Drilling in the Valle Vidal?
By Mark Stinnett, High Country Editor
Download the entire article as printed in High Country (if it doesn't load the first time, please hit "refresh" on your browswer).
What is the Valle Vidal?
The Valle Vidal is a 100,000-acre tract located north and northwest of Philmont that is administered as a unit of the Carson National Forest by the U.S.Forest Service. The Valle Vidal Unit is currently managed for multiple uses with special wildlife management emphasis. It was formerly a part of the Vermejo Park (WS) Ranch and was donated to the American people in 1982 by Pennzoil Corporation, then owner of Vermejo Park. A small segment of the Valle borders Philmont near Dan Beard Camp. It is home to New Mexico 's largest elk herd.
What's the big concern about the Valle Vidal?
In June 2002,the Forest Service received a request from El Paso Energy Raton LLC, a subsidiary of the El Paso Corporation,to lease 40,000 acres in the eastern Valle Vidal for exploration and development of coal bed methane (CBM)gas. Under federal law,the Forest Service must now undertake a leasing analysis,including an environmental impact statement (EIS), to determine whether the request should be granted. The area proposed for leasing is east of a geologic feature known as the "Rock Wall."
Is there coal bed methane production in the area now?
There are no oil and gas leases or producing wells in the Valle Vidal at this time. El Paso Corporation is presently conducting coal bed methane operations on the Vermejo Park Ranch adjacent to the Valle Vidal. El Paso now has more than 300 producing wells on the Vermejo Park Ranch,with plans to drill as many as 600 additional wells. Exploration of the area took off in 1999 with completion of a gas pipeline into the area.
How is Philmont involved with the Valle Vidal? Since 1989,Philmont has had a series of five-year special use permits from the Forest Service allowing crews to hike and camp in the Valle Vidal as part of their Philmont treks. The area Philmont uses is the land to the east of the "Rock Wall," and is the same land proposed for leasing by El Paso Corporation. Philmont operates three staffed camps (Whiteman Vega,Seally Canyon,and Ring Place) and two trail camps in that part of the Valle. Those camps serve around 3,000 Philmont campers each summer. Each camper performs four hours of conservation work in the Valle on projects approved by the Forest Service.
Why is the proposed CBM leasing of concern to Philmont?
CBM development will inevitably change the "Philmont Experience" that crews obtain by hiking and camping in the Valle Vidal. The development phase will involve construction of roads to proposed well sites, heavy truck traffic to haul in drilling rigs and needed equipment, digging of trenches for gas pipelines, and placement of compressor stations, all with associated noise and visual effects. Even after development is completed, well pads ranging from one-half to two acres in size ,each with a pump jack, electrical box, and piping, will remain in place for years . Roads will stay to provide access to each of those wellheads. Compressor stations with motor noise that can be heard for significant distances will operate as much as 24 hours a day. Philmont crews will necessarily have to traverse those roads, see those wellheads, and hear those compressors if they continue to trek into the Valle.
When will a decision be made?
In a press release dated July 28,2004, Carson National Forest announced that it does not expect to begin its leasing analysis for the Valle Vidal until 2006. Its best estimate now is that the analysis will not be done until some time in 2008, with a decision to come thereafter.
So is anything happening now? Yes. Although the formal leasing analysis will not begin for more than a year, a lot is already going on. Before it can engage in the leasing analysis, the Forest Service must prepare an amendment to its Forest Plan to include the Valle Vidal. The Valle Vidal is not included in the current Carson National Forest Plan because it had just been donated to the government at the time the plan was formulated in the early 1980s. The Forest Service is now conducting studies required by the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) to prepare the plan amendment, which will require an EIS. The Carson projects having the forest plan amendment completed by September 2006. At that point, the leasing analysis can begin.
Has the Forest Service taken any steps to date as part of this process?
Yes.The Carson National Forest contracted with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources to produce a Reasonable Foreseeable Development Scenario (RFDS) to provide a reasonable estimate of what oil and gas exploration and development activities might be proposed or conducted by a mineral lessee. The RFDS report was released July 29, 2004. Its purpose is to provide a "knowledge baseline" for the Carson to use in later analyses to determine whether to grant the request for leasing.
What did the RFDS say?
