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Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-MTM0020-2016-0006-EA July 20, 2016

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Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-MTM0020-2016-0006-EA July 20, 2016 United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-MTM0020-2016-0006-EA July 20, 2016 Project Title: Oil and Gas Lease Parcel Sale, October 18, 2016 Location: Hiline District (See attached Appendix A for list of lease parcels by number and legal description and Maps) U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of land management Great Falls Oil and Gas Field Office 1101 15th Street North Great Falls, MT 59401 Phone: 406-791-7700 FAX: 406-731-5303 HiLine District Oil and Gas Lease Sale EA DOI-BLM-MTM020-2016-0006-EA CONTENTS 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action ............................................................................... 1 1.3 Conformance with Land Use Plan(s) ......................................................................................... 2 1.4 Public Scoping and Identification of Issues ............................................................................... 2 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING PROPOSED ACTION ................................ 3 2.1 Alternative A - No Action .......................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Alternative B – Proposed Action ............................................................................................... 3 2.3Alternatives Considered, but Eliminated from further Analysis ................................................. 4 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4 3.2 Air Resources ............................................................................................................................. 5 3.3 Soil Resources .......................................................................................................................... 12 3.4 Water Quality and Quantity (Surface and Ground) ................................................................. 13 3.5 Vegetation Resources ............................................................................................................... 16 3.6 Special Status Species .............................................................................................................. 19 3.7 Fish and Wildlife...................................................................................................................... 20 3.8 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................... 21 3.9 Native American Religious Concerns ...................................................................................... 28 3.10 Paleontology .......................................................................................................................... 29 3.11 Visual Resources .................................................................................................................... 31 3.12 Lands and Realty.................................................................................................................... 32 3.13 Minerals ................................................................................................................................. 33 3.14 Special Designations .............................................................................................................. 34 3.15 Social and Economic Conditions ........................................................................................... 34 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ...................................................................................................... 38 4.1 Assumptions and Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenario Summary ........................ 38 4.2 Direct Effects Common to All Resources ................................................................................ 39 5.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION .................................................................................. 55 5.1 Persons, Agencies, and Organizations Consulted .................................................................... 55 5.2 Summary of Public Participation ............................................................................................. 55 6.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 56 7.0 DEFINITIONS .................................................................................................................................. 65 Appendix A. Lease Parcel Summary Table ............................................................................................. 66 Appendix B. Lease Stipulation Key ........................................................................................................ 110 Appendix C. Maps. ............................................................................................................................... 118 Map Set 1. Havre Field Office ..................................................................................................... 118 Map Set 2. Malta Field Office ...................................................................................................... 127 Map Set 3. Glasgow Field Office ................................................................................................. 132 Appendix D. Soils. ................................................................................................................................. 139 FIGURES Figure 1. Visibility Trends at Fort Peck Indian Reservation .......................................................... 8 Figure 2. Visibility Trends at UL Bend Wilderness Area .............................................................. 9 Figure 3. Relative distribution of riparian-wetland types located in the lease parcels (Montana National Heritage Program, April, 2016 & National Wetlands Inventory, 2009) ........................ 19 TABLES Table 1. US EPA – Air Data Air Quality Index Report (2012-2015) ............................................ 6 Table 2. Monitored Concentrations Representative of the Study Area ......................................... 7 Table 3. Mapped hydrologic features located in the lease parcels (NHD V.210). ...................... 13 Table 4. Mapped riparian-wetland areas located in the lease parcels (Montana National Heritage Program, April, 2016) ................................................................................................................... 17 Table 5. BLM Special Status Species (Animals) ......................................................................... 20 Table 6. Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat ............................................................................................ 21 Table 7. Summary of Cultural Resource Locations, Inventory Reports and Percent of Lease Parcels surveyed to Class III Standards ........................................................................................ 22 Table 8. Lease Parcels with identified Paleontological remains.................................................. 31 Table 9. VRM Classes for the analysis area ................................................................................. 31 Table 10. Existing Development Activity on Lands Administered by the Hiline District .......... 34 Table 11. Oil and Gas leasing and Existing Development within Townships Containing Lease Parcels ........................................................................................................................................... 34 Table 12. Population Estimates and Percent of Population that is Minority or Below Poverty, 2014 Estimates .............................................................................................................................. 36 Table 13. Estimated Federal, State, and County Revenue in 2016 dollars. ................................. 54 Table 14. List of Preparers ........................................................................................................... 55 Hiline District Oil and Gas Lease Sale EA DOI-BLM-MTM00200-2016-0006-EA 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED 1.1 Introduction It is the policy of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to make mineral resources available for use and to encourage development of mineral resources to meet national, regional, and local needs. This policy is based on various laws, including the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987 Sec. 5102(a)(b)(1)(A) directs the BLM to conduct quarterly oil and gas lease sales in each state whenever eligible lands are available for leasing. The Montana State Office conducts mineral estate lease auctions for lands managed by the federal government, whether the surface is managed by the Department of the Interior (BLM or Bureau of Reclamation), United States Forest Service, or other departments and agencies. In some cases the BLM holds subsurface mineral rights on split estate lands where the surface estate is owned by another party,
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