[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28375-28376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13751]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability and Public Hearings for Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for Beaufort Sea Oil and Gas 
Development/Northstar Project, Beaufort Sea, Alaska

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), the Army Corps of 
Engineers, Alaska District, in coordination with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA); the Minerals Management Service (MMS); the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); the National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NMFS); and the North Slope Borough as cooperating agencies, is 
issuing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for oil and gas 
development activities within the Northstar Unit in the Beaufort Sea, 
Alaska.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS, draft National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) permit, or draft 1422 Underground Injection 
Control (UIC) permit will be accepted during the public review period, 
beginning June 1, 1998 and ending July 30, 1998. All written comments 
on the DEIS and related federal permits and approvals should be sent to 
the Alaska District Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch no later 
than July 30, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the DEIS including 
appendices, or information on matters pertaining to this notice can be 
obtained on request from: Ms. Terry Carpenter, Project Manager, Alaska 
District Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box 898, 
Anchorage, AK 99506-0898, fax (907) 753-5567.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. (BPXA) 
proposes to develop and produce oil and gas from the Northstar Unit, 
located between 2 and 8 miles offshore of Point Storkersen in the 
Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Oil and gas drilling, processing, and production 
is proposed to be located at Seal Island, a manmade gravel island built 
during the 1980s. BPXA's proposed project includes reconstructing and 
enlarging Seal Island and directionally drilling production, gas 
injection, and disposal wells from the island. Transportation of oil 
and gas would be by buried subsea pipelines from Seal Island to shore 
and above-ground pipelines from the shore to onshore facilities and the 
beginning of the TransAlaska Pipeline System (TAPS) at Pump Station 1.
    2. Because this project represents the first development of Outer 
Continental Shelf oil and gas resources in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, 
the DEIS addresses a range of potentially applicable technologies and 
development/production options and provides useful information to 
evaluate future development proposals.
    3. Analysis of these options for the Northstar reservoir resulted 
in identification of 4 action alternatives for development/production 
of oil and gas from the Northstar Unit. The DEIS evaluates the impacts 
of the 4 action alternatives and a no action alternative, and 
identifies an environmentally preferred alternative.
    4. The DEIS consists of 4 volumes, with an additional 3 volumes of 
appendices (A-Project Description; B-Biological Assessment; C-J-other

[[Page 28376]]

