Final EIS Appendix 10 

APPENDIX 10—SURFACE DISTURBANCE 

ASSOCIATED WITH OIL AND GAS ACTIVITIES 

The following general guidelines for reasonably foreseeable development, access roads, drill pads, 

pipelines, and additional infrastructure were used to determine acres of surface disturbance associated 

with oil and gas exploration and development activities. The assumptions are based on existing oil and 

gas development across the Pinedale Field Office. 

REASONABLY FORESEEABLE DEVELOPMENT

• Approximately two-thirds of the projected wells would occur in the Jonah and Pinedale Anticline 

Fields. 

• The Pinedale Anticline would be developed with multiple wells per pad on an average surface 

spacing of 4 to 6 well pads per square mile (120- to 160-acre surface spacing per pad). 

• The Jonah Field would predominantly be developed with single well pads at an average of 64 

pads per square mile (10-acre surface spacing per pad). 

• The greater Big Piney-LaBarge area, Castle Creek Field, and the rest of the planning area would 

be developed with single well pads on an average surface spacing of 16 or fewer well pads per 

square mile (40-acre surface spacing per pad). 

ACCESS ROADS

• Average initial 40 feet total width disturbance for 0.4 mile per well (1.9 acres). 

• Average long-term 23.5 feet total width disturbance for 0.4 mile per well (1.14 acres). 

DRILL PADS

• Average initial disturbance would be 3.7 acres per single-well pad (coalbed natural gas [CBNG] 

and non-CBNG wells). 

• Average initial disturbance would be 10 acres per well pad with multiple wells (projected size 

range: 4.0 acres for 2 well pads to 20 acres for pads with up to 32 wells). 

• Average long-term disturbance would be 1.5 acres per single-well pad (CBNG and non-CBNG 

wells). 

• Average long-term disturbance would be 5 acres per pad with multiple wells (projected long-term 

disturbance range: 1.5 acres per single-well pad to 8 acres for a pad with 32 wells). 

• One-hundred percent of the CBNG wells would be vertical wells from single-well pads. 

• Approximately 65% of the non-CBNG wells would be vertical wells from single-well pads. 

• Approximately 35% of the non-CBNG wells would be directional wells from multiple-well pads. 

This assumption is based on the knowledge that vertical well development on the Pinedale 

Pinedale RMP A10-1 
Appendix 10 Final EIS 

Anticline Project Area (PAPA) has generally reached the number threshold for single-well pads 

in each of the PAPA Management Areas and that approximately 30% of the total reasonably 

foreseeable development (RFD) would occur in the PAPA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

(Lanning and Stilwell 2006). 

• An estimated average of 7 wells would be developed from a multiple-well pad. (The Pinedale 

Field Office in 2006 has multiple-well pads with as few as 2 wells drilled and as many as 21 

wells authorized—approved applications for permit to drill [APD]—from an individual well pad.) 

• The major collection and transportation pipeline system would double in Alternative 2 from the 

current level. Projected major pipeline development for the other alternatives would be prorated 

based on the RFD projections. (Current major pipeline systems in the Pinedale Field Office 

include the Anticline-Jonah System: approximately 36 miles long, 300 feet wide, 1,300 acres in 

size; the Merna/Big Piney-LaBarge System: approximately 40 miles long, 150 feet wide, 720 

acres in size; and the ExxonMobil system: approximately 24 miles long, 150 feet wide, 430 acres 

in size). 

PIPELINES

• Average initial disturbance of 1.5 acres per average single-well pad and 3.0 acres for multiplewell pads and stabilized after 3 years—assumes that pipelines serving single-well pads would 

average 0.4 miles in length per pad and have an average surface disturbance width of 30 feet. 

Pipeline disturbance associated with multiple-well pads would be double the disturbance for 

single-well pads (3.0 acres). These figures are based on four well pads per square mile. 

ADDITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Additional infrastructure, excluding pipelines and roads, required for the operation of oil and gas fields 

include, but are not limited to, the following: communication sites, power lines, compressor sites, central 

delivery points, stabilization plants, and ware yards. 

• Average initial and long-term disturbance for compressor sites, central delivery points, 

stabilization plants, and ware yards would be 5 acres per site. 

• Average initial and long-term disturbance for communication sites would be 0.5 acres. 

• Average initial and long-term disturbance for power lines would vary depending on whether the 

line is a distribution or a transmission line. 

Acres of projected surface disturbance are calculated using the guidelines above and the total number of 

well locations by alternative projected by BLM Wyoming Reservoir Management Group (Table A10-1). 

Projection period is from the base analysis year of 2001 through 2020 (note 560 wells had been developed 

from 2001 through July 2006). 

A10-2 Pinedale RMP
Final EIS Appendix 10 

Table A10-1. Projected Total Number of Well Pads by Alternative 

for Federal Surface and Federal Minerals (2001 to 2020) 

Alternative 

Total 

Number of 

Single-Well 

Locations 

(CBNG) 

Total 

Number of 

Single-Well 

Locations 

(nonCBNG) 

Total Number of 

Multiple-Well 

Locations (non-CBNG) 

Total Number of 

Well Pads 

Unrestricted 

Development 518 4,800 369 pads (2,585 wells) 5,687 pads (7,903 wells) 

Alternative 1 430 4,732 290 pads (2,030 wells) 5,452 pads (7,192 wells) 

Alternative 2 504 5,110 310 pads (2,190 wells) 5,924 pads (7,804 wells) 

Alternative 3 300 3,436 210 pads (1,473 wells) 3,946 pads (5,209 wells) 

Alternative 4 465 4,671 285 pads (2,000 wells) 5,421 pads (7,136 wells) 

Source: BLM Wyoming Reservoir Management Group, 2006. 

Table A10-2 and Table A10-3 show the initial and long-term surface disturbance by alternative associated 

with the projected number of oil and gas wells in Table A10-1. 

Table A10-2. Initial Surface Disturbance from Oil and Gas Activity 

for Federal Surface and Federal Minerals 

Alternative Roads 

(acres) 

CBNG 

Drill 

Pads 

(acres) 

NonCBNG 

SingleWell 

Pads 

(acres) 

MultipleWell 

Pads 

(acres) 

Well PadRelated 

Pipelines 

(acres) 

Collector/ 

Transportation 

Pipeline Trunk 

Lines (acres) 

Total 

Surface 

Disturbance 

for Life of 

Plan (acres) 

Alternative 1 10,360 1,191 17,508 2,900 8,613 2,450 43,022 

Alternative 2 11,256 1,865 18,907 3,100 9,351 2,260 46,739 

Alternative 3 7,497 1,110 12,713 2,100 6,084 1,635 31,139 

Alternative 4 10,300 1,720 17,283 2,850 8,327 1,700 42,180 

Table A10-3. Long-Term Surface Disturbance from Oil and Gas Activity 

for Federal Surface and Federal Minerals 

Alternative Roads 

(acres) 

CBNG 

Drill 

Pads 

(acres) 

NonCBNG 

SingleWell 

Pads 

(acres) 

MultipleWell 

Pads 

(acres) 

Well PadRelated 

Pipelines 

(acres) 

Collector/ 

Transportation 

Pipeline Trunk 

Lines (acres) 

Total 

Surface 

Disturbance 

for Life of 

Plan (acres) 

Alternative 1 6,897 750 7,725 2,000 0 0 17,372 

Alternative 2 7,434 900 8,250 2,105 0 0 18,689 

Alternative 3 5,300 600 5,925 1,500 0 0 13,325 

Alternative 4 6,890 825 7,650 1,965 0 0 17,330 

Pinedale RMP A10-3 
Appendix 10 Final EIS 

Table A10-4 shows the historical (2001 through 2005) and future gas production (in billions of cubic feet 

[BCF]) for the Pinedale Field Office area, estimated for the baseline and each alternative. Table A10-5

shows the historical (2001 through 2005) and future oil production (in millions of barrels) for the 

Pinedale Field Office area, estimated for the baseline and each alternative. 

