Current Events: |
Action Alert! The following is a list of talking points suggested by the Coalition's Impact Research Committee. Please remember these points as you attend the various public meetings (see schedule below) and compose your comments (due May 1st, 2008) regarding Bill Barrett Corporation's (BBC) Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed West Tavaputs Drilling Project. Meetings will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in the following locations:
Also, please remember to visit our website frequently at ww.ninemilecanyoncoalition.org for the latest articles and information regarding these most important issues. If you have questions, email us at 9mcc@xmission.com . Comments on the West Tavaputs Natural Gas Full Field Development 1. The major impact of the West Tavaputs Gas Project is the industrial traffic that goes through Nine Mile Canyon and Cottonwood Canyon to access the West Tavaputs Plateau. We have been recording the impact of the gas drilling on ?the world's longest art gallery? since 2005 when we started to receive reports from sightseers about dust and industrial traffic in the Canyon. We have hundreds of photos documenting the impact of the industrial traffic in the Canyon. The BLM now admits in draft EIS Section 5.12 that they cannot mitigate the impact of the industrial traffic on the cultural resources by selecting any of the proposed alternatives. In reality, the only way to save the canyon from the traffic is to use bypass roads that will keep the traffic away from the Nine Mile and Cottonwood Canyons. Unfortunately, the BLM has eliminated the alternate access routes in EIS Section 2.8.6 (see Draft EIS "Alternative Access Routes", chapter 2, section 2-149 http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/energy/Oil_Gas/Draft_EIS.html) without presenting detailed information about these decisions. This is a violation of the Utah BLM NEPA Guidebook which states that ?no reasonable alternatives can be eliminated from consideration in an EIS.? The Guidebook also says that economic reasons alone cannot be used to reject an alternative. No engineering analysis has been provided to show that an east-west bypass road is not feasible across the West Tavaputs. It is clear, even to a non-road engineer that the alternative route from the Gate Canyon Rd west to Trail Canyon is very reasonable since there is a road being upgraded for gas drilling north of Nine Mile Canyon. Trail Canyon itself got its name from when it was the access route in and out of Nine Mile Canyon. Trail Canyon comes to Nine Mile Canyon opposite the entrance to Harmon Canyon Rd which is the main access to the west side of the gas field on the Tavaputs. There are numerous roads already built and proposed on the West Tavaputs that would lend themselves to a bypass road system. The BLM writes about 180 miles of Gold Book roads on the Tavaputs and I (Ivan White, member of the Coalition?s Impact Research Committee) have seen these smooth, wide roads with crowns and drainage ditches and I have pictures of the Nine Mile Road that has already been badly beat up by the present traffic that has damaged the rock art and driven the sightseers out of the Canyon. The only reasonable alternative to this is a bypass road system. 2. The draft EIS says that the average daily traffic in the Canyon would be 550 vehicles with nine drill rigs operating on the Tavaputs. Carbon County did a 24 hr traffic count when there were two drill rigs operating and that traffic count was 340 vehicles. If you extrapolate from two drill rigs to nine you get a daily traffic count of 1,530 vehicles! The Canyon road grew up from a wagon road, how can it withstand that kind of traffic? How can the rock art survive that? The traffic counts that the Coalition has done since 2005 verify the County Survey. The Coalition counts of sightseer traffic show a steadily decreasing number of people coming to the Canyon to see the rock art and it is clear that the word has spread about the industrial traffic and the dust. 3. The BLM proposes a monitoring system where the BLM and the Bill Barrett Corporation would pick a monitoring company to monitor the project for compliance with the promises made as a result of the final EIS. The monitoring company would report to the BLM and BBC. This is completely unacceptable based on the last four years of experience where the BLM allowed winter drilling after promising there wouldn't be any and couldn't mitigate the traffic problems even after they were shown photos of the damage being done. An example of a potential problem in the draft EIS is where the statement is made that BBC has informally agreed to help with problems on the Gate Canyon Rd resulting from the traffic. What is required is an oversight committee like the one set up in Wyoming because of the corruption in the Pinedale BLM office. The members should include stakeholders like BLM, hunters, property owners, the Nine Mile Coalition, Carbon County, the State Historic Preservation Office and others. The monitoring company would report to the oversight committee to ensure compliance with mitigation requirements. 