Oil and gas industry sues over sage grouse drilling restrictions

[thackney]

Oil and gas industry sues over sage grouse drilling restrictions
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/05/12/oil-and-gas-industry-sues-over-sage-grouse-drilling-restrictions/
May 12, 2016

The oil and gas industry on Thursday challenged in federal court drilling restrictions imposed by the Obama administration to protect a struggling bird that ranges across 11 Western states.

The Western Energy Alliance and North Dakota Petroleum Council said they would ask a U.S. District judge in North Dakota to block sweeping land use plans for the region adopted in September by the Interior Department.

The groups said local and state efforts to prop up populations of greater sage grouse have been effective. Sweeping changes to U.S. Interior Department policies were not needed to ensure the chicken-sized bird’s long-term survival, they said.

It marks the oil industry’s first attempt to undo federal policies that already have drawn opposition from both ends of the debate over the bird. The challenged plans cover about 165 million acres of land in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah.

Interior Department spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw said in response that the new land use plans strike a balance between conservation and economic development. Their adoption was considered key to keeping sage grouse off the endangered species list and avoiding even more severe restrictions on development....

...There are now an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 greater sage grouse.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I see no struggling for an animal that can successfully thrive over eleven states and 165 million acres.

[Smokin Joe]

I see no struggling for an animal that can successfully thrive over eleven states and 165 million acres.

Not just that, but the ESA is being invoked to stop drilling activity in huge areas. Especially with the pad well, (up to 4 or more wells to a pad) 1280 acre spacing concept being very common in this area, the development generally occurs in parallel strips usually roughly 2 to 4 miles apart.  On Google Earth, look at  47 degrees 50 minutes N 103 degrees 20 minutes West (Mc Kenzie County North Dakota) and you will see such drill/production pads and the roads that serve them with the expanse of untouched terrain in between. There is plenty of room in this development paradigm for sage grouse and plenty of other critters as well.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I don't know what a sage grouse is but it sounds delicious for some reason.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Not just that, but the ESA is being invoked to stop drilling activity in huge areas. Especially with the pad well, (up to 4 or more wells to a pad) 1280 acre spacing concept being very common in this area, the development generally occurs in parallel strips usually roughly 2 to 4 miles apart.  On Google Earth, look at  47 degrees 50 minutes N 103 degrees 20 minutes West (Mc Kenzie County North Dakota) and you will see such drill/production pads and the roads that serve them with the expanse of untouched terrain in between. There is plenty of room in this development paradigm for sage grouse and plenty of other critters as well.

Current design of pad wells over large swaths results in some of the minimalistic footprints one could make to extract energy.

Compare that to the huge footprints made by solar.  Bet you will not find any 'endangered' animals or plants where they site those.

[thackney]

I don't know what a sage grouse is but it sounds delicious for some reason.

Recipe: How to Cook Thai-Style Sage Grouse
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/the-wild-chef/recipe-how-to-cook-thai-style-sage-grouse

 Similar to waterfowl, sage grouse need to be cooked as rare as you dare. Medium-rare is best; medium starts to get a bit tough, but is still edible. Anything past that is liver-flavored boot leather, unless you Crock-Pot it in Cream of Mushroom soup.

[Smokin Joe]

Current design of pad wells over large swaths results in some of the minimalistic footprints one could make to extract energy.

Compare that to the huge footprints made by solar.  Bet you will not find any 'endangered' animals or plants where they site those.

Not to mention wind powered birdie blenders...

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Not to mention wind powered birdie blenders...

Yeah, you won't find those protected eagles there except as fertilizer for the desert brush.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Not to mention wind powered birdie blenders...

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that. But consider it stolen.

Anyone who doesn't think there is enough habitat for the Sage Grouse needs to put on some boots and go tour the backside of the Owyhee desert. There is no shortage of sage brush.

If the bird can live with what it's got it's too stupid to survive. Just kidding. Not like Chukars; those are tough little bandit birds. They could survive on Mars.