BLM seeks public comment on two oil shale RD&D EAs

Denver — The Bureau of Land Management today announced the release of two oil shale Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Environmental Assessments (EAs) for a 30-day public comment period, which closes on September 18, 2006.

These preliminary EAs analyze Shell Frontier’s three proposed projects and Chevron’s single proposal.  All projects under consideration are in Rio Blanco County within the Piceance Basin on public lands administered by BLM's White River Field Office near Meeker. 

The EAs may be reviewed online at: http://www.co.blm.gov/wrra/nepa.htm.  Also, hardcopy versions are available at the BLM Colorado State Office in Lakewood, Colorado, and at the White River Field Office in Meeker, Colorado.

“We want to make sure the public is part of the environmental review process for these oil shale proposals,” said Kent Walter, BLM White River Field Manager.  “We will carefully consider the comments we receive and incorporate them into any final decisions we make.”

The BLM recommends submitting comments by mail to ensure your suggestions are received.  Comments may be submitted in writing to:

Bureau of Land Management
White River Field Office
73544 Highway 64
Meeker, CO 81506
Attn: Jane Peterson

Public comments can also be submitted online at: Colorado_OSRDDEA@blm.gov.  The BLM cannot guarantee receipt and consideration of comments mailed to other BLM e-mail accounts due to memory and security issues.  To maximize the value of your comments, the BLM suggests that comments be as specific as possible and cite suggested changes, sources, or methodologies used in the EAs.  The BLM will compile and incorporate public comments into its final decision record for this EA. 

The RD&D leasing program is a separate initiative from the commercial oil shale leasing program that is being examined through a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). To the extent possible, information available from the RD&D leasing program will be incorporated into the PEIS.  The BLM’s RD&D leasing program and the PEIS are being developed as required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. 

-BLM-