4. The BLM has consistently refused to admit that they are responsible for seeing that all significant impacts from the West Tavaputs Project are mitigated no matter where they occur or who does the impact. An example of this is the Dry Canyon Compressor Station (located in Nine Mile Canyon) which started out to have two compressors and now has eight with the possibility of two more, for a total of ten. The pollution from this compressor station has never been measured or modeled even though it is in a narrow canyon with a high concentration of dust added to the chemical emissions from station engines. The BLM insists that the pollution (visual, sound, or chemical) is beyond their responsibility to mitigate because the compressor station is on private property (BBC?s). A federal court ruled in the 1970's in the Calvert Cliffs decision that the federal lead agency was required to see that all significant impacts were mitigated. If the impacts cannot be mitigated then the proposed action cannot be carried out. This applies not only to the Dry Canyon Compressor Station but also to the traffic impact on the Gate Canyon, Nine Mile Canyon, and Cottonwood Canyon Rd's as well the impact on any of the cultural resources of the area around the West Tavaputs. 5. The EIS offers less protection for Nine Mile Canyon cultural resources than they have presently. One alternative offers lip service to having the county construct pull-outs and working with BBC to do signs and trails at the identified sites from the Special Recreation and Cultural Area Management Plan . However, that was only one-third of the plan. The plan also called for a visitor contact station and a full time archaeologist as well as a full time recreation planner. There would have been temporary staff during the visitor season. This needs to be included. We can't invite people to Nine Mile without having a presence there to protect the resources and teach proper etiquette. Signs alone can't do it. 6. We also need to ask for full time law enforcement in the canyon, whether it be a Carbon or Duchesne county deputy or a BLM ranger. Pam Miller was in the canyon on Saturday with Reece Stein (Channel 2 News) and industry vehicles were going too fast. Also, two large gas industry vehicles actually threatened them -- they drove down the middle of the road when there was plenty of width in their lane, and didn't move over until they came uncomfortably close to our vehicle. According to Pam, there was no physical reason for them to do that other than intimidation. 7. At the public meetings we have to ask for reconsideration of the by-pass roads (see Draft EIS "Alternative Access Routes", chapter 2, section 2-149 http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/energy/Oil_Gas/Draft_EIS.html), 8. At public scoping meetings held in 2005 regarding this EIS process, The BLM assured those attending that there would be no surface occupancy allowed on Federal public lands in Nine Mile Canyon. However, three of the alternatives in the Draft EIS, including the Agency (BLM's) Preferred Alternative, propose two pump stations to be located in very scenic and archaeologically rich areas of the canyon, one on federal public land and one on private property (not BBC's property). By doing so, the BLM is violating another public commitment they made in their Draft Resource Management Plan (DRMP) that there would be no surface occupancy allowed on Federal public lands in the bottom of Nine Mile Canyon. Could it be coincidence that the final decision on the DRMP has been timed to allow for some industrial surface occupancy to be approved in the canyon prior to the decision? PLEASE be an active participant in this extremely important public awareness and comment process. The well being of Nine Mile Canyon depends on YOU! Questions??? Contact us at 9mcc@xmission.com
Action Alert! BLM Hosts Public Meetings on Draft Environmental Impact Statement for West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Proposal Price, Utah February 27, 2008 The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Price Field Office will host public meetings to discuss its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Tavaputs plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Proposal. BLM welcomes public comments on the draft statement, which evaluates a proposal to develop natural gas resources on the West Tavaputs Plateau, predominantly located in northeastern Carbon County. Meetings will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in the following locations:
