Planning Meeting Update

KSFR Local

SF County ramps up oil-gas planning SANTA FE (2008-06-10) -- About a half year remains in the period of a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in Santa Fe County, and a new consultant is on board to help county officials create an ordinance to regulate drilling. Bruce Peshoff of the Kansas-based firm Planning Works joins planning lawyer Robert Freilich in creating a series of public meetings to arrive at a plan the county commission might adopt. They say there will surely be a lawsuit if the county decides to restrict drilling, but that a transparent planning process would likely prevail in court. If it turns out drilling is allowed, they say the developers should be required for any extra services, such as fire and law enforcement, as well as roads and water. © Copyright 2008, KSFR

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According to Planning Works, Bruce Peshoff, the next meeting will be in about a month. There will be multi-hour workshops for the public to participate in the planning process for the County General Plan, the Galisteo Basin Area Plan, and amendments to the Land Use Code regarding oil and gas activities. There will be a website put up that will have a comment center, feature map, reference center, and a download center. Robert Freilich posited that there will be multi alternative analyses presented to the Santa Fe County Board of Commissioners to select from and then to adopt one. It will be our purpose to have at least one alternative that is acceptable to the citizens of Santa Fe County. This will require due diligence. The role of Robert Freilich is to give legal advice. The role of Planning Works is to work with the County and the public to arrive at a community plan that the community wants. The citizens are the final deciders, not the out-of-state planners or lawyer.

Another concern of the planning process would be the intended and unintended consequences of a "creation of a special improvement district for the Galisteo Basin."