Table A10-4. Historical and Future Gas Production (in billions of cubic feet) 

Year Baseline Alternative 1 

(No Action) Alternative 2 Alternative 3 Alternative 4 (Proposed) 

2001 496 496 496 496 496 

2002 573 573 573 573 573 

2003 659 659 659 659 659 

2004 734 734 734 734 734 

2005 818 818 818 818 818 

2006 863 844 863 794 842 

2007 964 934 964 856 932 

2008 1,046 1,005 1,046 903 1,005 

2009 1,099 1,050 1,098 931 1,052 

2010 1,137 1,082 1,137 950 1,086 

2011 1,187 1,127 1,186 965 1,131 

2012 1,229 1,163 1,228 980 1,169 

2013 1,245 1,177 1,244 993 1,182 

2014 1,280 1,207 1,279 1,019 1,213 

2015 1,258 1,180 1,256 985 1,187 

2016 1,162 1,080 1,160 893 1,087 

2017 1,113 1,028 1,112 843 1,038 

2018 1,087 998 1,085 813 1,009 

2019 1,091 999 1,089 794 1,010 

2020 1,044 950 1,024 729 946 

Total 20,084 19,104 20,052 16,730 19,168 

Table A10-5. Historical and Future Oil Production (in millions of barrels) 

Year Baseline Alternative 1 

(No Action) Alternative 2 Alternative 3 Alternative 4 (Proposed) 

2001 3.945 3.945 3.945 3.945 3.945 

2002 4.468 4.468 4.468 4.468 4.468 

2003 4.632 4.632 4.632 4.632 4.632 

2004 4.737 4.737 4.737 4.737 4.737 

2005 5.166 5.166 5.166 5.166 5.166 

A10-4 Pinedale RMP
Final EIS Appendix 10 

Pinedale RMP A10-5 

Year Baseline Alternative 1 

(No Action) Alternative 2 Alternative 3 Alternative 4 (Proposed) 

2006 6.901 6.741 6.901 6.325 6.723 

2007 7.759 7.508 7.758 6.853 7.480 

2008 8.423 8.085 8.422 7.238 8.079 

2009 8.854 8.454 8.852 7.465 8.461 

2010 9.171 8.722 9.169 7.617 8.737 

2011 9.589 9.100 9.587 7.743 9.119 

2012 9.942 9.409 9.937 7.864 9.432 

2013 10.078 9.520 10.071 7.978 9.543 

2014 10.372 9.774 10.361 8.196 9.798 

2015 10.149 9.515 10.135 7.880 9.547 

2016 9.267 8.603 9.252 7.044 8.634 

2017 8.814 8.116 8.798 6.589 8.176 

2018 8.555 7.833 8.540 6.302 7.902 

2019 8.565 7.822 8.551 6.123 7.889 

2020 8.195 7.435 8.044 5.606 7.384 

Total 157.582 149.586 157.324 129.772 149.853 

CUMULATIVE SURFACE DISTURBANCE ASSOCIATED WITH OIL AND 

GAS ACTIVITIES (FEDERAL, STATE, AND FEE SURFACE, AND 

MINERAL ESTATES)

The general guidelines and assumptions discussed above for surface disturbance related to fluid mineral 

development on federal surface and minerals also apply to and guide projections of cumulative surface 

disturbance. 

