UPDATE as of September 2023

• Enefit's water right has been vacated and the federal leasing permit has been relinquished.
• Reference

• All federal leasing for oil shale development in Utah and Colorado have expired or have been relinquished.
• Activities for tar sand development in Utah have ceased.

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LATEST NEWS

• Why Did Utah Oil Shale Developers Give Away Priceless Water Rights? Brian Maffly for Salt Lake Tribune.
• Could Dispute Over Water Rights Derail Utah Oil Shale Plant? Jennifer Yachnin for E&E News.

SUBMITTED COMMENT LETTERS
Comments were due on July 9, 2018

• July 2 - Letter from Living Rivers, Colorado Riverkeeper, Green River Action Network, Upper Green River Network, and Canyon Country Rising Tide is HERE. 
• July 9 - Letter from NGO Coalition is HERE
• July 9 -Letter from river guides and outfitters HERE

LAWSUIT

The Bureau of Land Management Vernal Field Office is releasing a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing potential impacts of the proposed Enefit American Oil Utility Corridor Project, located approximately 40 miles south of Vernal, Utah.

Under the proposal, Enefit American Oil would construct 19 miles of water supply pipeline, eight miles of natural gas supply pipeline, 10 miles of oil product line, 29 miles of single or dual overhead 138-kilovolt H-frame power lines, and upgrade an estimated five miles of Dragon Road on public lands in the Vernal Field Office.

The BLM prepared the final EIS to analyze the potential impacts of Enefits five right-of-way applications. The BLM used comments and feedback received during the 60-day comment period in spring 2016 to disclose cumulative impacts. This final EIS does not contain any decisions.

The BLMs decision regarding the project will be published in a Record of Decision after the final wait period closes. The 45-day wait period for the publication of the Notice of Availability of the final EIS in the Federal Register runs from May 18 through July 2. Documents and maps are
available for public review online at: http://go.usa.gov/csa9

For additional project information, please contact Stephanie Howard at (435)781-4469. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question with the above individual. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.

MAY 2018 FINAL EIS RELEASE

• 0. All Documents Combined
• 1. BLM'S Press Release
• 2. Dear Reader Letter
• 3. Volume One FEIS
• 4. Appendices A-C
• 5. Appendices D-H
• 6. Appendix I

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MAY, 2016 DRAFT EIS PROCESS 

BLM Seeks Public Comment on Rights of Way for Enefit Project Draft Environment Impact Statement Available for Review & Comment

The 60-day public comment period for the Draft EIS will conclude on June 14, 2016.

CLICK HERE to read the comments by Grand Canyon Trust, Living Rivers, Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Western Resource Advocates, the WaterKeeper Alliance, American Rivers, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Center for Biological Diversity, The Wilderness Society, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, the Science and Environmental Health Network,  and Wildearth Guardians.

Please reference Enefit EIS when submitting comments. Comments may be submitted by any the following methods:

• E-mail: UT_Vernal_Comments@blm.gov
• Fax: (435) 781-4410
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 84078
• BLM NEPA Register: http://go.usa.gov/csa9j

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April 7, 2016
BLM PRESS RELEASE
Vernal, Utah

NOTE: COMMENTS ARE DUE June 14, 2016

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vernal Field Office has announced a 60-day comment period on the Enefit American Oil Utility Corridor Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Draft EIS was prepared to analyze the potential impacts of the five rights-of-way (ROW) applications filed by Enefit American Oil across BLM-administered lands.

The ROW applications cover three proposed pipelines, a 138-kV power line, and the expansion of an existing road. The project area is located approximately 12 miles southeast of Bonanza, Utah. Enefit has applied for the ROWs to provide utilities to and the transport oil from its South Project. The South Project, located entirely on private land, will include development of a 7,000- acre to 9,000-acre commercial oil shale mining, retorting, and upgrading operation in Uintah County, Utah. The project is expected to produce 50,000 barrels of oil per day at full build out for up to 30 years using oil shale ore rock mined from Enefits private property holdings.

The 60-day public comment period for the Draft EIS will conclude on June 14, 2016. The BLM will carefully review and respond to the comments received before publishing a Final EIS and releasing a Record of Decision for this project.

This Draft EIS analyzes in detail the proposed action and a no-action alternative. The proposed action consists of granting ROWs for: 19 miles of water supply lines (116 acres), 8.8 miles of buried natural gas supply lines (52.6 acres), 11.2 miles of buried oil product lines (68.3 acres), 5.7 miles of upgrades and pavement to Dragon Road (41.7 acres), and a 30-mile 138-kV power line (501.4 acres). Under the no action alternative, the proposed ROWs would be denied. According to the company if the proposed ROWs were not approved, it would rely on other means, including onsite power generation and the trucking of oil and natural gas, to provide utilities to and transport product from the South Project. Because Enefits South Project targets private minerals and is on private land, the BLM has no jurisdiction over the use of those minerals or how the project is built or operated.

Because of the relationship between the South Project and the proposed action, the Draft EIS includes an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the South Project as indirect impacts of the proposed action. This analysis includes, among other things, an evaluation of air quality, greenhouse gases emissions, and wildlife impacts. Mitigation measures analyzed in the Draft EIS related to sage grouse are consistent with the recently approved sage grouse conservation plans.

To provide the public an opportunity to ask questions about the proposal and EIS, the BLM will host open-house meetings as follows:

• Vernal, Utah May 3, 2016 from 6 to 8 p.m. Uintah County Library, 204 E 100 N
• Rangely, Colo. May 4, 3016 from 6 to 8 p.m. Western Rio Blanco Recreation and Park District, 611 S Stanolind Ave.
• Salt Lake City, Utah May 5, 2016 from 6 to 8 p.m. Hilton Garden Inn, 4975 Wiley Post Way

The meetings will be conducted by BLM staff. Representatives from Enefit will attend and will be available to explain details of the proposal. Additional information about the proposed project is included in the Draft EIS. An electronic copy of the EIS can be found on the BLMs ePlanning NEPA register at: http://go.usa.gov/csa9j

Please reference Enefit EIS when submitting comments. Comments may be submitted by any the following methods:

• E-mail: UT_Vernal_Comments@blm.gov
• Fax: (435) 781-4410
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 84078
• BLM NEPA Register: http://go.usa.gov/csa9j

Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in any comments, commenters should aware that the entire commentincluding personal identifying informationmay be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. Replies are provided during normal business hours.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In fiscal year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands. 

DOCUMENTS

• Notice of Intent. Federal Register.
• DEIS - Enefit American Oil Utility Corridor Project. BLM.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Scoping Report & Appendices. BLM.
  
• June 2013 Newsletter. BLM.

MEMOS AND TALKING POINTS

• Enefit ROW DEIS Talking Points. Grand Canyon Trust.
• Enefit Talking Points (longer version). Grand Canyon Trust.Longer.pdf
• Living Rivers Challenge BLM Enefit POD Approval Follow Up. Wester Resource Advocates.
• Letter to EPA. Grand Canyon Trust et al.
  
• Water Use and Impacts on Fish. Earthjustice.