BLM seeks public comments on proposed carbon dioxide wells
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CANON CITY, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office is seeking public comments on two proposed carbon dioxide wells near Gardner.
OXY USA, the operator of the existing Sheep Mountain CO2 production unit, is proposing to drill two new directional CO2 wells (SMU 1-3-M and SMU 6-4-I). The project would take place within the boundaries of their existing operation, on privately owned surface lands, producing BLM and private minerals.
If approved, the operator would use existing roads, powerlines and production facilities. An existing location with current producing wells would be expanded to facilitate the two proposed wells. Most of the expansion would be reclaimed and re-vegetated soon after the rig leaves the pad. The project is estimated to take two months for each well.
The Sheep Mountain Unit is located approximately 6 miles south of Gardner and has been producing CO2 since the early 1980s. 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 to help remove fluid minerals.
Project maps can be found on the BLM Royal Gorge Field Office website atwww.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/rgfo/planning/sheep_mountain_co2.html.
A scoping period gives the public a chance to tell the BLM what issues and concerns they think should be addressed in an EA and alternatives before the BLM begins drafting the document. This scoping period will run until March 11, 2015. Comments concerning the proposed action, alternatives and identification of environmental issues are most helpful. For additional information please contact Aaron Richter at 719-269-8512. You can submit written comments to RGFO_Comments@blm.gov with “CO2 wells” in the subject line.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Thank you for your interest in the management of your public lands within the Royal Gorge Field Office.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.
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.