U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-NV-B000-2014-0001-EA DATE: February 2014 July 2014 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale, Battle Mountain District, Nevada ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Battle Mountain District Office 50 Bastian Road Battle Mountain, NV 89820 Phone: 775-635-4000 Fax: 775-635-4034 2 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 4 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Purpose and Need for Action ................................................................................................ 6 1.3 Land Use Plan Conformance ................................................................................................ 6 1.4 Relationship to Statutes, Regulations, Policy, Plans and Other Environmental Analysis .... 7 1.5 Scoping and Public Involvement .......................................................................................... 8 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ............................ 9 2.1 Proposed Action .................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 No Action Alternative ........................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Analysis ........................................... 9 2.4 Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenario .................................................................. 9 2.4.1 Trends and Projections for Oil and Gas Exploration in the BMD ..................................................................... 9 2.4.2 Typical Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Activities…………………………………………………………………..…11 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES......................... 14 3.1 Supplemental Authorities to be considered ........................................................................ 14 3.2 Other Resources .................................................................................................................. 15 3.3 Environmental Impacts of No Action Alternative .............................................................. 16 3.4 Impacts Requiring Further Analysis ................................................................................... 16 3.4.1 Air Quality ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4.2 Cultural Resources ......................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4.3 Native American Religious Concerns ............................................................................................................. 18 3.4.4 Wildlife Resources ......................................................................................................................................... 19 3.4.5 Water Quality (Surface and Ground) and Quantity ....................................................................................... 23 3.4.6 Waste, Hazardous and Solid .......................................................................................................................... 26 3.4.7 Noxious Weeds and Invasive, Non-native Species ......................................................................................... 27 3.4.8 Geology and Minerals .................................................................................................................................... 28 3.4.9 Soils ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 3.4.10 Vegetation.................................................................................................................................................... 32 3.4.11 Range Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 35 3.4.12 Lands and Realty .......................................................................................................................................... 38 3.4.13 Visual Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 40 3.4.14 Recreation .................................................................................................................................................... 41 3.4.15 Socioeconomics ........................................................................................................................................... 41 3.4.16 Wild Horse and Burro .................................................................................................................................. 42 3.4.17 Forestry and Woodland Products ................................................................................................................ 47 DOI-BLM-NV-B000-2014-0001-EA 3 4.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 51 4.1. Past and Present Actions .................................................................................................... 51 4.2 Reasonable Foreseeable Future Actions (RFFA’s) ............................................................ 51 4.3 Cumulative Impacts from Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions ...... 52 4.3.1. Cumulative Impacts on Air Quality ............................................................................................................... 54 4.3.2. Cumulative Impacts on Cultural Resources .................................................................................................. 54 4.3.3. Cumulative Impacts on Native American Religious Concerns ...................................................................... 54 4.3.4. Cumulative Impacts on Wildlife Resources ................................................................................................... 55 4.3.5. Cumulative Impacts on Water Quality (Surface and Ground) and Quantity ................................................ 55 4.3.6. Cumulative Impacts on Wastes, Hazardous and Solid .................................................................................. 55 4.3.7. Cumulative Impacts on Noxious Weeds and Invasive, Non-native Species .................................................. 55 4.3.8. Cumulative Impacts on Geology and Minerals ............................................................................................. 55 4.3.9. Cumulative Impacts on Soils ......................................................................................................................... 56 4.3.10. Cumulative Impacts on Vegetation ............................................................................................................. 56 4.3.11. Cumulative Impacts on Range Resources ................................................................................................... 56 4.3.12. Cumulative Impacts on Land and Realty ..................................................................................................... 56 4.3.13. Cumulative Impacts on Visual Resources ................................................................................................... 56 4.3.14. Cumulative Impacts on Recreation ............................................................................................................. 57 4.3.15. Cumulative Impacts on Socioeconomics ..................................................................................................... 57 4.3.16. Cumulative Impacts on Wild Horses and Burros ........................................................................................ 57 4.3.17. Cumulative Impacts on Forestry and Woodland Products ......................................................................... 58 5.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION .................................................................................. 59 5.1 List of Preparers .................................................................................................................. 59 5.2 Agencies/Tribes Contacted ................................................................................................. 59 6.0 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 60 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................................................... 62 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................................................... 86 APPENDIX D .......................................................................................................................................... 92 DOI-BLM-NV-B000-2014-0001-EA 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background It is the policy of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as mandated by various laws, including