BTNF Scopes New Drilling Requirement

The Bridger-Teton National Forest announced it will be conducting an additional environmental study and soliciting public input through a scoping period for one new alternative to be considered in a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement pertaining to oil and gas leases near the Wyoming Range. According to a Forest Service press release, the need for a SEIS and the development of a new alternative was derived after the Forest considered the nearly 60,000 comments submitted on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement that analyzed the potential impacts of an exploration and production plan submitted for the federal leases in the Eagle Prospect and Noble Basin areas by Plains Exploration and Production Company.  Mick Birge has more about the project. The release points out that the SEIS is not a replacement of the Draft or Final EIS, but is an additional document provided to allow public review and comment on a new alternative that will be included in the Final EIS. The modified preferred alternative is consistent with the Forest Plan and a modification to the Jackson Hole lease stipulations under the “Krug Memorandum.”  The release explains that the alternative includes a reduced road density for the project and relocated infrastructure off the western section of the project area. Because there is no public comment process for the Final EIS, the B-T is providing this opportunity for the public to assess the new alternative.