Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing program : draft environmental impact statement

2018·20.4 MB·English

Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Volume I: Executive Summary, Chapters 1-3, References, Glossary
December 2018
.*• -*
Prepared by:
S Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
In cooperation with:
US Fish and Wildlif«Service __—
US Environmental Protection Agenpy
State of Alaska
North STope Borough^f v
Native Village of KaKt68iJ(^^
Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government
Venetie Village Council
Arctic Village Council
The Bureau of Land Management's multiple-use mission
is to sustain the health and productivity of the public
lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future
generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing
such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing,
mineral development, and energy production, and by
conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other
resources on public lands.
Cover Photo: Northward view in central coastal plain area
near the Sadlerochit River showing gently rolling
topography typical of the area. Natural oil indications are
visible of an oil seep that occurs along the coast (Barter
Island). Photo by David Houseknecht (USGS).
DOI-BLM-AK-0000-2018-0002-EIS
BLM/AK/PL-19/002+1610+F020
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United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Alaska State Office
222 West Seventh Avenue, #13
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7504
www.blm.gov/alaska
In Reply, Refer To
1793 (930)
December 2018
Dear Reader:
I am pleased to present the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (Leasing EIS) for your review. It addresses a list of issues and contains three
action alternatives for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) implementation of an oil and
gas program in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge). This
program is required by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Public Law 115-97 (PL 115-97).
The Coastal Plain is within the political boundary of the North Slope Borough and is
predominantly managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Arctic Refuge. The
decisions to be made as part of this Leasing EIS concern which areas of the Coastal Plain would
be offered for oil and gas leasing and the terms and conditions to be applied to such leases and
subsequent authorizations for oil and gas activities.
The action alternatives discussed in the Leasing EIS include lease stipulations and required
operating procedures designed to mitigate impacts on natural resources and their uses. All future
on-the-ground actions requiring BLM approval, including potential exploration and development
proposals, will require further National Environmental Policy Act analysis based on the site-
specific proposal.
The BLM will evaluate all comments received and address substantive comments in the final
Leasing EIS scheduled to be released in 2019.
The most useful comments are specific and address one or more of the following:
• Identification of new information that would have a bearing on the analysis.
• Inaccuracies or discrepancies in information or any errors in our portrayal of the
resources and uses of the program area.
• Suggestions for improving implementation of an oil and gas leasing program, consistent
with the purposes of the Arctic Refuge.
• Identification of new impacts, alternatives, or potential mitigation measures.
When you share your comments with us, please be as specific as possible. Identify the specific
concern or correction you are suggesting, where it appears in the Leasing EIS, and the
modification you feel is necessary or appropriate.
2
I appreciate your comments on the Leasing E1S and there are three ways to submit them:
• Electronically at https://goo.gl/HVo5Mi
• By mail to:
Ms. Nicole Hayes
Project Manager
BLM Alaska State Office
222 West 7th Avenue, #13
Anchorage, AK 99513
• In person at the BLM Public Information Center, located on the first floor in the
James M. Fitzgerald United States Courthouse and Federal Building, 222 W. 7th Avenue,
Anchorage, Alaska, or at the public meetings.
The 45-day public comment period for the Leasing EIS begins with the Notice of Availability
published by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register. The precise dates of
the comment period, as well as information about public meetings and subsistence hearings
pursuant to Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, will be posted
on our website at www.blm.gov/Alaska.
Submitted comments will be publicly available and may be published as part of the Final
Leasing EIS. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, be aware that your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review,
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from organizations and
businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations and businesses will be available for public inspection in their entirety.
For additional information about the public comment process or the Leasing EIS, please go to the
program website at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-
development/alaska/coastal-plain-eis
Sincerely,
Ted A. Murphy
Acting State Director
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Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program
2s>\i
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
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Lead Agency: United States (US) Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management C.'J
(BLM)
Cooperating Agencies: US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
State of Alaska, North Slope Borough, Native Village of Kaktovik, Native
Village of Venetie Tribal Government, Venetie Village Council, and the
Arctic Village Council
Proposed Action: In accordance with the Section 20001 of Public Law I 15-97 (PL I 15-97),
establish and administer a competitive oil and gas program for the leasing,
development, production, and transportation of oil and gas in and from the
Coastal Plain in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge).
