3 Exploratory gas wells planned near Bondurant
EIS Public comment deadline February 13, 2006
January 23, 2006
(Big Piney) The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have received notification from Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP) that they propose to drill three exploratory oil and gas wells on national Forest lands near Bondurant in the Noble Basin area.
The project area includes portion of National Forest land as well as federal minerals underlying private land in the Hoback Ranches Subdivision.
The proposed Eagle Prospect is located in the Noble Basin area, south of Muddy Creek, approximately seven miles southeast of Bondurant in Sublette County. The project would include improvements to existing roads and new road construction to access the drill location. Three wells would be drilled from a single drill pad. The project is on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
The proposed project would include 2.6 acres of surface disturbance and 15 acres for new road construction, with anticipated construction to begin in 2007. After construction, well drilling is expected to occur over 3-4 months.
The proposed access would be from Daniel Junction State Highway 354 to Merna, then along Sublette County Road #23-115 and forest roads through Beaver Creek drainages and over the Rim divide to the project area.
The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of the proposed project.
The approval or denial of the Application for Permit to Drill (APD) will be through a joint decision issued by the Forest Service and BLM. The Forest Service is responsible for the surface plans, while the BLM is responsible for administering the subsurface mineral rights, design of the drilling program and related safety considerations.
The decision, based on the EIS analysis, will be to decide whether to approve the Surface Use Programs for the APDs submitted for the three wells, to specify the road access route and other project design criteria, best management practices, mitigation measures and monitoring requirements.
Public Involvement:
The Big Piney Ranger District will host two Open Houses on the project, one in Bondurant and another the following night in Pinedale.
1/30/06: Bondurant Open House Bondurant Elementary School from 4-7 pm.
1/31/06: Pinedale Open House Pinedale Library from 4-7 pm.
Forest Service and PXP representatives will be available to explain the project and answer questions.
Public comment will be accepted until Monday, February 13, 2006. Written comments should be sent to Greg Clark District Ranger, Big Piney Ranger District, Box 218, Big Piney, WY 83113. Comments can also be e-mailed to: mailroom_r4_bridger_teton@fs.fed.us. Include "Eagle Prospect" in the subject line. Phone comments can be made to Teresa Trulock, Project Manager, 307-276-3375 at the Big Piney Ranger District. The Public Scoping Notice and related information are available from the Big Piney Ranger District in Big Piney.
Related Links:
Federal Register Environmental Documents – Eagle Prospect (1/11/06)
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Hoback Gas Well Project–Notice of Staking (Pinedale Online, 9/23/05)
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