JoseCuervo
New member
Does the Bush administration not hire Biologists???? Why on earth would you be phuggin' around on winter range for Mule deer? If there is one animal that does not need stress in the winter, it is the Mulie that I want to shoot next fall (hey Buzz, hint,,,hint...)
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Drilling causes concern about mule deer
Associated Press
PINEDALE, Wyo. – For a second straight year, drilling for natural gas will occur in critical mule deer winter range, again raising concerns from environmental groups.
On Friday, Questar Exploration and Development Co. received U.S. Bureau of Land Management approval to drill eight wells on the Pinedale Mesa. Four of the wells would be drilled throughout the winter.
In November 2002, Questar was granted a six-month exemption to seasonal drilling restrictions and allowed to drill five wells from a nearby location known as Stewart Point.
This year’s wells would be five miles from Pinedale and about a half-mile from Stewart Point. Again, the wells would be drilled from a single well pad.
As the company did last year, Questar will employ directional drilling to minimize surface disturbances.
Directional drilling from a single well pad eliminates the need for eight separate well sites, centralizes production facilities and consolidates access routes to a single road, Questar officials said.
One drawback is that it can take as long as 250 days to drill the eight wells from one pad, hence the need to drill continuously throughout the winter.
The winterlong project also is part of a multi-year comprehensive study of the effects of oil and gas operations on wintering deer in the Pinedale Anticline of southwest Wyoming.
The study was contingent upon Questar receiving a seasonal exception to the BLM’s winter drilling restrictions again this year. Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials say the study needs to cover several years to draw effective conclusions.
The BLM’s Pinedale Anticline environmental impact statement approved in 2000 outlines the pace and level of development. The document prohibits drilling in deer, elk and moose winter range from Nov. 15 through April 30 but provides for possible short-term exceptions.
Environmental groups are strongly opposed to Questar’s Stewart Point winter drilling. They say it fragments crucial wildlife habitat for wintering deer and antelope that migrate through the region.
Conservationists also contend the BLM is breaking with its past decisions aimed at protecting mule deer when they are highly stressed and most vulnerable.
BLM spokesman Rey Adame said Friday the agency approved Questar’s drilling exception request but did not approve a request to allow for two drilling rigs to operate at the same time.
Questar has identified about 8,600 acres it believes holds the most potential for natural gas recovery. Thus far, the company has drilled 75 wells in the area.
“All of our acreage is under winter habitat, so when November 15 rolls around, we’re out of business,” Questar General Manager of Production Ron Hogan said.
Other operators can go farther south to BLM acreage not covered by winter habitat stipulations, a luxury Questar doesn’t enjoy, he said.
“So we had to ask ourselves how do we keep this thing going, and we came up with year-round directional drilling,” he said. “We believe not only is it good for us to have year-round drilling, but it’s going to be better for the environment, the habitat, visual aspects, air quality, for the (local) economy and the area.”
Year-round drilling from a single pad means truck traffic is reduced because equipment and materials can remain in one place, Hogan said. It’s also better for Pinedale’s economy because employees are not laid off and rehired seasonally but will be around for several years.
A coalition of five conservation groups filed a lawsuit last December against the winter drilling project.
“Protecting and restoring traditional wildlife migration corridors ... in the Green River Basin is a daunting challenge for the BLM,” said Linda Baker of the Upper Green River Valley Coalition. “Safeguarding these vital links between summer and winter ranges is critical to ensure the survival of abundant, healthy, free-ranging wildlife populations for the future.”
BLM officials believe the deer study will provide a model for designing future wildlife monitoring programs in drilling areas.
Preliminary results from last year’s study indicate habitat continued to be used by mule deer during drilling on the Stewart Point well.
Adame said data collected for the study thus far has not provided “conclusive evidence” regarding effects on wintering mule deer by drilling.
He said a “definitive conclusion” won’t be attempted until the entire study is completed in 2007.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Drilling causes concern about mule deer
Associated Press
PINEDALE, Wyo. – For a second straight year, drilling for natural gas will occur in critical mule deer winter range, again raising concerns from environmental groups.
On Friday, Questar Exploration and Development Co. received U.S. Bureau of Land Management approval to drill eight wells on the Pinedale Mesa. Four of the wells would be drilled throughout the winter.
In November 2002, Questar was granted a six-month exemption to seasonal drilling restrictions and allowed to drill five wells from a nearby location known as Stewart Point.
This year’s wells would be five miles from Pinedale and about a half-mile from Stewart Point. Again, the wells would be drilled from a single well pad.
As the company did last year, Questar will employ directional drilling to minimize surface disturbances.
Directional drilling from a single well pad eliminates the need for eight separate well sites, centralizes production facilities and consolidates access routes to a single road, Questar officials said.
One drawback is that it can take as long as 250 days to drill the eight wells from one pad, hence the need to drill continuously throughout the winter.
The winterlong project also is part of a multi-year comprehensive study of the effects of oil and gas operations on wintering deer in the Pinedale Anticline of southwest Wyoming.
The study was contingent upon Questar receiving a seasonal exception to the BLM’s winter drilling restrictions again this year. Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials say the study needs to cover several years to draw effective conclusions.
The BLM’s Pinedale Anticline environmental impact statement approved in 2000 outlines the pace and level of development. The document prohibits drilling in deer, elk and moose winter range from Nov. 15 through April 30 but provides for possible short-term exceptions.
Environmental groups are strongly opposed to Questar’s Stewart Point winter drilling. They say it fragments crucial wildlife habitat for wintering deer and antelope that migrate through the region.
Conservationists also contend the BLM is breaking with its past decisions aimed at protecting mule deer when they are highly stressed and most vulnerable.
BLM spokesman Rey Adame said Friday the agency approved Questar’s drilling exception request but did not approve a request to allow for two drilling rigs to operate at the same time.
Questar has identified about 8,600 acres it believes holds the most potential for natural gas recovery. Thus far, the company has drilled 75 wells in the area.
“All of our acreage is under winter habitat, so when November 15 rolls around, we’re out of business,” Questar General Manager of Production Ron Hogan said.
Other operators can go farther south to BLM acreage not covered by winter habitat stipulations, a luxury Questar doesn’t enjoy, he said.
“So we had to ask ourselves how do we keep this thing going, and we came up with year-round directional drilling,” he said. “We believe not only is it good for us to have year-round drilling, but it’s going to be better for the environment, the habitat, visual aspects, air quality, for the (local) economy and the area.”
Year-round drilling from a single pad means truck traffic is reduced because equipment and materials can remain in one place, Hogan said. It’s also better for Pinedale’s economy because employees are not laid off and rehired seasonally but will be around for several years.
A coalition of five conservation groups filed a lawsuit last December against the winter drilling project.
“Protecting and restoring traditional wildlife migration corridors ... in the Green River Basin is a daunting challenge for the BLM,” said Linda Baker of the Upper Green River Valley Coalition. “Safeguarding these vital links between summer and winter ranges is critical to ensure the survival of abundant, healthy, free-ranging wildlife populations for the future.”
BLM officials believe the deer study will provide a model for designing future wildlife monitoring programs in drilling areas.
Preliminary results from last year’s study indicate habitat continued to be used by mule deer during drilling on the Stewart Point well.
Adame said data collected for the study thus far has not provided “conclusive evidence” regarding effects on wintering mule deer by drilling.
He said a “definitive conclusion” won’t be attempted until the entire study is completed in 2007.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
