2011-11-02_HYDROLOGY - P2010026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL PROGRAM PUBLIC NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT Shell Frontier Oil & Gas Inc. 3737 Bellaire Blvd Houston, TX 77025 PURPOSE OF PUBLIC NOTICE The purpose of this notice is to solicit public comment on a proposal by the Region 8 Ground Water Program office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue an Underground Injection Control (UIC) Permit and authorize the underground injection of fluid via Class III Solution Mining Well in Rio Blanco County, CO: Permit No. CO32210 -00000 Shell Frontier Oil & Gas Inc Township 2S, Range 98W, Section 4 Rio Blanco County, CO BACKGROUND Shell Frontier Oil & Gas Inc. (Shell) has subinitted an application for a Class I1I Solution Mining area permit to mine the Saline Zone in the Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation to initially include one injection well in their East Research, Develojnnent, and Demonstration (RD &D) Project Site. Shell has received a 149 acre RD &D lease from the Bureau of Land and Management (BLM) to demonstrate technologies capable of developing oil shale resources. They also hold a Nahcolite Preference Right Sodium lease to commercially mine nahcolite. There are "two distinct phases in this projectproposal. The first phase requires a Class III. injection well, to deliver hot water into the targeted zone to leach the nahcolite for recovery at the surface. The nahcolite that will be recovered at the surface is expected to be a relatively small quantity that will be stored at the surface and appropriately disposed of, offsite. Once' the formation has been leached, the zone will have increased permeability and the oil shale more readily e xposed. In the second phase, the formation will be heated to convert the kerogen (hydrocarbon in oil shale) to gases and liquids and collected at the surface. The injection activity occurs only during the first phase where fluids are injected to recover nahcolite solution and is expected to take six (6) months to one (1) year. During the second phase, there will be no injection activity. The Class III permit is effective for the life of project until the well is converted to a monitoring well or is plugged and abandoned. A Draft Permit has been prepared in accordance with provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) as amended (42 USC et seq) and other lawful standards and regulations. The EPA has made a preliminary determination that all underground sources of drinking water will be protected. This Permit is issued for the life of the well(s) or project unless modified,revoked and reissued, or terminated under 40 CFR §144.39 or § 144.40. This Permit once issued, will authorize the construction and operation of a new injection well or wells. Operation of the well(s) will be governed by the requirements and conditions specified in the Permit. PUBLIC COMMENTS The requirements and conditions of the Draft Permit are tentative, and are open to comment from any interested party. Persons wishing to comment upon or object to any aspect of proposal are invited to submit comments, IN WRITING, within 30 days of the Date of Publication found below: