The BLM is trying to make sure that drilling in the watersheds for Grand Junction and Palisade proceeds at a pace that is acceptable to the two cities, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "The federal Bureau of Land Management on Thursday allowed oil and gas drilling in the watersheds of Palisade and Grand Junction with a one-year suspension, sidestepping objections of officials and activists. After six months of reviews, the BLM said it would issue leases covering about 13,000 acres in the watershed areas - parcels of land that it had auctioned and sold on Feb. 9. But the lessee, Genesis Oil & Gas, will have to wait a year before it can drill in those areas. The company will work with Palisade and Grand Junction to agree on a drilling and exploration plan...
"BLM's decision includes rules to protect the environment, such as a 'no surface occupancy' stipulation on 960 acres of the Palisade watershed, which means Genesis Oil & Gas cannot drill on the surface to extract natural gas from underneath those acres. Rather, it would have to directionally drill from the periphery to reach those gas reserves. Other rules include no drilling activity on steep slopes or during certain times of the year in particular areas, especially winter, when deer and elk use those areas as habitats. Lloyd said much of the BLM's decision was in response to U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar's request for a 'reasonable and responsible approach' to resolving the protests, although the lawmaker himself expressed disappointment. 'This is not what I asked of the BLM,' Salazar said. 'As this process goes forward, I will continue to work with Palisade and Grand Junction to protect their watersheds and monitor closely the actions of the BLM and the lessee.'"
Here's the coverage from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. They write, "A Kansas City, Mo., company has a year to work with Grand Junction and Palisade on its plans to drill for natural gas on Grand Mesa. The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday issued leases for tracts of land on the municipal watersheds of Grand Junction and Palisade, then suspended them for a year. That will allow Genesis Gas and Oil to work with the municipalities on a plan for the watershed-area leases, the BLM said. Officials in Grand Junction and Palisade said they had hoped the bureau would uphold their protests and withdraw the leases, but given the BLM's decision, they welcomed the approach for the area."
"Catherine Robertson, Grand Junction field office manager for the BLM, said Gunnison had done a considerable amount of field work and was aware of Palisade's springs and water out-takes. Genesis volunteered not to drill in those areas, Robertson said. That means drill rigs won't be allowed on about 960 acres in the Palisade watershed. If Genesis is convinced that gas remains to be tapped beneath those lands, it will have to approach those strata with directional drilling...
"Given the 'ultrasensitive' nature of the watershed, Genesis will start drilling outside the watershed and hopes to use those projects as showcases for the kind of work the company can do, Behner said. 'We're going to start east and north and move toward the watershed,' he said. 'We'll work with the BLM and the communities and make sure there's a comfort level from the standpoint of moving forward.' The lease sale included 765 acres in the Grand Junction watershed and 11,280 acres in the Palisade watershed."
Category: Colorado Water
5:29:11 AM 
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