Fracking Threatens Imperiled Colorado Grassland: Pawnee National Grassland, a Public Asset, Slated to be Polluted

A Grassland Gem in Denver’s Backyard

The U.S. Forest Service has proposed to make all of the public lands of the Pawnee National Grassland available for oil and gas leasing. The proposal comes as industry is pushing for more horizontal drilling and fracking to tap the region’s shale.

Although the Forest Service has proposed to keep drilling and fracking off the Grassland’s surface, under its proposal, development would occur just outside the Pawnee’s boundaries and fracking would The iconic Pawnee Buttes on the still penetrate beneath the landscape with horizontal Pawnee National Grassland. wells tapping shale formations.

It’s a step in the right direction, but the Agency’s own environmental analysis discloses that fracking—even outside the grassland—will still impact the Pawnee and present significant risks to the region’s air, water, and wildlife.

Described by the Forest Service as “America’s Last Remaining Short Grass Prairie,” the Pawnee is a renowned landscape. Located north of Denver, it’s a popular recreation destination for Colorado Front Range residents. The diversity of wildlife on the Grassland is stunning. The region is widely known as an exceptional birding area.

Fracking is already taking a toll in the area. 62 oil and gas wells have already been developed on the Grassland and 43,000 acres are leased. Development of privately owned minerals in the area has led to more roads, more drilling rigs, and more air and water pollution. The Pawnee is a patchwork of public land that needs to be fully protected from the surface and subsurface impacts of fracking. The Forest Service Needs to Make the Pawee National Grassland Unavailable for Oil and Gas Leasing

There is ample support for doing so. The Forest Service’s own Draft Environmental Impact Statement discloses that fracking will lead to disastrous risks and impacts. Below is a sampling of the potential impacts of opening up the Pawnee to more oil and gas leasing:

• “There is possibility that hydraulic fracturing poses a risk of water contamination. Contamination is potentially due to three possibilities. First, hydraulic fracturing may produce fissures that allow fluids to migrate into water sources. Second, the well casing might fail; allowing fluids to escape into underground drinking water. Third, accidental spills at the surface could contaminate surface water or seep into groundwater.”—DEIS at 37

• “While contamination of groundwater is uncommon; there are reported occurrences. However, there is no definitive conclusion of how common this occurs and estimates range from 7% to .03% with varying levels of supporting analysis. Regardless of how likely contamination of groundwater due to improper cementing or casing is; in general, the more oil and gas wells, the greater the likelihood that improper casing may cause groundwater contamination.”—DEIS at 38

• “Significant quantities of water are required for drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations. If water wells or surface water resources are used for this, significant impacts to PNG water resources could occur, including water table depletion and loss of surface water recharge areas. In addition, large quantities of flowback and produced water need to be dealt with at the well sites. Storage and transport of these large quantities of non-potable water also has risks to water quality on the PNG.”—DEIS at 64

• “[U]p to 6,786 acres with a high groundwater vulnerability rating within the available unleased acres would be at risk from hazardous chemical spills which frequently occur from Oil and Gas activities. Substances such as hydraulic fluid, fracking fluids, and produced water could leak from evaporation pits and /or injection wells and could be transported laterally and vertically to the shallow groundwater resources and to surface water bodies.”—DEIS at 66

• “[D]eposition of sediment into suitable habitats would likely result in the conversion of fish habitat to shallow wetlands with little surface water. In sum, although the specific mechanisms for potential sedimentation effects to PNG fishes vary by species, all three species would suffer negative impacts as a result of reduced pool habitat, alteration in food availability, and degraded spawning habitat.” —DEIS at 87 • “Based on known fish responses to contaminants and the persistence of contaminants in the environment, potential contamination to surface or ground water resources could easily cause them to become degraded to the point where suitable aquatic habitats are no longer capable of supporting the native prairie fish. In addition, the current rates of spills and environmental releases to surface water and groundwater are expected to increase with time. Over a 20 to 50 year period the likelihood of fish being adversely affected by contaminants is high.” —DEIS at 93

• “To further clarify, under all alternatives, impacts such as human presence and traffic from well pads built on private lands can impact wildlife residing on the PNG. This is because although well pads are placed on private lands, wildlife species use both private and PNG land. Also, the unique situation of the mixed land ownership pattern on the PNG causes indicators such as traffic and human disturbance to occur adjacent to PNG lands and therefore still impacts wildlife within the boundaries of the federal PNG lands.”—DEIS at 113-114

• “[F]uture development of these leases will result in emissions of criteria pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. It will also result in emissions of hazardous air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds will contribute to ozone formation.” —DEIS at 138

• “If all 354 projected wells were to be drilled in the first year and operate continuously for 25 years, the total GHG emissions would be approximately 4,950,000 metric tons in CO2e for the new wells projected under all alternatives....Emissions of greenhouse gases will contribute to climate change.”—DEIS at 162

Fracking on the Pawnee National Grassland, What’s Next and What Does it Mean?

➡ The Forest Service has proposed to keep fracking off the surface of the Pawnee National Grassland.

➡ This proposal would still lead to the same amount of oil and gas wells being drilled and fracked on private lands next to the Pawnee. These wells would tap publicly owned minerals.

➡ Air, water, and wildlife will continue to be negatively impacted.

➡ The Pawnee National Grassland is a treasure for the Front Range of Colorado and should be fully protected from fracking.

➡ The Forest Service can and should prohibit leasing of all minerals under the Pawnee. . ➡ The Forest Service is currently seeking comment on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement, available at http://goo.gl/Y5C1x3.

➡ For more information, contact Jeremy Nichols, jnichols@ wildearthguardians.org, (303) 437-7663.