BLM sizes up gas project
Located on 12,699 acres about 40 miles south of Vernal, the Kerr-McGee Bonanza Project envisions development of 95 natural gas wells, 43.6 miles of roads, 77 miles of pipelines and two compressor sites with the facilities needed to move the gas.
The statement, released by the Bureau of Land Management's field office in Vernal, says the project would have 16,080 horsepower of new compression, 20 miles of electrical power line from the gas field to the Deseret Generation and Transmission power plant, an electrical substation and a 14-acre evaporation pond.
The development would be on land regulated by the BLM, with a smaller amount of state and private land.
The agency determined the nearby White River meets criteria to be an area of critical environmental concern, and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance proposed that it become such an area. About 7,325 acres of the nominated ACEC are within the project area.
Considerable natural gas development already exists "throughout the project area," the draft says.
"This shift to a more industrialized landscape, in combination with an increase in noise and traffic associated with construction, drilling and completion activities would diminish the recreation experience of those visitors seeking a more pristine setting.
"Existing oil and gas facilities in the region reduce the wild character for visitor seeking solitude and relatively pristine landscapes," the draft says.
Within the project area itself, 24 miles of new roads are proposed. These would give recreational users access to areas that were not accessible before by vehicle.
William Stringer, the BLM's Vernal Field Office manager, told the Deseret Morning News that this is one of many project documents processed by the office. In a recent year, they numbered more than 400.
"This is not a large-scale development," he said. "It's 100 wells or so. It's an area that already has activity around it."
"A lot of development" is taking place in places where projects were put in earlier.
The field office issued the assessment Monday. Public comments will be accepted through Nov. 13 at the office, 170 S. 500 East, Vernal, UT, 84078.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com
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