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The natural-gas industry wants as many as 3,000 wells drilled on top of the Roan Plateau northwest of Rifle. Environmentalists fear even more could be drilled there.
Two state agencies suggest that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management should look at a plan that could allow responsible development of most of the gas reserves beneath the top. Another state agency contends that the impacts of drilling on and around the plateau would be harder on wildlife than the BLM suggests in its draft plan.
Days after the arrival of the public comment deadline for the draft plan, the agency faces the challenge of how to respond to conflicting claims and demands from at least 74,000 respondents.
At the same time, some agreement can be found between some diverse interests on some points, including a newly emerging concept of staged or clustered drilling, in which only one section of the plateau top would undergo development at a time.
"This novel approach would control the pace and impacts of gas development wherever it is allowed to occur in the planning area, minimizing the total land disturbed for gas production; require reclamation actions in specified disturbed areas before additional development and disturbance is allowed; and eliminate scattered, habitat-fragmenting, recreation-spoiling development and surface disturbance ... " a coalition of environmental groups told the BLM.
The coalition, which includes the Garfield County-based Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, credits the Colorado Mule Deer Association with coming up with the idea.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Colorado Geological Survey also are intrigued by staged development, suggesting the BLM consider following initial areawide exploratory drilling above the rim.
"By concentrating drilling, completion, pipeline construction, surface facility construction, truck traffic and other natural-gas development activity on a limited number of well pads in the same general area, most of the lands above the rim would be available for wildlife habitat and other surface uses," COGCC director Brian Macke and CGS director Vince Matthews wrote the BLM.
"Also, has BLM considered the possibility of leasing the entire upper plateau as a block in order to minimize the number of pipelines and other facilities?" they asked.
Meanwhile, in comments they submitted this week, industry groups, including the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, called the agency's draft plan "seriously flawed."
"Impacts from oil and gas development have been unscientifically evaluated and their projected effects systematically exaggerated. Our nation exists in an era of global terrorism, insecure energy supplies located in potentially or actively hostile nations far from our borders, and high energy costs whose effects fall disproportionately upon the backs of minority and lower-income populations," they wrote.
Yet none of the current draft alternatives would produce more than a fifth of the plateau's estimated recoverable natural-gas resources, they said. They called for consideration of a new alternative providing for up to 3,000 wells on the plateau top, drilled directionally using 40-acre well-pad spacing, with up to 16 rigs running continuously.
The proposal would drain 80 percent of estimated recoverable reserves and disturb a maximum of 16 percent of the surface above the rim, and save consumers more than $5 billion per year during the 20-year plateau plan, the industry says.
The BLM's preferred draft plan would result in a projected 51 wells on top over the 20-year plan, but defer drilling there until a threshold amount occurs on the plateau base. Under its most drilling-intensive draft plan, 234 wells would be drilled during the plan's life.
Environmental groups and some local governments want no drilling on top. Steve Bennett, the BLM's associate field manager in its Glenwood Springs office, was taken aback this week by the new industry proposal.
"I don't know. Three thousand (wells). Man, that seems pretty high," he said.
But environmental groups believe as many as 3,700 wells could end up being drilled below the top, even under the BLM's deferred drilling plan. That's because while the plan covers the next 20 years, leases, once issued, could be extended indefinitely beyond then.
The groups' well projection is based on the assumption that 10-acre well spacing underground would occur. Macke and Matthews suggested in their comments that the assumption holds merit. They called on the BLM to update its planning documents to take into account that there are now 112,000 acres approved for 10-acre underground well density in and adjacent to the plateau planning area. More than 39,000 of those acres are within the planning area itself, and that's 31 percent of the area's total acreage.
Colorado Division of Wildlife director Bruce McCloskey shared environmentalists' concerns about where leasing on top would eventually lead.
"Failing to provide analysis of the impacts from full field development may compromise the validity of the cumulative impacts assessment" in the draft plan, he wrote.
He added that the DOW would like to see the final plan "discuss and analyze the impacts that could occur if the planning areas is leased and then developed with a well pad every 40 acres."
The DOW raised a host of concerns about the impacts of drilling in the plateau planning area. McCloskey cited a significant risk of drilling-related spills of pollutants harming Colorado River native trout populations. He questioned the BLM's characterization of a 33 percent reduction in mule deer population under some draft plans as being a "moderate" impact. He also said he believes the BLM underestimates the contribution that wildlife in the plateau planning area make to the local economy, estimating it to total at least $5.1 million annually.
