"Recovering From Wyoming's Energy Bender" -- The New York Times

"They imply that anything less than full support for the oil companies is un-American. But a bumper sticker on a pick-up truck hints at the truth: “The war is over. Halliburton won.”'...

..."Oil and gas are accustomed to dominating the debate. But Ms. Williams’s forums have created an opportunity for grass-roots rebuttal. Residents, who have so far been cowed by the enormous tax contributions that energy companies make to the state’s coffers, are upholding values not counted in dollars. “My hope is that with our backs against the wall we will finally speak up,” another weather reports participant said.

Maybe Wyomingites, justifiably proud of their roughneck heritage and anxious to keep the oil field work, have realized that this boom isn’t going away soon, and they’d like a little of Wyoming left when the oil companies move back to Texas. “We’re Mother Nature’s bodyguards,” a billboard sponsored by Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range warns. “And yes, we are heavily armed.”'

"San Juan's producers unhappy with latest pit rule delays"

Something unexpected for some readers of the article, "San Juan's producers unhappy with latest pit rule delays, " "The issue of reclaiming and reusing produced and "frac" water is drawing attention in Texas. Reporter Mella McEwen, of the Midland Reporter-Telegram, recently covered an announcement by a local oil and gas company, Stan Weiner of Weiner Oil & Gas, that he planned to partner with General Electric to enter into the "emerging market" of reusing the liquid by-product.

The article was an outgrowth of a Barnett Shale symposium held at Midland College in December.

The state of Texas deals with 6 billion barrels of produced water annually. The amount of produced water brought up by New Mexico's oil and gas producers was not immediately available." (click here for referenced article)

Is the future of oil and gas producers to become water producers?

"My view: 1872 Mining Act doesn't apply to Ortiz" - Bill Condit

From "My View: 1872 Mining Act doesn't apply to Ortiz, " In other words, whatever happens in Washington D.C. to amend or revoke rights under the 1872 law will have no effect upon Santa Fe Gold Corp.'s lease of the Ortiz area. Exploration and development of the leased area will be governed by state laws, no doubt with ample input from Santa Fe County citizens, not unlike the Tecton Energy oil and gas leases, also entirely on privately owned land and minerals." Point of fact, Santa Fe County has a Mining Ordinance that will apply at the local level for proposed exploration and development of the Ortiz.

From a previous Alamagorda Daily News article, July 23, 2006: Industry leaders insist drilling plan protects Otero Mesa

"HEYCO consultant Bill Condit sat in the Santa Fe municipal airport, his flight to a Colorado energy forum delayed. Loudspeakers crackled overhead, announcing boarding times with static.

"I was a liaison in Vietnam ... there, being a liaison could get you shot. And now I may be in that position again," Condit quipped, surprised that Yates tapped him for a talk with the press.
...
Like Gallagher, Condit attributed fears of irreparable damage on Otero Mesa to misunderstandings of the oil and gas production process.
...
But despite the top geologists and pricey software, Condit admits there's much HEYCO has to learn, and can only learn, from drilling.

"It's absolutely true that more information is necessary before the next step after the next exploratory well," he said. "BLM can talk about the 1,589 acre cap (on total surface disturbance), but that's a long way from happening."

Condit can't admit much else, because most of the company's information is considered proprietary. He cannot reveal how much natural gas production the company anticipates, how it would conduct its exploration, or how much it discovered in 25-1 and 1-Y, the only successful wells ever dug on Otero Mesa.

"We believe one of the reasons George's wells were successful and the others weren't is because they drilled with an air mist, not water," said Condit.
...
"George understands he's going to be constrained by the new plan," said Condit.
...
If U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Black, who is expected to rule any day now, allows the BLM to implement its plan and proceed with drilling, Condit says Yates is committed to using the most environmentally sound techniques available."

HEYCO: heycoenergy.com

"Drilling Ban," - Rio Grande Sun

"Drilling Ban," Rio Grande Sun:

"The moratorium could last six months or longer while the (Rio Arriba) County develops an ordinance addressing the environmental and cultural effects of the proliferation of wells. It will apply to "any portion of the territory within the County that is not within the zoning jurisdiction of a municipality or not within Native American designated lands," the proposal states. Federal lands are also included in the draft." (full article)

"Critics slam energy corridor planning," - trib.com

"Critics slam energy corridor planning," from trib.com:

"The vast majority of a draft environmental analysis focuses on explaining why the corridors will have no impact on the environment, said Joanna Prukop, secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. "We disagree with that," she testified.

The corridor designation process is currently proceeding without compliance with key federal laws, consideration of renewable energy resources or efforts to protect the other natural resources and communities, she said....

...The Energy Policy Act of 2005 directed federal agencies to designate energy corridors for oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines and electricity transmission facilities on federal lands in portions of 11 Western states.

