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Both sides speak out on McCullough drilling
By Carole Cloudwalker
This document was published online on Monday, September 15, 2008
Both opponents and proponents of proposed exploratory gas drilling in the McCullough Peaks' Roctober Unit attended a BLM open house last week in Cody.
Opponents feared for the continued well-being of wild horses in the McCullough Peaks Horse Management Area, said Dave Seward, a BLM natural resource specialist for oil and gas development.
Opponents at the Sept. 10 event also worried about disturbing an area that so far has remained in an untouched state. It's popular with recreationalists who enjoy horseback riding, wild- horse watching, hiking, biking, riding ATVs and other activities there, Seward said.
Drilling proponents cited the need for more natural gas to heat homes. They also noted that drilling and development would create local jobs, especially in the construction trades, while following the federal government's directive to utilize its lands for multiple purposes, Seward added.
He said seven of the proposed 16,000-foot deep exploratory wells - which have an estimated cost of $7 million each - are proposed to be drilled on BLM land, including a portion of the wild horse management area.
Two additional wells which already have been permitted by the state will be drilled on nearby state land, he said. All the wells are within two miles of each another, and are located about 18 miles from Cody north of US 14-16-20.
“Most of the wells would be drilled off existing roads,” Seward said.
He added that the first well likely would be drilled on state land, and work could begin as soon as October.
The company doing the drilling plans to hire local people to build roads, construct well pads, lay pipe, provide pumping services and maintain a pipeline, Seward said.
“We have that base (of workers) here already,” he added.
The company proposes drilling two water wells for use in the drilling process, and the wells possibly would be turned over to the BLM when they are no longer needed, Seward said.
However, with no electricity in the vicinity, pumping could be a deterrent to the BLM's use of the water to benefit the wild horses and other animals, he said. The gas company plans to pump water from the wells with the use of a generator.
If the EA for BLM drilling is approved, a second gas well could be on BLM property, he added.
He said there are about 180 wild horses in the McCullough Peaks Horse Management Area, and an EA on a roundup in the near future is being prepared.
Seward said Bill Barrett Corp. of Denver estimates there eventually could be as much as 3.5 million cubic feet of gas oer day generated from each of their nine wells.
With the price of natural gas presently at about $7 per thousand cubic feet, and an anticipated lifespan of more than 20 years per well, the McCullough Peaks could be a valuable natural gas resource into the future, Seward said.
If the proposal goes forward, each well's “pad,” or footprint on the ground, would involve disturbing about six acres of land, Seward added.
The first “state” well is proposed for possible drilling in October, he added.
Because of the meeting's open house format, comments were made as visitors spoke with various agency and industry representatives in the room.
About two dozen people attended the meeting at Big Horn Federal Savings.
The meeting launched a 30-day scoping period in which public written comments are being sought so an Environmental Assessment for the proposed drilling can be prepared.
If the EA does not conclude with Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the project, a full-blown Environmental Impact Statement could be required, Seward said. That could add 18 months to the approval process.
Written comments may be submitted through Oct. 10 to Amy Perkins, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, BLM Cody Field Office, P.O. Box 518, Cody.
For more information call Perkins, 578-5928.
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