The draft, released Feb. 1, for public review and comment, considers a long-term development proposal including drilling up to 807 natural gas wells in 538 locations over a period of eight years. Each well has the potential to produce gas for up to 20 years. Project infrastructure would include development and construction of roads and pipelines, gas compression stations, and other facilities to accommodate natural gas delivery. BLM is currently evaluating five alternatives in detail in an effort to address a broad spectrum of issues and uses specific to this area. The range of alternatives includes applying best management practices for oil and gas development, optimizing opportunities for directional drilling, and other mitigation measures developed to address sensitive issues. The West Tavaputs Plateau is an area that has seen oil and gas development since the 1950s. More than 100 gas wells have been drilled within the proposed project area, most of which are currently in production. A substantial network of roads, pipelines, and compressor stations already exists on federal, state, and private lands within the project area in support of both past and present natural gas production. Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted through May 1 and should be as specific as possible. Comments which express only opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response; however, they will be considered in the BLM decision-making process. The most useful comments will identify issues that should be considered in the analysis. Comments will be accepted by letter, facsimile, or e-mail and may be sent by May 1 to: Mail Bureau of Land Management Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask in your comment to have your personal identifying information withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents will be available for public review at the BLM Price Field Office from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Comments may also be published as part of the NEPA document and other related documents. All submissions from organizations or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. For further information, please contact Brad Higdon at (435) 636-3613.
Action Alert! Contact: Brad Higdon, 435-636-3613 Price, Utah—February 1, 2008—The Bureau of Land Management’s Price Field Office announces the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development proposal is available for public review and comment. The draft document evaluates a plan by Bill Barrett Corporation and other operators to conduct full field development of natural gas resources on the West Tavaputs Plateau in the northeast portion of Carbon County. This long-term development proposal includes drilling up to 807 new natural gas wells on 538 locations over a period of approximately eight years. As each well has the potential to produce gas for up to 20 years, the total life of the project could be approximately 28 years. Most surface locations would be designed to accommodate more that one well using directional drilling techniques to minimize overall surface impacts. Project infrastructure would include roads and pipelines, gas compression stations and other facilities to accommodate delivery of natural gas to markets. The BLM is evaluating five alternatives in detail in an effort to address the full range of environmental issues and uses in the area. The range of alternatives include applying best management practices for oil and gas development, optimizing opportunities for directional drilling and other mitigation measures developed to address issues specific to this project. A decision on full field development could require BLM to amend its current land use plan. Issues considered in this analysis include impacts associated with transportation and the effects on cultural and historic resources; visual resources; habitat for mule deer, elk and sage grouse; threatened and endangered species; vegetation; and recreational opportunities. In addition, the project proposes some development within the Desolation Canyon and Jack Canyon Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). Oil and gas leases within these areas predate their establishment as WSAs, and are recognized by Congress as valid existing rights. Benefits from the natural gas development include increased royalty and tax revenue to local, state and federal governments, employment opportunities at the local and regional level, and helping to meet the demand for domestic energy while reducing dependence on foreign sources. The West Tavaputs Plateau is an area that has seen oil and gas development since the 1950’s. To date, over 100 gas wells have been drilled within the project area, most of which are currently in production. A substantial network of roads, pipelines and compressor stations currently exist on federal, state, and private lands within the project area to support past and present natural gas production. Comments on the Draft EIS for the West Tavaputs Natural Gas Full Field Development Plan will be accepted through May 1, 2008. Written comments should be sent to BLM Price Field Office, Attention: West Tavaputs Plateau Natural Gas Full Field Development Plan DEIS, 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah, 84501. Comments may also be submitted online by accessing BLM’s website for this project at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/energy/Oil_Gas.html. Members of the public should be aware that their entire comment, including personal identifying information such as name, address and phone number, may be made publicly available at any time. Public information open houses will be held by BLM during the comment period. Notice of these meetings will be provided in advance.
