p The Federal Leadership Forum A Case Study NEPA Oil & Gas EPA NPS Cumulative Effects FS Unsatisfactory EIS UT EA MT BIA EXPLORE CO Air Quality Energy NM BLM WY FWS DOE RFD Training

p The Federal Leadership Forum Formed > 4 Years Ago Resource and Manager Staff from Federal Land Management Agencies To Prevent Oil / Gas Proposal “Trainwrecks” States of MT, WY, CO, UT, & NM

p Oil / Gas Developments 4 Years Ago Minor Upswing in Exploration, Development, and Production in RM West Interest in Production of Gas, especially Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Technology and Ease of CBM Production Seen to be a Boon to Developments

p Resource and Manager Staff from Federal Land Management Agencies Air Quality Scientists and Managers Oil / Gas Scientists and Managers Washington Office and State Director Managers from BLM Regional Directors from FWS and NPS Regional Foresters from Forest Service Regional Administrator from EPA Region 8

p To Prevent Oil / Gas Proposal Trainwrecks Agencies Granting Leases, Allowing Exploration, and Approving Development with ??? NEPA Agencies Failing to Understand “Other” FLM Missions and Processes Input to Agency Environmental Impact Studies received late in NEPA Process Developers / Contractors Delayed in Work _________________________________________

p Area Covered by FLF - MT, WY, CO, UT & NM Major Energy Source for Oil, Gas, and Coal

p Federal Leadership Forum Goal “Establish a Quality, Predictable, Consistent NEPA Process for Oil and Gas Development”

p FLF Teams “Core Team” - Staff Representative of Agency Manager (meets BI-monthly) Sub Teams for Specific Tasks: “NEPA Blueprint Team” “Air Quality Technical Team” “Thresholds Team” “Team A” “Team B”

p NEPA Blueprint Team Identify Weaknesses and Inconsistencies in Agency’s NEPA Process Develop Guidelines for the Improvement of NEPA procedures for Oil and Gas

p Air Quality Technical Team Identify Air Quality Issues Establish a Unified Framework in which to Address Technical Aspects of Air Quality

p Other Sub-Teams Develop Guidance Specific to Oil and Gas Management and NEPA on: Preparing Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenarios Preparing Cumulative Impact Analyses Performing Regional Assessments Determining Thresholds

p Products: MOU Dispute Resolution Air Assessment Protocols & NEPA Guidelines Regional Assessments Other Draft Docs (RFDs)

p FLF TEST Powder River WY Powder River Basin Gas / CBM 40,000+ Wells, Large Resource Substantial Air Impacts to (Class I & II) NPS Units Communication Breaks Information/Data/Analysis Flow Draft EIS Rated “Unsatisfactory by EPA

p Powder River Basin NPS and Others Provided Numerous Comments on the Draft EIS Final EIS Due VERY Soon NPS has been Requested to Work with BLM to Mitigate Impacts Precedence for Process on Other Developments and Level of Air Quality Impacts to Class I & II Areas

p FLF - What is it Really ? A. A Gem B. Lump of Coal C. Basket of Fragile Eggs D. Part of Homeland Security Would you like to Use One of Your Lifelines ?

p Cautious Optimism