88047044 United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management ROSWELL DISTRICT January 1997 Roswell Resource Area Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement Carlsbad Resource Area Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement VOLUME 2 . The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the needs of the American people. Management is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, a combination of uses that take into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values •b-6LM-NM-PT-97-003-1610 o The cover artwork was provided by Mike and Barbara Bilbo from a tracing they made ofa petroglyph in the Rio Bonito drainage, Lincoln County, New Mexico. Animals, such as the one on the cover, are depicted in the prehistoric and historic Indian rock art of southeastern New Mexico found in many locations in the BLM’s Carlsbad and Roswell resource areas. PROPOSED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for the Roswell Resource Area 2 U . Roswell, New Mexico AND PROPOSED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN AMENDMENT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for the Carlsbad Resource Area Carlsbad, New Mexico VOLUME 2 Prepared by: United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Roswell District Roswell Resource Area Carlsbad Resource Area Roswell, New Mexico January 1997 William C. Calkins New Mexico State Director, Edwin L Roberson Acting District Manager, Roswell District : . T i * . ># if ||j|^t^ ,» ,»iBf'.(;^'v^^' ,_j;/ ’. 4 <*'i r fL‘l -1 .' • '3K iJi** i- 'w ’ . ..^'li A^ !>- «= ^,. -• * . V* -.*'** ^4J.^;‘'4J i ^ „. w *. '•TC ,'pjW rj if *»i- A* ‘*)i^ <1* >>• f. ^v> 1‘ « . ,* * W* » i#*»C.- V '*». ' *» "I -T* w. ( j; '- V( 1. •.-'.f‘f‘'‘•j'>v» V I ; "» ‘ ’ f >.< -'»* if.t , '; '.i-rt.- I.- '''il. .- K '.* *- ^ ’ * -f" »•‘:H?i ,..1, ? ^ -»-,,• { }' ’ . , ^s= i> ''. \Lr-i‘ V*-? ^ /V :’ «« '- ' $',> , s''IJf'J^ 'Al’ r.,',* ,^^f 4 H J i W ‘ < . INTRODUCTION This volume comprises five parts. The primary section is the display of public comments and the BLM’s responses to those comments. The comment letters have been reproduced and reduced in size, to allow a side-by-side comparison with the BLM’s responses to the comments. The letters are arrayed in the order in which they were received. Table 35 lists the comment letters and respondents in chronological order. (Also, refer to Tables 30 through 33 in Volume 1, the Proposed RMP/RMPA/Final EIS, for information about the comment letters and those who made comments.) Handwritten letters are followed by a typed transcription. Segments of comment letters for which responses have been prepared are identified with vertical black lines in the left margin and consecutive numbers within each comment letter. The BLM’s responses are keyed to individual comments by a number code (i.e., 28-31) in which the first number identifies the comment letter. The second number identifies the paragraph or section being discussed in the BLM’s response. The original comment letters are on file at the BLM’s Roswell District Office. The remaining four sections in this volume are side-by-side comparisons of parts of the BLM’s Preferred Alternative from Chapter 2 of the Draft RMP/RMPA/EIS with similar parts of Alternative F, which was submitted as a public comment by the Resource Users Coalition. Refer to the beginning of each section for more information about that section. The comparison of the Preferred Alternative begins on page 2-1 The comparisons of Appendixes 3, 4 and 5 begin on pages 3-1, 4-1 and 5-1, respectively. TABLE 35 LIST OF RESPONDENTS No. Assigned Name/Organization to Response of Respondent 1 Gregory J. Nibert/ Hinkle, Cox, Eaton, Coffield & Hensley 2 David J. Olson/ Lincoln Valley Land Company 3 Elizabeth S. Bush/ARCO Permian 4 Tom Amesbury 5 Chuck Moran/Yates Petroleum Corporation 6 Ron Green/Western Land Realty 7 Greg Nibert/Hinkle, Cox, Eaton, Coffield & Hensley 8 Pete V. Domenici/U.S. Senate 9 Tom Amesbury 10 Gedi Cibas/State of New Mexico, Environment Department 11 Anthony Sanchez 12 Leon and Teresa Ham 13 Richard C. Manning/Tangle Cross Ranch 14 E.K. Hunter/Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office 15 Thomas H. Wootten/T&E Inc. 16 Ron Green/Lincoln Valley Land Company 17 R.F. Gray/Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc. 18 Ed Lopez/Department of the Air Force 19 Robert D. Kiker/Permian Basin Petroleum Association 20 Dan Girand/Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico 21 Joe Velasquez/Chaves County Commission 22 Chuck Moran/Yates Petroleum Corporation 23 Joe M. Vicente 24 Bob Moorhead 25 Monroy Montes/Lincoln County Board of Commissioners 26 Marilyn Coll/Arroyo Seco Ranch 27 Frank O. Elliott/Elliott Oil Company 28 Public Hearing Transcript of January 10, 1995 29 Public Hearing Transcript of January 11, 1995 30 R.C. Manning/Tangle Cross Ranch 31 Ron Green 11 TABLE 35 LIST OF RESPONDENTS No. Assigned Name/0rganization to Response of Respondent 32 Frank