El Paso Gas Exploration

El Paso has been granted a Conditional Use Permit to initiate gas exploration operation operations in the Hartsel area. At the Planning Commission Meeting, this past Tuesday the Park County Advisory Board on Environment [ABE] recommended that a residents' "oversight" body participate in the program. Involvement, rather than additional regulation was the objective. Yesterday, El Paso laid out the welcome mat, offering expert consultation and making suggestions about Park County Citizens Groups be included.
Three wells will be drilled with the possibility, because of a regulatory deadline, the drilling of the first well may begin this weekend. Drilling itself, to a depth target of more than 10,000 ft is expect to take ~3 weeks for each well, plus the time needed for related activities.

ABE has several openings we need to fill. New members would be provisional and require approval by Tom Eisenman, Park County Planning Department Director and the Board of County Commissioners, approval of the El Paso citizens' activities. That does not mean that citizen "oversight" can not be developed. For that "the time is now."

The BASIC qualifications to participatie is an ability to understand or quickly understand the geological, hydrological and environmental information generated, and proof that it has been effectively deployed in the past, and willingness to actively participate. Real or apparent personal, financial or political conflicts of interest may be present. Resident means “citizen.”

There are openings ion ABE we must fill! There are already Bailey area and Alma members. The Hartsel Area has an impetus for representation. It has been difficult to recruit from Guffey and Lake George. There are no restrictions about where in the county members live. Meeting will be in Fairplay once South Park has adequate representation.

We ask CUSP members to contact their officers. CUSP is an appropriate participant. There are additional citizen organizations who have an interest

Residents interested in filling ABE vacancies contact Dave Morin, ABE Chair at (303) 838-3073 ( ), Mel Schulman at (303) 351-2134 ( ), or Jara Johnson ( ). We need to act quickly and if you are not able to participate contact or refer someone who can.