Cost of drilling: Wells threaten tourism, hunting and natural beauty
Tribune Editorial
05/24/2008

New gas and oil wells are sprouting all over Utah and bunches of new leases are being sold in record numbers. Unprecedented financial returns make exploration and production of both commodities increasingly attractive to the extractive industries.
The Bush administration's drive to drill, regardless of the social and environmental consequences, has resulted in more than 25 million acres of the Mountain West being leased for gas and oil drilling, 3.9 million of those acres in Utah.
A new Interior Department study advocates developing still more wells, even on land currently deemed too sensitive for drilling. We're talking about oil and gas in amounts that do not begin to justify the long-term damage that piping them out of the ground would cause.
The cost of scattershot drilling on public lands, weighed against the loss of other natural resources, should not be underestimated. Think scenic vistas, wildlife, clean water and clean air, and their benefit to our tourism-based economy. Our attention, and taxpayer support, should go instead to renewable energy sources that offer a better long-term benefit to Americans.
The administration's drilling craze goes hand-in-hand with its failure/refusal to develop the renewables that will help this country wean itself from the carbon-based fuels that are sapping the economy, holding the U.S. hostage to oil-producing autocracies and driving global
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warming.
In Utah, we've experienced the consequences of boom-bust cycles when the price of oil has shot up, then retreated. This time, the bust may come, not so much from a drastic drop in prices but in losses of tourism profits and a less-appealing quality of life as oil and gas companies tear up the landscape.
Wildlife is threatened by the recent drilling frenzy, including some threatened species. Roads, drilling rigs and equipment force deer off their usual range. As a result, many of them die or are unable to reproduce.
Fish, too, are damaged, along with the scenery that brings people here, when roads are bulldozed through pristine areas, sedimentation increases, forests are cut and water tables dry up.
To see a dramatic example of drilling's effects on wildlife, take a look at Pinedale, Wyo., the site of a boom in natural gas drilling and exploration a decade ago. Pinedale saw a 46 percent decrease in mule deer from 2001 to 2005.
The same could happen here if we aren't vigilant. Already, drilling threatens the Book Cliffs, a popular hunting ground, and Strawberry Reservoir, a blue-ribbon fishery.
The Bureau of Land Management should demand that each energy developer show how it will mitigate the effects of drilling on fish, wildlife and tourism before the BLM issues a permit. State wildlife agencies should monitor where leases are being sold.
Tourism, hunting and our unmatched landscapes are too important to Utah's long-term economic health to sacrifice on the altar of energy production.

As Deer Decline, Energy Development Comes Under Fire
By Dr. Rollin D. Sparrowe
3-27-07

The recent release of research findings from the fifth year of vital studies of mule deer use of the Mesa on the Pinedale Anticline has again produced a customary "spin-doctoring" that has characterized the debate over Wyoming's wildlife affected by energy development.

Headlines like "Mesa Herd Stabilizes" published in local newspapers do a disservice to both deer and the interests of Wyoming deer hunters.

The facts, however, are that: 1. There are fewer than half the deer using the Mesa in winter than there were five years ago; 2. There is no evidence that any meaningful numbers of those deer have "just gone elsewhere" (as was suggested in 2005 by the federal Bureau of Land Management which is supposed to have oversight that protects the herd); and 3. New data show that only two percent may have emigrated from the Mesa, but that 27 percent of the total reduction in use can be attributed to energy development activities.

These findings confirm that while many other factors affect deer, energy development activity is an important contributor to the reduction in use of the Mesa by deer.

But let's get even more to the point.

We just experienced a tough deer season in Western Wyoming. Northern Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin deer hunters had trouble finding any deer, let alone good bucks. The common question at check stations and in the mountains was: "Where are the deer?"

Movement data on deer that winter on the Mesa show that many of them moved into the Northern Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin. Since there were much fewer deer in that segment of the Sublette Deer Herd on the Mesa in winter, should it surprise us that the quality of deer hunting in those connected areas has declined sharply?

The "stabilization" claim is based on the fact that deer on the Mesa have numbered about 2,800 for two years, and didn't decline further—yet. But remember, five years ago there were almost 6,000—should we therefore be happy with half a herd?

Of greater significance is that new data show reduced reproductive success in the Mesa herd versus neighboring herds. This adds up to bad news for the future of this deer herd, those who love to hunt deer in the Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin, and those communities that rely on the economic benefits from hunting.