There were 2,419 existing wells (all mineral ownerships) in the Pinedale planning area on January 1, 

2001. Although there were a few multiple-well pads in the planning area before 2001, the practice of 

developing multiple wells from an individual well pad was largely nonexistent. The exact number of 

multiple-well pads at that time is not known, but it was likely in the 2- to 5-pad range. To project the 

acres of well pad-related disturbance on January 1, 2001 (Table A10-6), it was assumed that each well 

was from a single well. Because each of these wells is a minimum of 5 years old, it is also assumed that 

the pads, roads, and pipelines have been reclaimed to the long-term disturbance level. 
Appendix 10 Final EIS 

Table A10-6. Projected Long-term Disturbance of Well Pads and Roads (All Mineral 

Ownerships in the Planning Area Before 2001) 

Number of 

Wells/Well 

Pads 

Well Pad 

Disturbance 

(acres) 

Well padrelated Roads

(acres) 

Well Padrelated 

Pipelines 

(acres) 

Collector/ 

Transportation 

Pipeline Trunk 

Lines (acres) 

Total 

Disturbance 

(acres) 

2,491 3,737 2,840 0 0 6,577 

Table A10-7 shows the projected number of well pads by alternative for all mineral ownerships in the 

planning area. 

Table A10-7. Projected Total Number of Well Pads by Alternative (All Mineral 

Ownerships in the Planning Area 2001–2020) 

Alternative 

Total Number 

of Single-Well 

Locations 

(CBNG) 

Total Number of 

Single-Well 

Locations (nonCBNG) 

Total Number of 

Multiple-Well 

Locations (nonCBNG) 

Total Number of Well 

Pads 

Alternative 1 512 5,153 396 pads (2,774 wells) 6,061 pads (8,439 wells) 

Alternative 2 586 5,502 423 pads (2,963 wells) 6,511 pads (9,051 wells) 

Alternative 3 382 3,944 304 pads (2,130 wells) 4,630 pads (6,456 wells) 

Alternative 4 547 5,093 392 pads (2,743 wells) 6,032 pads (8,383 wells) 

Source: BLM Wyoming Reservoir Management Group, 2006. 

Table A10-8 and Table A10-9 show the initial and long-term surface disturbance by alternative associated 

with the projected number of oil and gas wells in Table A10-5. 

Table A10-8. Projected Initial Surface Disturbance from Oil and Gas Activity (All Mineral 

Ownerships in the Planning Area) 

Alternative Roads 

(acres) 

CBNG 

Drill Pads 

(acres) 

Non-CBNG 

SingleWell Pads 

(acres) 

Multiple 

Well 

Pads 

(acres) 

Well PadRelated 

Pipelines 

(acres) 

Collector/ 

Transportation 

Pipeline Trunk 

Lines (acres) 

Total 

Surface 

Disturbance 

for Life of 

Plan (acres) 

Alternative 1 11,516 1,894 19,066 3,960 9,675 2,450 48,561 

Alternative 2 12,371 2,168 20,357 4,230 10,413 2,260 51,798 

Alternative 3 8,797 1,413 14,593 3,040 7,425 1,635 36,903 

Alternative 4 11,461 2,024 18,844 3,920 9,654 1,700 47,603 

A10-6 Pinedale RMP
Final EIS Appendix 10 

Table A10-9. Long-Term Surface Disturbance from Oil and Gas Activity (All Mineral 

Ownerships in the Planning Area) 

Alternative Roads 

(acres) 

CBNG 

Drill Pads 

(acres) 

Non-CBNG 

SingleWell Pads 

MultipleWell 

Pads 

Well PadRelated 

Pipelines 

(acres) 

Collector/ 

Transportation 

Pipeline Trunk 

Lines (acres) 

Total 

Surface 

Disturbance 

for Life of 

Plan (acres) 

Alternative 1 6,909 768 7,730 1,980 0 0 17,387 

Alternative 2 7,423 879 8,253 2,115 0 0 18,670 

Alternative 3 5,278 573 5,916 1,520 0 0 13,287 

Alternative 4 6,876 820 7,643 1,960 0 0 17,299 

Pinedale RMP A10-7