Coloradans react to news that more wells will be drilled

Western Colorado residents joined with the Wilderness Society in expressing concern over a planned escalation of oil and gas exploration on federal lands by the Bush Administration in five western states during a teleconference Monday morning.

The Wilderness Society's Bureau of Land Management Action Center in Denver released an updated analysis that revealed upwards of 126,000 new wells could be drilled on bureau land in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Montana over the next two decades. That does not include the number of wells that could be put on private lands, said Nada Culver of the action center.

Weld County has a high concentration of oil and gas wells but does not contain any Bureau of Land Management land.

J.J. Healy, a Daniel, Wyo., rancher, stressed that he is not against oil and gas drilling because it means the U.S. would be less dependent on foreign supplies for its energy needs, but he said responsible exploration needs to be explored.

"Not everywhere in the U.S. should be explored or drilled," he said, expressing concerns about water and wildlife. He said a water drilling company in his area said water wells have declined in past years, part of which may be due to drought, but also may be due to increased drilling. The population of mule deer, meanwhile, has dropped by more than 40 percent in recent years, which he attributed to stress on the environment by oil and gas exploration.

Duke Cox a Grand Junction businessman said air pollution in western Colorado has increased dramatically in the past few years, adding that while the war in Iraq continues, there is another war going on in the western United States.

"That pits those who value the land's surface against those who want to develop minerals below that surface and don't care about the surface," Cox said, adding the permits issued for oil and gas wells in Garfield County to date this year have already exceeded all the permits issued in 2006.

Cox said the number of wells to be drilled in the next 15-20 years could exceed 300,000 when private land exploration is included.

ON THE NET

For the latest oil and gas exploration analysis by the Wilderness Society, go to www.tws.org.