BOB MOEN Associated Press writer | Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - The Bureau of Land Management has settled on a final plan for drilling 4,400 more wells in an area of western Wyoming rich in natural gas, wildlife and scenery.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal said the plan released Friday for the Pinedale Anticline provides better protections, more government control and specifics not found in previous agreements with the BLM.
"It is our expectation that this becomes the new floor for our expectations for working with both industry and BLM," Freudenthal said.
Residents and conservation groups have voiced concern about how the expanded oil and gas development proposed by Shell, Ultra Resources and Questar on the 200,000-acre Anticline would affect wildlife and air and water quality.
Linda Baker, community organizer for the Upper Green River Coalition, said she was withholding judgment on Freudenthal's endorsement of the plan until she learns specifics about what is in the plan.
Others were incredulous that more drilling would not result in more harm to the environment.
"We are breathing unhealthy air under the current level of development due to industry pollution," Rod Rozier, a resident of the area, said. "If BLM can't ensure healthy air today, how can we rationalize and support additional development?"
The official adoption of the plan by the BLM means anyone who wants to contest it must go through the court system.
A joint statement released by Ultra, Shell and Questar said the three companies were reviewing the BLM decision.
C. Stephen Allred, the U.S. Interior Department's assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said the Anticline plan keeps migration routes of deer and pronghorn open and protects air quality.
Allred said the BLM can curtail development if necessary to address air pollution.
"BLM will take action to not allow development if it's not meeting the goals that we set in this plan," he said.
The final plan allows for phased, year-round drilling in sections of the Anticline while prohibiting or restricting drilling elsewhere. One section of the Anticline must be drilled and reclaimed before drilling of an adjacent section can start.
BLM says the phased development will allow companies to recover the gas in a way that doesn't significantly impact wildlife and the environment. For instance, industry will be required to reduce truck traffic by 165,000 trips a year. Fewer trucks traveling in the drilling area means less air pollution and less disturbance to wildlife.
The state and the BLM will share responsibility for enforcing the plan to make sure the environment and wildlife are protected.
And industry will contribute $36 million that will fund wildlife habitat improvements and hire two full-time state workers to inspect the drilling operations and monitor for air pollution.
Drilling on the Anticline began in 2000 and about 1,000 wells have been completed. The development has resulted in air pollution on some days in surrounding communities.
In addition, a livestock water well in the Anticline area was recently found to have traces of a hydrocarbon that some area residents and conservation groups blame on the drilling activity.
But Mark Thiesse, hydrogeologist with the state Department of Environmental Quality, said he doesn't believe oil and gas drilling is the culprit after learning this week that the stock water well had a new pump installed this year. A small amount of grease could have gotten into the water during installation of the pump, Thiesse said, although he could not conclusively say that was the source of the hydrocarbon.
The new drilling allowed under the plan is estimated to yield 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough to heat nearly 15 million homes for 20 years. In addition, the federal government and the state of Wyoming would share about $16 billion in royalties.