BLM and Forest Service Seek Public Comments on the Fourth Edition of the Gold Book

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS) have released a draft updated version of the Gold Book for public review and comments. The official title of the updated fourth edition is Surface Operating Standards for Oil and Gas Development. The revised edition introduces best business practices (BBPs) to help further improve the processing of Applications for Permits to Drill (APDs) and environmental best management practices (BMPs) designed to reduce the environmental impacts of energy exploration and production. The public will have (30 days) until July 10, 2005, to comment on the draft.

The Gold Book outlines procedures for conducting oil and gas operations on BLM- and USFS-managed lands and split-estate lands. The most recent update of the book was more than 15 years ago. The revised version will include updated drawings, photographs, tables, references, policy, orders and regulations.

Copies of the draft Gold Book and instructions for providing comments can be found at: http://www.blm.gov/bmp/

Following the public review and comment period, an interagency team will review submissions and incorporate appropriate changes in the final Fourth Edition. The final version will be available on the Internet prior to being printed.

The BLM manages more land – 261 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural resources on the public lands.

The USFS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages approximately 192 million surface acres. Like the BLM, most of the Forest Service's land is located in 12 western states, including Alaska. However, in the early and middle parts of the 20th century, the agency also acquired approximately 25 million acres in the eastern half of the United States to establish additional national forests.

With general consent from USFS, the mineral estate underlying National Forests is part of the 700 million sub-surface acres the BLM administers. The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. It accomplishes this with a budget of $4.8 billion.

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