I never realized how hard it is to juggle lots of balls, especially when a few of those balls get heavier than the others. Please accept that as my excuse for not getting a blog written every day. Oil Shale This is the last week that you can make comments at the BLM site about the proposed EIS for oil shale. As a citizen you really should take the time to express your opinion. I’ve written about a secret meeting held in Vernal, Utah for the purpose of drafting a response to this PEIS. Mesa County and Garfield County both submitted industry drafted comments to the BLM. Craig Meis was the only commissioner from Mesa County to attend this meeting, so he is technically off the hook when it comes to violations of Sunshine Laws. The Garfield County Commissioners are not so lucky—they are the target of a Common Cause investigation. Yesterday there were hearings in Denver about several oil and gas proposals. Craig Meis, proved again that he is a wholly owned subsidiary of the industry. He traveled to Denver just to put his opinion into the public records. Gary Harmon, wholly owned reporter for the oil and gas industry dutifully reported on his testimony in today’s Sentinel. Harmon quotes Meis: “We should have guessed that the hysteria would hit a new high-water mark” when hydraulic fracturing was employed near the population centers of those states, Meis said. Poor Baby! Meis won’t be able to intimidate the people living in the population centers of New York and Pittsburg the way he has intimidated his fellow commissioners and members of the local GOP. I’m wondering if he is planning to travel to Washington DC where the federal government is considering new fracking rules. In a bit of good news, the citizens of the North Fork Valley got leasing in their area postponed. Leases for 40,000 acres of BLM land was to be auctioned in August until the organic farmers of region took their pitchforks to town. I’m proud to say that Western Colorado Congress of Mesa County played a small role in getting the BLM to back down. At a community open house we had participants sign postcards, which were delivered to the BLM, and which included the concerns of the citizens of the North Fork Valley. Our President, Benita Phillips, and our Oil and Gas Committee Chairman, Duke Cox travelled to meetings in the North Fork Valley to demonstrate our support of their efforts. Meis isn’t the only county commissioner who is a money whore. Evidently the vote has already been counted on the Uranium Downs, VLT concession for the Mesa County Fairgrounds, if that bill passes Colorado’s state government. Rumor has it that two commissioners have already agreed to vote in favor of establishing a VLT in Mesa County. Rumor also has it that Jennifer Bailey, head of WSCA and volunteer in Ray Scott’s campaign, has already been promised the position of casino manager. No wonder her daughter wrote such a glowing endorsement for the bill in a recent E-mail to the editor at the Sentinel. Homework Use this link to commentGlenwood Newspaper Reports that Vernal Meeting May Have Been IllegalSentinel Story About Meis in DenverNorth Fork leasingAmber Gragert Letter to the Editor
This week the Mesa County Commissioners passed a resolution regarding development of Colorado’s oil shale. Everything about this resolution should raise questions about how Mesa County is governed and who Commissioners represent.
First, the resolution was written in a closed door meeting in Vernal, Utah. Craig Meis met with elected officials from counties in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Nobody knows who called this meeting, but there is a better than average chance that it was called, and funded by companies and investors in oil shale plays.
Colorado has Sunshine laws requiring transparency in law making. According to the Office of Legislative Services (OLS), “The Colorado Sunshine Law generally requires that any state or local governmental body that meets to discuss public business or to take formal action do so in meetings that are open to the public.” Based on my reading Colorado’s Sunshine Law, this meeting would have been in violation of Sunshine Laws had more than one Mesa County Commissioner attended the meeting. Although it technically was not a violation, since Meis was the only Commissioner from Mesa County to attend, it was certainly unethical given that the result was a resolution that is being rammed through several Colorado Counties.
Colorado Sunshine laws also require that notice of a meeting be posted in a public place at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. I am unaware of any public notice of the meeting held in Vernal, Utah. In the case of the County Commissioner’s meeting, notice of the resolution was posted on a Friday, with the meeting held on the following Monday morning. Again, the letter of the law appears to have been followed, but I’d venture a guess that very few citizens knew that this resolution was going to be passed without any public hearings other than a brief comment period before the commissioners took their vote.
In February, the BLM requested public comment on their draft “Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Oil Shale and Tar Sands” (PEIS). The resolution passed by the County Commissioners is in response to the request for comments, and includes political bashing of the Obama administration.
This PEIS was the result of a settlement in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups. Thanks to some vigilance on the part of a community organizer, members of local environmental groups saw both the resolution and notice of meeting.
The BLM offered several alternatives in the PEIS, but preferred one that limits the leasing of federal land for the purpose of oil shale development to 461,965 acres, of which 35,308 acres are in Colorado. BLM director Bob Abbey said, “The preferred alternative continues our commitment to encouraging research, development, and demonstration projects so that companies can develop technologies that can lead to economic and commercial viability. Because there are still many unanswered questions about the technology, water use, and impacts of potential commercial-scale oil shale development, we are proposing a prudent and orderly approach that could facilitate significant improvements to technology needed for commercial-scale activity. If oil shale is to be viable on a commercial scale, we must take a common-sense approach that encourages research and development first.”
