.August 1991 [,1':"" fi~:'! '.' f·'" r It<I">':'- 'J ~ :-:" ~, ···.··~···;·~-: '~ ~: i·.··.'··'··.··:··.·•.···'.:··'· .• ..'.········ .... - ·.···.·.·.·:····':.• ..! ·.~.·.·.·~·· ..·.·:'.:·.'·.:····· ' ..•..... ·Gai.kI··~'i~· l···.·1'~~~..· : .:. ·····1·.·.:.·'-f. '.... ·. ... , 'I I ;-1·, , . u.s. Depaltment ,of Energy . Naval PeirolellMReserves I in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming I I ;10-- I I DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT is Ui'!LlMlTm 'J~"""""""'~"~" •..-" ,..... I DOE/EA--0531 DE92 00??4Q I Table of Contents I List of Figures .... u. List of Tables .... u. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations . iii I I Summary ............ 1 II Project Background and Proposed Action 3 I In Description of the Existing Environment 7 IV Impacts of the Proposed Action . · . 19 I V Alternatives to the Proposed Action · .27 I VI References . 29 vn Agency Contacts and Personal Communications · .31 I VIn Appendix ......................... .33 I I I I I I I I I I •I I List of Figures I Figure 1 Location of NOSRs-l and 3 . 1 I Figure 2 NOSRs-l and 3 Gas Fields Map 4 I I I List of Tables I Table 1 Proposed Drilling and Gas Gathering Programs · 2 Table 2 Baseline Air Quality Data ........... · 10 I Table 3 Vegetative Cover Estimates for Vegetation Types ........ · 11 Table 4 Endangered Species Possibly Present on NOSRs-l and 3 .13 I Table 5 Disturbed Acreage ...................... .20 Table 6 Estimated Fugitive Dust Emission Levels (~g\m3) I for Drilling Activities . 21 I I I I I I I I I I I !List of Acronyms and Abbreviation~ I C Degrees Centigrade F Degrees Fahrenheit BLM Bureau of Land Management I COGCC Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission CRC CultUral Resources Consultants DOE Department of Energy I EA Environmental Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement ESA Endangered Species Act I g/mi Grams per Mile lb&'hr Pounds per Hour MTF Memorandum to File I NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NOSH 1 Naval Petroleum Shale Reserve No.1 NOSH 3 Naval Petroleum Shale Resp:cve No.3 I ppm Parts per Million #lgIM3 Micrograms per Cubic l\ieter I VRM Visual Resource Management I I I I I I I I I iii I• I Summary I Section I I Summary I Project Location and Description Naval Oil Shale Reserves Nos. 1 and 3 (NOSRs-1 & 3), located in Garfield County, I Colorado (Figure 1), were established in the early 1900s as a future source of fuel supplies for the United States Navy and to provide appropriate working areas and access to water for such activities. With the exception of sporadic small-scale experi­ I mental oil shale mining and retorting efforts, the Reserves have remained essentially inactive. NOSRs-1 & 3 are situated on the north and northwest flanks of three large natural gas producing fields, the Parachute, Rulison, and Grand Valley. I Figure 1 Location of NOSRs-1 and 3 I -Craig II I NOSR-1 & 3 .DENVER II £i)-Rifle - Grand Junction I I II COLORADO II :II I I I I I II I TO CRAIG !I II I' I il II I NOSR-l I I I: I Rifle!, II Ii ~DJ~VER i' ~=I_~7~O"""":..J !I il Ii- I II 11 I I I I TO GRAND I JUNCTION I :L-- I NPOSR-CUW 2 Environmental Assessment NOSR-3 I As a result of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) monitoring activities, it was determined I in 1983 that the potential existed for natural gas resources underlying the Reserves to be drained by privately-owned gas wells that were being drilled along the Reserves' borders. Since that time, commercial drilling activities along the NOSRs' boundaries I have increased. In 1985, DOE initiated a limited number of projects to protect the Government's interest in the gas resources by drilling itt own "offset prociuction" wells just inside the boundaries, and by formally sharing in the production, revenues and costs I of private wells that are drilled near the boundaries ("communitize" the privately-drilled wells). Continuing analyses by DOE have lead to a determination that the scope of these protection efforts must be expanded. DOE is therefore proposing a Natural Gas Protec­ I tion Program for NOSRs-1 & 3 which would be implemented over a five-year period that would encompass a total of 200 wells (including the wells drilled ancVor communitized I since 1985). Of these, III (Table 1) would be offset wells drilled by DOE on Government land inside the NOSRs' boundaries and would be owned either entirely by the Govern­ ment or communitized with adjacent private land owners or lessees. The rema.inder I would be wells drilled by private operators in an area one half- mile wide extending around the NOSRs boundaries and communitized with the Government. Table 1 I Proposed Drilling and Gas Gathering Programs I Number of Wells Field Formation Offset Wells Private/Communitized Wells Wasatch 27 11 I Rulison Mesaverde 25 6 Wasatch 10 6 Parachute Lower