Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Embattled oil and gas company slapped with big cleanup bill
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Monday, October 30, 2023
Source: BLM Colorado, Flickr ([link removed])
Colorado oil and gas regulators brought the hammer down on K.P. Kaufman (KPK) last week, ruling that the embattled oil and gas operator must come up with a $133 million bond ([link removed]) to properly plug over one thousand wells, a financial requirement that is more than three times what the company proposed.
The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) rejected KPK's estimate for plugging and abandoning its wells, calling the remediation figures inadequate. “These are numbers that don’t pass the smell test,” said ([link removed]) Commissioner Michael Cross. KPK has 90 days to post 10 percent of the total amount, $13.3 million, adding another 10 percent each year for the next 10 years.
This is not the first time the company has found itself on the receiving end of enforcement actions from the ECMC. In May 2021, KPK was ordered to shut down 87 wells and clean up 29 sites ([link removed]) after a string of violations, including fouling a farm field and covering the road in front of Frederick High School with oily waste material.
“The Energy and Carbon Management Commission made the right decision,” Frederick Mayor Tracie Crites said in a statement ([link removed]) . “We hope the decision in this case will lead operators to commit to stronger financial assurance planning and fewer orphaned wells throughout the state of Colorado.”
Interior to name Laura Daniel-Davis as acting deputy secretary
According to multiple sources, Interior department leadership is expected to name Laura Daniel-Davis as acting deputy secretary ([link removed]) following the departure of Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau at the end of this month. Daniel-Davis was officially nominated to serve as assistant secretary for land and minerals management in the summer of 2021, though her nomination became a lightening rod for critics of President Joe Biden's energy policies and her nomination was eventually withdrawn. Daniel-Davis is currently the principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management. She is well-qualified and respected ([link removed]) and she knows the department after serving in top roles during the Obama and Biden administrations.
** Quick hits
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Why can't we recover America's buffalo?
Outdoor Life ([link removed])
Abandoned golf courses are being reclaimed by nature
CNN ([link removed])
Idaho congressional delegation introduces bill to stop Lava Ridge wind project
Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])
Outrage, disinformation, and threats around BLM Wyoming land use plan
High Country News ([link removed])
Embattled oil and gas company slapped with big cleanup bill
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
They went hunting for fossil fuels—what they found could save the world
CNN ([link removed])
Haaland decries boarding school legacy on "Road to Healing" tour
Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
Slaying the vampire that is killing the bats
Washington Post ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” This is probably the biggest disaster in the United States, affecting more people than the Civil War, Pearl Harbor or 9/11 combined. I urge everyone to call the governor and ask him to stop this state-killing plan.”
—Wyoming state Rep. Bill Allemand referring to BLM's Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, High Country News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
The eastern screech owl is a master of disguise. You better have a sharp eye to spot these birds of prey, which like to nest in tree cavities.
Photo at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by Graham McGeorge
#owl ([link removed]) #birding ([link removed]) #publiclands ([link removed]) #wildlife ([link removed])
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