The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released their Record of Decision (ROD) for coal bed methane drilling in the Northern San Juan Basin April 4, and according to some county residents and the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners, the findings don’t bode well for Archuleta County residents living in the HD Mountains and within 1.5 miles of the Fruitland Outcrop.

According to the document, drilling within 1.5 miles of the outcrop will be prohibited under most circumstances in La Plata County, while “within Archuleta County, drilling within 1.5 miles of the outcrop will be permitted following an incremental, monitor-and-evaluate-as-you-go approach.”

“I was hoping we’d be treated the same way La Plata County was. I’m looking at what’s different in our code from their code and why it turned out that way,” Commissioner Ronnie Zaday said.
And Commissioner Bob Moomaw echoed Zaday’s sentiments, “I don’t understand why they (La Plata County) got out and we didn’t.”

Forest Supervisor Mark Stiles, author of the document, provides a written explanation in the ROD.

“Differentiating between Archuleta and La Plata Counties in reference to drilling near the outcrop is supported by geologic and hydrologic information. While empirical evidence is limited on the east side of the unit, we do know that wells near the outcrop in Archuleta County have shown lower levels of natural gas production and much lower water production than wells near the outcrop in La Plata County ... While the exact demarcation for these differences has not been identified, outcrop mapping and well and drilling records show that the La Plata-Archuleta County line is a close proxy to this geologic and hydrologic change near the outcrop.”

Commissioner Robin Schiro said she wants to see the data Stiles used to come to his conclusion.

The outcrop, or specifically the Fruitland Outcrop, is a geologic uplift clearly visible along U.S. 160 just west of the Piedra River. It also marks the northern boundary of the 125,000-acre project area, an area that stretches from southeast of Durango, east into Archuleta County and south, to near the Southern Ute Reservation line.

Throughout the Environmental Impact Statement process, Archuleta and La Plata County residents and elected officials have voiced opposition to drilling near the outcrop, and of the 68,000 comments submitted to the BLM and Forest Service, concerns about drilling within 1.5 miles of the outcrop are a common theme.

For example, in September 2004, the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners formally opposed drilling within 1.5 miles of the outcrop with resolution 2004-28, and they renewed their opposition with a subsequent resolution adopted in Sept. 2006.

But why the concern?

Bob Delzell, an Archuleta County resident who lives within 1.5 miles of the outcrop, said, “Lessons learned in La Plata County teach us that drilling near the outcrop is risky business. They’re playing with fire.”

Literally.

Delzell is a member of the San Juan Citizens Alliance, a Durango-based environmental group committed to protecting wildlife and wildlands and to advocating greater corporate and governmental responsibility in development of oil and gas resources. Delzell sits on the group’s oil and gas task force and is on the board of directors, and while serving in those capacities, he said he has had extensive opportunities to research outcrop drilling-related impacts and to discuss areas of concern with industry professionals. And although Delzell acknowledges the possibility of a coal bed fire is slim, his concern is not without precedent. In fact, the final Environmental Impact Statement references the risk (Volume 1, pg. 3-506).

According to the document, dewatering of near surface coal seams — water is a natural by-product of the coal bed methane extraction process — and fluctuating groundwater levels in coal beds can trigger heating and supply oxygen that may cause spontaneous combustion.

Although no active coal bed fires currently exist in the project area, active coal fires occur on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation along the northwestern rim of the San Juan Basin and just south of the project area.

As of 2000, the tribe had spent more than $1 million to extinguish the blaze, and with an estimated $5 million more required to complete the job, and lacking certainty they’d succeed, they abandoned the effort.

Pagosa Fire Protection District Chief Warren Grams has described fighting a coal bed fire as an extremely expensive proposition, and added that much of the Archuleta County portion of the outcrop area lies in a firefighting no-man’s land, beyond the reach of his crews and those of the Upper Pine Fire Protection District.

