Monell-Arch oil and gas proposal open to public comment

by Staff June 12, 2013September 22, 2021

Monell-Arch oil and gas proposal open to public comment

— June 12, 2013

(BLM Press release) The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office is launching a 30-day public comment period on an environmental assessment for the Monell-Arch Oil and Gas Development which is a proposal by Anadarko Petroleum Corp. to expand the Patrick Draw Field with development of up to 125 new oil, carbon dioxide, and water injection wells.

The Patrick Draw Field is located in the checkerboard pattern of mixed land ownership, and includes the Monell and Arch Units which encompass approximately 22,657 acres of primarily federal and private land, with a small amount of state-owned land. Interstate 80 dissects the project area which is located roughly 30 miles east of Rock Springs, Wyo. in Sweetwater County. The new proposal includes a combination of vertical and directional drilling of 105 oil wells, 18 carbon dioxide injector wells, and two water injection wells to be developed during the next nine years. The maximum surface disturbance is anticipated to be 238 acres, with the life of the wells projected to be roughly 30 years. The Monell and Arch Units were developed in the late 1950s to early 1960s, and presently support 128 producing wells.

Public comments are most useful when they are specific, cite additional relevant issues and/or determine the extent of those issues. Written substantive comments should be received by July 11, and may be submitted via email, mail, or hand-delivery during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to:

Ted Inman, Natural Resources Specialist
BLM Rock Springs Field Office
280 Highway 191 North
Rock Springs, WY 82901
Email: BLM_WY_MonellArch@blm.gov
Please include “Monell Arch Comment” in the subject line

Before including your address, phone number, email, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware your entire comment–including your personal identifying information–may be made publicly available at any time. While you may request we withhold your personal information from public view, we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so.

For more information, please contact Ted Inman at 307-352-0388.

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for:

Your real name — first and last.
Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
No more than three comments per story, including replies.

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
Comments that are not directly relevant to the article.
Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know:

Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement.
We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance.
Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you.