Coal Bed Methane Monster
Read the complete Sangre de Cristo Newsletter for April 2009. Click here.
I moved to North Fork Ranch
to retire in the beautiful
mountains between La Veta and
Trinidad. The Las Animas
Countys landscape is abundant
with forests, meadows, rivers,
springs, and streams as well as
various wildlife species great and
small that inhabit the area. My
quiet dream of raising horses
and enjoying the landscape of
Southern Colorado was interrupted
by the devastation I
witnessed from a new neighbor:
a mining company. I then made
up my mind to fight the Goliath
taking over my land and others
and become a Southern
Colorado Sierra Club activist.
In recent years, my fellow ranchmates and I have seen wildlife scrambling to avoid the clamor coming from construction operations of coal bed methane (CBM) wells. Noise isnt the only nuisance in the area; residents also have a growing concern about water quality in the area and land destruction. The overflow of reported surfactants, fluids used in drilling, can devastate streams and groundwater beyond repair. Construction and drilling also damage the land through erosion and silting of waterways. Over 3,000 CBM gas wells cover the once-beautiful hillsides in Las Animas County.
CBM production often results in a much more intensive ecological footprint than conventional natural gas extraction; although both industries lead to widespread road building and pipeline construction, habitat loss and fragmentation, and potential negative effects on both human health and wildlife populations. It appears coal bed methane operations can contribute to global warming and imposes a significant environmental carbon 'footprint'.
Many residents are caught in a web that they didnt even know existed: split-state property, which means the resident owns the land above ground and someone else owns the minerals below ground. Gas and mining corporations buy leases for the minerals under public and private lands, which gives them the legal right to extract gas and other resources anywhere they want on that property. Property owners are practically helpless against the mining and gas industries.
Many land owners in the affected communities have been actively seeking help and intervention with government officials to repair impacts to protect the water, land and air that My neighbors and I depend on every day. Some residents in Huerfano County (near Walsenburg) and Las Animas County (near Trinidad) have been affected by coal bed methane operations in one way or another. Residents are distressed by explosive methane gas creeping into their water wells and their homes. Their water wells are even drying up. Governor Ritter, Representative John Salazar, Colorado State Representatives, and Huerfano County officials have advocated for regulatory changes to help in protecting Southern Coloradans and the environment. The Colorado Oil and Gas Control Commission has actively been involved assisting landowners and industry officials to remediate water and air issues caused by CBM mining. A recent revision of the Commissions rulemaking provides a proactive beginning to protect public health, safety and the environment including wildlife.
When residents are affected by mining development and operations, they often have no one to turn to for help. It is of great importance that communities work together with a philosophy of inclusion for all land owners experiencing CBM impacts and organize a coalition effort. Sierra Club members have successfully networked throughout the State of Colorado with other environmental community coalitions and officials to help promote protection of the environment and the welfare of its inhabitants. A conscious approach towards the awareness of group networking and cooperation is critical to protecting property owners, private and public lands, wildlife, and our precious rural resources. In the Southern Colorado region ranching, tourism, hunting, and fishing activities generate many dollars to Colorados fiscal budget. We must require best management practices by mining industries, increased State regulatory efforts, and monitoring through citizen participation to bring balance to protecting our beautiful and unique State of Colorado. Call or write your representatives and demand better requirements and provisions for mining.
Gopa Ross
gopa.ross@rmc.sierraclub.org
In recent years, my fellow ranchmates and I have seen wildlife scrambling to avoid the clamor coming from construction operations of coal bed methane (CBM) wells. Noise isnt the only nuisance in the area; residents also have a growing concern about water quality in the area and land destruction. The overflow of reported surfactants, fluids used in drilling, can devastate streams and groundwater beyond repair. Construction and drilling also damage the land through erosion and silting of waterways. Over 3,000 CBM gas wells cover the once-beautiful hillsides in Las Animas County.
CBM production often results in a much more intensive ecological footprint than conventional natural gas extraction; although both industries lead to widespread road building and pipeline construction, habitat loss and fragmentation, and potential negative effects on both human health and wildlife populations. It appears coal bed methane operations can contribute to global warming and imposes a significant environmental carbon 'footprint'.
Many residents are caught in a web that they didnt even know existed: split-state property, which means the resident owns the land above ground and someone else owns the minerals below ground. Gas and mining corporations buy leases for the minerals under public and private lands, which gives them the legal right to extract gas and other resources anywhere they want on that property. Property owners are practically helpless against the mining and gas industries.
Many land owners in the affected communities have been actively seeking help and intervention with government officials to repair impacts to protect the water, land and air that My neighbors and I depend on every day. Some residents in Huerfano County (near Walsenburg) and Las Animas County (near Trinidad) have been affected by coal bed methane operations in one way or another. Residents are distressed by explosive methane gas creeping into their water wells and their homes. Their water wells are even drying up. Governor Ritter, Representative John Salazar, Colorado State Representatives, and Huerfano County officials have advocated for regulatory changes to help in protecting Southern Coloradans and the environment. The Colorado Oil and Gas Control Commission has actively been involved assisting landowners and industry officials to remediate water and air issues caused by CBM mining. A recent revision of the Commissions rulemaking provides a proactive beginning to protect public health, safety and the environment including wildlife.
When residents are affected by mining development and operations, they often have no one to turn to for help. It is of great importance that communities work together with a philosophy of inclusion for all land owners experiencing CBM impacts and organize a coalition effort. Sierra Club members have successfully networked throughout the State of Colorado with other environmental community coalitions and officials to help promote protection of the environment and the welfare of its inhabitants. A conscious approach towards the awareness of group networking and cooperation is critical to protecting property owners, private and public lands, wildlife, and our precious rural resources. In the Southern Colorado region ranching, tourism, hunting, and fishing activities generate many dollars to Colorados fiscal budget. We must require best management practices by mining industries, increased State regulatory efforts, and monitoring through citizen participation to bring balance to protecting our beautiful and unique State of Colorado. Call or write your representatives and demand better requirements and provisions for mining.
Gopa Ross
gopa.ross@rmc.sierraclub.org