Ok fishers. And sportsman of all... Heads up from the Anglers of the AuSable we need to be very aware and united on this! Au Sable River lease sales to oil and gas development causes concern by Josh Greenberg - Crawford County Avalanche- 21 Nov 2013 A recent state auction of oil and gas leases may allow significant oil and gas development very near the Au Sable River. Energy giant Encana Gas and Oil acquired numerous leases along and very near the Au Sable River at the auction, which was held on October 28 in Lansing. Encana Gas and Oil has numerous operations in Northern Michigan, some of which are hydraulic fracturing (fracking) wells near the Manistee River and its tributaries. We will vehemently oppose any drilling of any kind, fracking or otherwise, near the river. Or any steps, such as the leasing of these parcels, that could lead us in that direction, said Anglers of the Au Sable President Bruce Pregler. Of greatest concern to residents and conservation groups are several contiguous parcels that do allow development, though with restrictions, within the very popular Rayburn Tract, as well as along the Holy Water section of the mainstream just north of M-72 and west of Thendara Road. The Michigan Oil & Gas news reports that the parcels leased in proximity to the Au Sable Holy Waters were auctioned for an average of $29.53 per acre, said Jacque Rose, co-founder of Friends of the AuGres-Rifle Watershed. In a letter dated October 10, Anglers of the Au Sable president Bruce Pregler wrote to Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Keith Creagh requesting the removal of these and other parcels from the auction. Director Creagh responded that those parcels listed as Development had restrictions in place to insure the safety of the development. While the sale of leases dont necessarily mean therell be a well near the river, they do lead skeptics to believe that such development is only an eventuality. Many fear if such development occurs, that the Au Sable river, considered to be one of the finest trout fishing and canoeing rivers in the country, could be threatened. We dont feel that the restrictions accurately reflect the delicate nature of the river area, or the dependency folks have on the river for livelihood, or recreation. We also believe that such lease designations completely undermine the Pure Michigan campaign, Pregler said. Those parcels listed as Development, with Restrictions require the lessee to conform to the requirements of each restriction. This can range from Kirtland Warbler habitat, to wetland preservation, to endangered species considerations. Before any development has begun the lessee must also comply with the Michigan Department of Environmental Qualitys own, separate, criteria. Local Ordinances to Protect Communities from the Unprecedented Impacts of Fracking Good morning, my name is Liz Kirkwood. I am the Executive Director of FLOW, a Great Lakes water policy and education center based in Traverse City. FLOW empowers citizens and leaders with legal tools and strategies for protecting our common waters. I’d like to provide an update on recent fracking developments in the State of Michigan, and strategies that local communities in partnership with FLOW are taking to regulate the unprecedented and cumulative impacts of fracking on our waters and natural resources. As the Fracking by the Numbers report points out, the conversation we are having is part of a larger national energy debate that communities in over 17 states are also addressing. In Michigan, we’ve experienced three full years of high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) with 52 Permitted wells, 17 pending wells, and 9 producing wells. But here’s the real concern: the size and magnitude of impacts and potential harm to our waters and natural resources from fracking operations is growing exponentially. Water use has jumped from 6.7 million gallons of water in 2010 at the Pioneer well to current pending permits requesting 35 million gallons per well—that’s a full four times the national average. In addition to these thirsty water needs, the size of these industrial operations is growing from a single frack well to multiple wells or “resource extraction hubs” that radiate out in a spider-like fashion for up to two miles. As of this month, oil and gas companies in Michigan have consumed a total of 110 million gallons – lost forever. And energy giant, Encana, has plans to drill as many as 500 wells in Northern Michigan, consuming over 4 billion gallons of water over the next several years. What’s at stake is an irrevocable commitment of millions of gallons of local water resources – permanently lost from the water cycle – in exchange for a finite quantity of natural gas. Not surprisingly, we are already witnessing unprecedented and cumulative impacts from high volume water withdrawals on local watersheds and municipal water sources. Over in Kalkaska County, for example, high capacity water wells for frack sites like the Westerman are failing to provide millions of gallons of water, dropping the water table 84 feet on and off the frack pad, and 11 feet on adjacent residential land, and are driving gas companies like Encana to purchase 2.1 million gallons of water from local municipalities. The lesson here is that the Michigan’s surface and groundwater computer modeling tool, the Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool (“WWAT”), is overestimating water availability, and underestimating localized surface and groundwater impacts related to high-intensity, cumulative water consumption for fracking. Most recently, Encana acquired numerous leases in the “Holy Waters” stretch of the main stream of the Au Sable River at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) October 28th auction. This development could threaten one of Michigan’s prized blue ribbon trout areas. At FLOW, we are developing legal strategies for the state and local communities to cope with the impacts of fracking because there is a void of comprehensive federal and state regulations governing the exploration and development of deep shale gas. While there is no silver bullet to address this national issue, empowering local governments in this current regulatory environment remains a vital strategy. And so I’m proud to announce that this week, FLOW is rolling out two Protective Ordinance Packages for two separate townships in Michigan – Cannon Township and Gun Plain Charter Township. These ordinance packages are a culmination of a workshop series involving the Township officials and their residents to identify priority areas, and an extensive review of Master Plans, Zoning, and Police power ordinances. FLOW’s recommendations empower communities to regulate ancillary oil and gas activities that are not subject to Michigan’s Zoning Enabling Act and address health, safety, and welfare concerns. Priority areas include regulating roads, truck traffic, chemical disclosure, high-volume water removal, nuisance impacts, accident spill prevention plans, indemnity and bond provisions. And finally, in addition to working with local governments, FLOW recently submitted substantive comments to the University of Michigan Graham Institute’s Integrated Assessment on Fracking, and we plan to comment on the DEQ’s proposed regulations on fracking for 2014. Thank you so much.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 15:31:45 +0000
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