The industry, by contrast, contended that the BLM's analysis greatly overstated the possible impact on mule deer, relying on a study of habitat impacts from logging rather than drilling. It added, "The analysis ignores the commonly observed effect of habituation of wildlife to oil and gas development and fails to cite or discounts peer-reviewed scientific studies documenting such habituation."
But McCloskey cited research suggesting deer are impacted by gas development even more than the BLM projects.
Meanwhile, the industry, Macke and Matthews all questioned the BLM's assumption that drilling couldn't occur on top for much of each year. They suggested that since big game winter at lower elevations, that time of year would be a good time for drilling to occur on top, and it would be technologically feasible from the industry's standpoint.
Parties on all sides of the Roan Plateau issue seemed to agree that the BLM applied outdated information on drilling trends in looking to future activity in the plateau planning area. And BLM officials conceded those numbers need updating.
Bennett said the agency also probably needs to do more work on economic projections within its plan. U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., wants a closer look at economic impacts to hunting. And the industry noted that references to the value of gas produced is based on gas prices that are much lower than what is now the case.
Meanwhile, environmentalists, the industry and state agencies all said the BLM needs to acknowledge the increasing capabilities of directional drilling technology. Macke and Matthews said that outdated BLM assumptions regarding that technology resulted in the state Department of Natural Resources' 2003 proposal for directional drilling from one well pad every 160 acres on the plateau top being excluded from the draft plan.
The DNR now faces the challenge of reconciling the concerns and interests of the Division of Wildlife, COGCC, Geological Survey and Colorado State Parks as the state continues working with the BLM on the final plan as a cooperating agency. State Parks is worried about how dust and other drilling byproducts could impact recreation on the plateau.
But Macke and Matthews suggested a plan that meets the needs of all is possible, referring back to the staged development concept.
"There are other possibilities that could operate in harmony with the other resources on the plateau and yet allow an orderly, phased development of the oil and gas resources with minimal environmental impact," they wrote. "Industry has proposed a plan wherein most of the reserves could be developed with no more than 200 acres of surface disturbance occurring at any one time. Has BLM considered such a plan?"
Contact Dennis Webb: 945-8515, ext. 516
dwebb@postindependent.com
Two state agencies suggest that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management should look at a plan that could allow responsible development of most of the gas reserves beneath the top. Another state agency contends that the impacts of drilling on and around the plateau would be harder on wildlife than the BLM suggests in its draft plan.
Days after the arrival of the public comment deadline for the draft plan, the agency faces the challenge of how to respond to conflicting claims and demands from at least 74,000 respondents.
At the same time, some agreement can be found between some diverse interests on some points, including a newly emerging concept of staged or clustered drilling, in which only one section of the plateau top would undergo development at a time.
"This novel approach would control the pace and impacts of gas development wherever it is allowed to occur in the planning area, minimizing the total land disturbed for gas production; require reclamation actions in specified disturbed areas before additional development and disturbance is allowed; and eliminate scattered, habitat-fragmenting, recreation-spoiling development and surface disturbance ... " a coalition of environmental groups told the BLM.
The coalition, which includes the Garfield County-based Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, credits the Colorado Mule Deer Association with coming up with the idea.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Colorado Geological Survey also are intrigued by staged development, suggesting the BLM consider following initial areawide exploratory drilling above the rim.
"By concentrating drilling, completion, pipeline construction, surface facility construction, truck traffic and other natural-gas development activity on a limited number of well pads in the same general area, most of the lands above the rim would be available for wildlife habitat and other surface uses," COGCC director Brian Macke and CGS director Vince Matthews wrote the BLM.
"Also, has BLM considered the possibility of leasing the entire upper plateau as a block in order to minimize the number of pipelines and other facilities?" they asked.
Meanwhile, in comments they submitted this week, industry groups, including the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, called the agency's draft plan "seriously flawed."
"Impacts from oil and gas development have been unscientifically evaluated and their projected effects systematically exaggerated. Our nation exists in an era of global terrorism, insecure energy supplies located in potentially or actively hostile nations far from our borders, and high energy costs whose effects fall disproportionately upon the backs of minority and lower-income populations," they wrote.
Yet none of the current draft alternatives would produce more than a fifth of the plateau's estimated recoverable natural-gas resources, they said. They called for consideration of a new alternative providing for up to 3,000 wells on the plateau top, drilled directionally using 40-acre well-pad spacing, with up to 16 rigs running continuously.