Abstract: The BLM will establish and administer an oil and gas leasing program for the
Coastal Plain in the Arctic Refuge, as required by PL II5-97. The Coastal
Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(Leasing EIS) will inform the BLM’s implementation of PL II5-97, Section
20001(c)(1), which requires the BLM to hold multiple oil and gas lease sales.
The Leasing EIS considers three action alternatives. The No Action
Alternative, Alternative A, is included for comparison only; it does not meet
the purpose and need of the EIS. Alternatives B, C, and D propose a range
of the extent of the Coastal Plain that would be available for lease sale—
from 66 to 100 percent of the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain—while
balancing biological and ecological concerns. These alternatives also include
lease stipulations and required operating procedures designed to mitigate
impacts on resources and their uses. Alternative D contains two sub¬
alternatives, Alternatives DI and D2, for varied analysis of caribou summer
habitat lease stipulations. There is no preferred alternative. The Leasing EIS
considers and analyzes the environmental impact of these various leasing
alternatives, including the areas to offer for sale, and the indirect impacts
that could result in consideration of the hypothetical development scenario.
These include potential effects from future on-the-ground post-lease
activities on climate and meteorology, air quality, noise, physiography,
geology and minerals, petroleum resources, paleontological resources, sand
and gravel, soil, water, solid and hazardous waste, vegetation and wetlands,
wildlife, landownership and uses, cultural resources, subsistence uses and
resources, sociocultural systems, environmental justice, recreation, visual
resources, special designations (including marine protected areas, eligible
and suitable wild and scenic rivers, and wilderness characteristics, qualities,
and values), transportation, public health, and the economy.
Review Period: The review period on the Leasing EIS is 45 calendar days. The review period
began when the EPA published a notice of availability in the Federal Register
on December 28, 2018. The comment period ends on February I I, 2019.
Further Information: Contact Nicole Hayes of the BLM at [phone] or visit the Leasing EIS
website at https://goo.gl/HVo5Mj.
