BLM: Noble Energy proposes seismic surveys on public land

ELKO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management, Elko District, Wells Field Office is releasing for public scoping a proposal by Noble Energy (Noble) to conduct 3D seismic surveys in the Tabor Flats area, west of Wells as part of its oil and gas exploration lease.

The use of a 3D seismic survey accurately images reflected waves by utilizing multiple points of observation in an effort to discover oil and gas deposits. A grid of geophones, used to record the vibrations caused by the vibration trucks, and seismic source impact points, locations where the trucks will be stationed, will be deployed at 165-foot intervals. Noble proposes to have 16 to 20 receiver lines at one time. The result is a volume, or cube, of seismic data sampled from a range of different angles and distances. The geophones and impact points will be placed by foot, all-terrain vehicles and/or trucks.

Operations will take place during the late summer and fall to ensure minimum disturbance to the land and resources. The seismic survey will take approximately 60 days to complete once operations begin.

The BLM is seeking input from members of the public interested in oil and gas exploration in the Tabor Flats area. All comments must be received by the Wells Field Office by close of business on May 31. Comments may be mailed to the above address, faxed to (775) 753-0255, or e-mailed to Whitney Wirthlin, project lead, at wwirthli@blm.gov.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time.  While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Comments received may be used to develop alternatives to be considered in the preparation of an environmental analysis to be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

To review the project and map, please visit our website at www.blm.gov/rv5c under ‘NEPA, projects under National Environmental Policy Act review.’

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/april/elko__noble_energy.html