© 2002-2004, The Oil & Gas Accountability Project and Naked Essence Web Designs.
One of the greatest environmental threats of our time - coalbed methane (CBM) development - is spreading like wildfire. Regions of Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, British Columbia and Alberta are serving as testing grounds for the experimental development of coalbed methane (a so-called alternative fuel because it is a source of natural gas).
In order to produce methane from coal seams, typically massive amounts of groundwater must be pumped from underground aquifers, coal seams are fractured with toxic fluids to stimulate production, and a web of roads, pipelines, transmission lines and compressor stations are constructed to deliver the product to market.
Thousands of wells and roads have scarred vast landscapes, denuded wildlife habitat, contaminated drinking water, and methane and hydrogen sulfide seeps have forced some families from their homes. Domestic and stock wells have dried up and billions of barrels of produced water (often high in sodium, arsenic, and other contaminants) are being dumped on the surface and into rivers. Underground coal fires are the latest problem among a laundry list of devastating impacts.
With tens of thousands of CBM wells proposed for public, private, and tribal lands across the United States and western Canada, this is a critical time for citizen and environmental groups to join together in a coordinated fashion to aggressively challenge CBM development and its destructive impacts.
(inquire about joining the network)
Twenty organizations from across the country have established the Coalbed Methane Project (CBMP) to aggressively challenge CBM development. Participating groups are Oil & Gas Accountability Project (Coordinator), Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Dakota Resource Council, East of Huajatolla Citizens Alliance, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, High Country Citizens Alliance, Native Action, Northern Plains Resource Council, Powder River Basin Resource Council, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Southern Colorado CURE, Southern Ute Grassroots Organization, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Western Colorado Congress, Western Slope Environmental Resource Council, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Cook Inlet Keepers, Denali Citizens Council, Surface Owners of the Wolf Mountain Area and Western Organization of Resource Councils.
The Coalbed Methane Project seeks to dispel the industry-perpetuated myth
that natural gas is clean energy. The promotion of coalbed methane as clean
energy is not only undermining efforts to pursue conservation and renewable
energy systems, but also is forcing regions of our country to become national
sacrifice areas.
The goals and objectives of the Coalbed Methane Project campaign are to ensure
that CBM development proceeds only when surface and groundwater are protected
and when the cumulative impacts of thousands of CBM wells, roads, pipelines,
compressor stations, hydraulic fracturing procedures, and water disposal wells
are understood. Our focus includes: Challenging inappropriate development and
enforcing existing laws; Changing policy at the federal, state, tribal, and
local level; and, Building the capacity of our groups to effectively address CBM
development.
As America struggles to meet its energy demands and reduce air pollution,
coalbed methane (a source of natural gas) is being promoted by the oil and gas
industry as a clean, alternative fuel.
At a 2000 worldwide oil and gas industry symposium on coalbed methane (CBM),
speakers announced plans for accelerated development of this so-called
"environmentally-friendly" fuel. Adding insult to injury, Congress is
responding to high oil prices by considering tax incentives to spur
"alternative" fuels production and legislation to open more public
lands to this destructive development.
As stated in a 1993 Greenpeace report, "To describe natural gas as a clean-burning, non-polluting fuel is to either minimize or completely ignore its total fuel cycle impacts - beginning with initial seismic surveys, drilling, production, processing, and distribution - all the way through to the final combustion process. Even a cursory look at these impacts dispels the notion that natural gas is a clean fuel." (Natural Gas: Bridging Fuel or Roadblock to Clean Energy by Carol Alexander). We must work to dispel the industry-perpetuated myth that natural gas is a clean fuel alternative and point out accelerated CBM development is undermining efforts to pursue renewable energy sources.
Absolutely! Citizen groups have already been successful on a number of fronts to reduce the impacts of CBM development. While much remains to be done, the employment of the organizing philosophy, "endless pressure endlessly applied" is working. Groups have successfully organized to establish county regulation of oil and gas development, to force public lands agencies to complete environmental impact studies, and to pressure state oil and gas commissions to conduct baseline testing of water wells and map old oil and gas wells not properly plugged and abandoned that were contributing contamination of water sources. Grassroots organizing efforts have also forced companies to stop illegally dumping produced water in rivers, irrigation ditches and spreading it on roads for dust control. Produced water, often containing toxic and hazardous chemicals, has also been found to contain benzene and toluene, known carcinogens. Groups are also challenging oil and gas industry domination of state oil and gas boards.