The RFDS concludes that potential for occurrence of oil and gas resources in the eastern Valle Vidal is high. The RFDS predicts that a minimum of 195 wells would be drilled over a 20-year period on 191 surface locations based on 160 acre per well spacing. However, it predicts that as many as 500 well sites could be developed if certain geologic conditions exist and spacing requirements are changed. The surface disturbance normally associated with drilling and production operations is two acres per well pad plus an additional acre of right-of-ways for associated roads and pipelines. The complete RFDS can be viewed at the Carson National Forest website, http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/carson/plans/valle_vidal/index.shtml.
Does that mean that the Forest Service has decided that leasing should occur?
No. The RFDS is not a recommendation for development — it merely predicts a scenario for development should the decision be made to lease the Valle Vidal.
I've heard that Philmont might close if drilling is approved. Is this true?
Absolutely not! The decision on drilling for CBM in the Valle Vidal will have no effect whatsoever on Philmont 's own property or programs within its own boundaries. Philmont may have to modify its use of the Valle Vidal property if drilling there is approved, but Philmont itself will not be affected.
Is there gas under Philmont,and will there be drilling there?
It is a virtual certainty that CBM gas lies under Philmont 's North Country east of the Pueblano area. Our North Country is a part of the Raton Basin, the geologic formation underlying the eastern Valle Vidal, and has coal beds just like those for which CBM is being produced on Vermejo Park. In fact, such coal seams are readily visible along Highway 64 on the south side of Midnight Mesa. However, available information indicates that any coal bed resources Philmont has are probably not of the thermal grade that would make their methane gas commercially feasible to produce. There are no plans whatsoever to lease,explore,or drill wells for coal bed methane gas on any part of Philmont 's property, nor are any even being considered.
What is Philmont 's position on the Valle Vidal issue?
Philmont has communicated to the U.S. Forest Service its preference that the Valle Vidal stay as it currently is, free from the impact of CBM development. The Philmont Coal Bed Methane Task Force has recommended, and the Philmont Ranch Committee has approved, a policy affirming that position and our desire to maintain our current involvement and partnership with the Forest Service in the Valle Vidal for years to come. The policy also calls for clear communication, if CBM development is inevitable, of our desire to see "sacred zones " established and execution of a Methane Extraction Agreement that harvests the CBM in the most responsible and environmentally friendly fashion that current technology permits.
If any decision on leasing and drilling is years away, what 's the issue right now?
The topic now is "what should happen with the Valle Vidal —how it should best be utilized," according to Carson National Forest Public Affairs Officer Benjamin Romero, who met with this author and ranch management September 8. Romero said that the Forest Service wants input from the public now as the amendment to the Forest Plan is being prepared.
So what can PSA members and friends of Philmont do?
You can write, right now, to the Forest Ser vice to express your opinion, in a positive way, on the importance of the Valle Vidal to the Philmont program, the impact that this program has on thousands of young people from all over the country, and the need to maintain the Valle 's current status as a pristine natural resource and wildlife habitat for that to continue. Send your personal comments to:
Martin Chavez
Forest Supervisor
Carson National Forest
208 Cruz Alta Road
Taos NM 87571
Are there any guidelines I should observe in writing and expressing my opinions on this issue?
Yes:
—Remember the issue; how the Valle Vidal should best be used.
—Do not make any statement that you do not absolutely know to be true.
—Be positive in your approach, polite in your tone, and appreciative of the opportunity to comment.
—The Forest Service is a great friend of Philmont — please act accordingly!
—Do NOT simply copy some portion of this article and send it —write your own thoughts. Individual stories have far more impact than form letters.
—Do NOT assert blanket general claims like "the oil industry is evil" or "drilling will destroy the environment". Be specific as to why you think the Valle should be free of commercial development or why environmental safeguards should be put in place.
—Emphasize the nationwide impact the Valle Vidal has by being a part of the Philmont program.
Is the Philmont Staff Association doing anything?
Yes. The PSA has been following this process and has several members on Philmont's Coal Bed Methane Task Force. Now that the Philmont Ranch Committee has adopted its policy, the PSA Board of Directors will be working with ranch management to determine the best way that we, as an organization, can contribute. For now, Philmont and the association encourage PSA members and friends of Philmont to write to the Forest Service as outlined above.
Former PSA President and HIGH COUNTRY Editor Mark Stinnett chairs the Program Task Force of the Philmont Ranch Committee and serves as a member of Philmont's Coal Bed Methane Task Force. If you have questions about these issues, e-mail Mark at mstinnett@strlaw.net or highcountry@philstaff.com.
