BLM Hosts Public Meetings on Draft Environmental Impact Statement for West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Proposal

Contact:  Brad Higdon (435) 636-3613
West Tavputs Web Site

Price, Utah—February 27, 2008—The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Price Field Office will host public meetings to discuss its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Proposal.  BLM welcomes public comments on the draft statement, which evaluates a proposal to develop natural gas resources on the West Tavaputs Plateau, predominantly located in northeastern Carbon County. 

Meetings will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in the following locations:

• March 11 in the Classroom Building, Utah State University, Roosevelt Campus, 987 E. Lagoon St.,  Roosevelt, Utah
• March 12 at the Holiday Inn, 838 Westwood Blvd., Price, Utah
• March 13 at the Salt Lake City Library, 210 E. 400 S., Salt Lake City

The draft, released Feb. 1, for public review and comment, considers a long-term development proposal including drilling up to 807 natural gas wells in 538 locations over a period of eight years.  Each well has the potential to produce gas for up to 20 years.  Project infrastructure would include development and construction of roads and pipelines, gas compression stations, and other facilities to accommodate natural gas delivery. 

BLM is currently evaluating five alternatives in detail in an effort to address a broad spectrum of issues and uses specific to this area.  The range of alternatives includes applying best management practices for oil and gas development, optimizing opportunities for directional drilling, and other mitigation measures developed to address sensitive issues.

The West Tavaputs Plateau is an area that has seen oil and gas development since the 1950’s.  More than 100 gas wells have been drilled within the proposed project area, most of which are currently in production.  A substantial network of roads, pipelines, and compressor stations already exists on federal, state, and private lands within the project area in support of both past and present natural gas production.

Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted through May 1 and should be as specific as possible.  Comments which express only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response; however, they will be considered in the BLM decision-making process.  The most useful comments will identify issues that should be considered in the analysis. Comments will be accepted by letter, facsimile, or e-mail and may be sent by May 1 to:

Mail        Bureau of Land Management
              Attn:  West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Plan DEIS
              Price Field Office
              125 South 600 West
              Price, UT 84501
Fax        (435) 636-3657
E-mail    UT_Pr_Comments@blm.gov

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 may ask in your comment to have your personal identifying information withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.  Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents will be available for public review at the BLM Price Field Office from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Comments may also be published as part of the NEPA document and other related documents.  All submissions from organizations or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. 

For further information, please contact Brad Higdon at (435) 636-3613.