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Dentry: Natural gas drilling hurting land

By Ed Dentry, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 22, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated July 22, 2008 at 12:13 a.m.

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The industrial takeover of the West is not about oil or the price of gasoline at the pump. Domestic oil production, in fact, has suffered from a shell game.

Nearly all the drilling on public lands is, in fact, about methane: natural gas. The booty at the wellhead is methane and stockholder cash.

The victims are taxpayers who own public lands - especially hunters and anglers, who've watched as a national legacy is slaughtered like bison.

"While there is little to no relationship between the price of gasoline and development of natural gas on public lands - which is what most of this development has been about, as opposed to oil - our rush to produce short-term energy supplies can have a profound effect on the fish and wildlife habitats and water supplies that define the West," said Chris Wood, a Trout Unlimited executive.

Wood spoke Monday at a phone conference called by Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development. The coalition wants "multiple use" returned to public lands that have been hijacked by a singular abuse.

Mike Dombeck, former chief of the Forest Service and BLM, said oil and gas development have replaced the multiple-use mandate of public lands in seven years.

The bitter results have been pollution, habitat loss and the crippling of tourism.

The damage is most obvious near Pinedale, Wyo., where mule deer numbers have declined 46 percent in five years, pronghorn have been locked out of migration corridors and air pollution is rife. A similar cloud is building a few miles to the south, in the Piceance Basin, once known as Colorado's "deer factory."

Sportsmen for Responsible Energy says "drilling hysteria" is leading to the destruction of a culture that enlists six million hunters and anglers and sustains a $7.4 billion recreational economy in five Western states.

The sportsmen's group has unfurled a set of "responsible energy recommendations," without hope that any present shell-game jugglers might pay attention, but with hopes for the next administration. It says it supports drilling, just not irresponsible drilling.

"Managing land is not a short-term thing," Dombeck said. "We're talking about clean water, fish and wildlife, about outdoor recreation, about the long-term future of public lands in the West and opportunities for future generations to hunt and fish."

The group has posted its recommendations at Sportsmen4ResponsibleEnergy.org. John Baughman, former Wyoming Game and Fish Department director, gave seven broad recommendations.

* Reaffirm multiple-use management on federal lands.

* Strengthen the leasing and permitting process to eliminate industry's "defacto property right" until a detailed conservation plan is in place for sites.

* Implement new measures for monitoring the effects of oil and gas development.

* Make comprehensive mitigation and reclamation of natural resources a fixture in all leasing and development decisions.

* Remove exemptions from the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, which developers have enjoyed since the Bush administration passed the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

* Use current science as the basis for all decisions in energy development.

* Make industry accountable for the costs due to oil and gas development.

"It's not appropriate to expect sportsmen's dollars from license sales and excise taxes, or the money from existing wildlife programs in BLM and FS, to pick up additional costs that result from oil and gas development," Baughman said.

USE IT OR LOSE IT: Never mind new leases. Industry could nearly double U.S. oil production if it would quit hoarding. The House natural resources committee says oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres of already-leased public lands and not drilling it.

Committee chairman Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., has introduced a bill requiring companies to start drilling or lose their leases.

"As long as oil companies hold oil hostage, they will continue to get away with charging high prices and demanding a greater share of the public's land," Rahall said.

Comments

  • July 22, 2008

    9:21 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    spud66 writes:

    It is inflammatory to say that oil and gas exploration is threatening a $7.4 billion hunting and fishing industry in the west. Only a small portion of that are is potentially impacted by oil and gas exploration.

    The science of oil and gas exploration makes leasing anything but simple. As geologists and geophysicists generate new ideas/prospects, energy companies seek to acquire new leases in those areas. As engineering solutions emerge to make petroleum extraction feasible where it wasn't before, those lands are leased.

    When oil companies spend big bucks drilling exploratory wells but find nothing, they still have the federal lease for the remaining term of up to 10 years, even though there is no oil or gas there.

    Oil and gas are not found everywhere. Much of the 68 million acres doesn't have economically recoverable reserves beneath it.

    Mr. Rahall, your comments are irresponsible and uninformed, which scares me given your position in the legislature. The free market sets the price of oil and gas, not the companies taking risks and working hard to provide energy to those who both use it and criticize those who provide it.

    I agree that we need to balance energy drilling and environmental concerns. Let's start by providing balanced and informed coverage within our news media.

  • July 22, 2008

    9:26 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    bobbyb writes:

    Ed-- what exactly is your expertise in environmental sciences and land management? You're a hack for the wacko environmental groups and believe everything they tell you-- no matter how absurd-- without question.

  • July 22, 2008

    9:28 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    bobbyb writes:

    "USE IT OR LOSE IT: Never mind new leases. Industry could nearly double U.S. oil production if it would quit hoarding. The House natural resources committee says oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres of already-leased public lands and not drilling it."

