For Immediate Release:
May 14, 2002

BLM Seeking Public Input on EA for Carbon Dioxide Drilling Proposal in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments on a proposal by Kinder Morgan Company to drill four carbon dioxide gas (CO2) wells on BLM lands in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument about 20 miles west of Cortez.

Two wells would be drilled in the Yellow Jacket Unit and two wells would be drilled in the McElmo Dome Unit. All four wells are on existing federal leases. Total surface disturbance for well pads, access roads, and roadside pipelines would be about 13 acres. No access road or pipeline would be needed for one well site, which is adjacent to an existing access road and pipeline gathering infrastructure. If the wells prove unproductive, they would be abandoned and reclaimed to BLM specifications.

The EA addresses potential impacts of all activities associated with the proposal on natural and cultural resources within the Monument, including construction, operation, reclamation and abandonment of the wells. Applications for Permit to Drill (APDs) are not approved until after the Decision Record is filed with the EA.

About 85% of CANM is leased for oil and gas resources. About 272 billion cubic feet of CO2 was produced in CANM in 2000, resulting in $8.6 million in royalties to the Federal Government and $4.3 million to the State of Colorado. Development on existing leases is allowed, subject to valid and existing rights, when those activities do not create new impacts that would interfere with proper care and management of the objects protected by the Monument Proclamation.

Hard copies of the EA are available at:
Anasazi Heritage Center, 27501 Highway 184, Dolores, CO 81323, and
San Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, CO 81301.

The EA is also available on the Web at:
http://www.co.blm.gov/canm/index.html
http://www.co.blm.gov/sjra/index.html

The BLM will be accepting public comment for 30 days until Friday, June 14 2002. Written comments should be sent to Manager, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, c/o Anasazi Heritage Center, 27501 Highway 184, Dolores CO 81323. Comments may also be emailed to Colorado_CANM@co.blm.gov

For more information, please contact Loren Wickstrom, 970 385-1373.