United States Fish and Wildlife Service Delta National Wildlife Refuge Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Matrix New World Engineering, Land Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C. 2798 O’Neal Lane, Building F Baton Rouge, LA 70816 www.matrixneworld.com Matrix Project No. 18-1083 May 2019 Section Page 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION ................................................1 2.0 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED .....................................................................................2 2.1 No Action Alternative ..............................................................................................2 2.2 Alternate Well Pad Locations ..................................................................................2 2.2.1 Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 1 - Alternate ............................................................2 2.2.2 Proposed Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 2 ..............................................................3 2.3 Alternate Flow Line Routes .....................................................................................3 2.3.1 Alternate Flow Line Route A ...................................................................................4 2.3.2 Alternate Flow Line Route B ...................................................................................4 2.3.3 Alternate Flow Line Route C ...................................................................................4 2.3.4 Alternate Flow Line Route D ...................................................................................4 2.3.5 Alternate Flow Line Route E ...................................................................................4 2.3.6 Alternate Flow Line Route F ...................................................................................5 2.3.7 Alternate Flow Line Route G ...................................................................................5 2.4 Proposed Alternative ................................................................................................5 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ...........................................................................................8 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACTION ...........................................9 4.1 Cumulative Impact Analysis ..................................................................................33 5.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ...................................................................35 5.1 List of Sources, Agencies and Persons Consulted: ................................................35 5.2 Consultation with Tribal Nations ...........................................................................35 6.0 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................35 6.1 List of Preparers .....................................................................................................38 6.2 Public Outreach ......................................................................................................38 6.3 Determination ........................................................................................................38 18-1083 Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 2 EA i Figure Title 1 Site Location Map 2a-2g Alternate Routes 3 Delta National Wildlife Refuge & Proposed Work Areas 4 Delta and Brenton National Wildlife Refuges Appendix Title A Farmout Agreement B Special Use Permit Application (Drilling) C Coastal Drilling Company Rig-20 Inventory D Coastal Drilling Company’s SPCC Plan E TPIC’s Emergency Response Plan F SHPO Consultation Concurrence G USFWS Consultation Concurrence H THPO Responses I Other Applicable Statutes, Analysis or Permits Used to Complete EA or Process Permit J Field Inspections, Other Studies, Analysis or Permits Used to Complete EA or Processing Permit 18-1083 Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 2 EA ii This Page Intentionally Left Blank 18-1083 Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 2 EA Date: May 10, 2019 Permit Application Information Applicant Name: LLOX, L.L.C. (LLOX) Company Contact: Ron Harvey, Operations Manager Operations Location: 1001 Oschner Blvd., Suite A, Covington, LA 70433 Preparer: Delta National Wildlife Refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Energy Team Consultant: Matrix New World Engineering, Land Surveying, and Landscape Architecture, P.C. Direct Comments To: Delta National Wildlife Refuge, 61389 Hwy 434, Lacombe, LA 70445 c/o Refuge Manager, Jimmy Laurent The purpose for the proposed action is to respond to a request by LLOX (Applicant) for an Operations Permit (Permit) for Applicant’s proposed activities of drilling the Delta Duck Prospect well. As required by 50 CFR §29.94(b), the Applicant has filed with Delta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR or Refuge) documentation demonstrating that it holds the legal right to conduct the proposed operations (Appendix A). This proposed action is needed to ensure that mineral rights holders have reasonable access to develop their non-Federal oil and gas interests and minimize impacts to Refuge resources to the extent practicable under the Service’s 50 CFR Part 29, Subpart D regulations (29D Regulations) for managing non-Federal oil and gas on Service-administered lands and waters. The purposes of implementing these regulations are: 1. Protecting Service-administered lands and waters, and resources of the refuge; 2. Protecting refuge wildlife-dependent recreational uses and experiences, and visitor and employee health and safety; 3. Conserving the Refuge for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans; and 4. Implementing technologically feasible and least damaging methods for oil and gas activities on the Refuge. These methods are determined on a case-by-case basis to protect refuge resources and uses, while ensuring human health and safety. The determination will take all relevant factors into consideration, including environmental, economic, and technological factors and the requirements of applicablelaw. 18-1083 Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 2 EA 1 As the Applicant’s proposed actions are not in sensitive habitat, but rather in an area already highly impacted by non-Federal oil and gas activity, there is no conflict with respect to alternative uses of the resources in this area, so the Environmental Assessment (EA) does not need to consider additional alternatives (43 CFR 46.310 (b)). However, during the initial planning stages of the proposed action the Applicant assessed a broader range of alternatives to facilitate planning and decision making (43 CFR 46.310 (c)). In addition to the “No Action Alternative”, two (2) well pad locations and seven (7) alternative flow line routes were assessed prior to selecting the proposed alternative. The alternative well pad location and six (6) alternate flow line routes are depicted on Figure 1, as well as the proposed well pad and flow line route. Under the No Action Alternative, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) would not engage the Applicant in a permitting process. However, the Applicant has the legal right to access their minerals beneath the refuge surface regardless of a permit. Therefore, bypassing the permitting process will result in the Applicant accessing their minerals without being required to comply with the 29D Regulations, and there will be no assurance that the Applicant would use technologically feasible and least damaging methods. The Applicant assessed a surface location centered at approximate Latitude 29.241376° and Longitude - 89.155912° in Section 33, Township 20 South, Range 20 East of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Access to the location utilized the Mississippi River at Main Pass to Octave Pass, thence to Buoy Pass into Dead Women Pass, terminating at the location in Dead Women Outside Pond. Water depths from the Mississippi River to approximate Latitude 29.238889° and Longitude -89.164167°, in Dead Women Pass, averaged eight (8) to twelve (12) feet deep resulting in no adverse impacts by prop-washing from equipment access. From approximate Latitude 29.238889° and Longitude -89.164167°, in Dead Women Pass, to the well pad location water depths decreased, resulting in approximately 1,933-feet-long by 73-feet-wide area of prop- washing with an average cut of 1.5 feet (7,505 yd3, 3.1 acres impacted). Additionally, to site the drill barge, the well pad slip required approximately 645-feet-long by 160-feet-wide area of prop-washing with an average cut of 4.5 feet (13,315 yd3, 1.8 acres impacted). Adverse impacts associated with Delta Duck Prospect No. 1 totaled 4.9 acres of water bottoms (20,820 yd3). 18-1083 Delta Duck Well Prospect No. 2 EA 2 The Applicant assessed a surface location centered at approximate Latitude 29.23333° and Longitude - 89.162500° in Section 4, Township 21 South, Range 20 East of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Access to the location utilized the Mississippi River at Main Pass to Octave Pass, thence to Buoy Pass into unnamed tributary, terminating at the location in Dead Women Inside Pond. Water depths from the Mississippi River to the well pad slip, averaged eight (8) to twelve (12) feet deep resulting in no adverse impacts by prop- washing from equipment access. To site the drill barge, the well pad slip required approximately 435-feet- long by 160-feet-wide area of prop-washing with an average cut of 1.5 feet (3,642 yd3, 1.5 acres impacted). Adverse impacts associated with Delta Duck Prospect No. 2 totaled 1.5 acres of water bottoms (3,642 yd3) and thus was chosen as the preferred (proposed) alternate. For