The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
HCCA not pleased with the decision
By Mark Reaman
The feds have taken another step to approve a major expansion of oil and gas wells in Gunnison County and local environmentalists are not pleased with what could be the potential impacts.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a decision last week approving a final supplemental environmental assessment that provides enhanced air quality analysis and affirms previous decisions approving the Bull Mountain Unit Master Development Plan and the Dual Operator 5-Pad Proposal. The projects are for development of 55 private and 171 federal oil and gas wells on 38 new and existing well pads within the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office in western Gunnison County.
According to a BLM press release, “Bull Mountain is expected to generate 11,500 total jobs and nearly $2.2 billion in economic output over the life of the project,” said BLM Colorado Southwest District deputy manager Robert Potts. “The BLM, through its multiple use mission and management of the public’s oil and natural gas resources, helps meet the energy needs of the nation in an environmentally responsible way.”
High Country Conservation Advocates advocacy director Jon Hare said the decision makes little sense.
“It is absurd to authorize drilling 226 new oil and gas wells in the headwaters of the North Fork of the Gunnison River,” Hare said. “The upper elevations of our watersheds are critical catchment areas for snowpack. The disturbance that comes with oil and gas drilling at this scale will remain for generations and is certain to have negative impacts on the quality and quantity of the water supply for millions of people.”
The press release claims that “consistent with Executive Order 14154 and Secretary’s Order 3418, both titled “Unleashing American Energy,” oil and gas development on public lands helps meet the energy needs of U.S. citizens and solidify the nation as a global energy leader long into the future.”
The BLM press release states that the Bureau of Land Management is responsible for overseeing the extraction of critical minerals on federally managed public lands needed for technologies like data centers and defense applications, and for authorizing the development of traditional energy sources, such as oil, gas and coal. By managing public lands for responsible mineral extraction, the BLM ensures a stable supply of these essential resources.
Hare said HCCA will most likely be joining with other conservation organizations to appeal this decision.
