS is to analyze the environmental
effects of oil and gas leasing and development within the planning area
and to determine whether changes are needed to the fluid minerals
decisions in the Bakersfield Field Office based on new information or
changes in circumstances. The need to develop the supplemental EIS is
established by the settlement agreement in Case No. 2:20-cv-00371-DSF
and Case No. 1:21-cv-00475-DAD-SAB, filed with the U.S. District Court
for the Central District of California Western Division and the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of California on July 29, 2022.
Preliminary Alternatives
Portions of the plan will be brought forward from the existing
Bakersfield RMP approved on December 22, 2014, and all alternatives
from the supplemental EIS for hydraulic fracturing approved on December
12, 2019, will be considered. The potential for an RMP amendment is
dependent upon alternative selection. The BLM welcomes comments on all
preliminary alternatives as well as suggestions for additional
alternatives.
Planning Criteria
Preliminary issues for the supplemental EIS have been identified by
BLM personnel; Federal, State, and local agencies; and other
stakeholders. The issues may include but are not limited to air
quality; water quality; special status species; archaeology; fluid
mineral resources (oil and gas); and social and economic conditions.
Preliminary planning criteria include:
1. Only those portions of the existing plan that need to be updated
to respond to the issues and management concerns identified in the
court order and settlement agreement will be reviewed. Other portions
of the plan will be brought forward from the existing Bakersfield RMP
approved on December 22, 2014, and the supplemental EIS for hydraulic
fracturing approved on December 12, 2019.
2. The planning process will be completed in compliance with FLPMA
and all other applicable laws.
3. The planning process will include a Supplemental EIS that will
comply with the NEPA standards.
4. The scope of analysis will be consistent with the level of
analysis in approved plans and in accordance with Bureau-wide standards
and program guidance.
5. Public comments will be addressed during the planning process.
[[Page 26606]]
You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing
to the BLM using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section
above. To be most helpful, you should submit comments by the close of
the 30-day scoping period. See the DATES section above.
Summary of Expected Impacts
Federal oil and gas comprise approximately 9 percent of all oil and
gas produced in California and is mostly located in western Kern County
within the Bakersfield Field Office. Completion of this supplemental
EIS will allow the BLM to resume oil and gas leasing within the
planning area, which could result in the development of 10 to 40 new
oil and gas wells per year on new leases, as described in the
reasonably foreseeable development scenario for the Bakersfield RMP
completed in the 2012 final EIS. The BLM expects the impacts associated
with oil and gas production will be similar to those identified in the
2012 final EIS and the 2019 supplemental EIS for the Bakersfield RMP.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public
participation consistent with NEPA and land use planning processes. If
the BLM prepares an RMP amendment, additional opportunities will
include a 90-day comment period on the draft RMP amendment/draft
supplemental EIS, a concurrent 30-day public protest period, and a 60-
day Governor's consistency review on the proposed RMP amendment/final
supplemental EIS. The draft RMP amendment/draft supplemental EIS is
anticipated to be available for public review in late summer/early fall
2025 and the proposed RMP amendment/final supplemental EIS is
anticipated to be available for public protest in early winter 2025
with an approved RMP amendment and record of decision in late winter
2026.
Public Scoping Process
All public scoping comments must be submitted by email or by mail
to the addresses listed under ADDRESSES. The purpose of the public
scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will influence the
scope of the environmental analysis, including alternatives if
necessary, and guide the planning process.
Responsible Official
The California State Director is the deciding official for this
planning effort.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The nature of the decision to be made will be the State Director's
selection of land use planning decisions pursuant to this potential RMP
amendment for managing BLM-administered lands under the principles of
multiple use and sustained yield in a manner that best addresses the
purpose and need.
Additional Information
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1536) and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of section 106. The information about historic
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed plan amendment will assist
the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM MS 1780,
and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on
Indian trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources, will
be given due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along
with Indian Tribal Nations and other stakeholders that may be
interested in or affected by the proposed action that the BLM is
evaluating, are invited to participate in the scoping process and, if
eligible, may request or be requested by the BLM to participate in the
development of the environmental analysis as a cooperating agency.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
(Authority: 43 CFR 46.435 and 43 CFR 1610.2)
Joseph Stout,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2025-11481 Filed 6-20-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-15-P
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