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Oil Shale and Tar Sands Leasing Programmatic EIS
 Final PEIS Guide
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Oil Shale and Tar Sands Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Guide

Listed below are summaries of each major section of the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Final Programmatic EIS with links to the full text of the (PEIS) in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

If you wish to obtain a DVD or paper version of the Final Programmatic EIS, it is also available at selected BLM offices.

For your convenience, the EIS is available for download by volume (4 larger files), or by chapter (23 smaller files).

NOTE: Volume 4 (public and agency draft PEIS comments and BLM responses) is an extremely large file (472 MB). You may wish to contact BLM to receive a DVD copy of the PEIS rather than attempting to download the file.

Download by Volume

PDF Volume 1: Chapters 1-4 (13 MB, 670 pages)
PDF Volume 2: Chapters 5-6 (12 MB, 536 pages)
PDF Volume 3: Chapters 7-9, Appendices A-I (29 MB, 622 pages)
PDF Volume 4: Comments & Responses (472 MB, 7143 pages)

Download by Chapter

Volume 1: Chapters 1 Through 4

 
Volume 1 Front Matter: Cover, Contents, Notation, English/Metric and Metric/English Equivalents

Summary: Front matter for Volume I of the Final PEIS, including cover page, letter to readers, table of contents, notation, and units of measure.
PDF Front Matter (1.4 MB, 36 pages)

 
Executive Summary

Summary: A brief overview of the Final PEIS, including a description of the planning area and the scoping process, and summaries of the alternatives.
PDF Executive Summary (41 KB, 10 pages)

 
Chapter 1: Introduction

Summary: Why is the BLM Proposing to Amend Land Use Plans to decide which areas will be open to application for oil shale and tar sands leasing and future commercial development? Includes discussion of the purpose and need of the PEIS, scope of the analysis, list of cooperating agencies, and a discussion of the relationship of the proposed action to other BLM and cooperating agency programs, policies, and plans.
PDF Chapter 1 (736 KB, 24 pages)

 
Chapter 2: Descriptions of Alternatives

Summary: Description of the three alternatives analyzed in detail in the PEIS: (1) Alternative A – the no action alternative; (2) Alternative B – designation of 1,991,222 acres of public lands for oil shale and 431,224 acres of public lands for tar sands as available for application for leasing; and (3) Alternative C - designation of 830,296 acres of public lands for oil shale and 229,038 acres of public lands for tar sands as available for application for leasing. Other alternatives considered but eliminated from detailed study are also described. A summary comparison of the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of the analyzed alternatives is presented.
PDF Chapter 2 (4.8 MB, 100 pages)

 
Chapter 3: Affected Environment

Summary: What is the current environment in the area where future leasing of public lands for oil shale and tar sands development may occur? Overview of the nature and condition of resources in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming that might be affected by construction, operation, and reclamation activities occurring with future oil shale and tar sands development.
PDF Chapter 3 (20 MB, 294 pages)

 
Chapter 4: Effects of Oil Shale Technologies

Summary: What are the generic potential impacts of future oil shale development? Description of the types of impacts that could occur with construction, operation, and reclamation activities for a single hypothetical future oil shale facility, using either surface mining, underground mining, or in situ development techniques. Resource-specific mitigation measures that could be used to minimize, avoid, or compensate for project-specific impacts are also presented.
PDF Chapter 4 (5.9 MB, 206 pages)

Volume 2: Chapters 5 and 6

 
Volume 2 Front Matter: Cover, Contents, Notation, English/Metric and Metric/English Equivalents
PDF Front Matter (712 KB, 30 pages)

 
Chapter 5: Effects of Tar Sands Technologies

Summary: What are the generic potential impacts of future tar sands development? Description of the types of impacts that could occur with construction, operation, and reclamation activities for a single hypothetical future tar sands facility, using either surface mining or in situ development techniques. Resource-specific mitigation measures that could be used to minimize, avoid, or compensate for project-specific impacts are also presented.
PDF Chapter 5 (1.9 MB, 162 pages)

