35-Well North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan Approved 12 Miles North of Paonia
The Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service approved Gunnison Energy LLC’s (GELLC) proposal to drill, complete, and operate up to 35 horizontal wells from four new well pads and one existing well pad and to construct access roads and gas gathering pipelines in Gunnison and Delta counties, Colorado. The project would permanently destroy 2,335 acre-feet of water – enough to supply 9,400 households with water for a year! There just isn’t enough water available to sacrifice 760,000,000 gallons for oil and gas development.
Long-term operational life of the project is estimated at 30 years, during which time up to 700 billion cubic feet of natural gas is expected to be produced. The project, referred to as the North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan (NFMMDP), would occur within an area encompassing 34,906 acres of public and private lands. This includes 25,790 acres administered by the U.S. Forest Service, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forests, Paonia Ranger District; 468 acres administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); and 8,648 acres of private lands. Total Federal fluid mineral estate in the project area is 30,972 acres, including all of the Federal lands and 4,714 acres beneath some of the private lands.
Not all permits have been secured for drilling to start on this plan. Stay tuned.
The Final Environmental Assessment, Decision and associated BLM maps are available at here.
Fact Sheet: North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan
Map_Watersheds–East and West Muddy Creek Watersheds, Hubbard Creek-North Fork Gunnison Watershed
Map_Existing and Proposed Development
Map_Big Game Migration–Game Management Unit 521 at risk
Map_Crucial Fish and Wildlife Habitat
EA vs. EIS: What’s The Difference
This proposal is complex, with significant potential cumulative impacts on irrigation and drinking waters, geological stability, seismic activity, the local economy, roads, and more.
Colorado Farm and Food Alliance, VOGA, and Slow Food Scoping Comments
