Public Involvement

There have been several opportunities for public involvement in the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Leasing PEIS process prior to release of the Final PEIS. The scoping period for the Programmatic EIS ended on May 16, 2011. The Draft Programmatic EIS public comment period ended May 4, 2012.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final Oil Shale and Tar Sands Leasing PEIS appeared in the Federal Register on November 9, 2012. The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) NOA of the Final PEIS was published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2012. Publication of an NOA of a Final PEIS does not trigger a formal public comment period. However, the Agency did receive and review comments submitted via the comment form previously available on this website and used them, to the extent practicable, to inform their Record of Decision (ROD).

Past Public Involvement Opportunities: Draft OSTS PEIS Comments

Public involvement is a key component of the PEIS process. The BLM encouraged all interested parties to participate in the OSTS PEIS by submitting their comments and questions concerning the Draft Oil Shale and Tar Sands PEIS, attending public meetings, and reading PEIS publications and related materials.

The public was given the opportunity to comment on the Draft PEIS, which was published on February 3, 2012. The public comment period for the Draft OSTS PEIS began on February 3, 2012 and ended on May 4, 2012. Comments on the 2012 Draft OSTS PEIS are available on this web site. Public comments received on the Draft PEIS were considered in the preparation of the Final PEIS. In addition, responses to issues raised in these comments are included in the Final PEIS.

Past Public Involvement Opportunities: Scoping

Public Scoping Process

The BLM invited interested parties to participate in the Oil Shale and Tar Sands PEIS scoping process in 2011. The scoping process was intended to involve all interested agencies (Federal, state, county, and local), public interest groups, Native American Tribes, businesses, and members of the public. The public scoping period started with the publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register and ended May 16, 2011.

The BLM invited comments on potential resource issues that should be discussed in the NEPA analysis, including input on issues pertaining to historic and cultural resources within the areas proposed for land use plan amendment.

Comments on issues and planning criteria were accepted at public scoping meetings, by mail, e-mail, and through a Web-based comment form. Public scoping meetings were held during April and May 2011. More information is available under Public Meetings.

Scoping Summary Report

A report entitled Summary of Public Scoping Comments for the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Possible Land Use Plan Amendments for Allocation of Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources on Lands Administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming is available for downloading or browsing under Documents. The report summarizes comments that were received during the scoping period for consideration in preparing the PEIS and is also included as Appendix J of the PEIS.

Public Scoping Meetings

Public scoping meetings for the Oil Shale and Tar Sands PEIS were held in seven cities in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming in April and May of 2011. The presentation made by the BLM at the public scoping meetings can be viewed or downloaded by following the links below.

 Public Scoping Meeting Presentation for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic EIS (presented at scoping meetings, April and May 2011) (2.2 MB)

For More Information

For further information on the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic EIS, please contact:

Sherri Thompson
Bureau of Land Management
Colorado State Office
2850 Youngfield Street
Lakewood, CO 80215
Phone: (303) 239-3758