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Table of Contents
Chapter Page
Executive Summary.ES-1
Introduction.ES-1
Purpose and Need.ES-1
Decisions to Be Made.ES-1
Program Area.ES-2
Scoping and Issues.ES-2
Alternatives.ES-2
Alternative A—No Action Alternative.ES-2
Alternative B.ES-3
Alternative C.ES-3
Alternative D.ES-3
Hypothetical Development Scenario.ES-3
Impact Analysis.ES-4
Collaboration and Coordination.ES-5
Chapter I. Introduction. 1-1
I. I Overview.
1.2 Purpose and Need.
1.3 Decisions to be Made. -2
1.4 Program Area. -2
1.5 Scoping and Issues. -2
1.6 EIS Process. -3
1.7 Collaboration and Coordination. -4
1.7.1 Lead and Cooperating Agencies. -4
1.7.2 Consultation with Tribes and ANCSA Corporations. -4
1.7.3 Coordination and Consultation with Local, State, and Federal Agencies -4
1.8 Requirements for Further Analysis. -5
1.9 International Agreements, Laws, Regulations, and Permits. -5
1.9.1 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-97). -6
1. 10 ANILCA Section 810 Evaluation. -7
I.ll Translation. -7
Chapter 2. Alternatives.2-1
2.1 Introduction.2-1
2.2 Description of the Alternatives.2-1
2.2.1 Alternative A—No Action Alternative.2-2
2.2.2 Alternative B.2-2
2.2.3 Alternative C.2-2
2.2.4 Alternative D.2-2
2.2.5 Lease Stipulations and Required Operating Procedures.2-2
2.3 Alternatives Considered But Eliminated From Detailed Analysis.2-39
Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences.3-1
3.1 Introduction.3-1
3.2 Physical Environment.3-2
3.2.1 Climate and Meteorology.3-2
Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program i
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Table of Contents ( )
continued
Chapter Page
3.2.2 Air Quality.3-10
3.2.3 Acoustic Environment.3-17
3.2.4 Physiography.3-23
3.2.5 Geology and Minerals.3-27
3.2.6 Petroleum Resources.3-35
3.2.7 Paleontological Resources.3-41
3.2.8 Soil Resources.3-44
3.2.9 Sand and Gravel Resources.3-48
3.2.10 Water Resources.3-51
3.2.1 I Solid and Hazardous Waste.3-60
3.3 Biological Resources.3-65
3.3.1 Vegetation and Wetlands.3-65
3.3.2 Fish and Aquatic Species.3-75
3.3.3 Birds.3-84
3.3.4 Terrestrial Mammals.3-103
3.3.5 Marine Mammals.3-122
3.4 Social Systems.3-149
3.4.1 Landownership and Use.3-149
3.4.2 Cultural Resources.3-151
3.4.3 Subsistence Uses and Resources.3-159
3.4.4 Sociocultural Systems.3-178
3.4.5 Environmental Justice.3-193
3.4.6 Recreation.3-202
3.4.7 Special Designations.3-209
3.4.8 Visual Resources.3-217
3.4.9 T ransportation.3-224
3.4.10 Economy.3-227
3.4.11 Public Health.3-239
3.5 Unavoidable Adverse Effects.3-247
3.6 Relationship Between Local Short-Term Uses and Long-Term Productivity.3-248
3.7 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitments of Resources.3-248
References.References-I
G LOSS ARY.G LOSSARY-1
Tables Page
ES-I Land Administration.ES-2
I -1 Land Administration...I -2
2-1 Quantitative Summary of Lease Stipulations by Alternative.2-1
2- 2 Lease Stipulations, Required Operating Procedures, and Lease Notice by Alternative.2-4
3- 1 Kaktovik Airport Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary.3-3
3-2 GHG Emissions at Various Geographic Scales in 2015.3-5
3-3 Projected Oil Production and Direct GHG Emissions Estimates...3-7
3-4 Projected Oil Production and Indirect GHG Emissions Estimates for the Coastal Plain.3-8
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
TABLES
(continued) Page
3-5 Estimated Future Development GHG Emissions versus 2015 Emissions at Various
Geographic Scales.3-8
3-6 Average Air Pollutant Monitoring Values, 2014-2016.3-1 I
3-7 Documented Mineral Occurrences within 15 Miles of the Coastal Plain.3-33
3-8 Estimated Mean Undiscovered Petroleum Resources in the Coastal Plain.3-36
3-9 Lease Stipulation Acreages for Alternative B.3-39
3-10 Lease Stipulation Acreages for Alternative C.3-39
3-11 Lease Stipulation Acreages for Alternative D1.3-40
3-12 Lease Stipulation Acreages for Alternative D2.3-40
3-13 PFYC Values of Program Area Geologic Bedrock Units.3-42
3-14 Spill Characteristics by Seasons.3-63
3-15 Relative Rate of Occurrence for Spills from Main Sources.3-64
3-16 Wetland Types Mapped in the Arctic Refuge Program Area by the National Wetland
Inventory Program.3-68