A MATTER OF HARSH SURVIVAL

Drought, predators, houses, roads, and other factors that influence these deer have been a part of the mule deer world for a long time, but during previous drought and periodic severe winters, Mesa deer have been able to use the Mesa and adjacent habitat to cope with winter snows, wind and extreme cold. Now they cannot do that.

What is new and NOT natural is the high level of human disturbance and change int he landscape brought on by energy development.

The real issue is not arguing over which influence is worse than the other, but given the likelihood of periodic harsh Wyoming winters, can these deer still survive and recover?

We may well get an answer soon. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department warned us this year that even with moderate winter, current poor forage conditions make a die-off likely, so protections from winter disturbance are extremely important. Mule deer are now at a crossroads where they are clearly in trouble under heavy development pressure.

It seems clear that some part of energy development has to be scale back or deer and deer hunters will lose even more than they already have. And yet, the signs are not good—leasing to drill on migration and summer ranges threats the REST of the annual deer habitat.

Recently, the BLM had to withdraw proposals for leases near Merna because they had NOT evaluated their importance to Mesa deer. There has been an uprising of hunters and outfitters opposing further development in the Wyoming Range.

When petititioned last spring by the citizen-based Pinedale Anticline Working Group (whose formation was promoted by the BLM as a form of outreach to citizens and user groups) to adopt goals of no further reduction in this herd, BLM REFUSED.

All that was proposed by BLM was to get the BLM, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, industry and other interested publics together to consider what might be done differently to ease the pressure on this herd.

BLM promised to "work with the Game and Fish Department to find ways to assist the herd." This winter, the BLM released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Pinedale Anticline based on a proposal from industry that will include a major increase in activity on parts of the Mesa in winter.

This is apparently in trade for less activity elsewhere. Hunters and others must examine this proposal carefully. Is more winter drilling the best we can expect from the key federal management agency?

NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT

This bad scenario for mule deer is being re-enacted elsewhere, such as the Atlantic Rim in southcentral Wyoming, Piceance Basin and Roan Plateau in Colorado, and Book Cliffs in Utah and Colorado.

No one has the ability to evalucate the effects on mule deer of tens of thousands of well sites in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. This fast pace of development is cutting at the very heart of some of the most valued mule deer locations in the Northern Rockies and none of our agencies are fully taking care of our interests.

Residents and nonresident hunter dollars are the biggest support base for Wyoming wildlife programs.

It is time to quit being satisfied with "half a deer herd."

Hunters should demand nothing less than action from government and industry to arrest the decline of the "stabilized" Mesa Herd and assure that the same decline does not happen in other key mule deer herds.

I remember when the Alaskan pipeline went in. The scientist and environmentalists said that it would end caribou hunting by having the drilling and pump rigs in the caribou's ancient calving grounds. We were told that the pipeline would disrupt the migration routes permanently because the caribou would be so traumatized that they wouldn't cross under it.

Guess what? None of this happened.

If we could stop putting money into the Arabs pockets, as well as stabilize or lower the price of gas at the pump....I'm for it. the first article seems politically motivated with the ref to the President.

I agree with Fjold... The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!! Oh...Sorry...It isn't.

CBM drilling and production is a lot different from oil production. Oil production required almost daily attention from pumpers and tanker trucks so the activity continues long after the drillers are gone. CBM on the other hand is all done with pipelines and compressors, no one has to drive to each well and battery every day,way less long term disturbance to the wild life, the deer and elk return to a gas field quickly and do benefit from all the re seeding that has been done..I hunted the Grays last fall and the drilling activity was unbelieveable near Pine dale, but it will settle down once the wells are producing.

quote:

Originally posted by Skinner.:
As Deer Decline, Energy Development Comes Under Fire
By Dr. Rollin D. Sparrowe
3-27-07
Movement data on deer that winter on the Mesa show that many of them moved into the Northern Wyoming Range and Hoback Basin.

The Hoback river country around Bondurant is filling up with houses. They are going to ruin the winter range just like Cache Valley in Utah, and then wonder how come there aren't more deer in the back country.

There some are gas fields west of Big Piney, drilling is all done and there are just wellheads in place, should be minimal disturbance but there were no antelope anywhere near there. Not sure how a caribou's life differs from antelope.