 
Chapter 6: Impact Assessment for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Technologies

Summary: What are the impacts of the no action and action alternatives? Presents the impacts of land use plan amendments to designate public lands available for oil shale and tar sands leasing, and of future commercial development under the two programmatic action alternatives, as well as the impacts of no action. The cumulative impacts of the action alternatives in the context of other actions taking place within the study area in the foreseeable future are presented. Finally, the unavoidable adverse impacts, tradeoffs between short-term use of the environment and long-term productivity, and irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources under the action alternatives are discussed.
PDF Chapter 6 (21 MB, 344 pages)

Volume 3: Chapters 7 Through 9, Appendices A Through I

 
Volume 3 Front Matter: Cover, Contents, Notation, English/Metric and Metric/English Equivalents
PDF Front Matter (1.2 MB, 20 pages)

 
Chapter 7: Consultation and Coordination

Summary: What agencies and groups were consulted with or coordinated with in the preparation of the PEIS? Gives information on the public scoping process used to prepare the PEIS, government-to-government consultations, cooperating agencies, and an explanation of the public protest process that can be used for the proposed land use plan amendments.
PDF Chapter 7 (34 MB, 244 pages)

 
Chapter 8: List of Preparers

Summary: Names and credentials of PEIS authors.
PDF Chapter 8 (16 KB, 4 pages)

 
Chapter 9: Glossary

Summary: Glossary that defines oil shale and tar sands-related terminology, as well as other technical terms used in the PEIS.
PDF Chapter 9 (101 KB, 32 pages)

 
Appendix A: Oil Shale Development Background and Technology Overview

Summary: Describes the oil shale resources in the study area; past development efforts; current research, development, and demonstration projects; and current technologies likely to be used for development. Attachment A1 describes the anticipated refinery market response to future oil shale production.
PDF Appendix A (5.3 MB, 122 pages)

 
Appendix B: Tar Sands Development Background and Technology Overview

Describes the tar sands resources in the study area, past development efforts, and current technologies likely to be used for development. Attachment B1 describes the anticipated refinery market response to future tar sands production.
PDF Appendix B (1.7 MB, 60 pages)

 
Appendix C: Proposed Land Use Plan Amendments Associated with Alternatives B and C for Oil Shale and Tar Sands

Summary: Provides specific information for each land use plan that would be amended under the proposed action of the PEIS.
PDF Appendix C (117 KB, 28 pages)

 
Appendix D: Federal, State, and County Regulatory Requirements Potentially Applicable to Oil Shale and Tar Sands Development Projects

Summary: Federal, State, and County Regulatory Requirements Potentially Applicable to Oil Shale and Tar Sands Development Projects.
PDF Appendix D (86 KB, 26 pages)

 
Appendix E: Threatened and Endangered Species within the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Study Area

Summary: Presents a table with federally listed and state-listed threatened, endangered, and candidate species, species of special concern, and BLM-designated sensitive species that occur in the study area.
PDF Appendix E (205 KB, 46 pages)

 
Appendix F: Proposed Conservation Measures for the Preferred Alternative

Summary: Recommended conservation measures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to support the conservation of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
PDF Appendix F (47 KB, 16 pages)

 
Appendix G: Socioeconomic and Environmental Justice Analysis Methodologies

Summary: Analytical methods for socioeconomic and environmental justice impacts, including social disruption impacts.
PDF Appendix G (63 KB, 12 pages)

 
Appendix H: Approach Used for Interviews of Selected Residents in the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Study Area

Summary: Summary of sampling strategies and format for interviews.
PDF Appendix H (14 KB, 4 pages)

 
Appendix I: Instream Flow Water Rights in the Piceance Basin, Colorado

Summary: Table listing instream flow water rights in the Piceance Basin, Colorado.
PDF Appendix I (53 KB, 8 pages)

Volume 4: Comments & Responses

 
Volume 4: Comments & Responses

Summary: Public comments on the Draft PEIS, with BLM responses.
PDF Volume 4: Comments & Responses (486 MB, 7143 pages)