On Feb. 11, a four-and-a-half hour open house was held at the Marbleton Town Hall to allow the public to ask questions and find out details about Cimarex Energy’s proposed project in southwestern Sublette County near Big Piney, on State, federal and private lands.

The project, known as the Rands Butte Gas Development Project, would test new technologies in processing a “sour gas” mixture of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2), helium and natural gas. It would separate marketable gases from the H2S and CO2.

According to the project plans, the “sour” gas would come from four gas wells then travel through a dehydration process, through a separation process taking the H2S and CO2 out and put them into an acid gas injection well. The injection well would be “as close to the source as possible,” according to Steve Simonton, Cimarex manager of drilling-completion operations.

Cimarex already has a methane and helium plant on State land in the area, which the company received a Wyoming Special Lease for the development of in 2008. Cimarex is now seeking approval from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a Permit to Drill the four natural gas wells and an acid gas injection well on federal land. The wells would produce a raw gas stream of 200 million cubic feet per day for 40 years (the estimated length of the project) to the methane and helium plant.

Other federal components of the project are a 230kV power line, a natural gas pipeline, a raw helium pipeline and an ambient air monitoring and weather station.

The BLM was required to complete an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the project to determine if it poses any significant short-and long-term effects on the environment. Bill Lanning, resource advisor to the high desert district of the BLM, said the EA also addressed the impacts to crucial winter range wildlife, sage grouse leks, livestock operations, air quality and socio-economic impacts. If the BLM finds the project does not pose significant impacts to any of the above, a Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) will be issued.

Scoping of the project identified several issues of concerns and led to the BLM developing several alternatives. The BLM’s preferred alternative is “Alternative 3” where the proposed power line would move at least half a mile away from occupied sage grouse lek. Alternative 3 still allows for the drilling of wells as a source for natural gas, said Lanning; however, it reduced the project’s footprint.

The BLM can also issue a No Action, which would deny Cimarex the drilling application. A No Action usually means no project, explained Lanning, but because Cimarex is working on State and private land as well, development can still occur.

Part of the project requires the power line to travel through private land, owned by Bill and Sandra Milleg. The Milleg Ranch is a Wyoming Centennial Ranch and has been in Bill’s family for over 100 years.

At first, the Millegs were against the power line because they did not like the proposed route it would travel on their ranch. However, after years of negotiating, everyone came to an agreement, said Sandra.

“We came up with a route that’s agreeable with all of us,” she said. Without sounding overly enthused about the power line that will be visible “as soon as you turn into the ranch,” Sandra said she realized there was little she could do about the development surrounding her home.

“I guess I have mixed feelings about it,” she said.

However, Sandra said Cimarex was good to work with and changed the route of the power line when she and Bill told them the original route was not acceptable.

The BLM originally was accepting public comments through yesterday, but extended the deadline through March 12, according to a BLM release.

Lanning said the BLM received three requests from the public to consider the extension because of the length of the EA and because a scoping period for another project is happening simultaneously, so it made sense to add an additional 15 business days for comments.

Clay Duellman, special projects manager for Cimarex, was at the open house two weeks ago to answer the public’s questions. Most of the comments Duellman received that afternoon were about safety concerns. However, he tried to calm those fears by explaining the affects of a gas pipeline breach — a “worst-case scenario” — was, in fact not a threat.

Duellman said if there was a leak, the good news is it wouldn’t come close to any residences, as the closest house is more than four miles away from the plant.

“So the residential concern is not a concern, basically,” he said.

Duellman confirmed if all goes according to plan, Cimarex should start processing gas by the fall of 2011.

Duellman said he was happy with the turnout at the open house.

“Public and agency input always make a project better,” he said.

For the complete article see the 02-26-2010 issue.

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