Release Date: 01/31/14
Contacts: Megan Crandall, (801)539-4020,
mcrandal@blm.gov
Comment Period Extended for Proposed Natural Gas Project in Eastern Utah
VERNAL, UTAH—In order to provide the public with additional time to review the Monument Butte Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and submit written comments, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Vernal Field Office is extending the public comment period for 30 days. Interested parties may now submit written comments until March 5, 2014.
“We remain committed to facilitating oil and gas development on public lands in Utah using a balanced approach that ensures we are managing BLM-Utah lands with full public input and participation,” said Juan Palma, BLM-Utah State Director.
The draft EIS analyzes a proposal to drill up to 5,750 new oil and gas wells over a period of 16 years in an existing oil and gas producing area in Duchesne and Uintah Counties. The Newfield Exploration Company’s proposed Monument Butte Project encompasses nearly 120,000 acres south of Myton, Utah, and would result in approximately 170 miles of new roads accompanied by a similar amount of new pipelines and additional infrastructure. The total new surface disturbance would be approximately 16,129 acres. Additional information about the proposed project is included in the draft EIS, which can be found on the Vernal Field Office website at
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/nepa_.html.
Written comments will be accepted by letter or email until close of business on March 5, 2014.
Please note that the most useful comments are those that contain new technical or scientific information relevant to the proposed action. Comments should be as specific as possible. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process. Please reference “Monument Butte EIS” when submitting comments.
Written comments should be mailed or emailed using the following:
Mail
Bureau of Land Management
Vernal Field Office
Attn: Stephanie Howard
170 South 500 East
Vernal, UT 84078
Email
BLM_UT_Vernal_Comments@blm.gov
Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so. The BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.
For further project-specific information, please contact Stephanie Howard at (435)781-4469. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question with the above individual. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
