BLM reviews drilling comments

CHEYENNE - The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing some 100,000 comments it received on a proposal to allow nearly 4,400 more natural gas wells on the Pinedale Anticline in southwest Wyoming.

"They're going through them and hopefully will be through them by the end of May," BLM spokeswoman Cindy Wertz said.

It's the biggest number of comments the agency has received on a proposal since the BLM proposed allowing oil and gas development in the Jack Morrow Hills area of the Red Desert in southwest Wyoming, Wertz said.

The comment period for the Pinedale Anticline proposal ended Feb. 11. A final decision by the BLM is expected sometime in June.

Many of the comments appear to be identical form letters, which can be downloaded from Web sites of organizations with an interest in the proposal, Wertz said.

She said the agency will not be able to break down how many favor the plan and how many oppose it until all the comments are reviewed.

Several oil and gas companies have asked the BLM to allow 4,399 new wells on 12,278 acres of the Anticline, which is southwest of Pinedale. The area is winter range to mule deer and antelope.

The proposal would eliminate seasonal restrictions that protect crucial big-game habitat against winter drilling. Energy companies would intensively develop a core area, using directional drilling to drill multiple wells from each pad.

Agencies plan prescribed burns

JACKSON - Fire managers in northwest Wyoming plan to conduct several prescribed burns this spring.

The prescribed burns are intended to burn wildland fuels on more than 2,900 acres. The burns are planned on locations near Kemmerer, Pinedale and Jackson Hole.

The areas include: Granite Creek in Grand Teton National Park; the Lava Creek area east of Moran Junction; the Hoback Ranches on the Bridger-Teton National Forest; and the Chicken Creek area on the south end of the Wind River Mountains. In addition, the Kemmerer district plans to burn piles in the Fontenelle Basin.

Firefighters plan to burn in the areas in the first few weeks of May if weather conditions allow.

Paper seeks veterans, families

The Casper Star-Tribune is seeking military men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to share their stories about the challenges of returning home.

We're also looking for military family members who can talk about how the return of their loved ones is affecting them and their families.

Military members who are coping with physical or physiological injuries or other obstacles and their families are especially encouraged to contact the newspaper.

Please contact capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or jared.miller@trib.com.