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La Plata County seeks public hearing on mineral leasing

Westendorf: This seems not wise to me
The Colorado State Land Board plans to vote in February whether to lease minerals beneath the Florida Mesa Stewardship Trust in La Plata County. Though the plan is to drill deeper than the Fruitland Formation, which is rife with methane, local officials and residents have concerns about wildlife and road degradation.

La Plata County commissioners are petitioning the

Continuing a conversation begun earlier this month, commissioners voted to send their concerns to the state, which is considering leasing land for natural gas drilling on its Florida Mesa Stewardship Trust.

This particular proposal has invited resistance given the land’s designation as a stewardship trust.

Commissioner Julie Westendorff said the proposal makes little sense given the parcel’s small size, and it is unfair to property owners worried about their water wells, wildlife and road impacts.

“This seems not wise to me, to choose an isolated parcel in an area where we already have concerns on a piece of land set aside for conservation purposes with no infrastructure,” she said. “There’s a property rights issue here, with people who knew what they were buying, and behind them was a state stewardship trust parcel said to be preserved.”

Colorado stewardship trusts can be leased for multiple uses, including oil and gas production. They are intended to preserve “natural values,” but not for conservation, land board deputy director Tobin Follenweider said in a previous interview.

State officials have clarified they are not interested in leasing minerals in the Fruitland Outcrop, a methane-rich geological formation beneath the parcel, but rather formations deeper than the Outcrop.

Regardless, because of a wildlifew habitat on the parcel’s north side, production companies would have no choice but to access the land from the south, which means cutting through the private roads of Rancho Mira Sol Estates.

Two residents addressed commissioners Tuesday, both with objections to the proposal.

“Our water wells so close to the Outcrop are often not productive,” John Glover said. “If there is a disruption, it would be catastrophic. Opposing this is my first preference, but we certainly need more time to study this from a wildlife, water and access standpoint.”

“We have elk, deer, bears and mountain lions here, and we’ve worked in conjunction with the Division of Wildlife (Parks and Wildlife) doing bear studies to recognize the impacts of new developments up Florida Road on wildlife, and how it’s pushing them onto state land,” said Robert Gerst. “Hearing there is a threat of drilling here brings great concern.”

Commissioners Westendorff and Gwen Lachelt supported the letter of concern. Commissioner Brad Blake was absent.

Mineral production on stewardship trusts is governed by conditions on surface occupancy and timing of extraction. County staff members said there could be additional conditions if the state pursues this endeavor, such as requiring a county permit and road access agreements with landowners.

Because of emerging concerns, the state land board has postponed its November vote on the matter to February 2017.

jpace@durangoherald.com

Sep 2, 2016
Mineral leasing on trust land put on hold by state
Aug 10, 2016
State Land Board to lease minerals near Fruitland Outcrop


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