U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment UT- 080 – 06 – 280 April 2007 OIL SHALE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECT WHITE RIVER MINE, UINTAH COUNTY, UTAH U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Vernal Field Office 170 South 500 East Vernal, Utah 84078 Phone: 435-781-4400 Fax: 435-781-4410 C O N T E N T S Page 1.0 PURPOSE & NEED 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Background 1 1.3 Purpose(s) of and Need for the Proposed Action 3 1.4 Project Overview 4 1.4.1 Prior Development – The White River Shale Project 5 1.4.2 Remaining On-Site Facilities 6 1.5 Conformance with BLM Land Use Plan 7 1.6 Relationship to Statutes, Regulations, or Other Plans 8 1.7 Identification of Issues 11 1.7.1 Air Quality 13 1.7.2 Wastes (Hazardous and Solid) 14 1.7.3 Water Resources 14 1.7.4 Soils 15 1.7.5 Geology/Mineral Resources/Energy Production 15 1.7.6 Flood Plains 16 1.7.7 Wetland/Riparian Zones 16 1.7.8 Threatened/Endangered (T&E) Wildlife Species 16 1.7.9 Fish and Wildlife Including Special Status Species other than USFWS Candidate or Listed Species 17 1.7.10 Threatened/Endangered (T&E) Plant Species 18 1.7.11 Vegetation Including Special Status Species other that USFWS Candidate or Listed Species 19 1.7.12 Invasive, Non-native Species 20 1.7.13 Recreation 20 1.7.14 Visual Resources 20 1.7.15 Cultural Resources 21 1.7.16 Paleontological Resources 21 1.7.17 Socio-economics 21 1.7.18 Special Designation Areas 22 1.8 Summary 23 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING PROPOSED ACTION 24 2.1 Introduction 24 2.2 Alternative A – Shale Oil Recovery using the ATP System and Western Gas Pipeline Right-of-Way (Proposed Action) 26 2.2.1 The ATP System 26 2.2.2 Phase 1 27 2.2.3 Phase 2 28 2.2.3.1 Mine Reopening/Operation Activities 30 2.2.3.2 Retort Activities 31 2.2.4 Phase 3 33 -i- 2.2.4.1 Construction Activities 33 2.2.4.2 Retort Activities 34 2.2.4.3 Proposed Rights-of-Way (Western Gas Pipeline Route) 36 2.2.5 Applicant-Committed Environmental Control and Management Measures 37 2.3 Alternative B – Shale Oil Recovery using the ATP System with Alternate Eastern Natural Gas Pipeline Right-of-Way 43 2.4 Alternative C – No Action 43 2.5 Alternatives Considered, but Eliminated from Further Analysis 44 2.5.1 Oil Shale Recovery Using Other Retorts 44 2.5.2 In-Situ Method 45 2.5.3 Oil Shale Retorting using the 4-ton/hour ATP System without Mine Reopening (Implementing Phases 1 and 2 Only) 46 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 47 3.1 Introduction 47 3.2 General Setting 47 3.2.1 Climate 47 3.2.2 Geology 48 3.2.3 Surface Water Resources 48 3.2.4 Ground Water Resources 49 3.2.5 Livestock Grazing 49 3.3 Resources of Concern Brought Forward for Analysis 49 3.3.1 Air Quality 50 3.3.2 Wastes (Hazardous and Solid) 50 3.3.3 Water Resources 50 3.3.4 Soils 55 3.3.5 Geology/Mineral Resources/Energy Production 57 3.3.6 Floodplains 59 3.3.7 Wetlands/Riparian Zones 60 3.3.8 Threatened/Endangered (T&E) Wildlife Species 61 3.3.9 Fish and Wildlife Including Special Status Species other than USFWS Candidate or Listed Species 61 3.3.10 Threatened/Endangered (T&E) Plant Species 69 3.3.11 Vegetation Including Special Status Species other than USFWS Candidate or Listed Species 71 3.3.12 Invasive, Non-native Species 75 3.3.13 Recreation 78 3.3.14 Visual Resources 80 3.3.15 Cultural Resources 82 3.3.16 Paleontological Resources 86 3.3.17 Socio-economics 87 3.3.18 Special Designation Areas 88 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 92 4.1 Introduction 92 4.2 Direct/Indirect Impacts 92 4.2.1 Air Quality 92 -ii- 4.2.2 Wastes (Hazardous and Solid) 108 4.2.3 Water Resources 121 4.2.4 Soils 127 4.2.5 Geology/Mineral Resources/Energy Production 130 4.2.6 Flood Plains 131 4.2.7 Wetlands/Riparian Zones 132 4.2.8 Threatened/Endangered (T&E) Wildlife Species 135 4.2.9 Fish and Wildlife Including Special Status Species other than USFWS Candidate or Listed Endangered or Threatened Species 137 4.2.10 Threatened/Endangered (T&E) Plant Species 141 4.2.11 Vegetation Including Special Status Species other than USFWS Candidate or Listed Species 142 4.2.12 Invasive, Non-native Species 147 4.2.13 Recreation 149 4.2.14 Visual Resources 152 4.2.15 Cultural Resources 156 4.2.16 Paleontology Resources 160 4.2.17 Socio-economics 162 4.2.18 Special Designation Areas 163 4.3 Cumulative Impacts Analysis 166 4.3.1 Past and Present Actions 167 4.3.2 Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions 168 4.3.3 Cumulative Impacts 169 5.