Notice2026-18106
Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Southern Ute Mancos Shale Development, La Plata County, CO
Primary source
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Published
September 4, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior regulations and handbook implementing NEPA, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe (Tribe), each acting as a joint lead agency, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, acting as a Cooperating Agency, intend to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Programmatic EIS will consider the effects of exploration and development of the Mancos Shale Formation, as well as other oil and gas resources held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Tribe within an approximately 108,000-acre planning area on existing leases located within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. This notice announces the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 171 (Friday, September 4, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56898-56899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18106]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[A2407-014-004-065516, #O2509-014-004-125222]
Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
for Southern Ute Mancos Shale Development, La Plata County, CO
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, as well as the U.S. Department of the
Interior regulations and handbook implementing NEPA, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office and the Southern Ute Indian
Tribe (Tribe), each acting as a joint lead agency, and the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, acting as a Cooperating Agency, intend to prepare a
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Programmatic EIS
will consider the effects of exploration and development of the Mancos
Shale Formation, as well as other oil and gas resources held in trust
by the United States for the benefit of the Tribe within an
approximately 108,000-acre planning area on existing leases located
within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. This notice announces the
beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and
identify issues.
DATES: The BLM and the Tribe request that the public submit comments
concerning the scope of the analysis, potential alternatives, and
identification of relevant information, and studies by October 5, 2026.
To afford the BLM and the Tribe the opportunity to consider comments in
the Programmatic EIS, please ensure your comments are received prior to
the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 days after the last public
meeting, whichever is later. The BLM and the Tribe will be holding an
in-person scoping meeting on September 24, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. Mountain Time.
ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the Sky Ute Casino
Resort, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, at 14324 US
Highway 172 North, Ignacio, Colorado 81301.
You may submit comments related to the Southern Ute Mancos Shale
Development Programmatic EIS by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/">https://eplanning.blm.gov/</a>; search project number
DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2026-0015-EIS.
<bullet> Mail: BLM Tres Rios Field Office, Attn: Ryan Joyner, 29211
Highway 184, Dolores, CO 81323.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Joyner, Assistant Field Manager
for Lands and Minerals, telephone (970) 882-7296; email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#31737d7c6e727e6e65636e7c505f525e426e6259505d5471535d5c1f565e47"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ffbdb3b2a0bcb0a0abada0b29e919c908ca0ac979e939abf9d9392d1989089">[email protected]</span></a>. Contact Mr. Joyner to have your name
added to our mailing list. 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 Mr. Joyner. 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 and the Tribe are preparing this
Programmatic EIS for the purpose of planning for and evaluating impacts
associated with Federal approval of on-lease oil and gas exploration
and production operations on lands and minerals held in trust for the
Tribe within an approximately 108,000-acre planning area located within
the boundaries of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwestern
Colorado. The planning area encompasses 108,000 surface acres
containing approximately: 64,000 mineral acres held in trust for the
Tribe; 42,000 mineral acres of fee minerals; and 2,000 mineral acres
held in trust for individual Indian allottees. All the Tribal trust
minerals within the planning area are subject to existing oil and gas
leases granted pursuant to the Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938, 25
U.S.C. 396a-396g and the Indian Mineral Development Act of 1982, 25
U.S.C. 2101-2108.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide for the
development of oil and gas minerals held in trust by the United States
for the benefit of the Tribe, in an orderly, efficient, economical, and
environmentally acceptable manner. Federal action is needed because the
BLM is responsible for reviewing and approving exploration and
production operations for the development of leased Tribal trust
minerals within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, and, in exercising
these responsibilities, must ensure that proposed development is in the
best interest of the Tribe, consistent with the Federal trust
obligation to the Tribe, and in accordance with applicable laws,
including NEPA, the Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938, 25 U.S.C. 396a-
396g, the Indian Mineral Development Act of 1982, 25 U.S.C. 2101-2108,
and the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act, 30 U.S.C. 1701 et
seq. After NEPA compliance and authorizations, the Proposed Action will
facilitate efficient exploration, development, and production
operations on Tribal trust minerals within the planning area.
Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives
As of the publication date of this Notice of Intent, the BLM and
the Tribe are considering two alternatives, a No Action Alternative and
a Proposed Action Alternative, known as the Trust Resources Planning
Alternative.
The No Action Alternative represents the continuation of current
oil and gas management actions and conditions of approval consistent
with existing environmental analyses, policies, and practices. The No
Action Alternative would maintain the status quo under a business-as-
usual approach.
The Proposed Action or Trust Resources Planning Alternative would
modify existing management by establishing goals and objectives for the
development of Tribal trust minerals within the planning area over
time, including goals and objectives providing for the orderly,
efficient, and economic development of the trust mineral resource, and
mitigation measures for the protection of environmental, cultural, and
other resources that may
[[Page 56899]]
be affected by the development activities. In addition, the Trust
Resources Planning Alternative would establish thresholds needed to
achieve these goals and objectives, including, for example, conditions
of approval and design requirements that may be attached to future
development authorizations.
The BLM welcomes comments on all preliminary alternatives, as well
as suggestions for additional alternatives.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The BLM and the Tribe currently anticipate an increase in
exploration and development of Tribal trust minerals within the Mancos
Shale formation within the planning area. The environmental effects
associated with this exploration and development may include, among
other effects, impacts to air quality; water quality/quantity; traffic;
vegetation; fish and wildlife; cultural, historic, and archaeological
resources; noise, light, and visual resources; and economic resources.
These potential impacts will be analyzed in the Programmatic EIS.
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
The BLM and the Tribe do not anticipate that any site-specific
approvals or ground-disturbing authorizations will be granted as part
of this agency action. Rather, it is anticipated that the BLM and the
Tribe will establish goals and objectives in the best interests of the
Tribe for the management of Tribal trust minerals within the planning
area, as well as measures needed to achieve those goals and objectives.
The Federal agency actions under consideration concern the use of
Tribal trust property, not Federal public lands or minerals; no Federal
public lands or minerals not held in trust are located within the
planning area.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The Final Programmatic EIS and Record of Decision are expected on
or prior to June 2028. This Programmatic EIS is subject to the
deadlines set forth at 42 U.S.C. 4336a(g)(1)(A).
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period. The Tribe and
the BLM will be holding an in-person scoping meeting on September 24,
2026, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time, at the Sky Ute Casino, at
14324 US Highway 172 North, Ignacio, Colorado 81301, from 6 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. The Tribe and the BLM will also accept written scoping
comments.
Responsible Official
The BLM Colorado Southwest District Manager is the deciding
official for the BLM. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is a joint lead
agency pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 4336a(a)(1)(B). The Tribal representatives
will be the deciding officials for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The BLM and the Tribe intend to establish goals and objectives in
the best interests of the Tribe for the management of Tribal trust
minerals within the planning area, and measures intended to support and
achieve those goals and objectives.
Additional Information
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA process 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 project 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 Manual
Section 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
planning decisions for oil and gas operations 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 1610.2.)
Thomas Heinlein,
BLM Colorado Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2026-18106 Filed 9-3-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-16-P
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