BLM seeks comment on gas development proposal near Meeker

Meeker, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on an Environmental Assessment analyzing the potential impacts of the ExxonMobil Piceance Development Project 15 miles west of Meeker, Colo.

ExxonMobil proposes expanding their natural gas drilling activities and related infrastructure in the 28,800-acre Piceance Development Project Area. The existing gas fields in this area have been in continuous operation since the 1950s. The EA analyzes the potential impacts of up to 120 new multi-well pads – each with as many as nine wells per pad – as well as a new gas plant, new pipelines and other associated infrastructure.

The White River Field Office will host a public open house meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 18 in Meeker to share information on the proposed project and alternatives. The public is invited to stop by anytime during the open house, which is being held in the community room of Mountain Valley Bank, 400 Main St.

The amount of surface disturbance anticipated varies by alternative in the EA. The maximum total surface disturbance is estimated to be 1,740 acres over the 20-year life of the project. Reclamation will occur throughout the project, which will reduce this disturbance to approximately 750 acres.

The site-specific Piceance Development Project EA tiers to the larger White River Field Office Resource Management Plan, which was approved in 1997 and covers the entire 1.5 million-acre Field Office. BLM is in the initial stages of amending this 1997 RMP to address a projected increase in oil and gas development over the next 20 years. The Piceance Development Project falls within the scope of the original 1997 RMP, which addresses the impacts of a possible 1,100 single-well pads and 11,000 acres of associated surface disturbance throughout the Field Office.

BLM will accept public comment on the EA through Nov. 3, 2006. To receive a copy of the EA, visit the White River Field Office web site www.co.blm.gov/wrra or contact Carol Hollowed, BLM White River Field Office, at 970-878-3800.

-BLM-