Last November, federal agencies released a draft programmatic environmental impact statement. They are currently analyzing 14,000 public comments. They hope to have decisions signed by the end of this year that would designate corridors and amend land management plans in those areas." (full article)

"The Green Team," Santa Fe Reporter

"The Green Team," by Laura Paskus, sfreporter.com:

"Here—just in time for Earth Day on April 22—are the stories of 10 folks making a difference in New Mexico." (full article)

"Environmental News for New Mexicans," Laura Paskus

"Gold claims draw skepticism"

"Gold claims draw skepticism," santafenewmexican.com:

"An Albuquerque-based mining company has announced plans to mine for gold in the Ortiz Mountains south of Madrid. But a local author who wrote a book about gold mining in the area said the company seems more interested in mining investors than gold....

...Bill Baxter, a San Marcos-area resident who wrote the book The Gold of the Ortiz Mountains, about the history of gold mining in the region, said several of the company's claims raise red flags for him....

...Baxter said he's already been contacted by frantic residents concerned about the proposed development. "If I'm right, this is a tempest in a teapot," he said. "They won't have to worry. This is a stock market event more than it is any kind of gold mine. There is always the chance they may stumble onto King Solomon's mine there, and it's that insanity that makes people who look for gold a little bit crazy."' (full article)

For Albuquerque Journal North online subscribers:

"A company with offices in Albuquerque has plans to mine for gold and possibly other materials in the Ortiz Mountains southeast of Madrid in Santa Fe County, according to information on the company's Web site.
Although Santa Fe Gold Corporation— formerly Azco Mining— said it intends to "begin mining operations as soon as practicable," it also acknowledges on its Web site that it needs various permits and approvals from federal, state and county governments in order to proceed."
"Gold Mining Proposed"

"In the 1980s, Gold Fields Inc. took thousands of ounces of gold using cyanide at the Cunningham Hill Mine, just north of the two sites— the Carache and Lukas deposits— where Santa Fe Gold wants to mine.
State officials said groundwater pollution persisted at the site, and, in 1996, three mining companies that had purchased the mine from Gold Fields reached a settlement over cleanup.
But Carson said he wasn't worried that his company's proposed mining operations could ignite a firestorm.
"Certainly, we would have concerns (about opposition), and it would be up to us to determine that the mining was environmentally safe and (allay) any concerns people might have," he said." Oh, really? What about the regulatory agencies? What about the citizens?
"Gold Mining Planned"

"Santa Fe Gold eyes mining in the Ortiz Land Grant" - KSFR

April 14, 2008 -- On KSFR's Monday's midday report:

'As a company eyes gold mining in Santa Fe County, we talk with the state energy and minerals department about how it is regulated. Plus reaction from "DrillingSantaFe."'
http://tinyurl.com/4b2j3p

Santa Fe Gold Corporation to Mine the Ortiz?

From Seeking Alpha:

"The company (Santa Fe Gold Corporation) owns the Summit Silver-Gold property in a mill site and processing equipment in southwestern New Mexico; mineral lease rights for the Ortiz Gold property in north-central New Mexico, believed to contain 2 million ounces of gold...

...Earnings potential. The Summit and Ortiz properties form a solid base for long-term earnings growth. The operating earnings at $650 gold for Summit are projected to be $10 million a year and for Ortiz $35 million a year....

At the current metal prices, which of course are much higher than the $650 gold, I think gold now is around $950, those operating earnings go up quite substantially. And we'll have a look at that as well.

I do also want to make another point about these assets, the Ortiz and the Summit assets. Both of them are quality assets in the sense that when they go into production, they will be in the lower quartile of operating costs worldwide for gold production and that's a very important thing for us." (full article, click here)

For link to Santa Fe Gold Corporation, click here

Damascus Citizens for Self-Government and Friends, LLC

A reader emailed about the below grassroots group:

Damascus Citizens for Self-Government and Friends, LLC

From the website linked above, "CITIZENS' GROUP FORMED IN DAMASCUS, PA
Regarding Gas Drilling - It Is Not a Benign Activity . . .

---

We are a grassroots group in Damascus, Pennsylvania named:
"Damascus Citizens for Self-Government and Friends, LLC" - abbreviated as DCS.

We are working very hard to prevent the dire effects of gas well drilling, such as polluted drinking water, carcinogens in the farmland and food chain, torn-up roads, risk of gas fires, plummeting real estate values, and screeching noise pollution."

"Threat or promise?" - aspendailynewsonline

"Threat or promise?" - aspendailynewsonline:

"There is a finite supply of oil and gas. Why not slow the process and end the cycle where the bust is sure to follow the boom? We’d experience less pollution, safer water, less crime, and easier housing. Our communities would be more stable, and there might even be some oil and gas left for our grandchildren. We could avoid installing “man camps” on private property against the will of the property owners."

