Nine Mile Canyon Coalition

ACTION ALERT!!!

Dear Nine Mile Canyon Coalition Partners:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced the release of the Draft Environmental Assessment (below) for a project that will directly affect Nine Mile Canyon. The proposed pipeline easement across Federal and State lands will affect the historic Lower Ranch and the prehistoric Cottonwood Village Complex.

We encourage you to read the Draft EA and submit a comment to the BLM Price Field Office by the January 15, 2012 deadline.

Thank you.

Nine Mile Canyon Coalition Board of Directors

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Release Date: 12/16/11
Contacts: Patricia Clabaugh at (435) 636-3600
Julie Howard at (435) 636-3600


BLM Announces Public Comment Period for Peter's Point Loop Line Environmental Assessment

Price, Utah--The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office announces the 30-day public comment period from December 16, 2011 through January 15, 2012, for the proposed Peter's Point Loop Line Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA describes the potential impacts of Bill Barrett Corporation's proposal to construct, operate, and maintain a gas pipeline on the West Tavaputs Plateau in Carbon County.

The BLM is considering granting a right-of-way for this proposal. All activities associated with construction, operation, and maintenance of the pipeline would be within the authorized limits of the ROW. Any future realignment, reconstruction, or maintenance outside the authorized areawould require additional analysis.
Detailed information about this project is included in the EA available for public review and comment. An electronic copy of the EA can be found on the BLM's Environmental Notification Bulletin Board (ENBB) at https://www.blm.gov/ut/enbb/index.php or a hard copy can be obtained from the Price Field Office upon request. Comments which contain only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response. However, they will be considered in the BLM decision-making process. The most useful comments are those that identify alternatives, identify issues relevant to the proposal, or contain new technical or scientific information.

Please reference the Peter's Point Loop Line EA when submitting comments. Comments, including names, e-mail addresses, and street addresses of respondents will be available for public review at the BLM Price Field Office during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday), except federal holidays.

Please include a mailing or e-mail address, phone number, or other personal identifying information with comments. The BLM will not consider anonymous comments. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name, street address, or email address from public review and disclosure under the FOIA, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.

Written comments will be accepted during the public comment period from December 16, 2011 through January 15, 2012. Please submit written comments to:

UT_Price_Comments@blm.gov

Or

Bureau of Land Management
Price Field Office
Attn: Patricia Clabaugh
125 South 600 West
Price, UT 84501
Phone: (435) 636-3600
Fax: (435) 636-3657

For further information, please contact Patricia Clabaugh, Field Manager, at (435) 636-3600 or Julie Howard, Associate Field Manager, at (435) 636-3600.

Invitation to the URARA Symposium in Price, Utah

We are very pleased to have the opportunity to combine the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition's 2011 Fall Gathering celebration with the URARA (Utah Rock Art Research Association) Symposium to be held in Price, Utah, that will be held from September 22-26, 2011. We wanted everyone to have the opportunity to participate in this important, informative, and fun URARA event.

The Coalition will co-host an opening reception with URARA on Thursday, September 22, at the CEU Museum.

URARA has scheduled a great group of speakers who will make presentations on Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25 at the Carbon County Events Center. These include presentations about rock art in Nine Mile Canyon by our President, Pam Miller, along with two other presentations by Jerry Spangler and Layne Miller. There will be many additional interesting presentations about rock art in other areas.

URARA is graciously allowing Nine Mile Canyon Coalition members to register for the Symposium at URARA member rates. We have attached a registration application for the URARA Symposium to this newsletter which indicates your affiliation with the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition. Note that there is a late fee for registration after September 12, 2011.

Please note: Due to insurance-related issues, only URARA members will be eligible to participate in the field trips that will take place on Friday, September 23 and Monday, September 26. Should you wish to participate in field trips, you will need to join URARA and fill out the Field Trip Registration form found in the latest version of Vestiges found on the URARA website at: http://www.utahrockart.org/vestiges/archives/2011-08.pdf

This edition of Vestiges (August 2011, Volume 31, Number 7) contains additional information about the Symposium, including speakers, activities, and other matters.

We highly value URARA's important efforts in protecting and preserving the rock art and other sites in Nine Mile Canyon and elsewhere.

We hope you will be able to attend the symposium!

ACTION ALERT!!!

Open House on the Nine Mile Canyon Road Improvement Project

Contact: Connie Leschin (435) 636-3610

Open House on the Nine Mile Canyon Road Improvement Project

PRICE, UTAH -- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office
is hosting two information meetings to discuss granting a right-of-way
to Carbon County for the exiting Nine Mile Canyon Road (County Road
#740) to change the running surface to chip seal. In addition, there
will be some upgrades such as drainage culverts, ditches and concrete
ford crossings. The project would upgrade a total of 36 miles of road.
Approximately 11 miles are located on Federal lands and approximately
25 miles on private and state.

The Nine Mile Canyon Road Improvement Project Area is located in
northeastern Carbon County and southern Duchesne County, Utah. The
Federal portions of the proposed project begin approximately 16 miles
northeast of Wellington, Utah.

The BLM Price Field Office invites you to attend one of the
information meetings. The meeting information follows:

February 15, 2011
Price, Utah
Carbon County Fairgrounds & Event Center
310 S Fairgrounds Road
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

February 17, 2011
Duchesne, Utah
Duchesne County Administration Building
734 North Center Street (Highway 87)
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The BLM is seeking public input on the proposed project. The BLM would
appreciate receiving input by February 25. Please provide your input
by fax, email, or letter referencing "Nine Mile Canyon Road
Improvement Project."

Please send all input to:

Bureau of Land Management
Attn: Connie Leschin
Price Field Office
125 South 600 West
Price, UT 84501
Fax: (435) 636-3657
e-mail: UT_PR_Comments@blm.gov

Please include your address, phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information with your input. The BLM will not
consider anonymous input. Please be aware that the entire input,
including personal identifying information, may be made available to
the public at any time. Requests can be made to withhold personal
identifying information from the public review; however, such requests
cannot be guaranteed. All submissions from organizations, businesses,
and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or
officials of organizations or businesses will be available for public
inspection in their entirety.

For further information please contact Connie Leschin, Realty
Specialist, at (435) 636-3610.

- BLM -

The Nine Mile Canyon Coalition urges you to actively participate in
the preservation of the Canyon by attending one of the scheduled
public meetings.

Thank you for your support!

ACTION ALERT!!! BLM releases GASCO Draft Environmental Impact Statement

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Gasco Drilling Project.
As you recall, the Bill Barret Corporation (BBC) Drilling Project
(600+ wells) is on the Tavaputs Plateau south of Nine Mile Canyon. The
Gasco Project is north of Nine Mile and quite extensive - 1,491 wells
proposed, 100 drilled per year, on 206,826 acres. You can find the
Gasco EIS at:

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/nepa_/gasco_energy_eis.htm
or http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning.html

Written comments are due November 15, 2010.

There will be three Public Meetings where you can ask for information:

- Tuesday Oct. 26, 6-8 p.m.
College of Eastern Utah
Jennifer Leavitt Student Center
451 E. 400 North
Price, UT 84501

- Wednesday, Oct. 27, 6-8 p.m.
Duchesne County Building
Commissioners Chambers
734 N. Center Street
Duchesne, UT 84021

- Thursday, Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m.
Western Park
Conference Room #2
302 E. 200 South
Vernal UT 84078

The Board of the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition urges you to look closely
at this DEIS and write your comments. (The Board would appreciate a
copy of your comments at the address below.) We also encourage you to
attend one of the Public Meetings and ask your questions, whether
about archaeology, wildlife, air, water, dust or any area you value,
are interested in, or have expetise in.

Thank you for your active support.

ACTION ALERT!!! BLM Releases Final EIS and ROD to public

BLM Releases West Tavaputs Plateau Project Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the West Tavaputs Natural Gas Full Field Development Plan. The ROD reflects a historic agreement between the project proponent, Bill Barrett Corporation (BBC), and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) that will substantially reduce the project's environmental impacts while continuing to allow for vigorous new oil and gas production.

The ROD is effective 30 days from the date that the EPA publishes its Notice of Availability of the Final EIS and ROD in the Federal Register. During the 30 days between the EPA publication and the effective date of the ROD, the ROD may be appealed to the IBLA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, U.S. Department of the Interior, 801 North Quincy Street, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia, 22203, in accordance with the regulations contained in 43 CFR Part 4. The appeal must also be filed with the State Director, BLM, Utah State Office, P.O. Box 45155, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84145-0155.

If you wish to file a petition for stay of the ROD pursuant to 43 CFR 4.21 during the pendency of your appeal before the IBLA, the petition for stay must accompany your notice of appeal. A petition for stay must show sufficient justification based on the standards listed in 43 CFR 4.21(b) which include:

(1) The relative harm to the parties if the stay is granted or denied;
(2) The likelihood of the appellant's success on the merits;
(3) The likelihood of irreparable harm to the appellant or resource if the stay is not granted; and
(4) Whether the public interest favors granting the stay.

If a petition for stay is submitted with the notice of appeal, a copy of the notice of appeal and petition for stay must be served on the IBLA at the same time it is filed with the State Director. A copy of the notice of appeal, and statement of reasons and all pertinent documents must be served on each adverse party named in the decision from which the appeal is taken and on the Office of the Regional Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior, 6201 Federal Building 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1180, no later than 15 days after filing documents with the State Director or IBLA.

The Nine Mile Canyon Coalition urges each of you to review these most important documents and respond as prescribed above within the 30-day time frame specified if you find the Final EIS and ROD objectionable per the four standards listed above. Preserving Nine Mile Canyon's cultural, environmental and aesthetic future depends on all of us to be active participants.

Printed copies or CDs of the Final EIS and ROD can be requested from the Price Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 125 South 400 West, Price, Utah, 84501, or you can read the documents online via the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/energy/Oil_Gas.html.

For further information contact Tyler Ashcroft, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, telephone (435) 636-3613; address 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah, 84501; e-mail Tyler_Ashcroft@blm.gov.

Thank you for your active support!