Draft : amendment to the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve integrated activity plan/environmental impact statement

2004·77.8 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management

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88067222 U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management June 2004
Northeast
-
National Petroleum Reserve Alaska
DRAFT
Amended
Integrated Activity Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement
Volume
2
The Bureau of Land Management Today
Our Vision
To enhance the quality oflife for all citizens through
the balanced stewardship ofAmerica’s
public lands and resources.
Our Mission
To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of
the public lands for the use and enjoyment of
present and future generations.
Our Values
To serve with honesty, integrity, accountability, respect,
courage, and commitment to make a difference.
Our Priorities
To improve the health and productivity ofthe land
BLM
to support the multiple-use mission.
To cultivate community-based conservation, citizen-centered
stewardship, and partnership through consultation,
cooperation, and communication.
To respect, value, and support our employees, giving
them resources and opportunities to succeed.
To pursue excellence in business practices, improve
accountability to stakeholders, and deliver
better service to our customers.
BLM/AK/PL [04/012+3080+930]
Coverphotos
Lake Teshekpuk ^Bureau ofLand Management and Craig McCaa)
1.
2. Snowy owl chick (Craig George, North Slope Borough, Department ofWildlife Management)
3. Whale harvest (Craig George, North Slope Borough, Department ofWildlife Management)
1 4. Drill rig and caribou herd (BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc.)
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Draft
Amendment
to the
Northeast National Petroleum Reserve
Integrated Activity Plan
Environmental Impact Statement
Volume 2
Prepared by
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Anchorage, Alaska
June 2004

VOLUME
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS AND OF
LISTS
AND MAPS
TABLES, FIGURES,

62577775
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VOLUME
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Appendix A. Northeast 1998 Record ofDecision A-l
Appendix B. ANILCA Section 810 Analysis ofSubsistence Impacts B-l
B.1 Subsistence Evaluation Factors B-3
B.2 ANILCA § 810(a) Evaluations and Findings for All Alternatives and the
Cumulative Case B-5
B.2.1 Evaluation and Findings for Alternative A (No Action Alternative) B-5
B.2.2 Evaluation and Findings forAlternative B (Preferred Alternative) B-7
B.2.3 Evaluation and Findings for Alternative C B-10
B.2.4 Evaluation and Findings for the Cumulative Case B-l
B.3 Notice and Hearings B-l
B.4 Subsistence Determinations UnderANILCA § 810(a)(3)(A), (B), and (C) B-l5
Appendix C. Federal, State, and Local Permits and/orApprovals for Oil and Gas Exploration,
Development, and Production Activities C-l
Appendix D. Biological Assessment D-l
D.l Introduction and Background D-3
D.2 Description ofProposed Activities Using the Agency Preferred Alternative and
Key Assumptions in the Analysis D-5
D.2. Reasonable and Foreseeable Oil Development Scenario and Key
1
Assumptions D-5
D.2.2 Phase I: Leasing and Exploration D-8
D.2.3 Phase II: Development, Production, and Abandonment D-l 1
D.2.4 Production D-l4
D.2.5 Abandonment and Restoration ofProduction Sites D-
1
D.2.6 Lease Stipulations and Required Operating Procedures D-l
D.2.7 Private Lands D-
1
D.2.8 Other Key Assumptions D-
1
D.3 Description ofListed Eiders Occurring in the Northeast National Petroleum
Reserve - Alaska D-
1
D.3.1 Spectacled Eider D-l
D.3.2 Steller’s Eider D-22
D.4 Avenues ofTake for Listed Eider Species Resulting from Activities in the
NortheastNational Petroleum Reserve- Alaska D-24
D.4.1 Summer Seismic Surveys D-24
