RULISON, Colo.—The Bureau of Land Management has approved a plan by Noble Energy to drill 79 natural gas wells near Project Rulison, an underground nuclear blast set off in 1969 to free up natural gas.
The U.S. Forest Service is still reviewing the project’s proposals for a road and pipelines on forest land.
The wells would be drilled between a half-mile and three miles of Project Rulison. Drilling that close is subject to regulations, which include allowing the U.S. Department of Energy to sample wells for radioactivity.
The BLM has voiced confidence that the department and state officials are adequately addressing development near the site. However, the agency said it will ask the department to include one of the proposed wells in its long-term monitoring program.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