Download the entire article as printed in High Country (if it doesn't load the first time, please hit "refresh" on your browswer).
What is the Valle Vidal?
The Valle Vidal is a 100,000-acre tract located north and northwest of Philmont that is administered as a unit of the Carson National Forest by the U.S.Forest Service. The Valle Vidal Unit is currently managed for multiple uses with special wildlife management emphasis. It was formerly a part of the Vermejo Park (WS) Ranch and was donated to the American people in 1982 by Pennzoil Corporation, then owner of Vermejo Park. A small segment of the Valle borders Philmont near Dan Beard Camp. It is home to New Mexico 's largest elk herd.
What's the big concern about the Valle Vidal?
In June 2002,the Forest Service received a request from El Paso Energy Raton LLC, a subsidiary of the El Paso Corporation,to lease 40,000 acres in the eastern Valle Vidal for exploration and development of coal bed methane (CBM)gas. Under federal law,the Forest Service must now undertake a leasing analysis,including an environmental impact statement (EIS), to determine whether the request should be granted. The area proposed for leasing is east of a geologic feature known as the "Rock Wall."
Is there coal bed methane production in the area now?
There are no oil and gas leases or producing wells in the Valle Vidal at this time. El Paso Corporation is presently conducting coal bed methane operations on the Vermejo Park Ranch adjacent to the Valle Vidal. El Paso now has more than 300 producing wells on the Vermejo Park Ranch,with plans to drill as many as 600 additional wells. Exploration of the area took off in 1999 with completion of a gas pipeline into the area.
How is Philmont involved with the Valle Vidal? Since 1989,Philmont has had a series of five-year special use permits from the Forest Service allowing crews to hike and camp in the Valle Vidal as part of their Philmont treks. The area Philmont uses is the land to the east of the "Rock Wall," and is the same land proposed for leasing by El Paso Corporation. Philmont operates three staffed camps (Whiteman Vega,Seally Canyon,and Ring Place) and two trail camps in that part of the Valle. Those camps serve around 3,000 Philmont campers each summer. Each camper performs four hours of conservation work in the Valle on projects approved by the Forest Service.
Why is the proposed CBM leasing of concern to Philmont?
CBM development will inevitably change the "Philmont Experience" that crews obtain by hiking and camping in the Valle Vidal. The development phase will involve construction of roads to proposed well sites, heavy truck traffic to haul in drilling rigs and needed equipment, digging of trenches for gas pipelines, and placement of compressor stations, all with associated noise and visual effects. Even after development is completed, well pads ranging from one-half to two acres in size ,each with a pump jack, electrical box, and piping, will remain in place for years . Roads will stay to provide access to each of those wellheads. Compressor stations with motor noise that can be heard for significant distances will operate as much as 24 hours a day. Philmont crews will necessarily have to traverse those roads, see those wellheads, and hear those compressors if they continue to trek into the Valle.
When will a decision be made?
In a press release dated July 28,2004, Carson National Forest announced that it does not expect to begin its leasing analysis for the Valle Vidal until 2006. Its best estimate now is that the analysis will not be done until some time in 2008, with a decision to come thereafter.
So is anything happening now? Yes. Although the formal leasing analysis will not begin for more than a year, a lot is already going on. Before it can engage in the leasing analysis, the Forest Service must prepare an amendment to its Forest Plan to include the Valle Vidal. The Valle Vidal is not included in the current Carson National Forest Plan because it had just been donated to the government at the time the plan was formulated in the early 1980s. The Forest Service is now conducting studies required by the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) to prepare the plan amendment, which will require an EIS. The Carson projects having the forest plan amendment completed by September 2006. At that point, the leasing analysis can begin.
Has the Forest Service taken any steps to date as part of this process?
Yes.The Carson National Forest contracted with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources to produce a Reasonable Foreseeable Development Scenario (RFDS) to provide a reasonable estimate of what oil and gas exploration and development activities might be proposed or conducted by a mineral lessee. The RFDS report was released July 29, 2004. Its purpose is to provide a "knowledge baseline" for the Carson to use in later analyses to determine whether to grant the request for leasing.
What did the RFDS say?