To hear Commissioner Craig Meis, one would believe that the BLM is shutting down all possibility of development of oil shale. It makes one wonder if Meis has invested money in oil shale, which would add conflict of interest to his ethical lapses regarding transparency in decisions regarding oil shale. His argument that industry needs consistency in rules is a bit amusing, since no regulations are changing—only the pace of research and development is impacted by this PEIS.
Even more disturbing was the lack of respect shown by Meis to people who showed up to testify against this resolution. At one point he snickered and laughed when Benita Phillips, President of Western Colorado Congress of Mesa County, mentioned the work of Dr. Theo Colborn, founder of TEDX and an internationally recognized scientist. TEDX is a not-for-profit that compiles and disseminates scientific information about how exposure to chemicals interferes with the development of children, both inside and outside of the womb. No mother laughs at anything that poses a risk to her kids. Shame on you Craig Meis.
I’m still seething over the resolution passed by the Mesa County Commissioners on Monday. The genesis of the resolution smacks of unethical behavior on the part of our commissioners and commissioners in other Colorado Counties. According to a story written by Gary Harmon, and published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, a meeting was held in Vernal, Utah in late March. “Garfield, Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties were involved in the Vernal meeting, as were the Wyoming counties of Carbon, Sweetwater and Uinta. Uintah County in Utah and state officials, such as former BLM Director Kathleen Clarke, were involved in the meeting, according to Colorado participants.” According to stories available on the internet, the reaction to this resolution of constituents in two Colorado counties is that it is over the top. That was my reaction also. It bashed the Obama administration. It made statements about technology and water that were blatantly false. It even predicted that there would be civil unrest if oil shale was not dug out of the ground and processed immediately. No responsible government would make such irresponsible statements. Of course, we know that both Garfield County and Mesa County have governments which are wholly owned subsidiaries of the oil and gas industry. So far, it appears only Garfield County and Mesa County in Colorado have actually passed the resolution. At the Commissioner meeting on Monday, Craig Meis said that Routt County would be voting on the resolution at their meeting this week. According to the official agenda, it was not on the list of action items for that meeting, nor could I find any newspaper reports about Routt County passing this resolution. Likewise, there does not appear to be any consideration of this resolution by the Sweetwater, Wyoming County Commissioners. I didn’t check other counties. Evidently this hair brained scheme to unite counties against a proposal for limited leasing of federal oil shale properties began when some Uintah County, Utah commissioners went to Estonia and realized that oil shale had been fueling electric plants for years. In Estonia they simply mine the resource, grind it up and burn it, much the way that coal has been used in Colorado. The process is not very efficient, but Estonia has no other resources with the promise of producing energy. As a result of energy production in Estonia, the country is facing water shortages and increased human health problems, which doesn’t seem to be of concern for Uintah County, Utah, Mesa County, Colorado, or Garfield County, Colorado commissioners. It is not clear what role Kathleen Clarke played, but her reputation is one of pro-industry and anti-environment. She headed up the BLM during the Bush Administration—no doubt when the PEIS, which is being revised, was originally written. Evidently Kathleen Clarke left the BLM to go to work promoting oil and gas development projects for the state of Utah. Homework: Gary Harmon Story about Vernal Utah MeetingStory About Reaction in Garfield CountyCraig Newspaper Reports Invitation Came From Uintah CountyRoutt County Commissioners Agenda April 16 & 17Homepage Sweetwater County WyomingSalt Lake Newspaper Reports on Uintah County Commissioners Visiting EstoniaOil Shale in EstoniaEverything You Never Wanted to Know About Kathleen Clark
_ The Bureau of Land Management recently held an open house in Grand Junction to solicit comments from citizens about a plan proposed by Fram Operating, LLC. If this sounds familiar, it is because it is. Fram, a subsidiary of the Norwegian company, Fram Exploration, originally sought approval to drill gas wells in an area known as the Whitewater Unit. The new proposal seeks approval to drill oil wells, instead of gas wells in the same area.
The Whitewater Unit is approximately 15 miles south and east of Grand Junction, and contains 90,400 acres. Property in the Unit is owned by various entities, including the federal government, the City of Grand Junction, and private individuals. The proposal is to drill up to 108 new wells from 12 new or existing well pads.
There is a history of exploration in this area; 54 wells have been drilled since 1974. Of those 54 wells, most have been plugged and abandoned. However, in 2009 and 2010, Fram drilled seven wells, of which two are currently producing. Fram determined that it was not economically viable to produce natural gas at this time. The factors cited, which impact economic viability, are the high content of nitrogen & carbon dioxide in the produced gas, which requires treatment prior to any sale to ultimate consumers; the need for compression to transport the natural gas; and the market rate for natural gas is too low to justify those expenses.
