[RonF]

"The fact that environmental groups will never stop anywhere in their attempts to slow energy development."

If you don't like environmental groups' agendas, fine. But what's your response to the actual issues brought up? On the face of it, this kind of action very likely may drop the water tables, and thus harm agriculture in the region. And it's a documented fact that using water with too many salts in them (whether the salts be naturally occuring, or from fertilizer runoff) can reduce or destroy the productivity of agricultural land.

[EternalVigilance]

Agriculture? Have you seen that country?

If we were talking about Iowa here, I might give some credence to your concerns, but the Powder River Basin is hardly prime farmland.

Real farmers farming real agricultural land can't even get a decent price for their crop because of government policies...the impact of any crops grown in that region on our agricultural productivity as a nation is negligable, to say the least.

[BOBTHENAILER]

And it's a documented fact that using water with too many salts in them (whether the salts be naturally occuring, or from fertilizer runoff) can reduce or destroy the productivity of agricultural land.

Try telling that to most of the ranchers in the area, ace. You sit wherever in your high and mighty seat and spout sh!t you know nothing about. I've been there, am involved in production there, have friends working there and I know the water situation. The ranchers welcome it for irrigation and stock tanks. Several companies have built small ponds and lakes for ranchers that are now stocked with fish.

That's some real bad water huh, expert.

[edger]

I don't understand. If extracting the water (which is too salty to use for agriculture) to get at the coal bed methane is lowering the water table thereby harming the local agriculture, how did the extracted water get more salty than the water table water?

[MonroeDNA]

"If you don't like environmental groups' agendas, fine. But what's your response to the actual issues brought up? ...(blah, blah, blah)."

Welcome, member of 50 days.

[okie01]

"On the face of it, this kind of action very likely may drop the water tables, and thus harm agriculture in the region. And it's a documented fact that using water with too many salts in them (whether the salts be naturally occuring, or from fertilizer runoff) can reduce or destroy the productivity of agricultural land."

Legitimate concerns. But, evidently, you're not familiar with the terrain. The Powder River Basin is, basically, a wasteland. Growing crops is out of the question. What agricultural activity there is, is ranching -- cattle, sheep and goats. I don't know exactly what the "cow unit" is (that is: the number of acres it takes to support one animal), but I can assure you it's bigger than most estates.

So far as the water table is concerned, understand that surface water is virtually non-existent. The wells and runoff improve the ability of the ranchers to water their herds, even though they don't help feed them.

Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. Plus, a little sagebrush and greasewood...

Here's an example. Fats Draw quad, northwest of Savageton, WY

[RaceBannon]

I think that spent fuel rods should be used to create desalination plants for these wells and the water sources. Hey, you get free heat, and you boil out the salt, you get free distilled water for irrigation, what's the problem?