Feds seek public comment for proposed oil and gas lease sale

by Staff April 24, 2013September 22, 2021

Feds seek public comment for proposed oil and gas lease sale

— April 24, 2013

The Bureau of Land Management High Desert District is seeking public input on the environmental assessment for the November 2013 Notice of Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale parcel offering.

Thirty-nine entire or partial parcels will be offered within the district, which spans portions of south-central and western Wyoming

Forty-four lease parcels were originally nominated and proposed for inclusion in the sale. But two entire and four partial parcels, totaling 7,045.68 acres, are deferred for Greater Sage-Grouse core habitat and manageability using the Fluid Mineral Leasing Screen in BLM guidance (WY-2012-019).

The BLM Wyoming State Director has temporarily deferred three entire and one partial parcel totaling 1,647.17 acres for Greater Sage-Grouse conservation. These temporary deferrals are pending completion of the Greater Sage-Grouse resource management plan amendment process in the Rock Springs, Kemmerer, Pinedale and Rawlins field offices.

The EA addresses the impacts of offering the remaining 39 entire and partial parcels determined to be available for oil and gas leasing. It is available online at www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/energy/Oil_and_Gas/Leasing.html.

Public comments are an important component of the National Environmental Policy Act process. The public is encouraged to identify and submit issues, concerns, ideas or mitigation opportunities not currently addressed in the EA to help ensure the best possible analysis and plan.

Mail or deliver written comments to the BLM HDD, Attn: Tom Foertsch, 280 Highway 191 N., Rock Springs, WY 82901; fax to 307-352-0329; or email to BLM_WY_HDD_November_Parcels@blm.gov with “November 2013 Lease Parcels” in the subject line. Comments must be received by 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 22.

For more information, contact Tom Foertsch at 307-352-0249.

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for:

Your real name — first and last.
Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
No more than three comments per story, including replies.

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
Comments that are not directly relevant to the article.
Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know:

Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement.
We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance.
Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you.