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calendar   Saturday - July 12, 2008

Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less - sorry, not allowed

Clinton appointed judge blocks oil/gas drilling in Michigan




On Thursday, U.S. District Judge David Lawson overturned a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to give Savoy Energy of Traverse City a permit to drill an exploratory well near the AuSable River’s south branch.

Rep. Matthew Gillard, D-Alpena, said Friday he was ecstatic regarding the judge’s ruling to overturn a 2005 decision that allowed oil and gas drilling near the Mason Tract.

“I hope this will be the final word,” Gillard said. “On behalf of my constituents and residents throughout Michigan who care about protecting our most precious natural assets, I have long been concerned about this drilling plan.”

According to the Associated Press, Lawson ruled the agency had acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” by giving Savoy the permit in 2005.

The proposed wellhead would be located in the Huron-Manistee National Forest about three-tenths of a mile from the Mason Tract. Federal assessments had found the drilling would have no significant environmental impact. The Sierra Club and Anglers of the AuSable sued the government to halt the drilling.

In 2005 Savoy had plans to build at least three wells in the Mason Tract if results from exploratory tests turned out to be positive. The lifespan of the wells was estimated to be from 20-25 years.

Savoy Energy obtained a permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in 2003 to construct an 11,000-feet exploratory well in the Huron-Manistee National Forest and then “slant” drill to search for gas deposits under the Mason Tract.

Gillard said it’s irresponsible for people to be drilling in roadless and natural wild lands.

“As a state lawmaker, I believe one of my primary responsibilities is to preserve Michigan’s outdoor gifts - its lakes, forests, rivers and streams - for the pleasure of future generations,” he said.

This drilling would have been a little bit outside the famous Mason Tract area ( please read this short paper to understand what was planned to be built! ) by the Huron National Forest. The Mason Tract surrounds part of the south branch of the Au Sable river, world famous for being one of those fly fishing trout meccas. Although the area is open to fishermen, hunters, hikers, and perhaps off road vehicles, it is a relatively pristine wilderness.

image



I have no idea if oil or gas has been found in the nearby area, but the well under discussion here would have taken less than 4 acres of land, which is not very much at all. If gas was found, the wellhead would be more than 2 miles away from the river itself.

Leaders of the environmental groups urged the company and the government to look for other places to explore for oil and gas.

“We’ve said from the beginning we didn’t want to stop them from drilling,” said Marvin Roberson, a forest policy specialist with the Sierra Club. “We want them to drill from a place that won’t be harmful to the old-growth forest or the recreational experience.”

Although the Mason Tract is state property, the federal government owns rights to minerals beneath it and leased production rights to Savoy. In 2003, the company filed for a permit to drill into one of its lease holdings.

The plan was to clear about 3.5 acres of forest for a well site on federal land, then drill beneath the Mason Tract at an angle. If enough gas or oil was found, the company intended to install a pipeline and build a production facility about a mile east of the well.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the project shortly after the Forest Service granted the permit. But it has been on hold since Lawson issued an order in December 2005 blocking the company from clearing land to get started.

So this looks to me like a case of NIMBY on the one part, and a case of judicial activism on the other. The state owns the land, but the fed owns the mineral rights underneath. Huh? Odd, but I can accept that part. Fine. So the Savoy company leased the rights from the fed, and the state issued them a permit 5 years ago to drill. Then when the Forest Department gave them the go-ahead to actually clear a bit of land and get to work, this judge steps in and stops them. Because, don’t you just effing know it, there’s this little birdie who might be upset by the noise, and Savoy didn’t spend enough time trying to understand the birdy’s feeeelings.

But the judge ruled the Forest Service didn’t consider how degrading the area could harm tourism, and said the agency did a “woefully inadequate” job of evaluating how the drilling might affect the Kirtland’s warbler, an endangered songbird that nests in the area.



image

This bird is more important than you are

Kirtland’s Warbler has evolved itself into a corner, so to speak. It winters solely in the Bahamas, and nests only in a few counties in central Michigan in habitat that must contain jack pine not less than 10 feet tall or greater than 20 feet tall.  I wonder what the taxpayers would say if they knew how many millions of their dollars have been spent over the years to maintain the proper habitat for this finicky little bird?





It is beyond past time that we move past this nonsense. This Not In My Backyard attitude has to go. Oil and gas exploration companies need to show that they can explore and drill wells without destroying the environment, but the tree huggers are just going to have to be a bit flexible: you can not build these things without cutting down a few tress and digging some holes. Let’s find a sensible middle ground, and let’s find it right the hell now.

learn more about Kirtland’s Warbler after the jump. And about the millions of tax dollars that have been spent to save this fussy species.

See More Below The Fold

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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 07/12/2008 at 01:16 PM   
Filed Under: • EnvironmentOil, Alternative Energy, and Gas Prices •  
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