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION 176 5.1 Introduction 176 5.2 Agency Consultation 176 5.3 List of Preparers 178 5.4 Summary of Public Participation 180 6.0 REFERENCES 182 -iii- C O N T E N T S (continued) Page T A B L E S Table 3-1: Summary of Ground Water Budget for the Birds Nest Aquifer 54 Table 3-2: Soil Types and Properties in the Vicinity of the White River Mine Site and Proposed Corridors 56 Table 3-3: Federally Listed and Proposed (P), Endangered (E), Threatened (T), and Candidate (C) Species and Habitat in Uintah County, Utah Updated January 2006 62 Table 3-4: BLM Sensitive Wildlife Species 63 Table 3-5: Utah Department of Wildlife Resources Managed Species 65 Table 3-6: Federally Listed and Proposed (P), Endangered (E), Threatened (T), and Candidate (C) Plant Species and Habitat in Uintah County, Utah Updated January 2006 70 Table 3-7: BLM Sensitive Plant Species 74 Table 3-8: State and County Noxious Weeds and Invasive Weed Species Potentially Present in the Project Area 76 Table 3-9: VRM Classes Associated with the OSEC Project 82 Table 3-10: Previous Cultural Resource Investigation in the Vicinity of the OSEC Oil Shale Project 83 Table 3-11: Previously Recorded Sites in or near the Proposed OSEC Oil Shale Project 84 Table 3-12: Cultural Resources Located During June 2006 Class III Inventory Within or Near the Proposed Action Utility ROWs North of the White River 85 Table 3-13: Segments Eligible for National Wild and Scenic River Designation 89 Table 3-14: Location of Utility Rights-of-Way Relative to the Proposed White River ACEC 90 Table 4-1: Applicable Ambient Air Quality Standards 93 Table 4-2: PSD Class I and II Emissions Increment Standards 94 Table 4-3: Phase 1 Estimated Emissions 97 Table 4-4: Phase 2 Estimated Emissions 99 Table 4-5: Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions 101 Table 4-6: Phase 2 Modeling Results 101 Table 4-7: Phase 3 Estimated Emissions 105 Table 4-8: Phase 3 Greenhouse Emissions 106 Table 4-9: Phase 3 Modeling Results 107 Table 4-10: Associated Vegetative Disturbance for the OSEC Utility Rights-of-way Under the Proposed Action 144 Table 4-11: Associated Vegetative Disturbance for the OSEC Utility Rights-of-way Under Alternative B 146 Table 4-12: VRM Classes Associated with the Proposed Pipeline ROW 153 Table 4-13: VRM Classes Associated with the Alternative B Pipeline Route 156 -iv- C O N T E N T S (continued) Page Table 4-14: Cultural resources located during Class III Inventories within or near the Proposed Action utility ROWs north of the White River 157 Table 4-15: Sites previously recorded south of the White River within or near areas affected by the Proposed Action 158 Table 4-16: Cultural resources located during Class III Inventories within or near the Alternative B natural gas pipeline ROW north of the White River which would not be Affected by the Proposed Action 159 Table 4-17: NAAQS Analysis Results for Cumulative Sources 171 Table 4-18: Comparison to Class II PSD Increment Standards 171 F I G U R E S Figure 1-1: Site Location Map Figure 2-1: Site Layout for Phase 2 Development Figure 2-2: General Arrangement for Phase 2 Processing Plant Figure 2-3: Site Layout for Phase 3 Development Figure 2-4: General Arrangement for Phase 3 Processing Plant A P P E N D I C E S Appendix A: Interdisciplinary Team Analysis Record Checklist Appendix B: ATP Retort Process Description Appendix C: Mine Reopening Plan Appendix D: Available Mineralogical/Geochemical Information on Green River Oil Shale – Mahogany Zone Appendix E: Water Budget Data Appendix F: Responses to Comments Received on Draft EA Appendix G: Summary of Changes to EA Appendix H: SHPO Consultation and USFWS Biological Opinion -v- ACRONYMS AND DEFINED TERMS USED ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern ATP Alberta Taciuk Process BLM Bureau of Land Management BTU British Thermal Unit CEQ Presidents Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations DAQ Division of Air Quality, Utah Department of Environmental Quality DOGM Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, Utah Department of Natural Resources DR Decision Record DWQ Division of Water Quality, Utah Department of Environmental Quality EA Environmental Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement ESA Endangered Species Act FLPMA Federal Land Policy and Management Act FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact HDD Horizontal Directional Drilling MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NSO No surface occupancy OHV Off-Highway Vehicles OSEC Oil Shale Exploration Company, LLC Project Area The 160-acre lease and associated road and utility rights-of-way RD&D Research, Development and Demonstration RD&D Project OSEC’s proposed research, development, and demonstration project using the ATP system at the White River Mine site RMP Resource Management Plan ROD Record of Decision ROW Right-of-Way UDWR Utah Division of Wildlife Resources UPDES Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service VFO Vernal Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management VRM Visual Resource Management WRSP White River Shale Project WSR Wild & Scenic Rivers -vi- 1.0 PURPOSE & NEED 1.1 Introduction This Environmental Assessment (“EA”) has been prepared to disclose and analyze the potential environmental consequences of the White River Oil Shale research, development and demonstration project (referred to as the “RD&D Project”) as proposed by the Oil Shale Exploration Company, LLC (“OSEC”) for the 160-acre White River Mine lease site.