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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4779-4780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00854]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[PO #4820000251]

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Oil 
and Gas Leasing Decisions in Seven States From February 2015 to 
December 2020

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for approximately 3,224 oil and 
gas leases sold in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming and issued pursuant to 74 individual lease 
sale decisions. The EIS will provide a comprehensive analysis of the 
potential environmental impacts from these leases, which have been 
remanded to BLM for further review, including the impacts of greenhouse 
gas emissions (to include the social cost of carbon) and other common 
impacts.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS. 
Comments on issues, impacts, and potential new alternatives to be 
analyzed, as well as on relevant information, studies, or analyses, may 
be submitted in writing until March 17, 2025. The BLM will announce on 
its website any additional venues for commenting during scoping.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2036015/510.
     Mail: BLM, Headquarters, Division of Fluid Minerals, 
Attention--Oil and Gas litigated leases EIS, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa 
Fe, New Mexico 87508.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janna Simonson, Project Lead, or John 
Ajak, Division Chief, via email at bllm_hq_litigated 
[email protected], or via telephone at 505-954-2000; or by mail at 
Bureau of Land Management, 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508. You 
may also request to be added to the mailing list for the EIS. The 2022 
supplemental EA may be found at the https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2022218/510.
    Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services for contacting 
Ms. Headen. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM will review the environmental 
analyses for the leasing decisions that were challenged in the 
following lawsuits: WildEarth Guardians v. BLM, 19-cv-00505 (D.N.M.), 
20-2146 (10th Cir.) (challenging leasing decisions in New Mexico); 
WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt, 16-cv-01724 (D.D.C.) (challenging 
leasing decisions in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming); WildEarth Guardians 
v. Bernhardt, 20-cv-00056 (D.D.C.) (challenging leasing decisions in 
Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and 
Wyoming); WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt, 21-cv-00175 (D.D.C.) 
(challenging leasing decisions in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and 
Wyoming); and WildEarth Guardians v. Bernhardt, 21-cv-00004 (D. Mont.) 
(challenging leasing decisions in Montana, North Dakota and South 
Dakota). Impacts to other resources were also raised in the subject 
complaints. The BLM may elect to include additional analysis in the EIS 
for resources and impacts beyond greenhouse gas emissions, climate 
change, and the social cost of greenhouse gases.
    The area encompassed by the challenged oil and gas leases includes 
approximately 3.5 million acres within the States of Colorado, Montana, 
New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. In September 
2022, the BLM prepared and solicited public comments on the 
Supplemental Environmental Assessment Analysis for Greenhouse Gas 
Emissions Related to Oil and Gas Leasing in Seven States from February 
2015 to December 2020. In consideration of new science and information 
related to greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and the social 
cost of greenhouse gases (e.g., the Department's adoption, on October 
16, 2024, of new estimates of the social cost as the best available 
science), and the number of oil and gas leases under consideration 
across seven States, the BLM is electing to prepare an EIS, with 
associated opportunities for public comment. The number of leases and 
amount of acreage at issue may also warrant analysis of other common 
impacts, such as those to wildlife, water resources, and night skies.
    The purpose of this public scoping process is to solicit 
information from the public related to these leases. Information 
received during this process will influence the development of the EIS 
and guide the scope of the environmental analysis.
    The leasing decisions that will be analyzed in this EIS arise from 
BLM's responsibility under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
and the Mineral Leasing Act. The purpose and need for the EIS is to 
address issues raised in multiple civil lawsuits about the adequacy of 
the environmental analyses for the various decisions at issue and to 
ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, 
applicable Executive and Secretarial Orders, and Departmental policies 
regarding analysis of the impacts from greenhouse gas emissions and the 
social cost of greenhouse gases--including Executive Order 13990, 
Secretary's Order 3399, and new information provided in the 2023 BLM 
Specialist Report on Annual Greenhouse Gas

[[Page 4780]]

Emissions and Climate Trends. Potential new alternatives to be 
considered in the EIS include, but are not limited to, those that would 
affirm the issuance of these leases under the terms, conditions, and 
stipulations as originally issued, or not affirm their issuance under 
their original terms, conditions, and stipulations.
    After the scoping comment period is closed, the BLM will review and 
consider the scoping comments received and will develop a Draft EIS, 
which BLM estimates will be completed approximately 6 to 8 months after 
the scoping period ends. At that time, the Draft EIS will be made 
available for public comment for at least 45 days. After the close of 
the Draft EIS comment period, the BLM will develop a Final EIS 
incorporating comments received on the Draft, which the BLM estimates 
will be completed approximately 6 months after the Draft EIS comment 
period ends. A record of decision selecting an alternative from the 
Final EIS would be issued no sooner than 30 days after notice of the 
availability of the Final EIS is published in the Federal Register.

(Authority: 30 U.S.C. 181 and 226; 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 
4332; and 43 CFR part 3100 (2024))

Steven Feldgus,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 2025-00854 Filed 1-15-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-27-P
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