In keeping support of with the Administration’s priority to promote America’s energy independence, goal of Making America Safe through Energy Independence, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office is seeks seeking public comment on the an environmental assessment for the Horsebench Natural Gas Development Project, located 36 miles north of Price, Utah Environmental Assessment (EA). This announcement initiates a 14-day public comment period.

“The BLM welcomes your public comments because public involvement is an integral part in our evaluation of the proposal,” said Chris Conrad, Price Field Manager. “We look forward to your receiving comments and will consider your this input before finalizing our analyses and making important decisions affecting our local communities.”

XTO Energy Inc. (XTO) submitted a proposal to the BLM to develop natural gas resources from its mineral lease in the Horse Bbench[FGL1]  Project Area. XTO indicated conceptual locations of approximately 19 potential well pads for up to 175 wells from which natural gas resources would be developed. XTO expects that a significant amount of the proposed development area would ultimately produce enough natural gas to be economically viable.

XTO proposes to apply for rights-of-way to construct, operate, and/or maintain co-located access roads and production-supporting gathering pipelines within linear corridors that support the proposed wells. XTO would conduct interim reclamation on areas not used for production purposes. The wells would be located within the project area determined in of the Record of Decision for the West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Plan Environmental Impact Statement, signed in July 2010.

The public is are encouraged to submit comments online through BLM’s ePlanning project page at: at the following internet address: https://goo.gl/QW6JSE. On the website, the public can view the proposal and maps. Comments can be added by clicking the “Documents” tab, then clicking the “Comment on Document” button.

Written comments will be accepted by letter or email until April 26.  Please note that the most useful comments are those that contain new technical or scientific information relevant to the proposed action.  Comments should be as specific as possible.  Comments that contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response but may be considered in the BLM decision-making process.  Please reference “Horsebench” when submitting comments.

Written comments may be mailed to the BLM Utah Price Field Office at Attn. Horsebench Project, c/o Bureau of Land Management, 125 S. 600 W, Price, Utah 84501 (Attn. Horsebench Project c/o Bureau of Land Management) or emailed or emailed to Marc Johnson at mkjohnson@blm.gov.

Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time.  Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

For additional information, please contact Marc Johnson at 435-636-3650.  Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for the above individual.  The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Replies are provided during normal business hours.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $75 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2016—more than any other agency in the Department of the Interior. These activities supported more than 372,000 jobs.