ELKO
| Contacts: | Whitney Wirthlin | , 775-753-0342 | , wwirthli@blm.gov |
BLM seeks public input on proposed oil and gas exploration in Tabor Flats area
ELKO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management, Elko District, Wells Field Office is seeking public input until Jan. 4 in the development of an Environmental Assessment (EA) to conduct oil and gas exploration drilling in the Tabor Flats area, west of Wells, by Noble Energy (Noble) as part of its oil and gas leases. Comments on the proposed project will be accepted until January 4, 2013.
Noble proposes to drill and complete a maximum of 20 wells on public and private lands about four miles northwest of Wells. Noble has identified 35 potential well pad locations, 20 of which may be constructed over a two-year period or more.
The lands include 20,622 public land acres (52 percent of the project area), 2,603 acres (7 percent) of private surface with BLM-administered subsurface mineral rights, and 16,220 acres (41 percent) of private lands and minerals, for a total of 39,445 acres. The proposed operations will comply with all applicable federal Onshore Oil & Gas Orders and do not include any wild horse herd management areas.
The BLM is seeking input in the development of this EA. Written comments may be mailed to BLM Elko District, Attn: Whitney Wirthlin, 3900 E. Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801, faxed to (775) 753-0255, or e-mailed to Whitney Wirthlin, project lead, at wwirthli@blm.gov. Noble’s Oil and Gas Exploration master surface use plan and project map are available at www.blm.gov/rv5c
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. 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, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
ELKO 3900 E. Idaho Street Elko, NV 89801