Environmental Planning For New Energy Resource Development On Public Lands

Abstract

This paper was prepared for the 47th Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in San, Antonio, Tex., Oct. 8–11, 1972 Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon requested to the Editor of the appropriate journal, provided agreement to give proper credit is made. provided agreement to give proper credit is made. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers Office. Such discussions may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Abstract Spurred by an ever-increasing demand for clean energy and dwindling supplies, interest has been renewed in the energy resources found on public lands. Before these resources can be developed, potential environmental effects must be weighed against the benefits to be derived from their use. A national concern for environmental quality has been translated into policy by the National Environmental Act of 1969. Complying with the requirements of the Act for new energy resources development on public lands is a complex undertaking requiring public lands is a complex undertaking requiring (1) clearly defined program objectives, (2) an organization which can integrate public policy with diverse scientific disciplines, and (3) flexibility to adjust planning as various sections of the Act are clarified by Court decisions. This discussion explores the interrelationship between these factors using, as an example, the planning and organization created specifically to develop the Department of the Interior's Proposed Prototype Oil Shale Leasing Program. Introduction In September, 1972, the Department of the Interior filed with the Council on Environmental Quality one of the most complex draft environmental statements ever prepared. Some 1,200 pages long, it was prepared. Some 1,200 pages long, it was nearly three years in preparation by over 200 professionals of widely diverse backgrounds. The statement details a program designed to stimulate commercial oil shale development and describes the potential environmental consequences of that development however, the program itself has greater significance beyond the specific environmental concerns related to oil shale development.