Presenter: Peggy Utesch, Movin\u27 Forward Consulting
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Utesch, Peggy

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SLIDES: Rifle, Silt, New Castle Community Development Plan: A Collaborative Planning Approach to Natural Gas Development

Colorado Law

University of Colorado Law School Colorado Law Scholarly Commons Best Practices for Community and Environmental Protection (October 14) 2009 10-14-2009 SLIDES: Rifle, Silt, New Castle Community Development Plan: A Collaborative Planning Approach to Natural Gas Development Peggy Utesch Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/best-practices-for-community-and-environmental-protection  Part of the Administrative Law Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Business Organizations Law Commons, Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons, Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Energy Policy Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons, Soil Science Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons, Strategic Management Policy Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, Water Law Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Citation Information Utesch, Peggy, "SLIDES: Rifle, Silt, New Castle Community Development Plan: A Collaborative Planning Approach to Natural Gas Development" (2009). Best Practices for Community and Environmental Protection (October 14). https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/best-practices-for-community-and-environmental-protection/12 Reproduced with permission of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (formerly the Natural Resources Law Center) at the University of Colorado Law School. Rifle, Silt, New Castle Community Development Plan  A Collaborative Planning Approach to  Natural Gas Development  A Project of the  Grand Valley Citizens Alliance - 2006 “Promoting the responsible development of natural gas in the Grand Valley.” Hi – I’m Peggy…   Author & Editor  Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum  e-chievement Award Winner (2004)  Chuck Worley Award (2005)  Grace Huffman Writing Fellowship Recipient (2009)  Glenwood Post Independent 2005 Top Ten People Who Made a Difference  Small Business Owner  Active Community Member & Volunteer Human Beings or Collateral Damage?  Industrial vs Rural Residential  Between 2003 & 2005, more than 30 natural gas wells were drilled within 1 mile of my home  In 2004 alone, there were over 35 regulation violations on those wells, including Colorado worst accident -- the West Divide Creek Seep  “…some landowners will the the unfortunate collateral damage of efficient business practices…”   100 Trucks a Day, 24/7 Waste Pit Flaring Magnall Well Blowout The Problems   State Gas Commission’s rules were outdated & insufficient to address current development levels  Lack of inspection, enforcement & oversight  Exposing poor practices gained public sympathy but resulted in few operational improvements    People & Communities weren’t part of the equation.    Can You See the People? Community Plan or Mad Tigers?  Dueling with Antero brought opportunity  To create a partnership between industry and rural residents that gives the community a voice in how natural gas development is planned  Promote the use of Best Practices  To establish a mechanism for ongoing problem solving and communication  To protect community values, property values and quality of life   How was the Plan created?  Started with a community forum 1/28/05  Over 300 people attended  Discussed the possibility of a Community Development Plan as a new way to help  Over 100 residents met again in February to identify community values and areas of concern, which served as the basis for the plan   How did it progress?  A work group formed and met bi-weekly   Four members of that group negotiated with Antero Resources  Input was solicited from experts, industry, community & government entities  Final draft reviewed and approved by Antero and the community 12/15/05 Endorsements  Town of New Castle  Town of Silt  City of Rifle  Former Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar  States of Wyoming & New Mexico Interested  Rio Blanco, Mesa, Delta, Montrose, San Juan and Routt counties have used parts of the plan How does it work?  Not a “shotgun wedding”  No lawyers – people talking to people  Based on participation and communication between industry and the community   Plan can change and grow   Establishes a framework for development   Encourages all landowners to work together as a community  40 Acre Surface Spacing CDP Guideline 1   Clustered Development Well Pad Spacing  “Places a maximum amount of drilling activity on a minimum number of drilling pads in order to centralize infrastructure and minimize surface disruption and impact to landowners and the natural environment a where appropriate.” CDP Guideline 2  Managing Drilling in Sensitive Areas  Sensitive areas include:  School bus routes  Rural homes and subdivisions  Near organic agriculture  Within city/town limits  Near waterways, wells  and irrigation systems  Dangerous roads (narrow bridges, blind corners, etc.)  Near migratory corridors, wetlands or flood plains  CDP Guideline 3  Continuity of Development   Planning of infrastructure, like pipelines and road construction, in a systematic fashion that progresses across an area in a way that maximizes use, minimizes equipment and reduces disruption to residents.   Goal:  Impact an area once rather than repeatedly CDP Guideline 4  Use of Responsible Development, Best Practices and Technologies  “Responsible development is a proven way of conducting natural gas development, which eliminates or minimizes adverse impacts to public health and the environment; landowners and natural resources; enhances the value of natural and landowner resources; and reduces conflict between industry, landowners and the community.” Some Best Management Practices    Water well & irrigation testing pre/post drilling  Clustered placement of pipelines  Erosion control to protect surface water quality  Designated truck routes  Noise and light mitigation for all impacted residents  Use of pit-less drilling technology  Removal rather than burial of drilling wastes   Combustion equipment to minimize odors/protect air  Use of wellhead telemetry to minimize truck traffic  Drilling site dust mitigation  Green fracing fluids  Involving community in planning   CDP Guidelines 5 - 10  5. Monitoring Activities During Drilling 6. Plugging and Abandonment of Wells  7. Weed Control 8. Interim and Final Reclamation of Well Pads 9. Community Health & Safety 10. Addressing Financial Impacts to the Community  Some of these stipulations are now codified  in the revised COGCC Rules, which industry is suing to remove.  Community Education  An informed community is a good partner  A wide variety of educational resources are available to community members  Better understanding means  Better negotiations  Industry accountability  Creative problem solving  Reduced conflict Implementation  Created a community board   Plan distributed to all area residents  Quarterly drilling plan updates required  Periodic plan review process  Community participation is key   Other Community Impacts  Schools  Municipal Water System  Emergency Preparedness  Hospitals & Emergency Services  Fire Protection  Roads and Bridges  Heavy Traffic on Rural Roads Don’t Be the Tiger  Build Relationships Based On  Mutual Respect  Willingness to Problem Solve  Ongoing Communication  Active Listening  Wholeheartedly Embracing Win/Win  “The Tiger, in its fury from her previous taunting, devours Permila, but soon falls ill.  Permila,  you see, had come to apologize, and the Tiger grew sick, unable to digest her broken heart. Thanks for listening.  Let me know how I can help.  Peggy Utesch Movin’ Forward Consulting movinforward@bresnan.net (970) 858-1895 www.movinforwardconsulting.com  

https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=best-practices-for-community-and-environmental-protection

SLIDES: Rifle, Silt, New Castle Community Development Plan: A Collaborative Planning Approach to Natural Gas Development

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