To reduce the threat of physical and environmental impacts from AML sites, the BLM will remediate sites based on risk.
Long-term beneficial impacts to health and safety would result from the Wyoming DEQ, AML Division continuing work with the BLM to mitigate hazards associated with AML sites in the Planning Area.
Implementation of the alternatives is not anticipated to result in additional AML sites or increase the risks at AML sites that may adversely affect health and safety.
Natural geologic hazards in the Planning Area are managed to reduce risks to the public by providing warnings and, where appropriate, developing mitigation measures to avoid and minimize impacts associated with geologic hazards.
Implementation of the alternatives would not result in any increase in the potential for geologic hazards; however, management may decrease the risks and potential impacts to health and safety resulting from geologic hazards.
Developing a geologic hazards database that ranks threats to public health and safety, informing applicants and project proponents of geologic hazards, and developing mitigation may reduce impacts to health and safety from geologic hazards by providing resources that would reduce the risk to humans from geologic hazards.
Increases in human presence and activity associated with recreation, mineral activity, and ROW development increase risks associated with generation, use, transportation, and storage of hazardous wastes and materials. Mineral activities are the most likely activities to increase the risk of hazardous wastes and materials to health and safety.
Impacts to health and safety from the management of hazardous waste and materials would be the same under all alternatives as there are no separate management actions for hazardous waste the differ among the alternatives.
Implementing hazardous materials management activities will address human health and environmental risks from hazardous materials. Due to the increase in recreational activity throughout the Planning Area, particularly in areas such as Rattlesnake Ridge outside of Worland, and in proximity to oil and gas fields, H2S poses an increasing threat to public health and safety. In order to reduce the risks to public health, all H2S plans would comply with Onshore Order #6, which identifies “uniform national requirements and minimum standards of performance expected from operators when conducting operations involving oil or gas that is known or could reasonably be expected to contain hydrogen sulfide.” In addition, the BLM will mitigate safety concerns associated with H2S through signs, warning sirens, and public education. All of these management actions would reduce the potential for human health and safety risks from H2S. Any potential impacts to health and safety from H2S would increase in relation to the level of mineral activity that releases H2S.
Hazardous materials in the Planning Area are managed to reduce risks to visitors, employees, and the environment, to restore contaminated lands, and to carry out emergency-response activities, as per appropriate laws, policies, and regulations. Management to reduce risk and contamination would reduce potential impacts to health and safety from hazardous wastes. Substantive indirect impacts related to risks from hazardous materials during remediation could exist.
Preparing Environmental Site Assessments on lands acquired or conveyed and notifying the public of conveyance of public lands affected by hazardous substances would reduce the potential for health and safety impacts from hazardous wastes. The preparation of Environmental Site Assessments would also ensure that contaminated lands are not conveyed out of federal ownership in keeping with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and ensure that the BLM would not acquire contaminated lands.
Requiring Hazardous Spill Response Plans for all projects involving hazardous materials would reduce the potential for adverse impacts to health and safety. Hazardous Spill Response plans would provide a strategy for responding to hazardous materials spills that would reduce short-term health and safety impacts from spills. Reporting spills and releases of chemicals, petroleum products, and produced water to Wyoming DEQ would reduce the potential for both short-term and long-term impacts to health and safety by controlling spills and facilitating an appropriate response to hazardous materials spills.
Alternative A would result in direct beneficial impacts to health and safety by conducting inventory of hazards at AML sites and prioritizing sites for reclamation in coordination with Wyoming DEQ.
Allowing activities in AML areas on a case-by-case basis may result in adverse impacts to health and safety by increasing the potential for accidents and risks associated with activity in these areas.
Implementation of Alternative A would result in beneficial impacts to health and safety by providing warning signs for geologic hazards. Warning signs would identify hazards and reduce the potential for accidents associated with geologic hazards.
Under Alternative B, as under Alternative A, AML sites are inventoried for hazards and prioritized for reclamation in coordination with Wyoming DEQ. However, Alternative B has a greater beneficial impact compared to Alternative A by identifying AML sites with warning signage and erecting protective fencing around shafts and adits. Additionally, under Alternative B activities are prohibited within ¼ mile of AML areas to further reduce risk to health and safety compared to the other alternatives.
Identifying geologic hazard sites with warning signs would result in the same impact as described under Alternative A. However, inventorying geologic hazards and prohibiting activities in geologic hazard areas would reduce impacts to health and safety beyond Alternative A by further reducing the potential for accidents and health and safety risks in these areas.
Alternative C would result in fewer beneficial impacts than Alternative A by conducting inventory of AML sites but not prioritizing sites for reclamation. Additionally, allowing activities in mitigated AMLs may result in adverse impacts to health and safety by increasing the potential for accidents and risks associated with activities in these areas. Impacts associated with allowed activity in AMLs would be greater than the other alternatives.
Alternative C has fewer beneficial impacts than Alternative B but more than Alternative A by providing warnings for geologic hazards and identifying hazards on a case-by-case basis. Under Alternative C, activities are allowed in mitigated geologic hazard areas, which may result in adverse impacts to health and safety by increasing the potential for accidents and risks to health and safety in these areas compared to the other alternatives.
Management under Alternative D would inventory AML sites for hazards and erect warning signs and protective fencing in a similar fashion as Alternative B, resulting in similar beneficial impacts. Adverse impacts may result from allowing activities in AML areas, but requiring avoidance or mitigation may reduce the risk to human health and safety in these areas.
Safety measures taken to reduce the risks associated with geologic hazard sites would be the same as Alternative C, resulting in similar impacts.