June 19, 2015 (Photo: Whistle Creek LWC)

Meeting Agenda  10:00 Welcome; County Commissioners and Conservation District Supervisors and Staff, Ecosystem Research Group; current administrative opportunity; protest methods vs. comments  10:15 Brief background of local governments’ participation and current concerns  10:20 Oil and gas producer introduction and summary comments Discussion topics  10:30 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics  10:50 Oil and Gas Topics  Oil and Gas Management Areas  Deferred Leases  Master Leasing Plans  Design Features  Compensatory mitigation  11:15 Socioeconomics  11:40 Trails/Buffers  11:50 Miscellaneous items and discussion Please call if you have any comments, suggestions or questions.

Figure 1.—EIS-level planning efforts: Required steps for new plans, revisions, and amendments Land Use Planning Handbook BLM Handbook H

Meeting Agenda  10:00 Welcome; County Commissioners and Conservation District Supervisors and Staff, Ecosystem Research Group; current administrative opportunity; protest methods vs. comments  10:15 Brief background of local governments’ participation and current concerns  10:20 Oil and gas producer introduction and summary comments Discussion topics  10:30 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics  10:50 Oil and Gas Topics  Oil and Gas Management Areas  Deferred Leases  Master Leasing Plans  Design Features  Compensatory mitigation  11:15 Socioeconomics  11:40 Trails/Buffers  11:50 Miscellaneous items and discussion Please call if you have any comments, suggestions or questions.

Previous key issues that are being considered for protest  Lands with Wilderness Characteristics (LWCs)  Oil and Gas Development  Master Leasing Plans (MLPs)  Socioeconomics  Historic trails

Lands with Wilderness Characteristics (LWCs)  Alternative D does not manage any LWCs for wilderness characteristics  2 BLM inventories and 2 LGCA inventories  A reduction of 94,000 acres of LWCs from Draft RMP to Final

2010 = 571,342 acres 2010 BLM LWC Inventory

2010 = 571,342 acres2012 = 477,168 acres-94, BLM LWC Inventory Honeycombs South CP Areas Removed

Honeycombs South CP 2010 BLM Inventory Washakie County The BLM did not quantify any roads, but did draw roads with a highlighter.

BLM 2010 Internal Disagreement This area has numerous roads used by ranchers, hunters, and recreationists. Then lots more roads that, due to no maintenance, are used by the same people on ATV’s. It is “primitive” and rough but NOT wilderness. Signed—Chet Wheeless Karla Bird- “The preponderance of the IDT determined the area has wilderness characteristics“

Honeycombs South CP 2011 LGCA Inventory Washakie County The LGCA quantified: 56 miles of two-track 1.5 miles of graded dirt 36 Reservoirs Etc…. The LGCA quantified: 56 miles of two-track 1.5 miles of graded dirt 36 Reservoirs Etc….

BLMCooperators No Structures Identified Roads drawn in with highlighter Reservoir Oil and Gas Well Oil an d Gas Field Water Well Roads

Honeycombs South CP 2012 BLM Inventory The BLM quantified: 57 miles of two-track 1.4 miles of constructed roads The BLM quantified: 57 miles of two-track 1.4 miles of constructed roads

Honeycombs South CP 2013 LGCA Inventory Washakie County The LGCA quantified: 75 miles of two-track 10.5 miles of constructed roads 44 miles of fence Etc…. The LGCA quantified: 75 miles of two-track 10.5 miles of constructed roads 44 miles of fence Etc….

Honeycombs South CP Wyoming Roads 2009 (USGS 2014) Washakie County The Wyoming Roads 2009 Inventory Shows: 173 miles of two-track 3 miles of constructed roads The Wyoming Roads 2009 Inventory Shows: 173 miles of two-track 3 miles of constructed roads

Honeycombs South CP 2013 LGCA Inventory Photos

LGCA Field Review – October 23, 2014

LWC – Honeycombs South CP Inventory Comparison LWC NameFeature BLM 2010 Inventory LGCA 2011 Inventory BLM 2012 Inventory LGCA 2013 Inventory Wyoming Roads 2009 (USGS 2014) Honeycombs South CP Two-Track N/A Road - Constructed N/A Total Miles N/A

LWC Inventory Comparison – Miles of Roads/Two-Tracks

Oil and Gas Topics

Oil and Gas Management Areas from Draft RMP Alternative D (2011) 134,214 acres

Oil and Gas Management Areas from Final RMP Alternative D (2015) 134,214 acres 441,662 acres

Existing Oil and Gas Leases in the Bighorn Basin

Aug to Aug. 2015Acres Preliminary Leases 991,163 Leases Deferred 814,353 Leases Final 176,810 % Deferred82% Leases Deferred in the Bighorn Basin Since August 2011

Aug to Aug. 2015# of Leases Preliminary Leases with Core 480 Final Leases with Core 17 % of Leases Offered in Core3.5%