Mesaverde 7 8 I Wasatch 16 26 Parachute Extension Mesaverde 9 21 Wasatch 13 7 I Grand Valley Mesaverde 4 4 Subtotal 111 89 I Total Offset and PrivatelCommunitized 200 The proposal described in this document includes all work done in the previous small-scale projects, and thus the impacts analyzed are for all work either carried out I to date or planned in the future to protect the gas resources of the NOSRs. The proposal is expected to generate only minimal impacts to the existing environment of the NOSRs, principally from short-term increases in dust and other air pollution emissions I during the construction of well pads and other land clearing activities, and by the disturbance of a very small percentage of the total surface area of the NOSRs. I To ensure that all impacts are minimized as much as possible, an extensive series of mitigation measures recommended by the Bureau of Land Management (ELM) will I be "utilized. The cumulative impacts of the proposal and other projects in the area are expected to be negligible. I N POSR-CUW I I Project Background and Proposed Action 3 I Section /I I Project Background and Proposed Action I Project Background Section 7422 of Title 10, United States Code, charges the Secretary of Energy with the I authority and responsibility to "explore, prospect, conserve, develop, use, and operate the Naval Petroleum Reserves." This section further provides that the Naval Petro­ leum Reserves shall be used and operated for their "protection, conservation, mainte­ I nance and testing," and production when authorized. The term "Naval Petroleum Reserves" is defined in 10 U.S.C. 7420 as including the Naval Oil Shale Reserves. I Naval Oil Shale Reserve No.1 (NOSR-1), consisting of 40,760 acres located about eight miles west of Rifle, Colorado, in Garfield County, Colorado (Figure 1), was established in 1916 by Executive Order of President Wilson as a future source of fuel supplies for I the United States Navy. NOSR-1 is estimated to have over 18 billion barrels of shale oil in place, with approximately 2.5 billion barrels recoverable from shale rated at SO gallons per ton or better. Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. S (NOSR-S), adjoining NOSR-1 I to the south and east, consists of 14,130 acres set aside by Executive Order of President Coolidge in 1924 to provide closer access to the Colorado River for water which will be needed for shale oil production, and to provide working and disposal areas for such I activities. Except for sporadic small-scale oil shale mining and retorting efforts over the years, both Reserves have remained essentially inactive. An extensive pre-devel­ opment program completed in 1982 provided a compilation and analysis of important I resource, engineering, environmental and economic data which identified the potential for production of 200,000 barrels of shale oil per day for over 80 years. There are, I however, no plans at the present time to develop the oil shale resources at the NOSRs. NOSRs-1 & S are situated on the north and northwest flanks of three large natural gas producing fields, the Parachute, Rulison, and Grand Valley. Some portion of these I gas resources underlie both Reserves. The Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves in DOE continuously monitors mineral exploration and development activi­ I ties on lands adjacent to the NOSRs in order to evaluate the potential for drainage and nligration of their mineral resources caused by increasing pressure differences between these deposits and commercial producing wells off the Reserves. The Govern­ I ment hydrocarbons requiring protection are contained on lands located along the Reserves' boundary. Private property owners, their lessees, or holders of Federal leases, ~an drill wells on land adjacent to the NOSRs without any permission or I cooperation from DOE. As a result of DOE's monitoring activities, it was determined in 198::3 that the potential existed for drainage of natural gas by commercial develop­ ment in the Rulison Field at the southeast boundary of NOSH-S. Since that time, I additional gas wells have been drilled in the Parachute and Grand Valley fields. Figure 2 is a general map of the area indicating the location of the gas fields. I I N POSA -c UW Environm.mal A... eement NOSR-3 I Agure2 I NOSRs-1 and 3 Gas Fields Map I I I I I I I I I I res ~:;;;;;;;~oC..f-+-+-----i---t--+-i • NOSR-, aJll!lIorf!llo,"'-.n"'l'9ft • NOSR-3 T7S .1/2 Mile Zone Adjacent I 1,...--L,-~:::"'-*---::--b':IF-t--':::"'-+::-_---i-__-~~f---+---i--i-----l---Iy--1 to NOSR-1 & 3 I - !iIIIIID-- 1liliiii-- 1!iIIIIID 2IIIIDII 2!!iIIIIIFT I Locations of incividuaJ communitized and offset wells are dependent upon future commercial drilling in the 1/2-mile zone I (shown in red) adjacent to the NOSR's boundaries, but will generally be situa1ed at I or near the Reserves' boundary line.