Ranchers, Indians Sue BLM Over Wells (NM, Here we go again, Part 2)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | Thursday, February 5, 2004 | Tania Soussan

[CedarDave]

Ranchers, Navajo Nation chapters and environmental groups on Wednesday sued federal land managers over a plan that would allow almost 10,000 new oil and gas wells in northwest New Mexico.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management last fall approved a plan to guide the use of more than 1.4 million acres in the Farmington area over the next 20 years. The plan covers the San Juan Basin, where there are 18,000 operating oil and gas wells. The basin, which is mostly in New Mexico, currently produces 10 percent of the nation's natural gas.

In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the groups argued that the BLM's decision harms the ranching economy, the region's air quality and Native American cultural sites. New Mexico BLM spokesman Hans Stuart said the agency could not comment on the suit. Bob Gallagher, president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said the organization supports the BLM and he believes it did a "thorough" job on its management plan.

Attorney Mike Chiropolos of Western Resources Advocates, said the groups don't want to shut down oil and gas development completely. "We're looking to the BLM to protect public health, environment and local communities instead of putting oil companies first," he said.

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Chiropolos said another 10,000 oil and gas wells could spell the end of the ranching industry in the area.

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The lawsuit also claims that the BLM's plan was written without appropriate consultation with the Navajo Nation and that it would harm Navajo sacred sites.

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Plaintiffs in the suit include the Counselor, Huerfano and Pueblo Pintado chapters of the Navajo Nation, ranchers Blancett and Don Schreiber, and environmental groups Diné CARE, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Oil & Gas Accountability Project and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Copyright 2004 Albuquerque Journal

[CedarDave]

Chiropolos said another 10,000 oil and gas wells could spell the end of the ranching industry in the area.

With respect to ranching, the area is generally a wasteland anyway due overgrazing, mainly by Navajo sheep (where the number of livestock gives one status) and due to the multi-year drought. The main problem is that the individual Navajo's and ranchers don't often hold the mineral rights so they don't get a share of the royalty payments. If they did, they'd very likely be singing another tune.

[CedarDave]

PING to your lists, please. Texas added to topics to inform oil and gas types in that state.

[CedarDave]

Part 1 here:
Coalition Fights Drill Plan (NM, here we go again!)

And yet an earlier one here:
Richardson To Protect Otero Mesa (NM, to prevent oil and gas drilling)

[razorback-bert]

Hmmm, I thought most of the wells in that area were on the Southern Ute Rez and Navajo land in Utah.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the groups argued that the BLM's decision harms the ranching economy, the region's air quality and Native American cultural sites. ***

This is bunk. For years the Four Corners Power plant belched flue gas full of fly ash without any electrostatic precipitators to stop the ash.
While I lived in that area you could look to the west and know where their power plants were from the location of the smoke.

The San Juan Power plants just to the North did not have that problem.

If you are in the area in the spring you might see one of the dust storms that blow through the area. So much of Arizona blows over the town that it is jokingly refered to as Farmington, Arizona.

[CedarDave]

Not at all. The majority of them are in New Mexico from the Colorado border south to the Cuba area and from the west flanks of the Jemez Mountains west to the Arizona border. This is a very old (from 1950's) and well drilled area. I suspect most of the anticipated drilling is infill and probably different target zones. Though unprofitable when oil prices were low, they are being looked at again. Of course, most of the production is from traditional formations (Dakota, Mesa Verde), but these have very little water associated with them.

Coal bed methane is produced from areas almost exclusively north of the San Juan River up to the border and into Colorado. That production produces lots of water, most of which is relatively fresh. The California liberal, ex-hippy transplants who now are beginning to take over Durango have organized to fight coal gas production on the Colorado side. Hell, they're even fighting the old steam engines on the historic narrow gauge RR to Silverton, complaining about the coal smoke, and making the air quality folks enforce Colorado air quality rules at the RR roundhouse. Crazies, all of them.

[CedarDave]

You are entirely correct about the APS Four Corners plant. It produced (and likely still does) a smokey haze over the area that sharply reduces visibility when looking to the west from highway 44. I suspect that they are protesting volatile air emissions rather than particulates, though they may complain about the dust from the dirt roads generated by the pumpers as they visit each well.

[Paleo Conservative]

The main problem is that the individual Navajo's and ranchers don't often hold the mineral rights so they don't get a share of the royalty payments. If they did, they'd very likely be singing another tune.

That's similar to Mexico where the federal government owns all mineral rights. I'm sure glad the first bill proposed for the annexation of Texas did not pass. It would have given most public lands to the federal government. Fortunately the second bill let Texas which had never been a US territory prior to statehood all public lands. The few national parks in Texas were actually either donated to the or bought by the federal government.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[farmfriend]

Amazing how the ranchers want the government out of their back pocket until something happens they don't like then they want the government to step in just like the enviros.

[E.G.C.]

BTT!!!!!!