In its ongoing effort to provide opportunities for responsible energy development, support the creation of jobs, and facilitate positive economic impacts to local communities, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its initial environmental analysis of a major natural gas development in Wyoming.
Appearing in today’s Federal Register, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Normally Pressured Lance (NPL) Natural Gas Development Project identifies a range of alternatives as to how the project can move forward. The document is available for a 45-day public comment period.
The proposed project, which was submitted by Jonah Energy LLC, could unlock 5.25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, providing a reliable, long-term energy source for the nation and creating more than 700 full-time jobs and stable employment opportunities for southwestern Wyoming. The project could also create $2.2 billion in royalties, half of which would go to the State of Wyoming.
The project encompasses approximately 141,000 acres of public, state, and private lands, with the vast majority—approximately 96 percent—located on public lands. Situated south and west of the existing Jonah Gas Field in Sublette County, the project proposes up to 3,500 directionally drilled wells over a 10-year period. All alternatives in the NPL DEIS conform to the BLM-Wyoming’s Pinedale Field Office Resource Management Plan Record of Decision (2008), as amended, and the Green River Resource Management Plan Record of Decision (1997).
The BLM must receive comments by August 21, 2017.