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Show PAGE4 THE 7EPHYR OCTOBER 1991 an interview with Brad Palmer, BLM Area Resource Mgr. by Ken Davey Kan Davey conducted an Interview whh BLM Grand Area Raaourea Manager Brad Palmer. The Interview haa Imm edited for clarity and length. Management of BLM land la guided by what are ealed reeource management ptans RMPa, Right now, the area oparatee under BMP completad In 1985. Since that time, major changea have talun place bi the waye public landa hare have been utilized. Recreation haa exploded, and with new Internet by oH companiea In petroleum and gaa exploration, the agency expocta to begin work on a new management plan by next year. Zephyr: The BLM managea more than half the land maaa In Grand County. What la your overall guiding management principle for the land?? Brad: It always haa been, but even more so now, that the BLM is focusing on multiple use. And multiple use doesn't necessarily mean multiple use on the same acre of ground. What you try to do Is take Into account what the appropriate um Is In a particular area. And you rely to a large extent on public opinion, as weU aa what natural resources are there. If you have a riparian area a streambed or other place used by wOdUfo like Negro BIH or Mill Creak canyons, even though people may want to use off road vehicles In those areas, it may not be In the best Interest of the environment to allow those uses. So what you do Is look at the appropriateness of the use, and public opinion, and try to come up with soma middle of the road position. Zephyr: Right now there la a sharp polarization between forces far development and supporters of conservation. How much pressure do you pet from both aldea? Brad: In the last year or so we've heard a lot from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance SUWA and the environmental community. But ust recently, within the last 4 to 6 months, we're starting to see m equal amount of Interest from the Western Association of Land Users and maybe the people who are on the opposite aide of the fence from the environmental community. So I think right now we've got a batanced level of participation by both groups. Zaphvr: At a recent hearing held In Moab bv Congressman BIH Orton, the lama crowd was split between wtidemasa supporters and ocponMta. Ware you surprised by that? Brad: Not a ML That's what we're experiencing. We see a strong push by the environmental community to keep some of these areas pristine and not allow My type of devsiopmMt or intrusion that could Jeopardize those areas. On the other hand we have WALU and those who want the opportunity to go bito those areas and possibly utfllze the resources that are there, and provide for development What we saw In that mealing was vary represMtative of what we see In the Moab community. Zephyr: 8pMklng of development there la a lot of Interest In a potential Cane Creak oil play. In your view, how likely la It that there wIM be a malor Held here? Brad: That's difficult now, because we have one producing wall, the Columbia 27-- 1 well, On that, they foal that they utilizing horizontal technology. They have drilled another, 19-the well and are looking at a different Initially missed their target, and they horizon. Meridian has completed their weti at Hatch Point Although they havM't told us whether If a a good well or not, when we have talked to them, they've had a smile on their face. Plus, they did put production casing In the well. So we've made the assumption that - 1. ed they have a producing well Right now, Columbia Is working on their third well. We have Meridian wanting to drill another, and we have Chevron. I think that we're going to need at least 2 or 3 more before we really have a grasp on whaf a there: Columbia's first well waa very successful right from the start. Their second well they had a lot of problems whh It, and they still don't have a producer yet So Ifa early In the game. Zephyr: One of the points made bv envIronmMtallsta la that since this la the Ireolnnlno. now la the time to begin looking at and protecting the Impact a field might have on other BLM uses and the Mvlronment Do you Mree with that? Brad: My personal view la, the time we need to look at these areas Is prior to Issuing the leases. That's my view, Cm not sure If thafs the BLM's view. But once the lease has beM Issued, we have Mtered Into a contractual agreement with the oil company to allow them to drill and produce oil wlthing certain environmental guidelines and cMStrainta. Zephyr: But according to the BLM. a lease la a paper transaction, and haa no effect on the land, so no analysis Is needed. Then, after the lease la Issued, you say the agency has an obligation to allow drilling. So If the agency won't study the Impacts when giving the lease, and If after the lease la given It's too late to deny drilling. Aim when can the puMIc and the agency look at whether or not to allow an area to be developed? Brad: Wed, we actually do it before we issue the lease, In the RMP. In the one that was prepared In 1985, we did look at the Issues that were occurring Him. They essMtlally zoned the area Into categories. You go from the least restrictive to the most