BLM sets restrictions for oil drilling areas

MONTROSE—Concern regarding oil shale development in the Piceance Basin continues to rise, prompting officials to further research the environmental impacts drilling could have on western Colorado.

Cathy Kay, Oil Shale Organizer with the Western Colorado Congress, explained that the severity of drilling on the Roan Plateau, which is part of the Piceance Basin, needs to be evaluated and all risks need to be taken into consideration.

The Bureau of Land Management at the federal level, not the state level, is making the decisions regarding oil shale development in western Colorado, Kay said. So the managers of the state BLM offices are being directed on how and when to lease land for oil shale development, and really have no say in the decisions, Kay explained.

"The directions are coming from Washington, D.C., and they don't see it like we do," Kay said. "They view Colorado as land that can be torn up."

One of the biggest issues, she said, is the effect that drilling will have on Colorado's water supply.

Raw shale releases salt into the ground, said Kay, and if that salt gets into tributaries, it could increase salinity by 2.4 percent, and in turn put a financial and legal burden on Colorado.

"Colorado has a legal obligation to provide water to lower basin states," Kay said. "What happens if we damage that supply?"

Oil shale development will also cause the state's energy production to skyrocket. The amount of electricity needed to power oil shale development would most likely come from coal-fired power plants, Kay said.

"When global warming is such an issue, why would we enter into a process that would increase carbon dioxide in the air?" Kay said.

In addition, it's predicted that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions would significantly jump, causing an impact on visibility and nitrogen deposition at nearby protected areas.

Kay added that most of the energy exploited in the Piceance Basin would not even be usable gas for automobiles, and would mainly benefit the Department of Defense. To be able to use it in a car, the oil would need to be further refined. The question that arises then is where will the refinery be: here in Colorado, or somewhere else in the United States?

If refineries were built here, "more energy and more water would be required," Kay said.

"You just have to compare the energy input with the output," Kay said. "Is it worth it?"

In response to the foreseeable environmental impacts on the air and water quality, the BLM has established a long list of procedures and restrictions that will protect drilling areas, David Boyd, spokesman for the Northwest Colorado BLM, said.

"Development will be limited to ridges, meaning there will be no drilling in the canyons," Boyd said. In addition, developers will be restricted to only drilling on one ridge at a time, before moving on to the next ridge.

The BLM will also require that no more than 1 percent of the land is disturbed at one time.

Boyd said that the BLM has established Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, which cover 21,034 acres of the 73,602 acres in the area. There are two ACEC's on top of the plateau and two below, and are protected against drilling disturbance.

Only one operator will do the work on the ground, Boyd said, no matter how many companies are leasing land at the time. "By having only one operator, it will create a tighter control of how and where it (drilling) takes place, and will also reduce the need for multiple pipelines."

"It will be in economic interest of the companies to reclaim land as soon as possible," Boyd said.

The BLM is also taking specific steps to protect water resources, plants, and fish.

But Kay is concerned that the impact on water resources and the amount of air pollution created from oil shale development could be worse than most predict, and the effects could be irreversible.

"Water is something we can't make, and we cannot make clean air," Kay said. "Colorado would be paying a huge price."

Marissa Brunner can be reached via e-mail at marissab@montrosepress.com