BLM releases Draft EA on proposed CO2 well
Organization
Media Contact:
CANON CITY, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office is releasing a draft EA for public review on two proposed CO2 wells near Gardner, CO. The public comment period will end on April 24, 2014.
OXY USA, the operator of the existing Sheep Mountain CO2 production unit, has proposed to drill a new CO2 well (SMU 4-23-I) and deepen an existing CO2 well (SMU 6-15-I). The project would take place within the boundaries of their existing operation, on private surface land over BLM minerals.
The wells would utilize existing roads, power lines, pipelines and maintenance facilities. No new infrastructure would be necessary. The project would take place on an existing pad with currently producing wells, which would have to be expanded to accommodate a drilling rig. Most of the expansion would be reclaimed and re-vegetated as soon as the rig leaves the pad. The project is expected to take three months.
The Sheep Mountain Unit was developed in the early 1980s in order to produce CO2. The produced CO2 is piped through an existing pipeline to the Permian Basin in West Texas, where it is injected underground into producing petroleum reservoirs that are in decline, aiding in the removal of the fluid minerals.
Project maps can be found on the BLM Royal Gorge Field Office website at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/rgfo/planning/sheep_mountain_co2.html.
For additional information or to provide a comment, please contact Aaron Richter at 719-269-8512 or arichter@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.