[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 246 (Friday, December 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75646-75648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30756]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R7-R-2012-N233; FF07R06000 FXRS12650700000] 123
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for the Shadura Natural Gas Development Project
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce
that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Shadura
Natural Gas Development Project is available for public review and
comment. The EIS was prepared pursuant to the Alaska National Interest
Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA); the National Wildlife Refuge
System Administration Act of 1966 (Refuge Administration Act), as
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997
(Refuge Improvement Act); and the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA). It describes five
[[Page 75647]]
alternatives for accessing the subsurface natural gas estate owned by
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), and provides analysis of the effects of
those alternatives. The Service does not have a preferred alternative.
DATES: Please provide any written comments or information on the EIS by
February 19, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Additional information concerning the Project can be found
at http://alaska.fws.gov/nwr/planning/nepa.htm.
Additional information concerning the Refuge may be found at http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=74525.
Send your comments or requests for information by any one of the
following methods:
Email: fw7_kenai_planning@fws.gov;
Fax: Attn: Peter Wikoff, (907) 786-3976;
[cir] U.S. Mail: Peter Wikoff, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd., MS-231, Anchorage, AK 99503
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Wikoff, Natural Resource
Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at (907) 786-3357, or at the
address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have received an application for, and
have prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for, a
proposed right-of-way within the Refuge. The right-of-way would be in
compliance with the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act
(ANILCA) Section 1110(b) regarding access to inholdings, for the
construction and operation of facilities associated with the
exploration and production of natural gas from the subsurface estate
within the Refuge. The United States owns the surface estate which is
managed by the Service as part of the Kenai Refuge, and Cook Inlet
Region, Inc. (CIRI), owns the subsurface estate of coal, oil, and gas
in the project area. The Project would be in the northwestern portion
of the Kenai Peninsula, approximately 4 miles southeast of the end of
the road in Captain Cook State Recreation Area. The application is
being made by NordAq Energy, Inc., the holder of the lease from CIRI
for the area.
The EIS describes and evaluates a range of reasonable alternatives
and the anticipated impacts of each. We are publishing this notice in
compliance with the NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1501.7) to advise other
agencies and the public that the EIS is available for public review and
comment.
Alternatives Considered
Alternative 1--No Action
The No Action alternative is required by the NEPA to present the
current situation for comparison with the other alternatives.
Action Alternatives (Alternatives 2-5)
Under any of the action alternatives (alternatives 2-5), the
Shadura Natural Gas Development Project would be constructed, operated,
maintained, decommissioned, and reclaimed. During the first stage of
the project, a gravel road, gravel storage yards, and a minimal
drilling/processing pad would be constructed. Then one natural gas well
would be drilled and tested. If the results of this testing were
unfavorable, all equipment and gravel would be removed and the affected
areas would be restored to approximate preconstruction conditions. If
the results of testing were favorable, the second stage would be
constructed.
The second stage of construction would involve expanding the
drilling/processing pad to its final size and configuration; drilling
five additional natural gas wells, an industrial water well, and a
Class II disposal well; and constructing production facilities.
Once constructed, the Project would operate for about 30 years. At
the end of the Project's useful life, it would be decommissioned and
the impacted areas reclaimed.
Alternative 2--Applicant's Proposed Action
The access road would extend from the North Kenai Spur Highway
along the west and south sides of Salmo Lake to a drilling/processing
pad. That portion of the access road outside the Refuge has already
been permitted by the State of Alaska as part of another project.
The access road would be 4.3 miles long, about 2.7 miles of which
would be on the Kenai NWR. The remaining1.6 miles are on State and
other lands. Of that portion on the Kenai NWR, about 1.7 miles of the
road would be constructed in upland areas and about 1 mile would be in
wetlands. The metering pad, gathering lines, and communication cable
would be located parallel to the access road.
Alternative 3--Natural Gas Development With Northern Access
Under this alternative, the access road would be constructed around
the north and east sides of Salmo Lake. The access road would be 4.6
miles long, of which 2.2 miles would be constructed on State and other
lands, and 2.4 miles would be on the Kenai NWR. About 3.7 miles would
be in upland areas and about 0.9 mile would be in wetlands. The North
Kenai Spur Highway would provide primary access to the project area.
The metering pad, gathering lines, and communication cable would be
located parallel to the access road.