D.4.2 Habitat Loss in High Density Nesting Areas D-25
D.4.3 Oil Field Disturbance D-28
D.4.4 Collisions (Strikes) D-35
D.4.5 Increased Predation D-38
D.4.6 Oil Spills D-39
D.4.7 Increased Subsistence Hunting D-40
D.4.8 Toxics D-41
D.4.9 Mitigating Measures D-42
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
D.4. 0 Effects ofAbandonment D-43
1
D.4.1 1 Protection Recommendations D-43
D.5 Cumulative Effects on Spectacled and Steller’s Eiders D-43
D.5.1 Potential Effects to Subsistence Harvest D-44
D.5.2 Potential Effects to Commercial Fishing D-44
D.5.3 Recreational Activities D-44
D.5.4 Nuiqsut Road Construction D-44
D.7 Agency Determination D-45
D.6 Bibliography D-46
Appendix E. Stipulations from the 1998 Northeast National Petroleum Reserve- Alaska Record
ofDecision E-l
Appendix F. Standardized Stipulations Applied to Mitigate the Impacts ofNon-Oil and Gas
Authorizations F-l
BLM
Appendix G. Sensitive Species List for Alaska G-l
Appendix H. Common, Scientific, and Inupiaq Names ofSpecies Listed in Amended LAP/EIS H-l
Appendix I. Historic Sites H-l
IT Documented Alaska Heritage Resource Services Sites in the NortheastNational
Petroleum Reserve - Alaska 1-1
I.2 Documented Traditional Land Use Inventory Sites in the NortheastNational
Petroleum Reserve - Alaska 1-6
Appendix J. Subsistence J-l
J.l Introduction J-3
J.2 Subsistence Defined J-4
J.3 Annual Cycle ofHarvest Activities J-5
J.4 Community Subsistence Harvest Patterns J-5
J.5 Traditional Inupiat Settlement Patterns and Subsistence Use Areas J-6
J.6 Cultural Values ofSubsistence J-8
3.7 Contemporaiy Subsistence Uses J-8
J.8 Barrow J-8
J.8.1 Contemporary Seasonal Round J-8
J.8.2 Subsistence Harvest Estimates J-10
J.8.3 Contemporary Subsistence Use Areas J-l 1
J.8.4 Contemporary Subsistence Use Areas East ofthe Community J-l1
J.9 Atqasuk J-l8
J.9.1 Contemporary Seasonal Round J-1
J.9.2 Subsistence Harvests J-1
J.9.3 Contemporary Subsistence Use Areas J-22
J.9.4 Atqasuk Subsistence Use Areas East ofthe Community J-22
J.10 Nuiqsut J-24
J.l0.1 Nuiqsut Subsistence Activities J-24
J.10.2 Contemporary Seasonal Round J-25
J.10.3 Subsistence Harvests J-26
J.10.4 Contemporary Subsistence Use Areas J-26
J.10.5 Subsistence Expenditures J-44
J.1 1 Anaktuvuk Pass J-46
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
J.1 1.1 Contemporary Seasonal Round J-46
J.1 1.2 Subsistence Harvests J-47
J.1 1.3 Subsistence Use Areas J-47
J.1 1.4 Contemporary Connections to Nuiqsut, the Colville RiverArea, and the
Beaufort Sea Coast J-49
J.12 Other Villages J-51
J.13 Subsistence Access Routes J-5
J.14 Bibliography J-53
Appendix K. Oil Spills K-l
K.l Oil Spill Size Categories K-3
K.1.1 Probability ofa Large Crude Oil Spill K-3
K.1.2 Probability ofa Small Crude Oil Spill - Less Than 500 bbl K-9
K.1.3 Probability ofa Very Large Oil Spill - Greater Than or Equal to 120,000
Barrels K-
1
K.2. Oil Weathering and Spreading K-1
K.2.1 Modeling Simulations ofOil Weathering K-1
K.2.2 Observations ofHistoric North Slope Spill Patterns K-l3
K.3 Cumulative Analysis ofOil Spills K-1
K.3.1 Preparing the Cumulative Analysis K-1
K.3.2 Estimating Possible Future Spills from All Sources K-l
K.4 Bibliography K-
1
List of Tables
D-1 Gravel Footprint and Zones ofInfluence for Production and Related Facilities D-1
D-2 Gravel Footprint and Zones ofInfluence for Production and Effects on Eiders D-26
J-1 Barrow Subsistence Harvests and Subsistence Activities 1987-1992 J-1
J-2 Selected Barrow Subsistence Harvests for 1987, 1988 1989, and 1992 J-13
J-3 Atqasuk Subsistence Harvests Participation for 1994-1995 J-20
J-4 Atqasuk Subsistence Harvest Totals, Actual and Estimated for 994- 995 J-20
1 1
J-5 Nuiqsut Subsistence Harvests and Subsistence Activities for 1985, 1992, and 1993 J-27
J-6 Selected Nuiqsut Subsistence Harvests for 1985, 1992, 1993, and 1994-1995 J-28
J-7 Anaktuvuk Pass Subsistence Harvests and Subsistence Activities J-48
J-8 Selected Anaktuvuk Pass Subsistence Harvests J-48