The proposal would drain 80 percent of estimated recoverable reserves and disturb a maximum of 16 percent of the surface above the rim, and save consumers more than $5 billion per year during the 20-year plateau plan, the industry says.
The BLM's preferred draft plan would result in a projected 51 wells on top over the 20-year plan, but defer drilling there until a threshold amount occurs on the plateau base. Under its most drilling-intensive draft plan, 234 wells would be drilled during the plan's life.
Environmental groups and some local governments want no drilling on top. Steve Bennett, the BLM's associate field manager in its Glenwood Springs office, was taken aback this week by the new industry proposal.
"I don't know. Three thousand (wells). Man, that seems pretty high," he said.
But environmental groups believe as many as 3,700 wells could end up being drilled below the top, even under the BLM's deferred drilling plan. That's because while the plan covers the next 20 years, leases, once issued, could be extended indefinitely beyond then.
The groups' well projection is based on the assumption that 10-acre well spacing underground would occur. Macke and Matthews suggested in their comments that the assumption holds merit. They called on the BLM to update its planning documents to take into account that there are now 112,000 acres approved for 10-acre underground well density in and adjacent to the plateau planning area. More than 39,000 of those acres are within the planning area itself, and that's 31 percent of the area's total acreage.
Colorado Division of Wildlife director Bruce McCloskey shared environmentalists' concerns about where leasing on top would eventually lead.
"Failing to provide analysis of the impacts from full field development may compromise the validity of the cumulative impacts assessment" in the draft plan, he wrote.
He added that the DOW would like to see the final plan "discuss and analyze the impacts that could occur if the planning areas is leased and then developed with a well pad every 40 acres."
The DOW raised a host of concerns about the impacts of drilling in the plateau planning area. McCloskey cited a significant risk of drilling-related spills of pollutants harming Colorado River native trout populations. He questioned the BLM's characterization of a 33 percent reduction in mule deer population under some draft plans as being a "moderate" impact. He also said he believes the BLM underestimates the contribution that wildlife in the plateau planning area make to the local economy, estimating it to total at least $5.1 million annually.
The industry, by contrast, contended that the BLM's analysis greatly overstated the possible impact on mule deer, relying on a study of habitat impacts from logging rather than drilling. It added, "The analysis ignores the commonly observed effect of habituation of wildlife to oil and gas development and fails to cite or discounts peer-reviewed scientific studies documenting such habituation."
But McCloskey cited research suggesting deer are impacted by gas development even more than the BLM projects.
Meanwhile, the industry, Macke and Matthews all questioned the BLM's assumption that drilling couldn't occur on top for much of each year. They suggested that since big game winter at lower elevations, that time of year would be a good time for drilling to occur on top, and it would be technologically feasible from the industry's standpoint.
Parties on all sides of the Roan Plateau issue seemed to agree that the BLM applied outdated information on drilling trends in looking to future activity in the plateau planning area. And BLM officials conceded those numbers need updating.
Bennett said the agency also probably needs to do more work on economic projections within its plan. U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., wants a closer look at economic impacts to hunting. And the industry noted that references to the value of gas produced is based on gas prices that are much lower than what is now the case.
Meanwhile, environmentalists, the industry and state agencies all said the BLM needs to acknowledge the increasing capabilities of directional drilling technology. Macke and Matthews said that outdated BLM assumptions regarding that technology resulted in the state Department of Natural Resources' 2003 proposal for directional drilling from one well pad every 160 acres on the plateau top being excluded from the draft plan.
The DNR now faces the challenge of reconciling the concerns and interests of the Division of Wildlife, COGCC, Geological Survey and Colorado State Parks as the state continues working with the BLM on the final plan as a cooperating agency. State Parks is worried about how dust and other drilling byproducts could impact recreation on the plateau.
But Macke and Matthews suggested a plan that meets the needs of all is possible, referring back to the staged development concept.
"There are other possibilities that could operate in harmony with the other resources on the plateau and yet allow an orderly, phased development of the oil and gas resources with minimal environmental impact," they wrote. "Industry has proposed a plan wherein most of the reserves could be developed with no more than 200 acres of surface disturbance occurring at any one time. Has BLM considered such a plan?"
Contact Dennis Webb: 945-8515, ext. 516
dwebb@postindependent.com
