From the Forest Service press release: "U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service today announced a proposal to improve the environmental review process for oil and gas exploration and development projects under federal lease in national forests and grasslands. Public comments are being invited on the proposal for 60 days.
"The proposal would allow local forest and grassland units to use a categorical exclusion when approving surface uses, such as road access, drill pad construction and pipeline installation, for oil and gas exploration and development under federal lease."
The pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice is available on the Forest Service website. The final version is available in today's Federal Register (text, PDF).
Comments can be sent to:
Oil and Gas CatEx Proposed Directive, C/O Content Analysis Group, P.O. Box 2000, Bountiful, UT 84011-2000, or by facsimile to (801) 397-2601, or by e-mail to ogcatex@contentanalysisgroup.com.
The press release notes that "this categorical exclusion may be subject to the Eastern District of California court ruling, Earth Island Institute v. Ruthenbeck. Therefore, oil and gas projects using this categorical exclusion may be required to notice the project to the public, and provide public comment and appeal opportunities." This case was discussed on this blog on October 26, 2005.
No comments:
Post a Comment