Osage Oil and Gas EIS, OK

CLIENT: Bureau of Indian Affairs

FAST FACTS:

• 1.47-million-acre planning area in the only county in the United States where the BIA administers oil and gas leasing and permitting without the BLM

• Collaborated with the Osage Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Department of Natural Resources, and Osage Minerals Council to develop alternatives and analyze effects

• Worked closely with DOI solicitors in Washington, DC to ensure legal sufficiency and navigated the complicated regulatory landscape in Osage County

• Coordinated with the BIA and IESC on development of an oil and gas reasonably foreseeable development scenario (RFD)

In collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Eastern Oklahoma Region, EMPSi prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzing oil and gas leasing and permitting on Tribal minerals in Osage County, Oklahoma. The 1.47-million-acre planning area is composed of Tribal trust subsurface mineral estate and mixed surface ownership. Osage County is the only county in the United States where the BIA is the sole federal land management agency responsible for permitting oil and gas leasing and development of Tribal minerals. The EIS was needed to address changes in technology and to streamline the current leasing and permitting processes.

EMPSi facilitated the alternatives development process, including a series of workshops with BIA managers and specialists and representatives from the Osage Nation, Osage Minerals Council, and other cooperating agencies. EMPSi also coordinated closely with the Indian Energy Service Center during RFD preparation and projected future development for each management alternative.

The project area contains habitat for multiple federally listed threatened and endangered species, including the American burying beetle. EMPSi prepared the biological assessment analyzing impacts on these species to facilitate consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.