K- Oil Spill Scenario Assumptions forthe Alternatives K-4
1
K-2 Large Crude Oil Spills Estimated Over the Production Life ofthe Northeast National Petroleum
Reserve- Alaska K-8
K-3 Small Crude Oil Spills Estimated Overthe Production Life ofthe Northeast National Petroleum
Reserve - Alaska K-
1
K-4 Assumed Size Distribution for Small Crude-oil Spills for the Production Life ofthe Northeast
National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska K-
1
K-5 Small Refined-Oil Spills <500 bbl Estimated Over the Production Life of the Northeast
National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska K-l
K-6 Fate and Behavior ofa Hypothetical 500 bbl Oil Spill from Lagoon Pipelines K-l3
K-7 Fate and Behavior ofa Hypothetical 900 bbl Oil Spill from a Lagoon Facility K-l3
K-8 Oil Spill Rates and Spill-size Category Used to Estimate Large Crude Oil Spills for the
Cumulative Analysis K-
1
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures
J-l Annual Cycle ofSubsistence Activities - Barrow J-9
J-2 Barrow Expenditures on Subsistence Activities, 1998-1999 J-10
J-3 Barrow Household Consumption ofSubsistence Foods, 1998-1999 J-1
J-4 Annual Cycle ofSubsistence Activities - Atqasuk J-1
J-5 Atqasuk Expenditures on Subsistence Activities, 998- 999 J-2
1 1
J-6 Atqasuk Household Consumption ofSubsistence Foods, 1998-1999 J-2
J-l Annual Cycle ofSubsistence Activities - Nuiqsut J-24
J-8 Nuiqsut Cumulative Caribou Harvest by Month, 1993, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 J-32
J-9 Nuiqsut Cumulative Caribou Harvest by Season and Location, 1993, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 ....J-3
J-10 Estimated Fishing Effort in the Colville River Delta Fall Subsistence Fishery in Net Days, 1985-
2002 J-37
J-l 1 Estimated Whitefish Harvests forthe Colville River Delta Fall Subsistence Fishery, 1985-2002 J-37
J-12 Nuiqsut Fish Harvest by Month, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 J-38
J-13 Nuiqsut Subsistence Fish Harvests by Month and Species, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 J-38
J-l4 Nuiqsut Cumulative Subsistence Fish Harvest by Location, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 J-39
J-l5 Nuiqsut Cumulative Subsistence Fish Harvest (Excluding Arctic Cisco) by Location, 1994-1995,
2000, and 2001 J-39
J-l6 Nuiqsut Harvest Locations For All Species ofGeese, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 J-4
J-l7 Nuiqsut Subsistence Harvest Locations for Eiders (Including King) for 1994-1995, 2000, and
2001 J-42
J-l8 Nuiqsut Subsistence Wolfand Wolverine Harvests by Location, 1994-1995, 2000, and 2001 J-44
J-19 Nuiqsut Expenditures on Subsistence Activities, 1998-1999 J-45
J-20 Nuiqsut Household Consumption ofSubsistence Foods, 1998-1999 J-45
J-21 Annual Cycle ofSubsistence Activities - Anaktuvuk Pass J-47
Maps
List of
(at end ofAppendix J)
J-1 Barrow, Atqasuk, and Nuiqsut Community Subsistence Areas
J-2 Barrow Subsistence Use Areas for Whale, Moose, Caribou, Fish, and Birds
J-3 Barrow Subsistence-Harvest Sites for All Resources
J-4 Barrow Partial Subsistence Use Areas forNon-Marine Resources
J-5 Atqasuk Subsistence Use Areas for Moose, Caribou, Fish and Birds
J-6 Atqasuk Partial Subsistence Use Areas forNon-Marine Resources
J-l Nuiqsut Subsistence Land Use 1973-1986
J-8 Nuiqsut Partial Subsistence Use Areas for Multiple Resources
J-9 Nuiqsut Partial Subsistence Use Areas for Caribou (All Seasons) and Geese
J-10 Nuiqsut Partial Subsistence Use Areas for Fish and Wolf/Wolverine
J-l 1 Nuiqsut Partial Subsistence Use Areas for Moose and Seal
J-12 Nuiqsut Partial Subsistence Use Areas for Berries, Bowhead Whale, and Eider
J-13 Nuiqsut Partial Subsistence Use Areas for Caribou by Season
J-14 Anaktuvuk Pass partial Subsistence Use Areas for Multiple Resources
J-l5 Historical Subsistence Access Routes on the North Slope
NortheastNational PetroleumReserve-Alaska IV June2004
DraftAmended1AP/EIS