By Dan,
posted on Friday, August 13, 2010.
Colorado is known for its spectacular natural beauty, diverse
native wildlife and signature blue skies. And ANGA member companies
are stepping up to help preserve the state's vibrant natural
habitat, while putting Colorado's vast energy resources to work for
the state. Recently, nine energy companies in Colorado announced
agreements with the state to protect wildlife and their habitats,
including elk, deer and sage grouse, on about 355,000 acres - more
than 550 square miles - of the Western Slope. The group included
three ANGA member companies: EnCana was the first to reach an agreement,
covering 44,713 acres in Garfield County. Noble Energy also vowed to protect the state's
wildlife while developing clean, abundant natural gas. They reached
an agreement that covers about 20,000 acres in Garfield County.
Noble also is donating $150,000 for cutthroat trout habitat
restoration in the state. And, Williams has successfully completed two
wildlife mitigation plans in Colorado.
These announcements were met with enthusiasm from local
leaders.
"We're both protecting wildlife and habitat and developing
Colorado's vast natural resources," said Gov. Bill Ritter in a
recent Denver Business Journal article. In a separate
Associated Press article, Ritter said: "This
balanced approach will drive our economy forward, allow us to
maximize our vast energy resources and ensure sustainable
communities for years to come."
Todd Malmsbury of the Colorado Wildlife Federation agreed. "This
effort also shows that it is possible for the industry to develop
natural gas in a way that does not threaten the very existence of
Colorado's world-class wildlife resource."
The 10 wildlife mitigation plans encompassed by the announcement
cover about 18 percent of the Piceance Basin, which is rich in
natural gas, near Rifle, Colorado.
"We're hopeful that this is the first step and that there will
be more plans in other areas of the state," said David Neslin,
executive director of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation
Commission.
Once again, Colorado is leading the way. Hats off to our member
companies for demonstrating our community's commitment to being
good neighbors and good stewards of the land.