The Bureau of Land Management, Elko District, Wells Field Office has signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Decision Record (DR) on the 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.
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 will record the vibrations caused by vibration trucks at seismic source impact points. 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.
If oil and gas deposits are discovered, an Application for a Permit to Drill (APD) will need to be submitted to the Elko District BLM prior to any drilling activity taking place. The APD will follow all applicable National Environmental Policy Act guidelines, to include a public review.
Operations are set to take place this fall and will take approximately 60 working days to complete once operations begin.
To review the project and map, please visit our website at www.blm.gov/rv5c.