The RFDS concludes that potential for occurrence of oil and gas resources in the eastern Valle Vidal is high. The RFDS predicts that a minimum of 195 wells would be drilled over a 20-year period on 191 surface locations based on 160 acre per well spacing. However, it predicts that as many as 500 well sites could be developed if certain geologic conditions exist and spacing requirements are changed. The surface disturbance normally associated with drilling and production operations is two acres per well pad plus an additional acre of right-of-ways for associated roads and pipelines. The complete RFDS can be viewed at the Carson National Forest website, http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/carson/plans/valle_vidal/index.shtml.
Does that mean that the Forest Service has decided that leasing should occur?
No. The RFDS is not a recommendation for development — it merely predicts a scenario for development should the decision be made to lease the Valle Vidal.
I've heard that Philmont might close if drilling is approved. Is this true?
Absolutely not! The decision on drilling for CBM in the Valle Vidal will have no effect whatsoever on Philmont 's own property or programs within its own boundaries. Philmont may have to modify its use of the Valle Vidal property if drilling there is approved, but Philmont itself will not be affected.
Is there gas under Philmont,and will there be drilling there?
It is a virtual certainty that CBM gas lies under Philmont 's North Country east of the Pueblano area. Our North Country is a part of the Raton Basin, the geologic formation underlying the eastern Valle Vidal, and has coal beds just like those for which CBM is being produced on Vermejo Park. In fact, such coal seams are readily visible along Highway 64 on the south side of Midnight Mesa. However, available information indicates that any coal bed resources Philmont has are probably not of the thermal grade that would make their methane gas commercially feasible to produce. There are no plans whatsoever to lease,explore,or drill wells for coal bed methane gas on any part of Philmont 's property, nor are any even being considered.
What is Philmont 's position on the Valle Vidal issue?
Philmont has communicated to the U.S. Forest Service its preference that the Valle Vidal stay as it currently is, free from the impact of CBM development. The Philmont Coal Bed Methane Task Force has recommended, and the Philmont Ranch Committee has approved, a policy affirming that position and our desire to maintain our current involvement and partnership with the Forest Service in the Valle Vidal for years to come. The policy also calls for clear communication, if CBM development is inevitable, of our desire to see "sacred zones " established and execution of a Methane Extraction Agreement that harvests the CBM in the most responsible and environmentally friendly fashion that current technology permits.
If any decision on leasing and drilling is years away, what 's the issue right now?
The topic now is "what should happen with the Valle Vidal —how it should best be utilized," according to Carson National Forest Public Affairs Officer Benjamin Romero, who met with this author and ranch management September 8. Romero said that the Forest Service wants input from the public now as the amendment to the Forest Plan is being prepared.
So what can PSA members and friends of Philmont do?
You can write, right now, to the Forest Ser vice to express your opinion, in a positive way, on the importance of the Valle Vidal to the Philmont program, the impact that this program has on thousands of young people from all over the country, and the need to maintain the Valle 's current status as a pristine natural resource and wildlife habitat for that to continue. Send your personal comments to:
Martin Chavez
Forest Supervisor
Carson National Forest
208 Cruz Alta Road
Taos NM 87571
Are there any guidelines I should observe in writing and expressing my opinions on this issue?
Yes:
—Remember the issue; how the Valle Vidal should best be used.
—Do not make any statement that you do not absolutely know to be true.
—Be positive in your approach, polite in your tone, and appreciative of the opportunity to comment.
—The Forest Service is a great friend of Philmont — please act accordingly!
—Do NOT simply copy some portion of this article and send it —write your own thoughts. Individual stories have far more impact than form letters.
—Do NOT assert blanket general claims like "the oil industry is evil" or "drilling will destroy the environment". Be specific as to why you think the Valle should be free of commercial development or why environmental safeguards should be put in place.
—Emphasize the nationwide impact the Valle Vidal has by being a part of the Philmont program.
Is the Philmont Staff Association doing anything?
Yes. The PSA has been following this process and has several members on Philmont's Coal Bed Methane Task Force. Now that the Philmont Ranch Committee has adopted its policy, the PSA Board of Directors will be working with ranch management to determine the best way that we, as an organization, can contribute. For now, Philmont and the association encourage PSA members and friends of Philmont to write to the Forest Service as outlined above.
Former PSA President and HIGH COUNTRY Editor Mark Stinnett chairs the Program Task Force of the Philmont Ranch Committee and serves as a member of Philmont's Coal Bed Methane Task Force. If you have questions about these issues, e-mail Mark at mstinnett@strlaw.net or highcountry@philstaff.com.
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