Large oil and gas project up for public review

Jason Cannon
Unit 5
12/30/13

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865593122/Large-oil-and-gas-project-up-for-public-review.html

Synopsis:

Newfield Exploration Company has wanted to do a lot more oil and natural gas drilling in the Uintah Basin, and they are currently waiting on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which has submitted a report to the public.  If they were allowed to expand their drilling, about 335 million oil barrels and 541,000 million ft³ of natural gas would be harvested.    The BLM denied their request in 2010, but have recently created a plan to allow them to drill with a few restrictions based on environmental concerns.  Juan Palma, a leader of the BLM, said, “This important project milestone underscores the BLM's commitment to facilitating oil and gas development using a balanced approach that supports energy production on public lands in Utah where it's most appropriate.”  The plan includes restrictions such as the lowering of the impact on two types of cacti and the reducing of the affected habitat of the western yellow-billed cuckoo from 19 acres to 1 acre.  Information meetings are available around the state in late January before there is a “45-day comment period closing”.

Comments:

I don't completely understand what needs to happen for this project to be implemented.  I was somewhat confused when reading the article about what stage it is in, and how much more needs to happen for it to be put into effect.  It said that the "45 day comment period" ends on February 4th, and so I guess that is when they stop accepting public opinion.  I don't know if they have to follow the public's ideas or whether they are just testing what they think.  I assume the project will pass because the BLM, a federal agency that helps protect the environment, came up with a plan.

I think that the BLM's approach on this environmental policy issue is great.  They allow the drilling, but also try to protect the environment.  I think it would be extreme to forbid this company from drilling in the Utah desert, but I also think that being aware of the environment is important.  This event illustrates what environmental compromise can look like.  It is important to be able to use our resources without destroying the environment.