Drilling in Nine Mile Canyon isn't worth the cost

I attended an informal field meeting with Bureau of Land Management officers and concerned citizens last Saturday, June 7, in Nine Mile Canyon, central eastern Utah. The reason for this meeting was that the Bill Barrett Corporation has proposed to drill gas wells in Nine Mile Canyon and its tributaries to exercise its right to explore for minerals.

Gas and oil discovery is essential to the economy of not only the state of Utah but also for our nation. There is, however, a value consideration that, while drilling for the precious commodity, care should be taken of the environment. For the past 14 years my archaeology team has tirelessly worked to conduct a systematic survey of all historic and archaeological remains. Each site is treated with equal vigor to meticulously record on state archaeological forms information describing, photographing and sketching structures, rock art and the setting of each site. More than 1,000 archaeological and historic sites in Nine Mile Canyon and adjacent side canyons have been recorded by our group. The canyon is eligible as a National Historic District.

BBC has secured leases to explore for gas and oil that were issued in 1951 and 1954 under environmental conditions of the time. It is important to note that environmental circumstances of today are very different because of shifting values recognized by society that include scenic beauty of the landscape and prehistoric and historic assets. These values merge into economic importance for local communities and for the state. The proposed gas well drilling in Nine Mile Canyon and tributary Dry Canyon will

irrevocably change the natural and cultural setting. BBC says in its application to the BLM that it intends to fully exploit its right to explore the gas field over the 54,000 acres of its leases. Currently there are two gas wells in Nine Mile Canyon and 13 others located in the nearby uplands. The two wells in Nine Mile Canyon were drilled many years ago and are not easily located by the casual visitor. However, the proposed wells, one within 100 feet of the Nine Mile road, and three others in Dry Canyon, will be signs of our times: Economic development for energy supersedes all other values.

There are options available to BBC for locating their drill pads. The proposed drill pad sites were selected because of the convenience of established roads and are not located over the gas fields. There are small plateaus directly above the gas target areas that could be established as drill pad locations, however, BBC has chosen to drill at an angle several thousand feet to the Prickly Pear gas field located south of the Nine Mile Canyon road. The same is true for the Dry Canyon drill pads where the gas field is east of the road.

Little by little the scenic and cultural environment of Nine Mile Canyon is being eroded away by economic development that is impervious to values that touch so many. We must recognize that the decisions and actions of past populations directly affect us today in many ways. Likewise we must consider that the decisions and actions that we take today will set the scene for future generations. The American Indian rock art and their granaries and small houses in Nine Mile Canyon have stood for more than a thousand years as signatures of human effort to live in a harsh environment. In my opinion there is no good reason to deface Nine Mile Canyon any further in gas exploration when alternative locations for drill pads that access the same gas target areas are available. Concerned citizens can write or call the Price BLM office and ask to preserve the natural and cultural values of Nine Mile Canyon beyond what the Bill Barrett Company proposes. BLM has established June 13 post mark for responding letters.

Ray T. Matheny, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of anthropology at Brigham Young University.

Copyright C 2003 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.