A controversial plan that could allow drilling for oil and gas in northwestern Colorado’s Vermillion Basin was pushed back as much as a year Thursday after a federal agency refused to endorse it.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has demanded an air-quality study to gauge the impacts of an estimated 3,031 wells, delaying the process by the Bureau of Land Management and infuriating local officials.
“It looks like we’re being singled out,” said Tom Gray, a Moffat County commissioner eager to reap the economic benefits of oil and gas exploration. “To have a wrench tossed in like this at the end is pretty disappointing.”
The final Little Snake resource-management plan, which covers 4.2 million acres, originally was scheduled for release next summer, said BLM planning and environmental coordinator Jeremy Casterson.
But the unusual request from EPA regional administrator Robbie Roberts for an air- quality study even before any specific projects have been proposed means that plan will be delayed as the BLM tries to create a pollution model based on estimates.
“We agreed to go back to the drawing board,” Casterson said. “It wasn’t very surprising, but I don’t know if we anticipated it, either.”
Environmental organizations and Gov. Bill Ritter have denounced plans to drill in the scenic canyonlands of Vermillion Basin, believed to harbor 9.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
“We don’t want to sacrifice healthy air and public health for energy development,” said Suzanne Jones, regional director for The Wilderness Society. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a hard look.”
Her organization has backed a federal wilderness designation for the Vermillion, a remote area known for its wildlife and ancient rock art.
Moffat County officials said they will fight the delay, arguing that air-quality assessments should be completed only after leases have been signed and drilling companies have submitted specific proposals.
“Then,” said Jeff Comstock, the county’s natural-resources manager, “you know the specifics and you can at least model the impacts accurately.”
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
