CBD Stops Sale of Oil and Gas Drilling in Karst Area

[Batgirl]

For Immediate Release, March 18, 2010
Contact: Mollie Matteson, Center for Biological Diversity, (802)-434-2388 (office); (802)-318-1487 (cell)
Judy Rodd, Friends of Blackwater, (304) 345-7663 (office); (304) 552-7602 (cell)

Conservationists Stop West Virginia Oil and Gas Sales
Leases on Monongahela National Forest Pulled from Federal Auction

CHARLESTON, W. Va.— Conservationists prevailed today in an effort to stop the sale of publicly owned oil and gas on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The groups asserted that oil and gas development on the two proposed lease parcels would threaten endangered bats, a native brook trout fishery, clean drinking water, and other ecological and scenic resources of the forest.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management intended to offer the leases for auction today in a broader sale that includes parcels in Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, and other states. However, formal protests filed two weeks ago by a number of state, regional, and national groups against the Monongahela sale prompted the agency to withdraw the parcels, much as it did almost exactly a year ago, when oil and gas leases proposed for the Monongahela were also protested by conservation groups and then withdrawn just before auction.

“Endangered bats are dying of white-nose syndrome a few miles from these drill sites, yet the Forest Service wants to put toxic drill pits in their habitat, and potentially disrupt the caves they live in,” said Mollie Matteson, conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. The newly emergent disease that has killed more than a million bats in the eastern United States over the last three years was discovered in West Virginia in 2009;. this winter, white-nose syndrome was found in one of the most significant bat caves in the country, in West Virginia’s Pendleton County.

Judy Rodd, director of Friends of Blackwater, based in Charleston, said: “Once more, the Forest Service put up sites for oil and gas development, but failed to do the analysis and consultation that would ensure better protections for our wildlife, clean water, and underground cave systems. Once more, we pointed this out in our protest, and we won.”

A total of four separate protests were filed against the Monongahela oil and gas leases. A multi-group protest was filed by the Wilderness Society, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of Blackwater, Friends of Beautiful Pendleton County, the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition, Friends of Allegheny Front, Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, and the Laurel Mountain Preservation Association. Protests were also filed by Trout Unlimited, the Mountain Institute, and the National Wildlife Federation. A letter of concern was filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center after the protest deadline passed.

One of the proposed leases for federally owned mineral rights is located in Randolph County along Gandy Creek, near the small town of Little Italy, and just west of the Spruce Knob unit of the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. The lease site lies within an area proposed for wilderness designation. The other site is located in Pendleton County, next to the West Virginia-Virginia state line, southwest of the town of Cherry Grove. The Laurel Fork, a famous trout stream, flows through this parcel. Altogether, just fewer than 4,400 acres were to be leased in the oil and gas sale.

The last-minute decision to pull the Monongahela leases was made by the Bureau of Land Management, which administers energy and mineral leasing on federal land. Previous statements by the Bureau had indicated that the agency would allow the Monongahela lease sales to go forward, despite the protests.

“The Forest Service is completely unprepared to deal with the environmental consequences of these leases,” stated Rodd. “The Monongahela’s 2006 Forest Plan was already relying on an outdated oil and gas analysis, and these two leases alone would have sextupled the amount of acreage and impacts the plan had anticipated.”

Oil and gas drilling, particularly that utilizing the controversial technique known as “hydrofracking” – which could be used on the Monongahela – has been associated with stream and groundwater contamination. Oil and gas developments using this technique in other states have been found to contaminate private wells, threatening the health and safety of local residents. Conservation groups were concerned that the karst geology of Pendleton and Randolph counties made water resources there particularly vulnerable to widespread pollution problems, as chemicals used in the hydrofracking process could spread via the vast number of underground fissures and channels.

Last year, the Obama administration announced its intent to review oil and gas policy for federal lands. As energy prices creep upwards again, conservationists worry that oil and gas drilling will proliferate on the East’s national forests without proper review or environmental protections. While the Monongahela leases were dropped, today’s auction included parcels on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio and the Ouachita and Ozark national forests in Arkansas, among others. The sale was held in Springfield, Virginia, at the Bureau of Land Management’s Eastern States Office.