information, including NPDES documents). The DEIS Executive Summary can 
also be viewed at the following web site: http://www.northstareis.com.
    5. Copies of the DEIS and appendices are also available for public 
review at:
    a. Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, 3150 C 
Street, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.
    b. Z.J. Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, Alaska 
99503.
    c. Tuzzy Consortium Library, Barrow, Alaska.
    d. North Slope Borough Office, Barrow, Alaska.
    e. Barrow City Office, Barrow, Alaska.
    f. Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission Office, Barrow, Alaska.
    g. Nuiqsut City Office, Nuiqsut, Alaska.
    h. Kaktovik City Office, Kaktovik, Alaska.
    i. Noel Wien Public Library, 1215 Cowles Street, Fairbanks, Alaska 
99701.
    j. Valdez Consortium Library, P.O. Box 609, Valdez, Alaska 99686.
    k. Juneau Public Library, 292 Marine Way, Juneau, Alaska 99801.
    6. This DEIS is intended to meet the NEPA compliance and/or other 
public notice requirements for the following agency actions:
    a. Corps of Engineers: Section 10, Rivers and Harbors Act; Section 
404, Clean Water Act; Section 103, Marine Protection, Resources, and 
Sanctuary Act.
    b. Environmental Protection agency: Section 402, Clean Water Act 
(NPDES); Part C, Safe Drinking Water Act (UIC).
    c. Minerals Management Service: Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 
Development and Production Plan.
    7. EPA's draft 402 NPDES and UIC permits and explanatory fact 
sheets are included in this DEIS as Appendices F, G, H, and J and are 
intended for public review and comment.
    8. The MMS is requesting comments on the Northstar Project 
Description (Appendix A of the DEIS, and analyzed as Alternative 2 in 
the DEIS). The Northstar development project includes drilling wells 
into, and producing oil from, two OCS leases, and requires an approved 
Development and Production Plan (DPP). The Northstar Project 
Description (Appendix A) was developed to meet the submission 
requirements under 30 CFR 250.34 for a DPP. The MMS has determined that 
the Project Description, in conjunction with the DEIS, meets the 
requirements under 30 CFR 250.34(f). The Northstar development offshore 
facilities will be located on State of Alaska submerged lands. An oil 
spill contingency plan will be submitted pursuant to 30 CFR 254.50 and 
254.53. The plan will be reviewed under the State of Alaska Department 
of Environmental Conservation process, and is not part of either the 
DEIS or DPP.
    9. No OCS action to approve, disapprove, or require modification to 
the DPP will be taken by MMS until the Final EIS is released. No OCS 
development and production activities can be conducted unless and until 
the DPP is approved as required by 30 CFR 250.34(1).
    10. A Biological Assessment, as required by the Endangered Species 
Act, is included as Appendix B to the DEIS. This document will be used 
to initiate formal consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act with the USFWS and NMFS on three species: the endangered 
bowhead whale, and the threatened spectacled and Steller's eiders.
    11. All written comments on the DEIS, draft NPDES permit, draft UIC 
permit, or DPP should be sent to: Ms. Terry Carpenter, Project Manager, 
Regulatory Branch, Alaska District Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 
898, Anchorage, AK 99506-0898. Comments specific to EPA's draft permit 
will be forwarded to EPA for their consideration, and those specific to 
MMS's DPP will be forwarded to MMS.
    12. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting public 
workshops at 5 locations in Alaska early in the 60-day comment period. 
These workshops are intended to help the public become familiar with 
the DEIS and the draft NPDES and UIC permits.
    13. To collect oral and written comments on the DEIS (Corps), the 
draft NPDES and UIC permits (EPA), or the DPP (MMS), separately 
scheduled public hearings will be held at the same 5 locations in 
Alaska. A court reporter will record the proceedings at each public 
hearing.
    14. The public workshops and public hearings will be held on the 
following dates:
    a. Public Workshops:
    (1) Tuesday, June 23, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--Nuiqsut Community Center, 
Nuiqsut, Alaska.
    (2) Wednesday, June 24, 1998, 6:00 p.m.--Kaktovik Community Center, 
Kaktovik, Alaska.
    (3) Thursday, June 25, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--North Slope Borough 
Assembly Room, Barrow, Alaska.
    (4) Tuesday, June 30, 1998, 7:00 p.m.--BLM Conference Room, 
Fairbanks, Alaska.
    (5) Wednesday, July 1, 1998, 7:00 p.m.--Federal Building Conference 
Room, Anchorage, Alaska.
    b. Public Hearings:
    (1) Monday, July 13, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--North Slope Borough Assembly 
Room, Barrow, Alaska.
    (2) Tuesday, July 14, 1998, 7:00 p.m.--Kaktovik Community Center, 
Kaktovik, Alaska.
    (3) Wednesday, July 15, 1998, 7:00 p.m.--Nuiqsut Community Center, 
Nuiqsut, Alaska.
    (4) Thursday, July 16, 1998, 7:00 p.m.--BLM Conference Room, 
Fairbanks, Alaska.
    (5) Monday, July 20, 1998, 7:00 p.m.--Wilda Marston Theatre at Z.J. 
Loussac Library, Anchorage, Alaska.
    15. An Inupiat translator will be available at the public hearings 
held in Barrow, Kaktovik and Nuiqsut. Oral and written comments on the 
DEIS received during the public review period will be addressed in the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement.
    16. The federal permits and approvals are also subject to review 
for consistency with the State Coastal Management Program. Coastal 
Consistency review of the Northstar development project will be 
initiated on June 1, 1998 with release of the DEIS.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-13751 Filed 5-21-98; 8:45 am]
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