BLM Initiates Environmental Analysis of Oil Shale and Tar Sands Development

As part of its ongoing efforts to increase domestic energy production and ensure greater energy security, the Bureau of Land Management has initiated a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to support a commercial oil shale and tar sands leasing program on federal lands in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.  Congress directed the BLM to complete the PEIS and initiate commercial leasing of strategic unconventional fuels in the recently passed Energy Policy Act of 2005.

A Notice of Intent published in the December 13, 2005 Federal Register opened a public comment period on the scope of the PEIS.  The BLM will accept written comments related to scoping that are postmarked or delivered by January 31, 2006, and electronic comments that are received by the same date.  A series of public scoping meetings to obtain comments will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. and again from 7 to 10 p.m. in the following locations on the dates specified: 

Tuesday, January 10, 2006           Salt Lake City, Utah

Little America Hotel
500 S Main

Wednesday, January 11, 2006      Price, Utah

Holiday Inn
838 Westwood Boulevard

Thursday, January 12, 2006          Vernal, Utah

Westin Plaza Hotel
1684 West Highway 40

Friday, January 13, 2006              Rock Springs, Wyoming

BLM Rock Springs Field Office
280 Hwy 191

Wednesday, January 18, 2006     Rifle, Colorado

Garfield County Fairgrounds Meeting Room
1001 Railroad Avenue

Thursday, January 19, 2006         Denver, Colorado

Marriott Denver West
1717 Denver West Blvd

Friday, January 20, 2006              Cheyenne, Wyoming

Holiday Inn
204 W Fox Farm Road

 More information on the meetings will be announced through local media, newsletters and the project Web site: http://ostseis.anl.gov. 

“Preparing a programmatic EIS will allow us to work collaboratively with our stakeholders to identify the leasing decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns,” said Sally Wisely, BLM Colorado State Director.  “Scoping is a crucial part of ensuring that federal oil shale and tar sands leasing programs take into account environmental and socio-economic impacts while allowing the Nation to realize tremendous benefits in terms of energy availability, reliability and security.” 

For purposes of the PEIS, the planning area for oil shale includes the Uintah Basin (Utah), the Piceance Basin (Colorado), the Washakie Basin (Colorado and Wyoming), and the Green River Basin (Wyoming).  For tar sands, the planning area encompasses certain sedimentary portions of the Colorado Plateau in Utah.  The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach in developing the PEIS in order to consider the various resource issues and concerns identified. 

The final PEIS will guide development of the regulations for a commercial oil shale program that the Energy Policy Act also mandates.  The final PEIS will also amend BLM’s land use management plans related to public lands in the three States that contain oil shale or tar sands resources.  Additional opportunities for public involvement and comment will occur when the PEIS becomes available in draft form. 

Under Department of Interior rules, State, Tribal and local governments in the areas covered by the PEIS will be invited to obtain Cooperating Agency (CA) status for purposes of preparing the document.   The BLM initiated a limited research, development and demonstration (RD&D) oil shale leasing program in June 2005 to enhance collective knowledge about the viability of innovative technologies for oil shale development.  To the extent possible, information gained from the RD&D program will also support preparation of the PEIS for commercial leasing. Details about the BLM’s implementation of the Energy Policy Act are available on the Bureau’s website: www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/epa2005/. 

The BLM manages 261 million surface acres located mostly in 12 Western States, including Alaska – more land than any other Federal agency.  With a budget of about $1.8 billion, the Bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the U.S.  Managing these lands gives the BLM a central role in implementing the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  Acting as steward of numerous energy resources – coal, oil and gas, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind, and biomass energy resources – is part of the agency’s multiple-use mission to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

-BLM-