Press Release The Nine Mile Canyon Coalition called on people everywhere who value Nine Mile Canyon’s critically threatened culture, history, and irreplaceable prehistoric rock art to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Tavaputs Plateau. The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Price Field Office will release the EIS within the next few days. The call for public comment comes on the heels of a 25 January 2008 Science Magazine article titled: “Dust Storm Rising Over Threat to Famed Rock Art in Utah” by Keith Kloor (enclosed). According to Pam Miller, Chair of the non-profit Nine Mile Canyon Coalition, “The EIS document is supposed to include this dust study and will determine in large part how the Nine Mile Canyon area will be managed for the next ten years. Since 2002, the canyon has experienced the heavy impacts of the oil and gas industry.” She added, “We have all seen the utter disregard for all values except energy development and, now, we are saying that enough is enough: balance must be restored in our public lands management agencies.” The number of natural gas wells proposed for this area since 2002 has grown from seven to over 800 on the plateau south of Nine Mile Canyon. Over 1200 wells are planned for the area north of the canyon. Nine Mile Canyon, often referred to as “The World’s Longest Rock Art Gallery,” is presently the major corridor for equipment to develop natural gas from wells on the Tavaputs Plateau. In 2006, a huge, noisy compressor station, now containing 10 compressors, was built by Bill Barrett Corporation in Nine Mile Canyon, among many thousand-year-old prehistoric cultural sites. The industrial traffic through Nine Mile Canyon was initially proposed to be 17-35 vehicle round-trips per day. In a recent survey, Carbon County counted 342 trips in one day. Two additional oil and gas companies propose another 500 additional trips per day using the winding, narrow, and formerly scenic Back Country Byway to transport materials and workers to their drill sites. Alternate routes have not been seriously considered by BLM up to this time. The upcoming EIS should be closely checked for alternative routes. Miller concluded: “Dust generated by semis – whether single or in convoy - drill rigs, heavy equipment, and pickups has become a safety issue and is changing the character and the nature of the canyon. Attempts to mitigate the dust have been neither successful nor enforced. The rock art is covered with dust and magnesium-chloride. It is disappearing. Nine Mile Canyon has countless rock art sites right next to the road and traffic vibration effects cannot be good for these sites. Industry traffic can be dangerous for people viewing them.” The Draft EIS, issued by the BLM, will also address wildlife, water, air quality, and cumulative issues, in addition to others. There will be a 90-day public comment period following public release of the Draft EIS. To order a printed copy, write or call the Price BLM Field Office, 125 S. 600 West, Price, UT, 84501, (435) 636-3460, or visit the BLM-Price Field Office website at www.blm.gov/utah/price for an electronic copy. Comments should be sent to this same office. When reviewing the Draft EIS, readers should look for what it does not address as well as what it contains, as this will assist the BLM in producing an accurate, comprehensive, effective, and useable document. The following announcement has just been received from the BLM-Vernal Field Office regarding public release of the Oil Shale/Tar Sands Draft Programmatic EIS. It is extremely important that you understand what is at stake for Nine Mile Canyon, its major tributary Argyle Canyon, and all water users downstream to San Diego. Developing the deposits in the proposed Argyle Canyon and Sunnyside Special Tar Sand Areas (STSA) that extend into Nine Mile Canyon would be disastrous for the region and the West, in that it would employ extremely invasive extraction techniques that would leave vast areas of land sterile and ugly, use more water than is readily available in this arid region, and would pollute both ground and surface water from Argyle Canyon to Southern California. According to the Coalition’s Impact Research Committee Chair, Steve Tanner, “ It sterilizes the material they extract the tar from, the swell factor increases the volume of waste rock by at least one third which requires a hole one third larger than the one you are creating to get rid of the it. At best this leaves you with a negative top soil factor. Bottom line is they will be creating a sterile mountain out of a productive mole hill.”A 90-day public comment period will end on Thursday March 20, 2008. There are 1464 pages contained