Join with one of the participating organizations listed below. Your involvement and financial contributions - large and small - will make a difference.
Oil & Gas Accountability Project
P.O. Box 1102
Durango, Colorado 81302-1102
970-259-3353; Fax: 970-259-7514
gwenlachelt@ogap.org
baizelb@earthlink.net
dawn@ogap.org
www.ogap.org
Oil & Gas Accountability Project
PO Box 426
El Prado, NM 87529
505-776-3276 / phone
505-776-3837 / fax
jennifergoldman@ogap.org
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance
P.O. Box 1512
Laramie, Wyoming 82073-1512
(307) 742 7978; Fax: (307) 742-7989
erik@voiceforthewild.org
http://www.voiceforthewild.org
Cook Inlet Keeper
Bob Shavelson, Lois Epstein
PO Box 3269
Homer, AK 99603
907-235-4068; Fax: 907-235-4069
bob@inletkeeper.org
Dakota Resource Council
PO Box 1095
Dickinson, ND 58602
701-483-2851
701-483-2854 / fax
Mark Trechock - Director
mtrechock@pop.ctctel.com
Denali Citizens Council
Leslie Adams
Box 78
Denali Park, AK 99755
907-683-2593
leslie@denalicitizens.org
East of Huajatolla Citizens Alliance
21601 County Road 50.9
Aguilar, Colorado 81020
719-941-4150
www.ehcitizens.org/cbmgas
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
13 S. Willson, Suite 2
P.O. Box 1874
Bozeman, Montana 59771
(406) 586-1593 Fax: (406) 586-0851
mfrost@greateryellowstone.org
www.greateryellowstone.org
High Country Citizens' Alliance
P.O. Box 1066, 724 Elk Avenue
Crested Butte, Colorado 81224
(970) 349-7104; FAX (970) 349-0164
sshea@rmi.net
http://www.hccaonline.org
Native Action
P.O. Box 409
Lame Deer, Montana 59043
406-477-6390; Fax: 406-477-6421
gsmall@mcn.net
Northern Plains Resource Council
2401 Montana Avenue #200
Billings, Montana 59101-2336
406-248-1154; Fax: 406-248-2110
leona@northernplains.org
www.northernplains.org
Powder River Basin Resource Council
23 North Scott
Sheridan, Wyoming 82801
Phone: 307-672-5809; Fax: 307-672-5800
gillian@powderriverbasin.org
jillm@powderriverbasin.org
www.powderriverbasin.org
San Juan Citizens Alliance
PO Box 2461
Durango, Colorado 81302-2461
970-259-3583; Fax: 970-259-8303
mpearson@frontier.net
arolston@frontier.net
www.sanjuancitizens.org
Southern Colorado CURE
P.O. Box 21
Bon Carbo, Colorado 81024
719-846-6863
pbieber@direcway.com
Southern Ute Grassroots Organization
P.O. Box 637 - Southern Ute Indian Reservation
Ignacio, Colorado 81137
970-563-9522
sage@frontier.net
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
P.O. Box 968
Moab, Utah 84532
435-259-5440 Fax: 435-259-9151
herb@suwa.org
www.suwa.org
Surface Owners of the Wolf Mountain Area
Colleen Simpson
PO Box 645
Billings, MT 59103
406-259-9295
sowmacrow2002@hotmail.com
Western Colorado Congress
P.O. Box 1931
Grand Junction, Colorado 81502
970-256-7650
deanna@wccongress.org
sura@wccongress.org
www.wccongress.org
Western Organization of Resource Councils
60584 Horizon Drive
Montrose, CO 81401
970-323-6849
Kevin Williams
montrose@worc.org
Western Slope Environmental Resource Council
PO Box 1612
Paonia, Colorado 81428
phone & fax 970/527-5307
elsie@wserc.org
www.wserc.org
Wyoming Outdoor Council
262 Lincoln
Lander, Wyoming 82520
307-332-7031; Fax: 307-332-6899
dan@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org
tom@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org
www.wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org
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This page last modified on 29 May 2004
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