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Show Page B12 tDie Thursday, September 16, 2004 $28 million BLM oilgas lease sale was a record Utah BLMs quarterly oil and gas lease sale Wednesday broke the record of most acreage, revenues, and bidders for any lease sale. One hundred and fifty-nin- e parcels containacres were bid on. 245,775 ing The sale netted 28 million dollars, half of which will be given to the State of Utah primarily for use by the Permanent Community Impact Board. A total of 219 parcels containing more than 357,350 acres of land were offered at the oral auction on Wednesday. Bids ranged from $2 to $2,010 per acre. The high bid totaling $3,059,510 was received from Sampson Resources Co. based in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a 1,876-acr- e parcel in Uintah County, Utah. Turner Petro Land from Sandy, Utah submitted the second highest bid in the amount of $2,507,200 for a 1,566-acr- e parcel in Uintah County Utah. Coming in third was Baseline Minerals from Denver, Colorado with a bid of $1,314,450 for a 1,034-acr- e parcel also located in Uintah County. The parcels that were not bid on will be open for noncompetitive bid for the next two years. It is interesting to note that the focus of the bidding seemed to be both on known producing areas in the Uintah Basin and in frontier areas in the central portion of the state that have been previously un discovered, said Kent Hoffman, Utah BLM Deputy State Director for Lands and Minerals. In the case of the Uintah Basin, past exploration has been in shallow areas up to 8,000 feet. Companies are just now beginning to tap the huge gas reserves that are feet deep due to new technology and economics. While the September lease sale was the largest in Utah in terms of acreages, roughly 190,000 acres were deferred or deleted from the sale. BLM considered resource information prior to deciding the offering, including new information on wilderness character10,000-20,00- 0 istics. Every parcel is scrutinized prior to the sale to determine if they can be offered in compliance with, among others, the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act and in conformance with the Resource Management Plan Land Use Plan. To ensure the protection of other resources, numerous stipulations and stringent requirements are placed on leases that are issued said Hoffman. As an example, stipulations may include seasonal occupancy restrictions to protect wildlife and no surface disturbing activities within a one half mile line of sight. Oil and gas production in Utah contributes to meeting local and regional energy needs. Last year, 138 billion cubic feet of natural gas was produced on public lands in Utah, providing enough energy to heat more than 1.6 million homes, twice as many homes as there are in Utah. Four million barrels of oil were also produced on Utah public lands in 2003, enough to produce 79.6 million gallons of gasoline and 38 million gallons of dieselheating fuel as well as other products. The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 and the 1987 Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act authorize leasing of Federal oil and gas resources. The 1987 law, which amended the Mineral Leasing Act, requires each BLM state office to conduct oil and gas lease sales on at least a quarterly basis. This sale was consistent with the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and with the BLMs existing land-us- e plans, which guide management of all activities on BILM public lands. Less than one percent of the acreage managed by the BLM experiences surface disturbance from oil and gas activity. To minimize such impacts (the footprint) on the land, the Bureau analyzes the potential environmental effects from exploration and de velopment before offering any leases for sale, All leases come with stipulations (general requirements) on oil and gas activities to protect the environment; stipulations can also include specific restrictions, such as limits on seasons when drilling can occur and restrictions on surface occupancy by oil and gas operators. Once an operator proposes exploration or development on d a lease, the BuBLM-issue- reau carries out further environmental analysis and deterneed for mines the various types of impact-limitin- g or mitigation measures. site-specif- ic These measures and gas activities. The BILM carries out its mission under the authority of the land-manageme- nt 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which directs the agency to manage the public lands for multiple uses w'hile protecting the natural, historical, and other resources of these lands. Environmentally sound production of domestic energy from fossil and renewable resources is an important part of the BLMs multiple-us- e mission, and enfrom Federally managed ergy sources accounts for more than 30 percent of Americas include revegetation, which controls soil erosion and helps curb the spread of weeds; the