81 FR 5994 - Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Nanushuk Project; Located 7.5 Miles Northeast of Nuiqsut, Alaska

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 23 (February 4, 2016)

The Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify and analyze the potential impacts associated with the development of the Alpine C and Nanushuk reservoirs, including construction and operation of the proposed project. The Corps will be evaluating a permit application for work under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The EIS will be used to support the permit decision in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 23 (Thursday, February 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5994-5995]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01973]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Nanushuk Project; Located 7.5 Miles Northeast of Nuiqsut, Alaska

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) 
intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify 
and analyze the potential impacts associated with the development of 
the Alpine C and Nanushuk reservoirs, including construction and 
operation of the proposed project. The Corps will be evaluating a 
permit application for work under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors 
Act and section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The EIS will be used to 
support the permit decision in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to Ms. Janet Post, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Division CEPOA-RD, P.O. Box 6898, JBER, 
AK 99506-0898; by email: [email protected], or by Web site 
www.NanushukEIS.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and the EIS can be answered by: Ms. Janet Post, Regulatory Division, by 
telephone: (907) 753-2831 or toll free from within Alaska: (800) 478-
2712, by fax: (907) 753-5567, by email: [email protected], or 
by mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Division CEPOA-RD, 
P.O. Box 6898, JBER, AK 99506-0898. To be added to the project mailing 
list and for additional information, please visit the following Web 
site: www.NanushukEIS.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Proposed Action: The permit applicant, Repsol E&P USA, Inc. 
(Repsol), is proposing to develop the Alpine C and Nanushuk reservoirs, 
located approximately 52 miles west of Deadhorse, 7.5 miles northeast 
of Nuiqsut, and 1 mile southeast of the East Channel of the Colville 
River, in the State of Alaska. Up to 76 production and injection wells 
would be drilled from three drill sites (Drill Sites (DS) 1-3). 
Construction would include the Nanushuk Pad, comprised of DS1 and a 
central processing facility (CPF); two additional drill sites (DS2 and 
DS3); and an operations center pad. A tie-in pad would be constructed 
adjacent to the existing Kuparuk CPF2 facility. The operations center 
pad would include infrastructure to support operations and drilling, 
such as camps, office, warehouse, maintenance building, cold storage, 
potable water tanks, wastewater and water treatment plant, temporary 
waste storage area, communication structures, diesel-fired back-up 
power generators, and a helicopter landing pad. Tie-in pad 
infrastructure would include a pig launcher and receiver, a metering 
skid, pipe rack, laydown area, and a communications tower. One time 
screeding would be required at Oliktok Point Dock to support sealift 
module delivery.
    The Project would include 11.1 miles of gravel infield roads, 
comprised of a 4.0-mile DS2 road and a 7.1 mile DS3 road, to provide 
all-season ground transport between the Nanushuk Pad and DS2 and DS3. 
And a 13.8-mile gravel access road to provide all-season ground 
transport between the Nanushuk Pad and the existing road network at 
Kuparuk DS2M.
    The applicant would produce multiphase product from the three drill 
sites and transport it to the Nanushuk Pad via multiphase pipelines for 
processing. Water separated from the oil would be transported back to 
the drill sites via water injection pipelines to be reinjected back 
into the subsurface formation to help maintain pressure and enhance oil 
production. Separated gas would be used for power generation at the 
CPF, and the remainder would be transported back to the drill sites via 
gas lift pipelines for gas lift. Excess gas, if any, would be injected 
into a dedicated injection well at DS2. Sales-quality oil processed at 
the Nanushuk Pad would be transported to the tie-in pad at the Kuparuk 
CPF2 via the Nanushuk Pipeline.
    Reasonable Alternatives: A reasonable range of alternatives will be 
identified and evaluated through scoping and the alternatives 
development process.
    Scoping: The scoping period is anticipated to begin in February and 
end in March 2016.
    (1) Public involvement: The Corps invites full public participation 
to promote open communication on the issues to be addressed in 
preparation of the EIS regarding the proposed action.

[[Page 5995]]

All Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, and other interested 
persons or organizations, are urged to participate in the NEPA scoping 
process. Scoping meetings will be conducted to inform interested 
parties of the proposed project, receive public input on the 
development of proposed alternatives to be reviewed in the EIS, and to 
identify significant issues to be analyzed.
    (2) Scoping meetings: The Corps plans to hold scoping meetings in 
Barrow, Nuiqsut, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. Public notices will be 
placed in local newspapers and other public places, and will be 
communicated directly with the smaller communities, once dates are 
confirmed.
    (3) Information about these meetings and meeting dates will be 
published locally, posted at the project Web site, and available by 
contacting the Corps as previously described. A description of the 
proposed project will be posted on the project Web site prior to these 
meetings to help the public focus their scoping comments.
    (4) The Corps will serve as the lead Federal agency in the 
preparation of the EIS. Agencies that are being invited to act as 
Cooperating Agencies include the following:
a. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
b. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
c. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Office of Project 
Management and Permitting
d. North Slope Borough
e. Native Village of Nuiqsut
    (5) The EIS will analyze the potential social, economic, physical, 
and biological impacts to the affected areas. Numerous issues will be 
analyzed in depth in the EIS. These issues include, but are not limited 
to, the following: The construction and operation of the facilities and 
their effect upon the community of Nuiqsut; subsistence; cultural 
resources; air quality; socioeconomics; alternatives; secondary and 
cumulative impacts; threatened and endangered species including 
critical habitat; hydrology and wetlands; and fish and wildlife.
    (6) Other Environmental Review and Consultation Requirements: Other 
environmental review and consultation requirements include Executive 
Order 13175 Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal 
Governments, Executive Order 12898 Federal Actions to Address 
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income 
Populations, 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and 
Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultation.
    (7) Land and Resource Ownership: Kuukpik Corporation owns the 
surface estate of lands at the drill sites and lands traversed by the 
infield roads and infield pipelines, and portions of the access road 
and Nanushuk Pipeline. The State of Alaska, through the Alaska 
Department of Natural Resources (ADNR), manages the majority of surface 
lands traversed by the Nanushuk Pipeline and access road. The Project 
will access subsurface mineral resources that are shared by the State 
of Alaska and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC).
    Estimated Date Draft EIS Available to Public: It is anticipated 
that the Draft EIS will be available in spring 2017 for public review.

    Dated: January 26, 2016.
Michael Salyer,
Chief, North Branch, Regulatory Division, Department of the Army, Corps 
of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2016-01973 Filed 2-3-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3720-58-P