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The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 255,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Friends of Blackwater is a not-for-profit West Virginia membership organization devoted to preserving wilderness and wildlife; protecting the state’s forests, parks, rivers, wild lands, unique habitats and endangered species; and fostering a land preservation ethic. It has over 10,000 members and supporters.

[Phil Winkler]

Interesting. In this case CBD is seen as one of the good guys.

[batrotter]

This is good if you want to pay $10 a gallon for gas.

[PYoungbaer]

My understanding is that this process is being considered in the Fonda, New York area, too.

[BrianC]

Interesting. In this case CBD is seen as one of the good guys.

I have absolutely zero respect for the CBD, they do not have conservation for the people any where in their agenda! Once all the humans have gone, they can have all the fun they want!

[Batgirl]

I am not taking sides here, but there are times when environmental activist groups, like CBD, are helpful.

Regardless of their recent run in with us, they are doing what they think is right. The government in not gonna back down from the idea that people can spread WNS, so in their mind trying to keep people out of caves is in the best interest of the species and the environment, irregardless of whether it can be proven or not. Activist groups don't always have the time to do all the research, especially on something as complicated as WNS, before taking action. Time is of the essence.

So Brian, give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps redirecting their energies towards issues that support what we do is a better use of our energy. Projects like those outlined in the latest NSS News is how we should be promoting ourselves.

[driggs]

It is unfortunate to see WNS dragged into this battle and used as a political tool. The entire cave and karst ecosystem is no more or less vulnerable to environmental damage than it was 5 years ago; it deserved just as much protection before WNS and would deserve just as much protection if there were no bats involved. WNS has nothing to do with the issue of allowing deep-well drilling or "hydrofracking" in karst.

Dragging WNS into this battle could backfire and result in further restriction on cave access. There are many reasons to oppose oil drilling in karst, but in my opinion, WNS isn't one of them. Further, to protect karst on the East Coast with WNS as the excuse does nothing for the same battle in the West or South, where WNS isn't (yet?) a factor.

[BrianC]

WNS has nothing to do with the issue of allowing deep-well drilling or "hydrofracking" in karst.

Dragging WNS into this battle could backfire and result in further restriction on cave access.

This is exactly why some of us have been trying so hard to reverse USFW closure policy, It just enables other organizations to piggy back with their agendas. At the current time there is a small window of hope in getting very limited access, but I will not hold my breath. If everyone that still thinks caves should be closed ,continues with opposing the views of us trying to get caves back, we don't have much hope. Remember the general public thinks bats are just horrible,rabies carrying creatures, and sealing them in caves would be the best decision.

[PYoungbaer]

Remember the general public thinks bats are just horrible,rabies carrying creatures, and sealing them in caves would be the best decision.

Exactly why the NSS encourages all of us to get out there and speak to the public about what we, as cavers, are doing to help with WNS. Break down those stereotypes. Show them our knowledge and experience. My experience is they are generally fascinated by things cave, bat, and underground, since they are mysteries to most.

To that end, we have just completed an update of the WNS brochure, downloadable from the NSS WNS website. It's public domain, so please download, print, make copies, hand them out. It educates about WNS, but also shows the NSS and cavers in a positive light. It looks good, and gives people something to take home and look at again, hopefully leaving a positive impression about the value of bats, and cavers.

[SinkholePlain]

Lots of old gas wells in the Indiana caving area. Don't really see any reason to not drill. Caves are compatible with most development, if it done right and the caves are taken into consideration. Total prohibition is not necessary in most areas.

Binkley's Caver

[wyandottecaver]

I'm surprised at that view Gary. Having walked alongside you in Binklys while we walked on a grout floor pumped in through a well casing that raised and partially blocked the stream bed and created a mud goo pool behind it. I cant imagine a liquid grout and water mixture was good for any nearby organisims either. Fortunately that grout was pumped into nice comfortable walking passage that floods a lot where it's long term damage was limited. If the well casing had hit any one of the narrow crawlways and dammed a stream completely....

All that of course is different from the new hydrofraking method where chemical slurries and brine water are pumped in at high pressures to shatter the rock formation to release more gas or oil..