"Lt. Governor talks energy: Denish puts oil and gas high on priority list" - The Daily Times

"Lt. Governor talks energy: Denish puts oil and gas high on priority list" - The Daily Times:

"Regarding the Río Arriba County Commission's interest in imposing a six-month countywide moratorium on new oil and natural gas drilling, Denish suggested the county might want "more economic development" from drilling, and may see a way to gain from it financially.

"It would be in the interest of the oil companies to sit down with them (the commissioners) and see if an enterprise zone could be developed," she said. "I want to see their thinking."

San Juan County producers worry the moratorium, if enacted April 24, would affect about 50 percent of the drilling work available to their field workers.

Sticking to her statement that New Mexicans want to see responsible drilling, Denish raised the possibility they might drill directionally rather than create separate well pads and roads to them for each site.

"I think a lot of this is spurred by the Galisteo Basin moratorium and the realization that a county can put on additional standards," she said regarding the seemingly new focus on where drilling is allowed, and to what regulations it should adhere." (full story)

"Area home prices fall in first quarter" - Santa Fe New Mexican

From the Santa Fe New Mexican, "Area home prices fall in first quarter":
"Shalizi said sales in Santa Fe County have been affected by a company's announced plan to drill new wells for oil and gas in various parts of the county. "I know a couple of (home) sales that were terminated due to concerns about the (planned) drilling," he said."

"Editorial: Feds study gas damage; isn't that something?"

"Editorial: Feds study gas damage; isn't that something?" - Santa Fe New Mexican:

"It isn't as if governmental bosses have suffered a surge of concern over harvesting coal and its gaseous by-product in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and other stretches of the West. The energy bill approved by Congress in 2005 said such a study was to have been completed within a year. But such is the resistance from today's Washington to the likes of Congress that some environmental groups sued the Interior Department earlier this year to get its agencies off the dime.

The concern about coal-bed methane has to do with the way it's produced — by pumping out groundwater that traps the gas down in coal seams. Once the gas is extracted, the leftover water is injected into the ground, in New Mexico's case, or run into rivers up in Wyoming and southeastern Colorado. "

Pennsylvania going full circle

In 1859, Edwin L. Drake built the first oil well in the United States. Currently, "(a) Fredonia State College professor helped unearth findings that suggest more than 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lies within the Marcellus black shale that stretches from New York through West Virginia... It began during a Dec. 14 conference call with Texas-based Range Resources Corp., which was drilling near Pittsburgh. Lash's research partner, professor Terry Engelder of Pennsylvania State University, was asked how much natural gas was in the Marcellus Shale." ("Researcher: Shale holds vast supply of natural gas," Buffalo Business First.)

See article, "There's Gas in Those Hills," - New York Times

Anniversary April 15,2007 - April 15, 2008

In March 2007 we had become aware that an oil & gas company had its sites set on the Galisteo Basin. On April 15, 2007, the picture above was taken of Black-Ferrill #1. It was also used in the first Drilling Santa Fe blog post: http://drillingsantafe.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html

On April 15, 2008, comments are due about the purposed oil & gas drilling in the Galisteo Basin. From the EMNRD website, "Please use this COMMENT FORM to express your concerns and to ask these agencies any questions that you have regarding this subject. The deadline for comments is April 15, 2008. Please use a separate form for each agency with which you may have a comment."

Rocky Mountian Institutute, Berlin Conference

From the Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org, "In this presentation delivered to the Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (by video, Feb 2008), Mr. Lovins provides a thorough overview of the synergistic and profitable benefits of advanced energy efficiency across multiple sectors (March 2008)." (Click here for direct link to the RMI library file)

Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Oridiance - FWCanDO!

From a great website Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Oridiance - FWCanDO! fwcando.org, a very nice compliment to the Santa Fe County citizens,

"-----Do you know the way to (Drill) Santa Fe?

If natural gas producers are willing to lay waste to the Land of Enchantment, how do think they feel about Texas? Here in the Land of the Barnett Shale, we seem to have traded our souls and our quality of life for a bucket full of green frog-skins.

The citizens of Santa Fe County, New Mexico have used their muscle to get county commissioners to temporarily suspend new drilling and applications. We could learn a lot from them."
http://www.fwcando.org/node/154

Garbage Warrior in Santa Fe

From an email received:

GARBAGE WARRIOR
April 11, 8 p.m.
April 12, 11:30 a.m.
$10/$8 members
www.GarbageWarrior.com
Earthships founder Michael Reynolds and his crew in person!

"Demands to be seen by as many humans as possible." – Santa Barbara Independent
What do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? For renegade architect Michael Reynolds, they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing. For 30 years, the Northern New Mexico—based architect has built self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. Shot over three years in four countries, Oliver Hodges' British Oscar-nominated film offers a timely portrait of a determined visionary and hero of the 21st century.

