Aspen Prepares EIS For Oil And Gas Resource Management Plan Amendment With BLM
On behalf of the BLM Central Coast Field Office (CCFO), Aspen is proud to have prepared the Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for oil and gas leasing and development on BLM-administered mineral estate within the CCFO Planning Area. The RMPA/EIS analyzes the effects of alternative oil and gas management approaches to update the reasonably foreseeable development scenario (RFDS) and the existing 2007 Hollister RMP in order to incorporate new information about well stimulation technologies, natural resource conditions, and socioeconomic trends.
The Final EIS/Proposed RMPA includes a new preferred alternative, which would open federal mineral estate to oil and gas leasing unless it is currently closed under the 2007 Hollister RMP. The final amended RMP will identify which lands are open or closed to oil and gas leasing and which stipulations would be applied on oil and gas exploration and development activities in order to protect environmental resources.
Given the controversy surrounding oil and gas projects, public involvement was a big part of the RMPA effort. Before Aspen’s involvement in the project, four public scoping meetings were held in early 2014 to hear public concerns. After the release of the Draft RMPA/EIS in 2017, BLM held three public comment meetings that were organized and facilitated by Aspen. In addition, more than 5,200 comment letters were received on the Draft EIS/RMPA, all of which were considered and responded to in the Final EIS/RMPA published in May 2019.
Aspen’s role in the process helped BLM to address concerns from citizens, organizations, and agencies, and thus, successfully update the RFDS and publish the Final EIS/RMPA.