    Do you check facts at all?? There is absolutely no truth to this. Maybe you should do your homework instead of swallowing the enviro's kool-aid.

  • July 22, 2008

    2:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    carlindenver writes:

    Dear Ed AlGore Dentry: Feverish drilling? Is that similar to enviornmental alarmism? "West's precious lands". Let's fence those lands so NO ONE can enter. Drilling for natural gas IS about energy. What powers your water heater? and your furnace? Oh, by the way I dare you to complain about your coming high gas & electric bills this winter. Where do you think gas & oil come from? Yes, of course, "someplace else." Come to think of it sportsman's license fees are not nearly adequate to cover the damage those polluting sportsman vehicles cause to our "precious lands." Dentry and others who value "our" lands need to pony up much, much more than the current very minimum pennies they now very easily pay.

  • July 22, 2008

    7:38 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jbowen43 writes:

    A simple fact is that more of our energy could come from solar energy developed on BLM property but won't because the Bushies are blocking the development of that nearly infinite resource at the bidding of their cronies in the oil, gas, and coal industries. Another simple fact is that water is being polluted by the methane industry.

  • July 23, 2008

    11:39 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    spud66 writes:

    jbowen,
    Your logic would work if it wasn't for math. If you look at how much power a square mile of solar panels really generates and really costs, you would be shocked. Further, if you think a few holes in the ground (gas wells) impact the environment, try cutting out the sun. Plants don't like that, an neither do the critters who eat them. Try getting an EIS (that's environmental impact statement) approved for that.

    Again, if you're going to take a stand on an issue, please do some research. And reading that Greenpeace flyer (though printed on recycled paper) doesn't count.

  • July 23, 2008

    5:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    deerman writes:

    Ed, way to speak up for the wildlife and the sportsman who love this state and other western states being abused by the "texans". This is not only about energy, and the last time I looked, Excel was going to raise their rates because of an increase in the price of natural gas. Go figure, plunder and abuse our public lands, and pay more each year to heat our homes. Enough of this abuse and lack of integrity at the hands of the Texans! Sportsman used to be behind the Republican party because of the gun issue, no more, it is now about preserving our last public lands so we can hunt and watch wildlife...and yes we pay for almost all of the conservation in this country. Unlike the previous response that we should pay more for conservation...it is time for the oil and gas companies to act with integrity and not greed..and pay for their abusive act on our public lands. Sportsman will win this fight in the end...because we are right and will preserve these lands for future generations. Keep up the fight Ed!

  • July 25, 2008

    10:28 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    spud66 writes:

    deerman,

    YES, we have to protect our natural resources, but distorting the facts and gross exaggerations shouldn't be necessary in doing so. In fact, it weakens the credibility of wildlife proponents such as yourself. Do you really think that the oil and gas industry sets the prices for natural gas? Perhaps you should treat yourself to a macro-economics course at Red Rocks community college. If you want to add more hurdles to the energy industry that result in higher cost to do business, you should be willing to accept higher natural gas prices. Can't have it both ways, sparky.

  • July 25, 2008

    11:13 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    boyhowdy writes:

    As a former oilfield roughneck, wellsite geologist, and now environmental geologist who is also a backcounty hunter and fisherman, I have seen firsthand the damage done and habitat lost by building roads and bringing drilling rigs into pristine areas. The fact is we are running out of oil and gas and prices will continue to rise as a natural consequence of diminishing supply and increasing demand. Increasing production of natural gas and petroleum MIGHT temporarily slow the rise in prices, but in the long run it won't matter. What does matter is the permanent loss of pristine habitat, which we are losing at an alarming rate. Once a road is built the damage is done, and wildlife habitat never recovers to its pristine state regardless of remediation measures. If you think fossil fuel prices are high now, just wait ten or twenty years and look back to 2008, when $140/bbl will seem like a smokin deal. The longer we wait to drill pristine areas, the better the return in exchange for ruining our hunting and fishing. I applaud Ed Dentry's consistent point of view on preserving wildlife habitat while describing the selfish and extremely short-sighted activities of the oil and gas industry and the ATV crowd. I hate to see him retire and I hope his replacement retains the voice of reason and conservation that Ed has provided all these years. Great Job Ed!

  • July 31, 2008

    8:58 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    familyortiz writes:

    Spud66, Bobbyb and Carlindenver, regardless of your expertise in the area, many americans want to address the overconsumption of all energies which clearly characterizes most Bushist mentalities. There has been no attempt by our current administration to tighten our belts in any way, period. For that reason alone, it is laughable to see republicans playing the fear and bleeding heart card over drilling, whether it's for oil, natural gas or whatever. If this doesn't make sense, you must have grown up in some crappy, overexploited area of the country.

