Park County is not immune to energy development, and the Shields Valley may be particularly at risk for natural gas exploration. An oil shale deposit located more than 9,000 feet below the surface is now fair game for drilling due to more efficient and effective recovery techniques. Two energy companies have expressed enough interest in this area to purchase leasing rights, and one well has been discovered to produce a significant and marketable quantity of natural gas.
PCEC is currently working with county officials to make sure that any development that takes place in Park County does not negatively impact our wildlife, watersheds and general quality of life. We will provide recommendations to county officials on how to best manage development to provide the highest protections for our wildlife, surface and groundwater resources to protect our quality of life.
Natural Gas Extraction in the Shields Valley is a major concern for PCEC. The picture above is how the Shields Valley look presently, and below is near Pinedale, Wyoming - not that far from Park County in both distance and valley-mountain terrain, and what possibly could become of the Shields Valley…
To many in the West, energy development is old news. Indeed, many Montanans have seen oil rigs and coalbed methane pads come and go through the years. Until now, energy development has been relatively isolated in the Northern Rockies, with Wyoming seeing the most intensive development.
However, the increased availability of new technology now enables oil and natural gas development on lands where it would have been impossible even 10 years ago. Hydraulic Fracturing, or, “Fracking,” is a drilling technique that can access deposits more than 5,000 feet below the ground surface. The fracking process injects chemicals into shale deposits to break rock apart and allow gas to migrate upward more easily. Due to a Bush-era exemption under the Safe Drinking Water Act, companies are not required to disclose the chemical makeup of the fracking fluid they use. Perhaps not surprisingly, this technique has been linked with both groundwater and surface water contamination in areas of Colorado and New Mexico that have seen the brunt of the most recent energy boom.