BLM releases final analysis of Moneta Divide oil and gas project
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LANDER, Wyo. – In support of the Department of the Interior’s goals to sustainably develop the nation’s natural resources, the Bureau of Land Management has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Moneta Divide Oil and Gas Development Project in central Wyoming. Release of the Final EIS begins a 30-day public availability period and 60-day Governor’s consistency review. The BLM will not issue a Record of Decision on the EIS until the availability period and consistency review are complete.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement identifies a range of alternatives and includes the agency’s preferred alternative, which was developed following extensive review and consideration of public comments received on the Draft EIS. The Preferred alternative also includes an amendment to the Casper Resource Management Plan.
The proposed Moneta Divide project, submitted by Aethon Energy Management and Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Company, is projected to recover approximately 18.16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 254 million barrels of oil over the 65-year life of the project. The project could generate approximately $182 million per year in Federal royalties, $87.5 million per year in severance taxes for the State of Wyoming, and $106 million per year in County Ad Valorem taxes.
The project area includes approximately 327,645 acres of public, state and private lands. Approximately 67 percent of the project area is on BLM managed public lands, 10 percent is on State of Wyoming and State Parks land, and 23 percent is on private surface. The proponents plan to drill up to 4,250 new vertical, directional and horizontal wells from single and multi-well pads over a 15-year development period.
The Final EIS, along with other supporting documents, is available on BLM’s ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xnU9z.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.