3-17 Fish Habitat in the Program Area and Surrounding Area.3-75
3-18 Fish Species that May Use the Program Area.3-78
3-19 Summary of the Type, Context, and Duration of Potential Effects of Oil and Gas
Exploration, Construction, and Drilling and Operations on Terrestrial Mammals.3-1 I I
3-20 Marine Mammal Species Occurring within 5 NM of the Arctic Refuge Coastline and
Their Status in the Program Area.3-123
3-21 Additional Marine Mammal Species Occurring Along Vessel Transit Routes in the
Bering and Chukchi Seas.3-124
3-22 Number of Documented Dens and Extent of Potential Terrestrial Denning Habitat for
Maternal Polar Bears within the Three Zones of Estimated HCP in the Program Area.3-134
3-23 Number and Percentage of Documented Polar Bear Dens by Alternative, Hydrocarbon
Potential, and Lease Type.3-145
3-24 Estimated Acreage and Percentage of Potential Maternal Denning Habitat by
Alternative, Hydrocarbon Potential, and Lease Type.3-145
3-25 Cultural Themes and Periods of the Arctic Refuge Area.3-152
3-26 Cultural Resource Sites by Action Alternative.3-158
3-27 Selected Kaktovik Harvest and Participation Data, Average Across Available Study
Years.3-162
3-28 Selected Nuiqsut Harvest and Participation Data, Average Across Available Study Years.. 3-164
3-29 Selected Arctic Village Harvest and Participation Data, Average Across Available Study
Years.3-165
3-30 Selected Venetie Harvest and Participation Data, Average Across Available Study Years.. 3-166
3-31 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Purposes.3-209
3-32 Eligible and Suitable Rivers within the Program Area.3-21 I
3-33 Eligible and Suitable River Setback Distances Under Alternative B.3-214
3-34 Eligible and Suitable River Setback Distances under Alternative D.3-215
3-35 Projected Direct and Indirect Jobs: Exploration, Development, and Production Phases.3-234
3-36 Projected Direct and Indirect Labor Income: Exploration, Development, and
Production Phases.3-235
3-37 Projected North Slope Borough, State, and Federal Government Revenues.3-236
Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program mi
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Maps and Figures
(see Appendix A)
Maps:
I -1 Program Area
2-1 Alternative B
2-2 Alternative B, Lease Stipulations
2-3 Alternative C
2-4 Alternative C, Lease Stipulations
2-5 Alternative DI
2-6 Alternative Dl, Lease Stipulations
2-7 Alternative D2
2- 8 Alternative D2, Lease Stipulations
3- 1 Physiographic Provinces
3-2 Mineral Occurrences
3-3 Oil and Gas Infrastructure
3-4 Hydrocarbon Potential, Alternative B
3-5 Hydrocarbon Potential, Alternative C
3-6 Hydrocarbon Potential, Alternative DI
3-7 Hydrocarbon Potential, Alternative D2
3-8 Paleontological Resources
3-9 Hazardous Waste Sites
3-10 Vegetation
3-1 I Wetlands
3-12 Fish Habitat and Distribution
3-13 Essential Fish Habitat
3-14 Nest Sites, Observations, and Density of Pre-Nesting Spectacled Eider
3-15 Post-Breeding and Fall Staging Common Eider
3-16 Post-Breeding and Fall Staging King Eider
3-17 Post-Breeding and Molting Surf Scoter
3-18 Post-Breeding and Molting Long Tailed Duck
3-19 Post-Breeding and Fall Staging Yellow-Billed Loon
3-20 Frequency of Occurrence of Snow Goose Flocks with >500 Birds Observed During Aerial
Surveys, 1982-2004
3-21 Seasonal Distribution of the Porcupine Caribou Herd
3-22 Seasonal Distribution of the Central Arctic Herd
3-23 Porcupine Caribou Herd, Alternatives B, C, Dl, and D2
3-24 Polar Bear Habitat
3-25 Bowhead and Beluga Whale Sightings
3-26 Seal Sightings
3-27 Coastal Plain EIS Subsistence Study Communities
3-28 Kaktovik Subsistence Use Areas
3-29 Kaktovik Caribou Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
3-30 Kaktovik Moose Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
3-3 I Kaktovik Grizzly and Sheep Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
3-32 Kaktovik Furbearer Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
3-33 Kaktovik Fish Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
3-34 Kaktovik Bird Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
3-35 Kaktovik Vegetation and Wood Subsistence Use Areas in Coastal Plain
IV Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Draft Environmental Impact Statement