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BLM: Wyoming wells would have limited impact on groundwater
A court-ordered analysis of the effects that thousands of oil and gas wells in Wyoming's Powder River Basin could have on groundwater found no additional significant impacts, the Bureau of Land Management said Friday.
Originally approved in 2020, the Converse County Oil and Gas Project would allow up to 5,000 oil and gas wells on about 1.5 million acres in eastern-central Wyoming.
Subsequent litigation from environmentalists stalled the project, and last September a judge at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with green groups in saying BLM's environmental analysis was inadequate. Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, ordered federal officials to submit more information about the environmental effects, particularly on groundwater.
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They did so Friday and determined that the annual drilling of about 500 wells for a decade would not cause significant new environmental impacts. BLM — which is part of the Interior Department — said the project is expected to generate thousands of jobs as well as $18 billion to $28 billion in federal revenue.