(U.K., 2007, 87m, 35mm)

CCA: 1050 Old Pecos Trail Santa Fe, NM 87505 505.982.1338

Sustainability is not compatible with empire.

--

Jonah Reynolds

jonahr@mac.com

http://www.earthship.com

singularity9 (skype)

"Vultures and coyotes," - LASVEGASOPTIC.COM

"Vultures and coyotes," - LASVEGASOPTIC.COM:

"It was bound to happen. Change is inevitable and the vultures and coyotes are drooling on the doorstep of Mora County.

The “Gem of New Mexico”, as Sen. Phil Griego calls it, is facing two significant and simultaneous challenges: enforcement of a long ignored provision of state tax law; and potential development of oil and gas resources.

There is a real fear in the county that affluent vultures are looking east from Taos and Santa Fe counties, ready to soar over Mora and swoop and snatch away tax-delinquent land at a song, taking le gente’s rich culture with it. But vultures migrate too, so they’ll probably be flying over from San Bernadino, Marin, Travis, and Cook counties too.

So it’s understandable that backs are up all over the county in LeDoux, Chacon, Guadalupita, Holman etc. It’s kind of like a “Go ahead, make my day”, squinty-eyed, clenched fist, Clint Eastwood, attitude.

Besides the tax vultures, some coyotes are also on the prowl for fossil fuels. Folks in the Ocate area are becoming familiar with the good, the bad, and the ugly of oil and gas development. Companies have already managed to lease some private mineral rights for potential future development and want more. Where it will all go, and how it will affect the land and people is now being debated." (full article, click here)

"War of the Wells" - The Texas Observer

"War of the Wells" - The Texas Observer:

"Neighbors say they move in quickly. Suddenly a tall, garish, mechanical contraption belching fumes and noise dominates the neighborhood. Heavy trucks pound the streets. These are the signs of the drilling rigs that are spreading across Texas. Depending on how much oil and gas lies beneath the ground, they can stay for a few months or years. High demand, combined with improvements in drilling technology, is making it cost effective to go after the last deposits. In 2000, there were 7,974 wells completed in Texas. By 2007, that number had nearly doubled to 14,247.

Industry observers have taken to calling it a “stampede,” and prospecting drillers are bumping up hard against an expanding Texas population. Protests and lawsuits are increasing. Almost everywhere there is intense oil and gas drilling these days, citizens’ groups have formed to fight pollution, safety, and proximity problems." (full article, click here).

In related posts at the Bluedaze blog http://txsharon.blogspot.com/ : "Illegal Dumping of Barnett Shale Drilling Waste: $10,000 Reward" & "A Barnett Shale Sludge Pit Looks Like This"

"Oil, gas officials voice concern on possible drilling halt" -- The Daily Times

"Oil, gas officials voice concern on possible drilling halt," "Lines are drawn in a classic northern New Mexico land-use battle as Rio Arriba County Commissioners move to impose a six-month moratorium on new oil and gas drilling.

Meanwhile, the Texas company poised to drill in the Tierra Amarilla region of the county is pleading ignorance of the county's environmental concerns.

Rio Arriba County is rooted deeply in land-use issues. It was in Tierra Amarilla that a group of Spanish land grant protesters seized control of the county courthouse June 3, 1967, to focus attention on land-use matters." (full article, click here)

KSFR, Thanks!

Many have expressed gratitude for the KSFR coverage of the oil and gas situation in Santa Fe County. Keep tuning in to Bill Dupuy and the KSFR News Team; "Living on the Edge," David Bacon and Xubi Wilson; and "The Journey Home," Diego Mulligan. Thanks, KSFR! (click here)

"NM officials protest upcoming BLM oil and gas lease sale," AP

"NM officials protest upcoming BLM oil and gas lease sale," "Oscar Simpson, conservation chair of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, said his group and other sportsmen would sign on to the protest.

Simpson, who also is a member of the state Game Commission, said the bighorn herd in the Caballos is a sign that the species is recovering. Allowing oil and gas development in the area would be "bad advice," he said.

"We think we need to do everything we can to make sure that we understand the area good enough to make sure that if there is oil and gas development in the area, it's got a big enough buffer zone and it won't impact this herd or its migratory paths," Simpson said." (full article, click here)

"Colorado unveils rewrite of gas, oil regulations" -- AP

"Colorado unveils rewrite of gas, oil regulations, " "DENVER — After three months of debate over a preliminary plan, Colorado officials Monday released a draft rewrite of the state's oil and gas regulations that yanked or modified parts that drew the most fire from the industry.

The proposals will implement new laws requiring that decisions about oil and gas development give additional weight to public health, wildlife and the environment. Supporters say regulations must be updated in the face of an unprecedented, statewide natural gas boom." (full article, click here)