Aug to Aug. 2015# of Leases Preliminary Leases with Core 480 Final Leases with Core 17 % of Leases Offered in Core3.5% Preliminary Leases with LWCs 189 Final Leases with LWCs 12 % of Leases Offered in LWCs6.3%

Aug to Aug. 2015# of Leases Preliminary Leases with Core 480 Final Leases with Core 17 % of Leases Offered in Core3.5% Preliminary Leases with LWCs 189 Final Leases with LWCs 12 % of Leases Offered in LWCs6.3% Preliminary Leases with MLPs 147 Final Leases with MLPs 4 % of Leases Offered in MLPs3.0%

Leases Deferred in the Bighorn Basin Since August 2011

Master Leasing Plans (MLPs)  Absaroka Front (253,112 acres)  Fifteen Mile (180,186 acres)  Big Horn Front (379,308 acres)

Absaroka Front Zone 1 Absaroka Front Zone 2 Absaroka Front Zone 3 Master Leasing Plans Fifteenmile Big Horn Front

Master Leasing Plans with Elk Crucial Winter Range Zone 1 Areas within elk crucial winter range will be offered for lease only after all parcels outside elk crucial winter range have been offered for lease, sold, and explored. Subject to CSU A minimum lease size of 1,280 acres of federal mineral estate Total surface disturbance per lease at any given time will not exceed 64 acres. Zone 2 The acreage in Zone 2 will be offered only as 2 parcels (Map 35) requiring a Master Development Plan to minimize impacts to big game crucial winter range or transitional habitat. Co-locate new disturbance where technically feasible Cluster drill pads, roads and facilities in specific, “low-impact” areas, if geologically feasible. Zone 3 Areas inside elk crucial winter range are subject to CSU. A minimum lease size of 1,280 noncontiguous acres of federal mineral estate is required Total surface disturbance per lease will not exceed 64 acres. Apply a TLS for surface-disturbing or disruptive activity from September 1- November 15 to maintain recreational settings for hunting within the Absaroka Mountain Foothills SRMA. Zone 1 Areas outside elk crucial winter range are subject to CSU. A minimum lease size of 640* acres of federal mineral estate Total surface disturbance per lease at any given time will not exceed 32 acres. * Smaller parcels may be leased only when 640 acres of federal mineral estate is not available Fifteenmile Apply a CSU restriction within the Fifteenmile MLP Analysis Area to maintain recreational settings, and conserve geologic features, LRP soils, allow no more than 1 surface disturbance per lease. A minimum lease size of 640 acres of federal mineral estate Total surface disturbance per lease will not exceed 32 acres. Big Horn Front Apply a NSO restriction: Prohibit surface disturbing activities within ½ mile of big game migration corridors. Apply a TLS to avoid surface-disturbing and disruptive activities within elk winter range from November 15 through April 30. Apply a CSU within elk crucial winter range. A minimum lease size of 1,280 acres of federal mineral estate Total surface disturbance per lease will not exceed 64 acres

Master Leasing Plans with Alternative D Constraints

Existing Oil and Gas Leases in the Bighorn Basin with MLPs 136 out of 3,048 In MLPs 4.4%

Socioeconomic 3 Potential Options for Protesting  Failure of BLM to complete the required economics workshop  Failure to follow other guidance provided in Appendix D of the BLM Land Use Planning Handbook  Data quality of assumptions

Requirements of the Economics Strategies Workshop  Imparting skills on analyzing local and regional economic social conditions and trends;  Assisting community members to identify desired economic and social conditions; and  Collaborating with the BLM staff to identify opportunities to advance local economies and social goals through planning and policy decisions within the authority of the BLM, its cooperating agencies, or other partners. (Bureau of Land Management 2005)

Corrective Action to Consider Request language in the ROD for the BLM to work with the communities of the planning area to:  Understand and document desired conditions and the role of BLM lands in obtaining desired conditions  Assess mitigation opportunities to enhance the preferred alternatives positive effects and minimize their negative effects  Develop indicators and threshold hold level for indicators  Consider possible mitigations should thresholds be reached  Develop and implement a monitoring plan

Historic Trails  Alternative D does not contain management specific to mineral leasing (NSO or CSU restrictions) and uses a generalized management approach to mitigate impacts. The BLM avoids surface-disturbing activities and protects the foreground of the trails up to 3 miles or the visual horizon whichever is closer where setting is an important aspect of the integrity of the trail, and uses BMPs to avoid, minimize and/or compensate adverse impacts (Final RMP page 4-588).

Historic Trails

Producing Oil and Gas Wells 24 within 0.25 mile 318 within 2 miles

Roads (USGS Wyoming Roads 2009) 799 intersections

Oil and Gas Leases 78 leases intersected

Transmission Lines 9 transmission line crossings

THANKS FOR JOINING US. Discussion