The Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office (BLM) is holding an open house and seeking public input for the Rands Butte Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on support facilities for the new methane and helium recovery facility located west of Big Piney, Wyo.

The open house will be held at the Marbleton Town Hall from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on, Feb. 11. Comments are due by close-of-business on Feb. 25.

The federal components of the project would include constructing: three gas supply wells and the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) injection well; a 230 kV power line; a natural gas pipeline; a raw helium pipeline; and an ambient air monitoring and weather station.

In 2008, the State of Wyoming granted Cimarex Energy, Inc. a Wyoming Special Use Lease for developing the methane and helium recovery facility located on state lands near Riley Ridge, east of Big Piney, Wyo. The project will test a new technology to process sour gas (a mixture of H2S, CO2, natural gas, and helium). In order to protect human health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the H2S/CO2 would be re-injected back into the rock formation. The facility would then provide natural gas and helium to consumers. The project involves approximately 872 acres of state, private, and BLM lands.

Public comments are an important component in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The public is encouraged to participate in the process to help identify issues or concerns not covered in the draft EA, mitigation opportunities, and any other comments or ideas to help ensure the best possible plan. It is especially helpful to have written comments.

For more information please contact Bill Lanning at: 307-367-5318. The complete draft EA is available online at: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/pfodocs/RandsButte.html.

To submit comments electronically, mention “Rands Butte” in the subject line. Submit written comments to: Field Manager, BLM Pinedale Field Office, PO Box 768 Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, Fax: 307-367-5329, or email to: pinedale_wymail@blm.gov.





A helium history

By Samantha Abernethy



In July, Cimarex started construction on the natural gas processing and carbon sequestration plant on state land at the north end of Deadline Ridge near South Piney Creek.

Cimarex will need to build about seven to eight miles of gas pipeline from the plant to where it will feed into an existing pipeline.

Seventeen miles of helium pipeline will also be built connecting the Cimarex plant to the Air Products helium plant near Calpet highway.

The project will also require 17 miles of power lines, connecting the plant to the Chimney Butte power station.

Cimarex project manager Scott Stinson said the BLM is particularly concerned with the options for building power lines and how it could conflict with sage grouse populations.

In order to avoid the sage grouse breeding grounds, the power lines would have to pass through private land. Lanning said typically a sage grouse lek has about a quarter mile radius with no occupancy around it.

“At the moment the sage grouse issues, from the BLM perspective, trump private landowner issues,” Stinson said.

Bill and Sandra Milleg are two of those private landowners who could be affected, and Sandra said they have not decided if they want it passing through their property.

“It's still just kind of up in the air,” said Sandra Milleg. “We really haven't decided anything about it yet.”

Cimarex is also funding a study of the elk herds in the Riley Ridge, Lake Ridge and Finnegan feed grounds area to examine the impact construction will have.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and North Wind, Inc. are aerially tracking the GPS collars on about 40 head of elk to identify which types of vegetation elk use during different times of the year.

Construction at the Cimarex plant is only allowed between August 1 and Nov. 15 because it is a crucial winter range for elk. The same is true for much of the area where Cimarex will build the pipelines.

Stinson said it will take probably two summers to complete construction on the plant.

“We're anticipating coming on line fall 2011,” he said. “Assuming we get the environmental assessment this spring, we shouldn't have any trouble getting everything done in time.”

Stinson said at the current gas prices, the plant could net about $20 million in taxes and mineral royalties to state governments. He also said the Cimarex plant and the helium plant will bring at least 30 new full-time jobs to the area. n

sabernethy@pinedaleroundup.com

For the complete article see the 01-29-2010 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 01-29-2010 paper.