Dillingham has gone to great lengths to defend it's pristine wilderness and the outstanding hunting and fishing that goes with it. I believe that as a result of that we are ultimately broke. By broke, I mean poor, busted.

Bring on the oil wells and open pit mines!

Yup, everything I've seen skinner post is pure

If drilling is bad, we might as well(pun intended) cut off the existing wells so they don't accidentally hurt anything either.

They're even drilling for gas here in the Catskill Mtns of NY and the adjoining Pococnos.We have to get more out of the ground !

take a vote--which is the most important? civilization, animals or the enviornment. usage of god given assets for the betterment of civilation is the way to go. treehuggers need to get real.

What does a guy do....bitch about $4/$5 gas or bitch about oil drilling?

DRILL AND DRILL somemore what good is the land and hunting if I can't afford to get there... bet that drilling aint slowed one wolf down that's where your f***** herds are going not drilling.

Drill in ANWR and anywhere else in or off the coast of Alaska, off the east coast, off the west coast, off the gulf coast........just start drilling.

Start building new refineries as fast as possible.

Start new nuclear plants.

Bob

This not in my backyard crap has got to stop. If you want fuel for your vehicle, A/C, Heat and food on your table we need to drill. We need to drill and we need a Manhattan project on "real" alternative enrgy.

quote:

Yup, everything I've seen skinner post is pure

Funny, I feel the same way about your posts.

Amazing how guys freak out at the thought of using lead free bullets but when development threatens a deer herd that's OK.

As I sit here my son is up in Pinedale work on a Shell Rig, and I have to go to work in the morning at the refinery.
Maybe we should start demoing all the new house that have be built in the winter range around Pinedale and Big Pineny, Oh and lets Demo all the houses that are blocking the migration routes out of Jackson Hole. Funny last Time I flew in to SLC the winter range to the east was full of houses. well heck lets demo everthing in the foothills west of Denver.
Your right Skinner lets just stop it all and go back to the way it was before.
With no oil and gas thats just how it will be.

quote:

Originally posted by Skinner.:
[
Amazing how guys freak out at the thought of using lead free bullets but when development threatens a deer herd that's OK.

No, we just reject the premise of the post as it was put forward. Ask the folks in Connecticut, Vermont, Maryland or any other popuplated state about their herds. Can't keep tyhem away from the developments. Deer are, next to coyotes, about as adaptive as a herd animal can be. Or ask all the folks in Colorado about the bear incursions when the drought cut back natural feed. Wild game co-habitates quite well with development as long as poaching is controlled.

Development didn't destroy the herds of the 19th century; unregulated market hunting for meat and fur managed to do that. And develpment around properly managed herds won't damage them today.

Someone needs to tell the animals that the drilling rigs are harmful. You see I can remember getting off evening towers and driving not more than a half mile from the rig site and having plenty of hunting opportunities for deer and antelope(never drilled in elk habitat, but I would bet they would not have been scarce either). Now this is when the actual hole is being drilled-men coming and going at all hours, lots of noise, two or more large ass diesel generators going off and don't forget the mud pumps, yet somehow those poor creatures didn't seem to know they were being hurt. Not to mention that once the hole is drilled the site typically has a wellhead installed with nothing more than a few feet of pipe above the ground and grass grows right up to within a few feet of it, animals walk right by the damn things. But you know what, I didn't read that shit, I saw it-with my own two eyes. If you don't believe it just come on out to Cave Gulch and go look at some of the wellheads that are a few years old. Just like when I was younger and guided snowmobiles through Yellowstone, all the goddamned tree huggers cried about how the snowmobiles hurt the buffalo-idiots!

I dont think the Cost of drilling is hurting tourism or hunting....It is actually paying for me to be able to tour the country and go hunting!


Justin (oilfield)

quote:

To the people who don't like oil and gas exploration, (Skinner)

You just make the assumption that I'm opposed to energy development, I'm not. What I am for is managed development that provides for minimal impact on other resources and activities.

Besides, the energy industry operating in the West is about to get sage groused with a Federal ESA listing.

quote:

Originally posted by Skinner.:
...Amazing how guys freak out at the thought of using lead free bullets but when development threatens a deer herd that's OK.

Andmore of the same - pure