Monday, November 03, 2014

Environmental groups want Farmington's BLM Field Office to pause issuing permits for oil and gas wells

Officials with the Bureau of Land Management say they will organize an internal committee to respond to a letter from environmentalists that calls for the bureau to stop issuing oil and gas drilling permits until an environmental analysis is complete. The San Juan Citizens Alliance, the Chaco Alliance, WildEarth Guardians and the Western Environmental Law Center sent a 34-page letter to the bureau on Monday outlining issues with BLM's Farmington Field Office and its approval of Mancos Shale drilling permits. A BLM spokeswoman, Donna Hummel, said the agency received the letter and will draft a formal response to its demands. "Yes, we are in receipt of the letter, and we have responded back. We have responded back to the authors," Hummel said, adding that an internal team has been formed to prepare a full response. In the letter, the environmental groups state the BLM continues to issue permits for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, but hasn't analyzed how the process affects the environment. "The BLM's rampant approval of Mancos shale drilling and fracking is not only threatening the region's air, water and wildlife, but undermining our nation's progress in reducing greenhouse gases and combating climate change," the letter states. Issues outlined in the letter include methane emissions, flaring, protection of cultural resources and water usage. "(The letter) raises a lot of concerns. The BLM is leaping before looking at what the consequences are of committing public land," said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians, in a phone interview...more

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