However, in drilling for gas, Fram struck oil, hence the request to scrap the gas drilling plan and concentrate instead on oil. The plan is to initially drill vertical wells, which could later be expanded with horizontal wells. Drilling will be on four new well pads in the first year, and eight new well pads in the second year. This is a project that is expected to take four years to complete, with about 25 wells being drilled each year.
The exploratory activity will primarily take place in the Dakota formation, which generally is 4,500 to 5,000 feet beneath the surface. Each well will take approximately 10 days to drill and 5 days to complete. On the first and last days of drilling, there will be 13 – 15 heavily loaded trucks traveling to the well site. Each of the other days will require 3 – 5 light truck loads and 3 – 5 heavy truck loads. The plan is to keep dust down by watering the roadway and limiting the speed of the trucks to 30 miles per hour.
There are some jobs involved in this project. During the drilling phase, there will be 18 workers per day. During the completion phase, there will be five workers per day. The work on the wells will go on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Wells will be fracked. Fram says that instead of using water in their fracking activities, they will use foam that is 85% CO2 and 15% methanol. Other chemicals that may be in the fracking fluids have not been detailed in the proposal.
In completing the wells, Fram indicates that the surface casing will extend to a minimum depth of 100 feet below any freshwater aquifers within one mile of the well site. It is important to note that these wells are in the proximity of the watershed from which the City of Grand Junction obtains its drinking water.
In addition to wells, Fram will construct pipelines to connect this project with the Trans-Colorado pipeline at two gathering stations within the unit. The Trans-Colorado pipeline connects with the Rocky Mountain Express Pipeline, which takes gas to the east coast. My assumption is that this work will allow the gas that will be produced from oil exploration to be sent to market instead of being flared off. It will take 4 – 7 days to construct one mile of pipeline. The proposal anticipates a little less than 30 miles of pipeline will be constructed, mostly along side existing roads.
The compression of the pipeline needs to be tested. Fresh water is used in the testing. That fresh water will be purchased from the City of Grand Junction, then transported by truck to the testing location. The proposal indicates the water will ultimately be disposed of “in a commercial disposal facility.”
There are many questions arising from this proposal, which should be the subject of comments to the BLM:
· Given the proximity to the Grand Junction water supply, will there be prior and post fracking testing of water in order to establish a baseline water quality.
· Will there be markers put in the fracking fluids, so that there is a direct line of accountability in the event that water quality is compromised.
· Will all chemicals in fracking fluids be disclosed.
· Will there be any flaring of gas.
· Wouldn’t top to bottom cementing be a better practice than the proposal to cement to 100 feet below the surface water.
· What “commercial disposal facility” will accept the waste water.
· What enforcement is available to ensure that truck traffic will not exceed 30 mph, and is that a safe speed given the road conditions and terrain.
The BLM is seeking written comments on this proposal by December 1, 2011. They may be sent in writing to:
Grand Junction Field Office
2815 H Road
Grand Junction, CO 81506
Or Emailed to: BLM_CO_GJ_Web_Mail@blm.gov
Monument or National Park? There was a luncheon meeting where staff from Senator Udall’s office informed attendees about possible legislation to make the Colorado National Monument into a National Park. The Senator hasn’t decided if he will draft a bill to make that happen; he’s still in the information gathering stage. I learned some interesting things at that meeting: Before the park service had money to manage the monument, it was managed by Grand Junction’s Chamber of Commerce. At one time the Chamber was in favor of national park status, but so far they haven’t committed to supporting any legislation that would make it happen. The two largest concerns for the people who are against the proposal are the air quality and possible traffic congestion if visits increased. The park service is already planning for increased visits, mostly because the local population is increasing. It seems the Chamber is hesitating to jump on the bandwagon because of their concerns that designation as a national park would make it more difficult for the oil and gas companies to belch toxins into our air. (Note: I said that. The Senator’s staff made no mention of oil and gas or the motives of the Chamber.) FRAM, LLC The owners of drilling leases near Whitewater, in conjunction with the BLM hosted an open house at the Double Tree Hotel. There was no official presentation, just easels with maps and information scattered around the room. There is an open comment period for this project. (Information linked in the Homework section.) Occupy GJ The Occupy Grand Junction folks had protestors in the parking lot of the Double Tree Hotel to greet the oil and gas industry as it arrived. TV News cameras showed up, and were interviewing people. (I just waved as I drove by.) As I was leaving the FRAM event, I overheard two policemen talking to the local BLM head honcho about how inappropriate it was for the protestors to be there. The tone of the conversation seemed to indicate that the protestors should have stayed downtown, and weren’t welcome at the ritziest hotel in town. When did the right to assemble get taken out of the U.S. Constitution? Home Depot Customer Service The check is in the mail, and I’ve agreed to stop bitching until Thursday. If the check doesn’t arrive then, all bets are off. In the meanwhile, the store manager gave me $25 worth of merchandise just so that I would go away. Homework Monument or National Park Contact Mark Udall 2010 Fram LLC Proposal 2011 Proposed Plan BLM Seeking Public Comments on Fram Proposal Deadline December 1 Occupy Grand Junction on Facebook
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