Summit County Citizens Voice

A map showing which lands are available for oil and gas drilling on the White River National Forest.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — An increased level of interest in oil and gas drilling on lands at the western edge of the White River National Forest has spurred the U.S. Forest Service to begin rewriting the rules governing energy development on the forest.

The last time the agency took a comprehensive look at oil and gas drilling was in 1993, said David Francomb, project leader for the review. Since then, the White River National Forest adopted a new land use plan with strict standard and guidelines to protect natural resources. The update will address inconsistencies between the old oil and gas rules and the guidelines in the 2002 plan.

“There’s improved drilling technology, so the level of activity could be higher,” Francomb said, explaining that the lands in question are around Debeque and Carbondale, as well as near Meeker, to the northwest of Summit County.

The recent Gulf oil disaster could also lead to more pressure for onshore drilling, as the federal government this week announced it will delay plans for expanded offshore drilling.

Impacts of the proposed changes will be fully disclosed in an environmental impact statement. The first public meeting on the project is scheduled for July 14 in Silt.

Altogether, White River forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams proposes to declare about 1.16 million acres of the forest off limits to drilling. Another 857,500 acres are legally closed to drilling, including designated wilderness and lands under special use permit, including the many ski areas on the forest.

The proposal would also open about 266,000 acres to drilling that were not available under the 1993 plan, and close off 857,000 acres that were open previously.

In another key part of the oil and gas plan, the Forest Service must include specific conditions, formally called stipulations, to the plan to protect roadless areas, significant habitat and watersheds.

“It’s clearly out of date,” said Colorado Wild analyst Rocky Smith, referring to the White River’s existing oil and gas plan. Smith, who scrutinizes Forest Service proposals and decisions on behalf of environmental groups, said the Aspen-based Wilderness Workshop has been asking the agency to update the plan for several years.

Since the original rules were written, oil and gas exploration and development has exploded with the emergence of new technologies that enables drilling where it once was economically unfeasible.

“It’s a good thing,” Smith said, adding that the Forest Service will be looking for site-specific comments on the plan. “It’s something we like.”

“Our goal is to complete this analysis in a timely and cost effective manner while insuring the resources of the White River National Forest are protected for future generations” Fitzwilliams said. “As we move forward, we want to hear from the public. We need to know your issues and concerns regarding this decision.”

This scoping part of the public process helps the agency identify concerns about specific resources and locations. In the next phase, the agency will develop the Environmental Impact Statement to address those concerns. Following the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the agency will develop alternatives and compare their effects, then finalize a draft study for public comment in the winter of 2011.

Public involvement for the project started with the June 30 publication of a notice in the Federal Register. A public open house, will held at the BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office at 2300 River Frontage Road in Silt, Colorado. from 2:30 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. Forest Service staff will be available to explain the project, accept comments and answer questions.

More information, including maps, and links for comments, is online at the White River NF website.

Filed under: energy, Environment, forests, gas drilling, oil drilling, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Colorado oil and gas drilling, Summit County, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, U.S. Forest Service, White River National Forest, White River National Forest oil and gas development