THE ZEPHYRSEPTEMBER 1991 PAGE 20 proposed for the Moab area, and that In many cases seismic work will precede the drilling of these wells. Further, if the wells strike natural gas, a network of pipelines Involving road construction, compressor stations and other facilities would be required. Still, the BLM apparently Intends to approve all of the wells and seismic projects without a comprehensive environmental impact statement All the good BLM staff work In the world can't overcome the seeming Insistence by the top BLM brass to cut comers on area oil and gas projects. the canyon country watch dog MR. ORTON GOES TO MOAB WE WERE WRONG the August Issue of the Zephyr, a Whan you're wrong, you're wrong. "Watchdog story stated that Columbia Gas "buried approximately 200 barrels of wet diesel baaed drilling mud on the site, In violation of their operating permit, and without notifying In the BLM." Knut After reading It myself, It Is apparent that Columbia and their & Son of did violate and not the the all conditions and with rules regulations complied BLM were Its covered. when on was site the also states that employees pit permit The Further, although the BLM Itself says that approximately 200 barrels of cuttings mixed with drilling mud were buried, David Knutson counters that the amount burled was closer to 20 or 30 barrels, that It was not wet, and that it was covered with ten feet of solL In any case, Columbia Gas and Knut & Son played by the rules, and we made a mistake. The Zephyr apologizes to both companies for the error. sub-contrac- tor --Jim Representative Bill Orton has now visited several communities within his district for the asserted purpose of gathering information on BLM lands suitable for wilderness designation In Utah. However, it appears that the Congressman Is using die meetings to justify excluding deserving areas from wilderness protection. Mr. Orton's Moab town meeting was well attended, with about an even split of opinion over whether portions of southern Utah should be designated wilderness. Mr. Orton did not solicit testimony regarding any arras outside the 3.2 million acres already delineated by the Bureau of Land Management as wilderness study areas (WSAs). He did not solicit Information on the full 22 million acres of Utah BLM land, the 5.7 million acres proposed by the Utah Wilderness Coalition, or even the 5.4 million acres proposed by fellow Utah Representative Wayne Owens. Stiles -- file ArT f LeiTaTioK) SEISMOCOLOGY The latest go round of oil and gas action around Moab includes two new seismic proposals located west of the Knoll on Deadman and Mineral points north of the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park. For the Deadman Point proposal, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is considering seismic lines which would cover approximately 3.4 square miles with about 26 miles of new line being driven by vibrator trucks. The environmental assessment (EA) prepared for the work by a private contractor is well written, but is based on two erroneous assumptions: 1. that the BLM lacks the "jurisdiction" to deny Chevron's application to perform the seismic work and 2. the BLM should consider the environmental impacts of the seismic work separately from that of Chevrons proposed oil and gas well in the same area. The EA provides a great deal of good information. It explains to the public what the project Involves and should be a useful reference tool in the future. However, because the agency assumed it would approve the work, and refused to decide whether or not the proposal is a proper use for the land in question, the EA Is largely a wasted effort. The BLM continues to insist that the act of issuing oil and gas leases Is merely a paper transaction which does not commit the leased areas to oil and gas development And based on that claim, the BLM refuses to consider the environmental impacts of oil and gas work before issuing the leases. But later, when the oil industry comes back with drilling or seismic proposals, the BLM then asserts that its hands are tied from denying drilling or seismic proposals because the leases Issued gave the operators development rights. At no point is the agency deciding whether public lands should be used as oil and gas fields or for other multiple uses such as scenic, recreational and wildlife values. According to the agency it is too early at the leasing stage and too late at the or seismic stages for the public to argue that lands such as critical wildlife drilling habitat should not be drilled. At some point the agency needs to give the public a chance to be involved In the decisions as to which lands are suitable for oil and gas fields and which lands are not The BLM has also released a second EA prepared by a private contractor for seismic work on Mineral Point This work is near that on Deadman Point and the approximately 17 miles of seismic line which the BLM had already approved on Mineral Point (SUWA appealed the latter project, for, among other reasons, the BLM's failure to consider whether or not the seismic work was the best use of that land above Mineral Canyon. There again the BLM just assumed it would approve the work without considering a "no action alternative," that Is, denying permission to allow the work). On the new Mineral Point Seismic proposal, instead of claiming that It is without "jurisdiction" to deny the seismic work, the BLM just Ignores altogether the Issue of whether or not the work Is proper for this location above Hell Roaring Canyon. 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