Comparing Impacts Across Alternatives
Air Quality and Climate
The lack of large population centers results in considerably better air quality in North Dakota than in most other areas of the US. Major sources of air pollution in North Dakota are power plants, agricultural processing facilities, and infrastructure associated with the development and use of oil, gas, and coal. Total (federal plus nonfederal) oil and gas emissions in the planning area generally increased between 2014 and 2018 due to large increases in oil production (17 percent), gas production (86 percent), and well counts (32 percent) occurring in the planning area. Currently, there are no nonattainment areas in the planning area; however, lands with special air quality protections under federal law within the planning area include Lostwood Wilderness, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medicine Lake Wilderness, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, and Forth Berthold Indian Reservation. The major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in North Dakota are power plants, agricultural processing facilities, and infrastructure associated with mineral development. In 2018, carbon dioxide emissions in North Dakota from fossil fuel consumption were 59 million metric tons, or approximately 1 percent of the total US energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Wildlife
In North Dakota natural wildlife habitats have been lost or have become greatly fragmented and modified due to multiple land uses. The intensity of land uses varies across the landscape. Much of the land has been converted to tilled cropland and livestock rangelands. The remaining native prairie is fragmented by roads, fences, rights-of-way, urbanization, mineral development, and infrastructure. Such habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation have caused population declines for numerous species and have contributed to the federal listing of the five federally listed species within the planning area.
Federally listed wildlife species with potential habitat in the planning area include northern long-eared bat (threatened), piping plover (threatened), red knot (threatened), Dakota skipper (threatened), Monarch Butterfly (candidate) Poweshiek skipperling (endangered), Whooping Crane (endangered), and Pallid Sturgeon (endangered). BLM sensitive species in the planning area include 21 bird species, 1 invertebrate species, 3 mammal species, and 4 reptile species. Native prairie and woody draws are two key habitats for special status species in the decision areas.
Livestock Grazing
The BLM administers leases for livestock grazing under Section 15 of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934. Currently, there are 78 grazing leases on 81 grazing allotments in 14 counties throughout North Dakota. There are 9,310 animal unit months (AUMs) permitted on 51,979 acres of BLM-administered land in the planning area. Most grazing allotments are in southwest Bowman County, northwest Dunn County, and McKenzie County. Permitted use levels have not changed significantly since the 1988 North Dakota RMP. While much of the data used for permitted use are old, generally the use levels are consistent with current vegetation production and the need to maintain sustainable use on rangelands. With the exclusion of severe drought years, grazing problems are often the result of improper livestock distribution and not a lack of forage.
The types of livestock grazed on BLM-administered lands have also slightly changed over time. Cow/calf operations have increased slightly, while sheep operations have gradually declined over the long term. The number of leases for bison has also declined. These trends can change based on the demand for specific types of livestock, such as increased use of sheep for targeted grazing.
Minerals
Fluid Leasable Minerals
Fluid leasable minerals in the planning area include oil, gas, coal bed natural gas, helium, and geothermal resources, but currently only oil and gas are actively leased. The BLM administers approximately 489,300 acres of federal fluid mineral estate in North Dakota. The NDFO administers approximately 2,500 federal oil and gas leases and has approved an average of 577 applications for permits to drill per year over the last 10 years. In North Dakota, most federal mineral estate takes the form of small parcels that are not contiguous, resulting in a high number of fee/fee/federal and split-estate oil and gas wells. Approximately 195,500 acres, or 40 percent of BLM-administered federal fluid mineral estate, is currently leased for oil and gas development. In the portion of the planning area ranked as very high development potential, approximately 41,800 acres (90 percent) are leased. In the high development potential portion, approximately 80,300 acres (93 percent) are leased. In the medium development potential portion, approximately 68,900 acres (50 percent) are leased.
Solid Leasable Minerals (Coal)
Lignite coal is the predominant federal solid leasable mineral in the planning area by tons produced. The decision area includes 4.1 million acres of federal coal mineral estate across 37 counties in North Dakota. Currently, the mining of federal and nonfederal thermal coal occurs only in an area of three contiguous counties: Mercer, McLean, and Oliver. Although the federal government is the single-largest coal owner in the region, it only accounts for about 20 percent of coal ownership. As a result, there are sufficient nonfederal reserves and production potential to maintain the current annual production level without being critically dependent upon federal coal. Additionally, as federal coal exists as isolated tracts of split-estate, mining operations could avoid and bypass these areas without much difficulty. The management of federal coal does not control or have strong influence over the coal market in the planning area, as coal ownership is a mixture of federal, state, and private interests. Lignite coal is mined to supply requirements of nearby power plants. Currently, four mines are operational in the planning area that mine private, state, and federal thermal coal.
Locatable Minerals
The surficial geology of the planning area is primarily sedimentary, which limits significant occurrences of mineralized zones and associated minerals. Uranium, bentonite, and rare earth elements are the primary locatable minerals of interest in the planning area. No locatable minerals projects are currently being developed on federal mineral estate.
Mineral Materials
Mineral materials, also referred to as salable materials, consist of common or low-value materials that are predominantly used in construction or other local uses. In North Dakota, the most common uses of mineral materials are road surface and road base materials, well pad construction, earthen fill, and infrastructure construction and maintenance, and soil additives. The primarily sedimentary and glacial history of the planning area dictates that mineral materials are predominantly clays, sands, gravels, clinker, and humates. There are currently no authorized mineral materials developments on federal minerals.
Nonenergy Leasable Minerals
Nonenergy leasable minerals include phosphate, sodium, potassium, sulfur, and gilsonite. In North Dakota potash is the only nonenergy leasable mineral that has been identified as having the potential for commercial accumulations in the planning area. There is no current development of these deposits on federal minerals.
For more information on the North Dakota RMP/EIS, please visit the project’s BLM ePlanning website or contact Kristine Braun, Eastern Montana/Dakotas Planning and Environmental Coordinator, at 701-227-7725.
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