Alternative 4--Natural Gas Development With Eastern Access
Under this alternative, the access road would be constructed from
the east. The access road would be 3.3 miles long--all on the Kenai
NWR. About 2.7 miles would be constructed in upland areas and about 0.5
mile would be in wetlands.
The metering pad, gathering lines, and communication cable would
not follow the access road but be constructed in the same locations as
for Alternative 2. They would be installed cross-country between the
drilling/processing pad and the previously permitted road on State
lands. The segment between the Kenai NWR boundary and metering pad
would follow this previously permitted road. The North Kenai Spur
Highway would provide primary access to the metering pad.
Alternative 5--Natural Gas Development With Southern Access
Under this alternative, an access road would be constructed from
the southeast. The access road would be 5.5 miles long--all on the
Kenai NWR. About 5.3 miles would be constructed in upland areas and
about 0.2 mile would be in wetlands.
The metering pad, gathering lines, and communication cable would be
constructed in the same locations as for Alternatives 2 and 4. They
would be installed cross-country between the drilling/processing pad
and the previously permitted road on State lands. The segment between
the Kenai NWR boundary and metering pad would follow this previously
permitted road. The North Kenai Spur Highway would provide primary
access to the metering pad.
Public Input
Special mailings, newspaper advertisements, and other media
announcements will inform the public of opportunities to provide
written input throughout the planning process. The EIS and information
pertaining to the right-of-way application for the project are
available for viewing and downloading at http://alaska.fws.gov/nwr/planning/nepa.htm.
[[Page 75648]]
Refuge Information
The Refuge covers approximately 2 million acres on the Kenai
Peninsula in south-central Alaska. It is readily accessible by road
from the city of Anchorage, which is home to 41.5 percent of Alaska's
population. The Refuge consists of the western slopes of the Kenai
Mountains and forested lowlands bordering Cook Inlet. The Kenai
Mountains, with their glaciers, rise to more than 6,500 feet. Treeless
alpine and subalpine habitats are home to mountain goats, Dall sheep,
caribou, wolverine, marmots, and ptarmigan. Boreal forests extend from
sea level to 1,800 feet and are composed of spruce and birch forests,
which on the Refuge are intermingled with hundreds of lakes. Boreal
forests are home to moose, wolves, black and brown bears, lynx,
snowshoe hares, and numerous species of Neotropical birds, such as
olive-sided flycatchers, myrtle warblers, and ruby crowned kinglets. At
sea level, the Refuge encompasses the last remaining pristine major
saltwater estuary on the Kenai Peninsula, the Chickaloon River Flats.
The Flats provide a major migratory staging area and nesting habitat
for shorebirds and waterfowl throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
The Flats are also used as a haul-out area by harbor seals. Thousands
of salmon migrate up the Chickaloon River system each year to spawn.
While the United States owns the land surface within the Refuge,
portions of the subsurface estate are owned by CIRI. CIRI is an Alaska
Native regional corporation established under the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA; 43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). CIRI received
the subsurface oil, gas, and coal estate to nearly 200,000 acres within
the Refuge as part of its ANCSA entitlement. The State of Alaska also
owns lands adjacent to the Refuge (Captain Cook State Recreation Area).
ANILCA Section 1110(b) requires that the Service provide adequate and
feasible access to the CIRI-owned subsurface estate. CIRI has
previously leased other portions of its subsurface estate within the
Refuge. Oil and gas are currently being produced from other production
units within the Refuge.
The ANILCA (Section 303[4]) established the Refuge from the Kenai
Moose Range and other lands, and set forth the following major purposes
for which the Refuge was to be managed:
(i) To conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their
natural diversity, including, but not limited to, moose, bear, mountain
goats, Dall sheep, wolves, and other furbearers; salmonoids and other
fish; waterfowl and other migratory and non-migratory birds;
(ii) To fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United
States with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats;
(iii) To ensure, to the maximum extent practicable and in a manner
consistent with the purposes set forth in paragraph (i), water quality
and necessary water quantity within the Refuge;
(iv) To provide in a manner consistent with subparagraphs (i) and
(ii), opportunities for scientific research, interpretation,
environmental education, and land management training; and
(v) To provide, in a manner compatible with these purposes,
opportunities for fish and wildlife-oriented recreation.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us to withhold it from public view, we cannot guarantee we will be
able to do so.
Dated: December 17, 2012.
E. LaVerne Smith,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage,
Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2012-30756 Filed 12-20-12; 8:45 am]
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