J. Deckert/National Park Service 33 Charles B. Read/Read & Stevens, Inc. 34 Georgia Raga/Navajo Refining Company 35 Jeanette Smoot/T75 Ranch Inc. 36 Tim and Lori Thurman 37 Randy PattersonA'ates Petroleum Corporation 38 Frank P. Maldonado 39 Ester M. Hoskin [sample of form letter] 40 Norbert D. McIntyre 41 Wayne Price 41.1 Pete V. Domenici/U.S. Senate 42 Randy G. Patterson 43 Mr. and Mrs. Kelley M Corbitt 44 James F. Devine/U.S. Geological Survey 45 Jennifer A. Salisbury/State of New Mexico, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department 46 Willie Mclnnes 47 Honorable Gary E. Johnson/Governor of New Mexico 48 Ken Reynolds/WEK Drilling Co., Inc. 49 Beverly T. Carter 50 Bobby Melton/Sue Melton 51 Wilmoth Johnson 52 Kap Kelley Jay Mobley/Chairman, Eddy County Com:T,ission 54 Robert H. Watson/Read & Stevens, Inc. 55 Rich Detry NWR 56 Sonia R. Najera/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Bitter Lake 57 R.C. Beveridge/Western Reserves Oil Company Inc. 58 Rory McMinn/Chaves County Commission 59 W.M. Key, Jr. 60 Don Brewer/Brewer Oil 61 Ricky Pearce/Pearce Trust Ranch 62 Johnny Tulk iii TABLE 35 LIST OF RESPONDENTS No. Assigned Name/Organization to Response of Respondent 63 Michelle Detry 64 Elbert E. Allensworth 65 John Thomas, Jr. 66 Jesse F. Rayroux 67 William F. Briney, M.D. 68 Peg Briney 69 Dorothy J. Russell 70 Michael J. Grella/Costilla Petroleum Corporation (sample of form letter) 71 Harry A. Spannaus/Parker & Parsley Petroleum USA, Inc. 72 John W. Mason/Burnett Oil Co., Inc. 73 Mike Hillman, Ronald D. Hillman/Red Bluff Ranch 74 Grant A. Billingsley/Wagner & Brown, Ltd. 75 Jesse M. Craig, Helen Craig 76 David Craig, Sylvia F. Craig 77 Jesse F. Rayroux 78 Annette C. Patterson 79 Dan Girand/Pruco 80 [name of commentor not provided} 81 Jan Cummings 82 Robert M. Yriart 83 Truman Pierce 84 J.M. Demarest/Santa Fe Energy Resources, Inc. 85 Norman Massey 86 V.R. Spurgeon/Phillips Petroleum Company 87 Jerry A. Maracchini/New Mexico Department of Game & Fish 88 James B. Montgomery, Jr., PhD 89 Bud Eppers/Southeastern New Mexico Grazing Association 90 New Mexico Oil & Gas Association and Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico 91 Douglas L. Lunsford 92 Mrs. Melvin Key 93 Alexander Woodruff/Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States iv TABLE 35 LIST OF RESPONDENTS lSS'U Name/Organization »spc of Respondent 94 Connie M. Ericson/Mitchell Energy Corporation 95 Ronald L. Merritt 96 Beverly Merritt 97 Steve West/Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance 98 Sammy Clark, Ann Clark 99 John C. Maxey, Jr./Read & Stevens, Inc. 100 Ronald Smorynski 101 Johnny Bullard, Karen Bullard 102 Tom and Mannie Bemis 103 James Gist, Peggy Gist 104 Gwen Wardwell/Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club 105 Thomas H. Wootten/T & E, Inc. 106 Curtis and Lisa Doyle 107 Scott McNally/McNally Ranch Company 108 Ellen Madera, C.E. Hislop 109 Margaret E. Merritt 110 Terry Sullivan/The Nature Conservancy 111 John T.M. Lyles, H.J. Turin/Pajarito Grotto, National Speleological Society 112 Elizabeth S. Bush/Arco Permian 113 David J. Olson/Lincoln Valley Land Company 114 Lewis Derrick/New Mexico Cattle Growers Association 115 Marilyn Watson, Lyndon Watson 115.- Fernando Blackgoat/Exxon Company, U.S.A. 116 J.F. NewVille/Chevron U.S.A. Production Company 117 Chuck MoranA'ates Petroleum Corporation 118 Charles R. Wolle 119 Mercedes M. Agogino 120 Mark Marley 121 Lois C. Herrmann/Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society 122 John C. Horning/Forest Guardians 123 Robert C. Marley Toni K. Ristau/Public Service Company of New Mexico V TABLE 35 LIST OF RESPONDENTS No. Assigned Name/Organization to Response of Respondent 125 Joseph Pike 126 Roger Peterson/New Mexico Natural History Institute 127 Frank A. DuBois/N.M. Department of Agriculture 128 E.L. (Bill) Johnson, Jr./Texaco Exploration and Production Inc. 129 Ron Green 130 Burnace J. Boles/Meridian Oil Inc. 131 Donald G. Mustard/Amoco Corporation 132 Max Lee Kiehne/Lincoln Valley Land Company 133 R.F. Unger/Marathon Oil Company 134 Mike Corn/Roswell Wool 135 Denise A. Bode/Independent Petroleum Association of America 136 Margaret M. MellyA/astar Resources, Inc. 137 Marianne H. Thaeler/Southern New Mexico Group, Sierra Club 138 John W. Cooper 139 Heidi F. Browne/Western Archaeological Services 140 Rich Smiley/Meridian Oil (supplemental) 141 Elizabeth J. Shores 142 Bob Forrest/The Carlsbad Department of Development 143 Brian Wood/Permits West, Inc. 144 T. B. Smoot, Jeanette Smoot 145 Sam Elkins 146 Catherine Sandell 1. 147 Robert H. Mahone, Jr. 148 M.R. Latimer/Exxon Company, U.S.A. 149 Permian Basin Petroleum Association 150 Charles B. Read/Read & Stevens, Inc. 151 V.R. Spurgeon/Phillips Petroleum Company 152 J.M. Lacey/Devon Energy Corporation 153 Randolph C. Bruton, Jr./Mitchell Energy Corporation 154 T. Calder Ezzell, Jr./Chaves County Public Lands Advisory Committee 155 State of New Mexico, Senate 156 A.R. Kukla/Marathon Oil Company VI