in three volumes to read and comment on. This is coming at the same time public comment deadlines are approaching for Resource Management Plans(RMP) for the Vernal BLM Field Office (deadline is Thursday January 3rd) and other BLM Field Offices around the state of Utah. We are also expecting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be released for public comment at any time regarding the West Tavaputs Natural Gas Full field Development Plan. The Administration's assault on our public lands and our ability to participate is outrageous and we need to communicate that to our land managers. Be sure to urge BLM that the public comment period be extended by at least 120 days to allow overworked Americans to respond to the barrage of voluminous RMPs, EISs and EAs being released at a break-neck pace. We urge you to get involved by attending a public meeting in your area (http://ostseis.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm), submitting your official comments on the proposed projects, and calling or writing your Senators, Representatives, Governor and State Legislators in objection to this assault on our public lands, and for overwhelming the public with more than we can possibly respond to at one time. You might also consider writing a “Letter to the Editor” of your local papers expressing your concerns. Thank you for your diligence and support! PUBLIC NOTICE: Draft Programmatic EIS Available The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to guide future management of public lands containing oil shale and tar sands resources. Under the proposal in the Draft PEIS, the BLM would amend land use plans to allocate approximately 1.9 million acres of public lands in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming for potential commercial oil shale development. The Draft Programmatic EIS is available at the following Web page: http://ostseis.anl.gov/eis/guide/index.cfm Public Comment Period Open The public will have 90 days to review and comment on the draft Programmatic EIS. You may submit comments in writing by the following methods: Via electronic comment form on this Web site: http://ostseis.anl.gov By mail to: Schedule for Draft PEIS Comment Submittal The public comment period opens December 21, 2007, and will continue until Thursday, March 20, 2008. All comments received or postmarked by Thursday, March 20, 2008, will be considered. Written and electronic (i.e., by Web) comments will be impartially considered and given equal weight by the BLM. Public Meetings Informal open house style public meetings on the Draft PEIS are tentatively scheduled for February 2008. Open houses will be held in Salt Lake City, Price, and Vernal, UT; Rock Springs and Cheyenne, WY; and, Rifle, Meeker, and Denver, CO. The specific dates, times, and locations for the meetings will be posted at http://ostseis.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm and announced both on this Web site and in local and regional media when they are available. For More Information For more information about oil shale and tar sands, the Programmatic EIS, and public involvement activities, visit the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic EIS Information Center Web site at (http://ostseis.anl.gov/index.cfm), or contact us at: ostseiswebmaster@anl.gov
Nine Mile Canyon Coalition Loses Two Dear Friends It is with sadness we announce that two champions and friends of Nine Mile Canyon have passed away. On November 7th, Duane Taylor, past Coalition board member and Treasurer passed away after a year-long battle with brain cancer. Duane's obituary, which can be found online at http://sunad.com/index.php?tier=1&page=obits , credits Duane and his life, Joan, with being founding members of the “Nine Mile Players,” a country ensemble of locals and canyon lovers who performed for groups and gatherings, including the coalition’s annual Fall Gatherings. The Coalition Board expresses our deep and heartfelt sympathy to Joan and the family for their loss. We will indeed miss Duane. On Tuesday November 6th, Jack Wimmer, son of Harold and Lucille Wimmer (Lucille passed away just weeks ago at the age of 101) and brother of Coalition board member, Edythe Marett, passed away after complications of pneumonia. Jack was one of the ten Wimmer children who grew up in the old rock house that is still standing in Nine Mile Canyon. Jack’s obituary can also be found at http://sunad.com/index.php?tier=1&page=obits . The Coalition Board expresses our heartfelt sympathy to Jack’s wife, Thelda, and the great big family Jack left behind. Both men had countless friends and lived very exemplary lives. The world is definitely a poorer place without our two friends.
|