strategic placement of structures and machinery, with colors that blend in with the landscape, so as to reduce visual impacts; the establishment of any necessary buffer zones so that oil and gas activity does not adversely affect certain types of wildlife habitat; and the burying of powerlines or pipelines under or adjacent to access roads to protect wildlife and minimize visual impacts. In addition, many operators routinely use Best Management Practices such as remote sensing to monitor well production, which minimizes surface impacts - in conducting their oil above-groun- energy production. Government estimates indicate that Federal lands contain about 68 percent of all undiscovered U.S. oil and 74 percent of undiscovered natural gas. A detailed oil and gas inventory by the Interior and Energy Departments found that Federal lands in five key Western geologic basins - located in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico - contain nearly 140 million trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That is enough natural gas to supply the 56 million homes now using natural gas for the next 30 years. d WITH THIS COUPON a 3alsa Bar.! Welcome to Casa Valentina..., Welcome to Mexico! 4 &EV ERASES notinclmpep.K Expires If 11012004 ft, Casa Valentina Utah enters into new Forest restoration pact So. Utah Governor Olene Walker signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the USDA Forest Service and the State of Utah to create a Forest Restoration Partnership Working Group. The signing took place in the governors boardroom on September 10, 2004. The Forest Restoration Partnership Working Group will be charged with monitoring and guiding programs that will benefit forests and communities of the Central Colorado Plateau and Great Basin. Using a collaborative approach, the group members will seek innovative methods for conducting and implementing forest restoration programs, and use local employment preference as a selection criteria for contracting. We see this as an important step in accomplishing much needed forest restoration work, said State Forester Joel Frandsen. It will not only benefit our forests, but the econo mies of local communities. The creation of this group will encourage a beneficial working relationship between the Forest Service and the ru- ral communities surrounding National Forests in southern Utah, says Jack Troyer, Inter-- , mountain Regional Forester. I am pleased that the Forest Service can enter into this agreement with the citizens of Utah. It is an outstanding opportunity to jointly identify and prioritize healthy forest restoration needs. The Forest Restoration Partnership Working Group is expected to convene their first days meeting within forty-fiv- e of the signing of the memorandum. It is expected that a Stewardship Center will be created using Forest Service funds in the short-terand the partners will contribute equal amounts of resources to maintain and carry out the responsibilities of the Working Group. m fixed for your fall in-ki- Utah Department of Transportation owata US1 Cl, Colorado River Bridge Study nF fjrTgfi i fixer-uppe- r. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) recently completed a study to determine whether to rehabilitate, renovate, or replace the Colorado River Bridge north of Moab on U S. Highway 191. The bridge is 50 years old and does not meet current design standards. Please join us for an update on the findings of the Colorado River Bridge Study and the recommendations for the future of the Colorado River Bridge. .50 y1 APR Prim for the lift of the loan Home Equity Credit Line Grand County Senior Citizen Center 450 East 100 North Fall is flying and summers dying, but theres still time to save big on a Home Equity Credit Line. So why not tap into your homes value with a fixed 3 intro rate on a Home Equity Credit Line pay off some of those piling credit cards, get into a new car, or take advantage of the cooler weather to finance that fall Plus, enter to win our $50,000 Extreme Home Remodel Giveaway or one of nine weekly $1,000 cash prizes. Offer ends October 9, 2004, so visit your local branch today To apply online, visit www.zionsbank.com. or call Moab September 22, 2004 6:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. fixer-uppe- r! WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN WHO KEEPS US IN BUSINESS. Comments or questions about the Colorado River Bridge or online. Study can be submitted by regular mail, Colorado River Bridge Study Project Team 3995 South 700 East, Suite 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84107 Nicole ZIONS BANK MEMBER FDIC www.zionsbank.com Doneaanhdrinc com & Or comment online at the project Web site, www udot Utah oovcoloradoriverbridae. ti For more information about the Colorado River Bndge Study or other UDOT projects, contact Myron Lee, Region 4 Public Involvement Coordinator, at (435) 893-470- nn h I 'if ij id G i'i irnu $ i iIP. 11 NIF r. rui |