Posted on 11/24/2010 2:21:36 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Environmental groups on Tuesday sought to cancel the December sale of oil and gas leases beneath more than 234 square miles of public lands in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
In a formal protest letter sent to the Bureau of Land Management, the three groups said the agency had not done enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions from oil field activities.
Any leases sold in the Dec. 9 sale will not be issued until the protest is resolved.
The three environmental groups — Montana Environmental Information Center, Earthworks and WildEarth Guardians — sued the BLM over the same issue last year.
The case was settled when the BLM pledged environmental reviews on suspended leases totaling more than 50 square miles. The agency also said it would conduct more detailed reviews on future lease sales.
The BLM later determined that greenhouse gas emissions from drilling rigs, compressors and other oil field equipment were insignificant and could not be linked directly to climate change.
Jeremy Nichols with WildEarth Guardians said the BLM deserved credit for changing its leasing process to make room for additional environmental review, but it hasn't followed through with ground-level changes.
Nichols and others involved in the protest point out that technology is available to capture emissions from oil field activities such as the venting of methane — a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.
"There's a disconnect. They know what's out there, they know what can be done," Nichols said. "It's almost like they view this as jumping through the hoops, and jumping through the hoops doesn't do anything to protect the environment and promote the responsible development of oil and gas."
Marc Smith with the Western Energy Alliance, an oil and gas trade association, defended the BLM's findings on greenhouse gas emissions from oil field activity.
"The finding of no significant impact speaks for itself," Smith said. "It begs the question, what is the greater good? Stopping the American economy for an impact you can't measure, or moving ahead with ideas that improve overall power sector emissions, create jobs and reduce reliance on foreign oil?"
Nationwide, the Environmental Protection Agency says oil and gas operations account for about 23 percent of annual U.S. methane emissions and 2 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.
However, the BLM said emissions in Montana would change only slightly if the leases targeted by the environmental groups were developed.
The 50 square miles of leases suspended last year were not included in the upcoming December sale.
The BLM has recommended that the sale of most of those parcels proceed, but a final decision is not expected until after the December sale, said BLM spokesman Greg Albright.
Federal oil and gas lease sales in the Dakotas and Montana totaled a record $75.4 million during fiscal 2009, and parcels in western North Dakota's oil patch accounted for the overwhelming bulk of interest for the sixth straight year.
North Dakota had $74.2 million in leases in fiscal 2009, according to the BLM.
Only two sales were held in fiscal 2010, which ended in September. The sales in November and January fetched more than $30 million, with North Dakota accounting for about $27 million of the total.
And are the protesters out marching in support of their position today? No likely; it’s 10 degrees and going to -2 tonight.
excellent
Methane isn't vented if present in significant amounts, it is flared off--generating CO2. What a bogus precept. But then, the facts need not be applied with these people. In case they hadn't noticed, it's a mite chilly up here this time of year, and a little 'warming' might just be welcome!
Stinking ecowhackos are probably sitting in offices in Southern California. I think they should be required to protest outside on site (and pick up their trash, too!).
Just drop 'em off for the week...
any time between November and March, wear only natural fibers, please.
Maybe then we could all sit down and have a meaningful discussion about 'warming'.
I hope all is well with you and yours. Happy Thanksgiving!
I would like to know how these scumbags heat their homes and cook their food.
With the money they are paid for protesting.
North Dakota moved from Recession to Expansion
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2604533/posts
Drill, North Dakota, Drill
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2605660/posts
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