LAKEWOOD, Colorado, September 25, 2002 (ENS) - A settlement reached in a lawsuit over the seismic exploration of oil and gas resources proposed for more than 9,600 acres of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) will allow some exploration while protecting cultural and natural resources within the Monument. At issue was the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) decision on August 9 approving plans for a seismic survey of the North Mail Trail Mesa area of the monument to benefit oil and gas leaseholders. Four environmental organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the decision.
Chief Judge Lewis Babcock enjoined the project pending further review by the court. The settlement agreement, signed Friday in a Denver United States District Court, lifts this injunction and allows the project to proceed.
The San Juan Citizens Alliance, The Wilderness Society, Colorado Environmental Coalition, and Oil and Gas Accountability Project along with Red Willow Production, LLC; Robert L. Bayless Producer LLC, Legacy Energy Corporation, Western GECO and the BLM have all agreed to the settlement.
The settlement provides for additional archeological and biological monitors to be on site during operations in some of the more sensitive areas, and for closing a historic oil and gas exploration route upon completion of the current seismic study.
"The agreement reduces the impacts of this project on the resources the monument was created to protect," said Mark Pearson, executive director of the San Juan Citizens Alliance. "It moves some of the points where the 60,000 pound vibroseis buggies vibrate the ground out of sensitive wildlife habitat, archeological sites, and undisturbed biological soil crusts to help address our concerns."
Oil and gas exploration is allowed within Canyons of the Ancients Monument under certain circumstances. To date, about 85 percent of the 164,000 acre monument in southwestern Colorado is under lease for oil and gas resources, and wells within the monument produce about 260 billion cubic feet of carbon dioxide, 200,000 barrels of oil and two billion cubic feet of natural gas each year.
The settlement agreement emphasizes that decisions pertaining to future oil and gas leasing within the monument shall be incorporated by the BLM into the Monument Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement.
"The agreement specifies how BLM will analyze future oil and gas leasing proposals for undeveloped areas of the Monument," said Suzanne Jones, associate director of the Wilderness Society's Four Corners office in Denver. "With only 15 percent of the special landscape not leased for oil and gas drilling, future proposals in this area deserve the highest level of scrutiny."
The current seismic survey will allow the oil and gas leaseholders to obtain detailed reservoir data, which allows them to better characterize the reservoirs underlying their leases. Having this data will allow them to better plan the development of their resources, resulting in fewer dry wells being drilled, and less surface disturbance.
"We are committed to conducting this survey in a manner that insures that cultural resources are protected and impacts to wildlife, sensitive plants and soils are minimized," said Claudia Rebne of Legacy Energy. "Legacy welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate that 3D seismic exploration is an environmentally responsible way to explore in the Canyons of the Ancients Monument."
The monument contains the highest known density of archaeological sites in the nation. It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife species, including the Mesa Verde nightsnake, long-nosed leopard lizard, and twin-spotted spiny lizard. Peregrine falcons have been observed in the area, as have golden eagles, American kestrels, red tailed hawks and northern harriers.:
