Jonah Infill Drilling Project approved by BLM
State of Wyoming and Federal Employees to staff interagency office
March 15, 2006
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved the 30,000-acre Jonah Infill Drilling Project in Sublette County, approximately 32 miles south of Pinedale. As part of the project approval, the BLM will create an interagency office to monitor and mitigate environmental and wildlife impacts during the life of the project.
The new interagency office, to be called the Jonah Interagency Monitoring and Mitigation Office (JIO), will measure surface disturbance and reclamation efforts to provide timely information to determine impacts on the environment and wildlife within the project area. The JIO will also identify and fund habitat improvement projects in nearby areas to offset impacts within the Jonah field and the temporary impacts to wildlife habitat associated with oil and gas development.
The JIO, to be funded with $24.5 million from EnCana Oil and Gas, USA, Inc., will be staffed by State of Wyoming and BLM employees. JIO staff will work together to monitor oil and gas development and to oversee habitat improvement projects.
The project is expected to generate more than $6 billion in royalties to be shared between the federal treasury and the State of Wyoming. The total economic activity expected to be generated from natural gas and oil development will be approximately $30.5 billion during the life of the project.
The Jonah Infill Drilling Project FEIS and Record of Decision can be found on the BLM website at: www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/pfodocs/jonah/. The Sublette County Library (both Pinedale and Big Piney branches), State Library, and University of Wyoming Coe Library have hard copies and CDs of the document. Hard copies or CDs may be requested in writing from: BLM-Pinedale Office. Jonah Infill Drilling Project, BLM-Pinedale Field Office, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941. Email comments may be submitted to: WyMail_Jonah_Infill@blm.gov.
Related Links:
Entire BLM Press Release: BLM Approves Plan to Produce Vast Wyoming Natural Gas Resource
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