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EPA slams BLM's Pinedale Anticline plan

U.S. EPA has given the newly revised drilling plan for Wyoming's Pinedale Anticline its worst possible rating, saying the Bureau of Land Management failed to adequately analyze the effects on air quality and groundwater.

This is the second time the environmental agency has criticized BLM's environmental impact statement for planned drilling in the area, and once again EPA recommended that BLM should not move ahead with finalizing and implementing its plan. Instead, EPA recommended that BLM take the plan back to the drawing board to correct the problems identified by EPA.

"These impacts are of sufficient magnitude that the proposed action should not proceed as proposed," wrote Robert E. Roberts, EPA's regional administrator in comments to BLM.

Roberts said the project is a candidate for referral to the Council on Environmental Quality for resolution if EPA's concerns are not resolved. That type of referral has only happened 27 times in the history of the National Environmental Policy Act and EPA has only done it twice since 1985.

EPA is not the only federal agency questioning the plan. The U.S. Forest Service also recently submitted concerns that the current drilling plan would fail to protect visibility in the nearby forest lands it administers. And the Fish and Wildlife Service has expressed concerns regarding wildlife, saying BLM's preferred alternative could have "significant effects" on the viability of the Green River Basin's sage grouse population, one of the five largest extant greater sage grouse populations within the species' entire range.

Environmentalists said the strong comments from the federal agencies represents a significant blow to BLM's current proposal and shows the agency must redo its proposal in order to adequately protect air, water and wildlife.

"It is certainly indicative of the magnitude of impacts we're talking about here that all these agencies have registered significant concerns," said Bruce Pendery, staff attorney for the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

Revisions and revisions

BLM's plan supplements a previous environmental impact statement and a 2000 record of decision that authorized up to 700 producing wells within the 198,037-acre Pinedale Anticline project area. The revised draft supplemental environmental impact statement considers the effects of up to 4,399 additional natural gas wells and up to 12,885 acres of new disturbance by 2025. Year-round drilling is proposed on 70,200 acres that coincide with big game crucial winter habitats and greater sage grouse seasonal habitats.

The area contains an estimated 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, which could generate approximately $16 billion in federal royalties, $8 billion of which would go to the state of Wyoming.

The proposed development would be in the midst of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is located west, east and north of the project area and comes within 2.3 miles of the project's boundary. The project is also about 11 miles west of the Bridger Wilderness Area, which is a federal Class I area under the Clean Air Act, requiring special protection of air quality and related values such as visibility.

EPA predicted the proposed project would result in at least 10 days of visibility impairment at the Bridger Wilderness Area, which it considers a "significant, adverse impact to air quality."

In addition, EPA noted that groundwater monitoring data suggests that current drilling and production activities on the anticline have contributed to contamination of an aquifer used for drinking water. Benzene and other hydrocarbons have been detected in 88 of about 230 water supply wells being monitored, and two wells have benzene contamination at levels exceeding EPA's drinking water standard, the agency said.

BLM has already revised its environmental impact statement for the Pinedale Anticline project once after negative comments from EPA and other groups. Based on comments received after its December 2006 draft EIS, BLM determined it needed to analyze additional alternatives.

The revised draft includes two new alternatives -- one alternative expands the core area of development and another analyzes the proposed development without relaxing seasonal timing restrictions.

Environmentalists expressed optimism that the latest round of comments from federal agencies would result in further changes to the EIS.

"They seemed to recognize the wisdom of a more extensive analysis the first time after many folks pointed it out, so now that the second analysis has been found inadequate, I wouldn't think they'd ignore that advice," said Linda Baker of the Upper Green River Valley Coalition.

BLM spokeswoman Cindy Wertz said agency officials would meet with EPA representatives next week to discuss their concerns. "We continue to work closely with EPA to address these issues," she said.

Click here to read EPA's comments.

Click here to read the Forest Service's comments.

Click here to read FWS's comments.

Gable is an independent energy and environmental writer in Woodland Park, Colo.

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