For the first time in decades, oil exploration has returned to Cedar Mesa. The operation is on federal land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management approximately a half mile from the Fish Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area.
The lease was issued by the BLM effective July 1, 2003 and was set to expire on December 31st, 2013, if qualified drilling operations hadn’t commenced. Drilling at the site didn’t start until late December 2013. The operator planned to drill to a depth of 2,470 feet.
Although many oil wells have been drilled on Cedar Mesa, mostly in the 50s, 60s and 80s, none have produced significant production. Wells in the vicinity to this well, with similar drill depths, all yielded no significant production.
Because oil exploration on Cedar Mesa has been absent for at least 15 years, many Bluff locals were caught off guard by this new operation. Friends of Cedar Mesa is now adding monitoring energy development to its key priorities for protecting the area. But we need your help. Oil and gas companies are pushing for new leases throughout the area, particularly on Tank Mesa, where a great Chacoan road runs and underneath of which the aquifer that supplies Bluff’s water supply lives.
Will you help us ensure energy development in the area is done in a responsible way, protecting cultural and natural resources? If so, please consider a donation today, by clicking here!