And although coal bed fires don’t currently exist in the project area, geologic evidence, namely reddish, heat-altered rocks known as “scoria,” indicate concerns regarding coal bed fires aren’t without merit.

Beyond coal bed fires, and far more probable on the list of concerns Delzell said, is that drilling near the outcrop could deplete the water table, drying up or contaminating residential water wells and springs used to water livestock and pastures. According to Delzell, and citing an analysis published by the San Juan Citizens Alliance, there are 47 buildings within a half mile of the outcrop, and 34 buildings on the outcrop itself, 25 of which are homes.

Delzell said he isn’t satisfied with the “monitor-as-you-go” approach and said once the impacts of outcrop drilling can be observed or monitored, the damage has already been done to the environment or the water table. Furthermore, he said the ROD operates on two, suspect assumptions: that no methane seeps exist in Archuleta County and, second, that there exists a different and safer outcrop geology in Archuleta County.

Delzell said he knows of four Archuleta County residents living along the outcrop in Archuleta County who have methane in their water and he added that he is yet to see clear and convincing evidence that Archuleta County’s outcrop geology is truly different. Thus, establishing the 1.5 mile buffer zone in Archuleta County is a prudent insurance policy.

Mark Pearson, executive director of the San Juan Citizens Alliance, questioned whether the economic benefit of the few wells proposed near the outcrop in Archuleta County outweighed the risks.

According to Pearson, 48 wells proposed in the Archuleta County portion of the project area lie within the 1.5 mile zone — one on the edge of the outcrop, 11 within half a mile of the outcrop, 10 within half to three quarters of a mile, and 26 within three quarters to 1.5 miles.

According to the Record of Decision, drilling within 1.5 miles of the outcrop in the Archuleta County portion of the project area will occur in a “stepwise fashion,” and largely on private leases with concurrent monitoring and observation for potential impacts. If undesirable impacts occur, “subsequent wells could be conditioned to prevent or minimize additional exacerbated effects.”

Within the entire project area, the Record of Decision represents a scaled back version of the industry proposal from 162 well pads to 127, 97 road miles to 72, and 788 disturbed acres to 650.

U.S. Rep. John Salazar toured the HD Mountains in October 2006 with local elected officials, landowners and officials from the BLM and Forest Service.

Responding to the Record of Decision, Salazar said, “Under the circumstances, I think the BLM has come up with a reasonable decision for the Northern San Juan Basin. However, I am very disappointed that it will allow for more drilling in the roadless areas in the HD Mountains. In regards to the controversial outcrop formation where drilling could seriously hurt water wells and aquifers, I’m relieved to hear that a 1.5 mile buffer will be placed on the outcrop in La Plata County.”

In the Archuleta County portion of the project area, Salazar has called for the creation of a working group comprised of BLM, Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency staff and local elected officials to assess the safety and feasibility of drilling near the outcrop in Archuleta County.

Salazar said he was pleased that the BLM had adopted his suggestion, and he encouraged due diligence and cooperation from all individuals and involved agencies.

“I encourage the BLM to make sure a representative of local governments sits on that working group. The BLM must assure local residents that no drilling will occur along the outcrop without the proper safeguards for their safety and water supplies,” Salazar said in a press release.

Moomaw and Schiro said they would consult with other state and federal legislators to ensure adequate protection for Archuleta County residents living near the outcrop.

SUN staff made two attempts to contact Stiles in order to clarify aspects of the Record of Decision, but Stiles did not return those calls by press time.

Hard copies of the ROD are available for review at the following locations: San Juan Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, Colo.; Columbine Ranger District and Field Office, 367 Pearl St., Bayfield, Colo.; and the Pagosa Ranger District and Field Office, at 2nd and Pagosa streets. Hard copies of the ROD are also available for review at the Sisson Library in Pagosa Springs. In addition, a compact disc version or hard copy may be obtained by calling Walt Brown at 385-1372. The ROD is available online at www.nsjb-eis.net, or at www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/projects/projects.shtml.