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Comment
Deadline for Usibelli Coalbed Methane Leases has been extended until August
15, 2003
DCC
met with Usibelli Coal early in July, and we now have information
as to how Coalbed Methane Development may occur in the Healy Area.
- If
test wells are productive, Usibelli would first build a small methane
powered electricity generation plant to power the mine itself. This
project entails 20 wells on the Usibelli facility @ a 40 acre spacing.
- If
gas supplies are sufficient, the next phase would be to plumb the town
of Healy, Lignite, and Otto Lake for residential natural gas. It is
unknown to how many wells would be required, and where they would be
located. The gas development most efficiently proceeds in a hub fashion,
with each new well head potentially connecting another spur to another
hub.
- The
most productive natural gas scenario is that enough methane gas is retieved
to supply the Fairbanks market for natural gas, an estimated 15 Billion
Cu Ft/Yr. DCC calculates the estimated demand requires approximately
400 - 450 wells spaced at approximately 80 acre intervals. Based on
the Powder River statistics that 7,000 wells produces 700 Million Cu
Ft/Day.
Usibelli
already holds significant coal leases in the Healy Area. The new lease
applications basically represent the perimeter of the possible affected
areas.
Potentially
affected landowners:
- Private
Property Owners
- Denali
Borough Municipal Entitlement Lands
- University
of Alaska Lands
- Mental
Health Trust Land
- State
of Alaska Land
View
the Usibelli Coalbed Methane Lease
Although
methane is touted as a clean burning fuel there are significant impacts
associated with its extraction.
- Unlike
other forms of oil and gas extraction, Coalbed Methane requires a network
of well sites at approximately 80 intervals throughout the landscape.
- Each
well requires that about 16,000 gal/day of water be discharged in order
to extract the methane gas. There are significant erosion, water quality,
aquifer, and water rights issues connected with CBM development.
- Each
well requires a network of roads and pipelines for extraction, construction,
and maintaince.
- The
typical life cyle of a well is 10 years; 20 years maximum.
- Every
10-20 wells requires a compression station, which is large and noisy
at best, and needs roads accessable by large trucking traffic.
In
Alaska the sub surface mineral rights owner (the gas developer) holds
legal precedence over the surface estate owner (the private property
owner.)
DCC is requesting that the Alaska DNR lease require that the mining
operator negotiate surface use agreement with every property owner indivually,
and that no one should be forced into such and agreement where significant
hardship or loss of property value can be demonstrated.
Read the DCC draft comment online:
www.denalicitizens.org/coalbedmethanecommemts.htm
The
discovery of a local source of gas could potentially benefit local residents
if and only if the impacts incurred during the resource development do
not degrade the long term tourism economy, the residential quality of
life, or the valuable wildlife resource.
Learn
more:
DCC's
Coalbed Methane Page
Useful
Weblinks on Coalbed Methane:
www.denalicitizens.org.cbmlinks.htm
Read
the application for lease announcement online:
www.dog.dnr.state.ak.us
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