Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
A gas rig interrupts the Bookcliffs skyline west of Anvil Points as seen from the West Garfield County Landfill road.
A drilling rig visible on the skyline atop the Roan Plateau is seen by some as a harbinger of unwanted development.
The rig is drilling one of three wells Williams has bored this year on private leases on top of the Roan Plateau, just west of the landmark sandstone pinnacles called Anvil Points. It’s also highly visible from the Interstate 70 corridor.
The rig “is a signal to the rest of the valley” of what could take place on the plateau, said Duke Cox, a Silt contractor and president of the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance. “I hope it sends a message that if you haven’t paid attention to the issues, now is the time to pay attention.”
Cox, who lives on Silt Mesa, said he’s watched “the horizon to the west for many years. There’s a light there now. I know it will go away … but the air coming from that spot won’t ever go away.”
The Roan Plateau has become a national issue for and against oil and gas development in the last few years since the Bureau of Land Management began preparation of a detailed management plan for the natural gas and oil-shale-rich plateau.
In 1997, BLM took possession of the plateau that rises 3,000 feet northwest of Rifle, from the Department of Energy with the understanding that oil and gas leases would be issued for the area.
Among the concerns expressed in the more than 70,000 public comments received by BLM on the Roan Plateau plan was that drilling along the rim would seriously degrade the scenic view of the plateau locally known as the Bookcliffs.
The company holds “a few thousand acres of private leases” on top of the plateau since 1989, said Dave Cesark, environmental specialist for Williams, and has five producing wells there.
The three wells, high above the gas fields of the valley floor, were drilled to approximately 11,000 feet, Cesark said, which almost doubles the amount of time — 20 to 30 days — it takes to drill a well along the Colorado River, he said, and at a higher cost. Cesark said the company would evaluate the three wells before it decides on a drilling plan in that area for next year.
Of the high visibility of the rig Cesark said, “We always work to minimize our footprint (when drilling). You can see it from I-70, but it’s very temporary, only for 20 to 30 days, after that it will disappear.”
He also noted that Williams’ reclamation efforts have been “outstanding. … That’s probably why most people don’t realize they exist.”
Also concerned about the high profile rig is Steve Smith, of Glenwood Springs, assistant regional director of the Wilderness Society. His group has appealed a BLM decision to grant Williams a special right of way to use the Cow Creek road to access its leases.
Smith said he expects the Interior Board of Land Appeals could take some time to make a decision, given that the BLM has already granted permission to use the road.
Cesark said the company made some improvements to the road this year, as well as the road that follows the plateau rim, including adding gravel and improving storm drainage.
“We object to the (Cow Creek) road being open (to oil and gas vehicles). We believe it’s premature before the federal plans are decided,” Smith said.
Of the skyline rig he said, “I am disappointed that this first drill rig on the Roan Plateau regardless of land ownership is so conspicuous. … It flies in the face of public concern to protect our scenic backdrop,” and is indicative of how oil and gas companies “will behave up there.”
Contact Donna Gray: 945-8515, ext. 510
dgray@postindependent.com
The rig is drilling one of three wells Williams has bored this year on private leases on top of the Roan Plateau, just west of the landmark sandstone pinnacles called Anvil Points. It’s also highly visible from the Interstate 70 corridor.
The rig “is a signal to the rest of the valley” of what could take place on the plateau, said Duke Cox, a Silt contractor and president of the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance. “I hope it sends a message that if you haven’t paid attention to the issues, now is the time to pay attention.”
Cox, who lives on Silt Mesa, said he’s watched “the horizon to the west for many years. There’s a light there now. I know it will go away … but the air coming from that spot won’t ever go away.”
The Roan Plateau has become a national issue for and against oil and gas development in the last few years since the Bureau of Land Management began preparation of a detailed management plan for the natural gas and oil-shale-rich plateau.
In 1997, BLM took possession of the plateau that rises 3,000 feet northwest of Rifle, from the Department of Energy with the understanding that oil and gas leases would be issued for the area.
Among the concerns expressed in the more than 70,000 public comments received by BLM on the Roan Plateau plan was that drilling along the rim would seriously degrade the scenic view of the plateau locally known as the Bookcliffs.
The company holds “a few thousand acres of private leases” on top of the plateau since 1989, said Dave Cesark, environmental specialist for Williams, and has five producing wells there.
The three wells, high above the gas fields of the valley floor, were drilled to approximately 11,000 feet, Cesark said, which almost doubles the amount of time — 20 to 30 days — it takes to drill a well along the Colorado River, he said, and at a higher cost. Cesark said the company would evaluate the three wells before it decides on a drilling plan in that area for next year.
Of the high visibility of the rig Cesark said, “We always work to minimize our footprint (when drilling). You can see it from I-70, but it’s very temporary, only for 20 to 30 days, after that it will disappear.”
He also noted that Williams’ reclamation efforts have been “outstanding. … That’s probably why most people don’t realize they exist.”
Also concerned about the high profile rig is Steve Smith, of Glenwood Springs, assistant regional director of the Wilderness Society. His group has appealed a BLM decision to grant Williams a special right of way to use the Cow Creek road to access its leases.
Smith said he expects the Interior Board of Land Appeals could take some time to make a decision, given that the BLM has already granted permission to use the road.
Cesark said the company made some improvements to the road this year, as well as the road that follows the plateau rim, including adding gravel and improving storm drainage.
“We object to the (Cow Creek) road being open (to oil and gas vehicles). We believe it’s premature before the federal plans are decided,” Smith said.
Of the skyline rig he said, “I am disappointed that this first drill rig on the Roan Plateau regardless of land ownership is so conspicuous. … It flies in the face of public concern to protect our scenic backdrop,” and is indicative of how oil and gas companies “will behave up there.”
Contact Donna Gray: 945-8515, ext. 510
dgray@postindependent.com
