Salt Lake City – A Denver-based energy exploration company is proposing to drill 750 natural-gas wells on Utah’s West Tavaputs Plateau near Nine Mile Canyon, a request that could trigger new battles over an area revered for its ancient Indian rock art and rugged beauty.
Bill Barrett Corp., which created a furor among conservationists when it received permits in 2002 to drill 38 wells on about 89 square miles on the backside of the remote Book Cliffs, now is pursuing “full-field development” of the Stone Cabin and Peters Point gas fields.
The development on the border of Utah’s Carbon and Duchesne counties would encompass about 215 square miles and could yield 500 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The company notified the Department of the Interior in May of its intent and now is working with Interior to craft a plan that could be published by the end of the summer. That would kick off an environmental review process that could take three years.