  • August 2, 2008

    8:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    burn_it_all writes:

    I don't hunt, fish or hike. I am too busy trying to survive. I am Main Street America.
    I have watched for some time with diminishing amusement the battle between left wing "Environmentalists" and right wing "Conservationists" or "Sportsmen" vs "Naturalists". I prefer Gun Nuts vs Gorp Nuts. For the sake of brevity I'll lump you together as G Nuts. You call each other Liberal and Conservative, I call you both Obstructionist.
    You feel most passionately the differences between yourselves and argue ceaselessly over philosophy and policy but from my perspective, the perspective of the MAJORITY of Americans you're essentially the same and suffer from the same fundamentally flawed precept. The gun toting hunters and the gorp munching hippies both believe the "wide open spaces" belong to them.

    These energy rich areas are not your private playground or "habitat". This land belongs to all the people of the United States of America and it must no longer be held hostage by a noisy minority on the right and the left. You may not have noticed it but these are difficult times. The majority of Americans are like myself. We live in a city and are daily occupied with the price of gas and electricity, not "expansive views" or "prolific game". We need the heat and AC to work, we need gas to get us to work, we need the computers at the office to keep running. We have recently been subjected to 300% increases in the price of gasoline, 20% increases in the cost of electricity, and natural gas increases are driving us under.

    To the greedy elitists in the G Nuts communities I say your day is done. Whether you're reliving Waldon Pond or running around the woods with your coonskin cap channeling Davie Crockett...game over. You can no longer play Lords of the Manor.

  • August 2, 2008

    8:31 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    burn_it_all writes:

    Check your calendar. This is 2008, not 1808 or even 1908. The Socialist Utopia of the National Forest Service and the Communist oppression of the Wilderness Act are fragments of a bygone era. Untrammeled by man! Give me a break, this is a trammeled land on a much trammeled globe. Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited. Are you smoking crack unlimited? How about Oil Unlimited! Field and Stream! What planet are you on? I am paying $4.00 for gas. When I think of a field I think "potential coal deposits", when I think of a stream I think "potential hydro-electric power".
    This country is in pain. People are suffering. How selfish can you be? Allow me to elucidate. If 10 acres of "pristine" land could provide 10 Americans energy for a year or provide 1 hunter or hiker 10 years of play, what is the best use of that land? I make no claim to the veracity of these numbers but they illustrate my point. This land belongs to us all, not the elite hunters and hikers who think nothing of denying their fellow Americans the very means to thrive.
    Do you realize that In West Virginia they have been using an incredibly efficient way of processing mountains into energy. It is a marvel of modern technology, they literally put a mountain in one end of a machine and it comes out the other end as energy. West Virginia has served this hungry country well, providing decades of energy. This method must be employed in the west as the mountains there are much larger and would provide much more energy. Perhaps enough prosperity for hundreds of years.

    We have an energy savvy administration in Washington. But their efforts to alleviate the pain in this country have been stymied by their own constituents! The Gun Nuts side of the G Nuts camp. This will not stand. President McCain cannot be trusted to resolve this issue, he is too much in the sway of the G Nuts opressors, but his successor will. When 2012 comes around and gasoline is beyond $10.00 a gallon and a state of emergency and rationing is in place a new order will be established in Washington. With a True Conservative president and True Conservative congress who listen to the voice of the people and not that of the G Nuts this pain will be alleviated and energy will go once again unvexed to the people. My vote goes to Ron Paul, he is very clear on his position on Public Lands. There should be none.The entire idea of public lands is Socialism. Again these are the ideas of the past. If you want to hunt and fish and hike, buy some land. Whether you espouse Teddy Roosevelt or Henry David Thoreau you espouse anachcronistc ideals. To paraphrase the great Barry Goldwater "Extremism in the defense of liberty energy is no vice"

    So hippie hikers flush your mushrooms, Daniel Boone hunters put the shotgun back in the rack, get back to work. The business of America is Business!

    To the G Nuts who continue to deny me, Main Street America, access to my Western energy bounty I say this. " From My Cold Dead Hands" !

  • August 5, 2008

    8:57 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    deerman writes:

    To Burn-it-all:

    I think you have lost your mind and need to move to Saudi Arabia, as it would be the best place for your ideas. Last time I checked, over 17 million hunters and 30 million fisherman live in this country and will not stand for your views of destruction of our natural resources. Hopefully, by the time you have moved to Saudi Arabia,this country will have developed alternative energy and has started to reclaim the destruction to the State of West Virginia.

    Long live Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. And for people like burn-it-all, have fun living in a country that does not protect it resources from individuals like yourself....because here in the US...we will send your likes packing!

  • August 16, 2008

    12:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    drill_here_drill_now writes:

    I too am a hunter and fisherman. I love the outdoors. I grew up in Western CO and have lived in Saudi Arabia. Not too much elk hunting or trout fishing there. Until we find a more efficient/reliable energy source to heat my humble abode in the winter, then we need to exploit the natural resources we have in Colorado. I refuse to sit around a sterno, during a winter blizzard, in my living room to save a few trout.