Even though the number of new oil and gas wells drilled on federal land continues to skyrocket, a new government survey shows vast areas of energy-rich public land are off-limits to development.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management inventoried more than 99 million acres of federal land – stretching from Alaska to Florida – that hold 76 percent of the nation’s federal onshore oil and gas resources.
Within the 99 million acres, more than 51 percent of the oil and 27 percent of the gas were closed to drilling, the survey said.
About 45.5 million acres, or 46 percent, is closed to federal energy leases – a loss of more than 10 billion barrels of oil or 50 trillion cubic feet of gas, the survey said.
Those federal lands include some of the nation’s most pristine national parks and scenic wilderness areas on national forestland.
BLM officials say the survey emphasizes the federal government’s challenge managing public lands that are designated for both energy development and recreation.
“What it says to me is that we have a real challenge balancing our multiple-use mission in a growing West,” BLM director Kathleen Clarke said. “It’s not a simple task.”
Environmental groups called the survey “misleading” and said it may be used by the Bush administration to support efforts to increase drilling on public land.
In a report released in October, The Wilderness Society estimated 118,000 new wells will be drilled on public lands in Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Montana by 2026.
“Anyone who’s been in the Rockies the last five years and doesn’t think industry has enough access to public lands doesn’t pass the laugh test,” said Pete Morton, an economist with The Wilderness Society.
Industry officials, however, said the report underscores the point that vast energy resources are domestically available, which can help drive down consumers’ energy bills.
“I think the big story here in my mind is that this report provides more evidence that American consumers benefit from opening non-park, non-wilderness areas for production,” said Marc Smith, director of the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States.
In Colorado and Utah, the survey indicates that 35 percent of the federal land in the Uinta-Piceance Basin is not open to leasing.
The off-limits land there contains about 17 percent of federally owned oil and 15 percent gas, the survey said.
In the Paradox-San Juan Basin, about 49 percent of federal land is closed to leasing, a loss of about 23 percent of the oil and 7 percent of natural gas, according to the survey.
The survey, ordered by Congress, follows a 2003 report that indicated there were fewer restrictions placed on drilling three years ago.
In the Rocky Mountain region, 14 percent of the federal land the BLM surveyed was off-limits to drilling.
Some energy companies drilling in Colorado say they aren’t feeling a pinch in being shut out of public lands.
Doug Hock, a spokesman for Encana Corp., said the company is leasing 1.2 million acres in Colorado – more than 943,000 of which are federal land.
“Our plate is pretty full in terms of where we’re working and what we’re producing,” Hock said. “We’ve got a good land base to work off.”
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-954-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
99
MILLION
Inventoried acres
of federal land
45.5
MILLION
Acres closed to federal
energy leases
10
BILLION
Barrels of oil not reachable
50 TRILLION Cubic feet of gas not reachable
118,000
New wells to be drilled on public land in the Rockies by 2026, The Wilderness Society says