restrictive, from opM have leasing with special considerations, and teasing to no teasing, and In betweM you All of theee Issues and concerns were considered In leaaing with no surface occupancy. that 1985 plan. Those categories carry specific stipulations aa part of the lease agreemMt For example, on a Mock In the Book Olfte, and there waa concern about elk or dear winter that there could not be things happening range, you would define as one of the stipulations In these areas during specific times of the year. And In an area where you didn't have elk of the RMP but later on, due to research or calving or critical winter range at the time the conditions of the monitoring you find out It Is calving or winter range, you can't change the cant rights provided for. enjoy lease that make H so restrictive that the lessee But you can go back In, try to work with the company and tell them you are concerned, and hopefully they will be willing to work with you. Thafs what we're seeing out In the Dead Horae Point area. The leases ware Issued prior to the Issues now surfacing, such as wilderness bM. We didn't have the recreation, or HR 1500 the Wayne now. we have Information on bighorn sheep flat ZMhvr: How many currant permits have been granted In the past year or so? Brad: The only mss we have approved so for are ColumMa 27-- the ColumMa 19-- we approved the Coora wad, but rescinded the approval because of the environmental documentation on It We approved Meridian's proposal on Hatch Point, and the 28-- 1 welL ZMhvr: Ware there any others bealdes Coora that were rejected or rescinded? OwMS-eponsor- ed 1, 1, Brad: No. Zaphvr: So the ethers lust havM't beM approved yet Brad: We have 5 that have beM approved, one of which was rescinded. The others are In various stages of NEPA environmental documMtatlon. . Zephyr: Whv waa Coora rescinded? Brad: The primary reason waa the temporary restraining order Issued against us, and the y period for Coora and SUWA to prepare for a hearing. That additional 30 days put us beyond a period of time wtwn we felt really comfortaMe with the Impacts addressed In the environmental assessment We knew we could probably drill from the Md of June through the early part of August, because that waa a period of time having the feast Impact on the 30-da- area. Two of the primary concerns were the level of recreation uae In the area, which Increases In October. The other thing Is the Mg horns get Into their rut They congregate In larger numbers In some areas, Md the human presence and the oti and gas activity, cumulatively, may have m Impact on their aMlity to do what they do. The rut may not be aa succassfuL So It pushed us back later Into the year, and we ware looking at Impacts we had not addressed or considered In the MvbenmMtal aasesamMt ZMhvr: Should they have beM considered In the assessment? Brad: In light of what the company was telling us, that they wanted to drill betwaM the end of June and the first of August, If they had not beM specific on wfwn they wanted to drill and they were looking for a one year approval on their application, Him we would have tekM that Into account, and we would have come up with other alternatives. But our ultimate recommendation would have beM the same, the optimum time to drill would have beM early summer. ZMhvr: The Meridian well haa beM drilling for a long time. Columbia haa been drilling their sccMd well for a tong time. Isn't this "window1 of drilling a problem, because an dl company can find that a six week protect turn Into months? If Coora had been allowed to go ahead, they could, under the permit atlll be drilling In October. Brad: Thafs right, and that may be an Issue we need to consider, based on the experience we have now. ZMhvr: There waa a controversy for a while aa to the burying of wet drill tellings and drilling mud at the Columbia well. I waa told that specific permit did not mv It couldn't be buried. But future permits from the agency say It cannot la that accurate? Brad: This whole reserve pit Issue has come to light since the Columbia well was drilled. ColumMa, Meridian, Md Chevron havegone to great lengths trying to provide ua Information on how to deal with the reserve pit issue. One of our primary concerns was that If you require them to put a plastic lining In, and you fill It with concentrated salt cuttings, thafs what they are drilling through, and a dtesel-base- d drilling medium, you've got hydrocarbons and salt going Into that plL Ifs In their Interest to recover as much of that diesel Md drilling muds as they cm because then would be able to use It again, Md It's very expensive. We feel they are doing an excel lenl Job In trying to recover as much as they can. There Is still going to be some residual hydrocarbons and drilling fluids associated with the cuttings that are In that pit All of the research that they have beM aMeto provide us, not done Just by oil companlei but by IndependMt sources, Indicates the best way for the hydrocarbons to break (town li to allow them to come In contact with the adjacent soil, either by mixing or allowing It tc CEDAR BREAKS CONDOS Center r 4th East Moab, Utah 84532 AAARATED Hr With Self Serve Full Breakfast 801-259-78- 30 imm |