Chronicle coverage of oil/gas hearing

[half...@emptymoose.com]

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2008/10/10/news/20zoning.txt

Bridger Canyon residents one step closer to oil, gas regs

published on Thursday, October 9, 2008 10:54 PM MDT

By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer

A county committee gave the go-ahead Thursday for stricter regulation
of oil and gas development in the Bridger Canyon.

The Gallatin County Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously
in favor of a zoning amendment that would require oil and gas
developers to hold public hearings, complete an environmental impact
statement and secure the best available technology for natural
resource extraction before getting approval to drill.

The amendment now moves to the County Commission for final approval.
All three members of the County Commission sit on the zoning committee
and voted in favor of the amendment on Thursday.

While most of the mineral rights in the area are privately owned,
Bridger Canyon residents were prompted to pursue more stringent
regulations when two state-owned mineral tracts were nominated to be
leased to developers in the summer. They were scheduled to be
auctioned during the Montana Department of Natural Resources and
Conservation’s September auction.

But at the urging of Bridger Canyon residents, the auctioning of those
tracts was postponed by the state Land Board in order to give the
state time to give local notice of the sales. The two tracts in
Bridger Canyon, as well as one tract in the Bozeman Pass area, are now
scheduled to go to auction on Dec. 9.

Advertisement
* While zoning in the canyon already requires natural resource
developers to obtain conditional use permits, many residents wanted
specific regulations put on oil and gas rigs.

Tom Fiddaman, who has been a vocal proponent of the heightened
regulations, told the planning and zoning commission Thursday that he
and others were not trying to block natural resource development.

“We’re not trying to take away mineral rights,” he said. “We’re trying
to make sure the impacts are properly mitigated and make sure
developers are paying the full freight of their environmental and
cultural impact.”

About two dozen people showed up to the meeting to support increasing
regulations.

Commissioner Bill Murdock agreed with Fiddaman’s assessment.

“If we pass this, it will not be a prohibition,” he said before the
board voted. “It would simply make natural resource developers good
neighbors….These drillers may or may not play ball. They don’t have
to.”

But at least one large land owner in the Bridger Canyon has
reservations over the proposed regulations.

“Good intentions can go awry,” said Bruce Combs, an attorney
representing Jim Taylor at the meeting. Taylor owns 5,000 acres in the
canyon. “(The amendment) is too burdensome, and the standards are too
vague.”

Combs said Taylor supports the intention of the new zoning, and noted
Taylor helped charter the canyon’s original zoning document. However,
he said the regulation may be so heavy that it takes away any mineral
owner’s ability to develop them.

In a letter written by Taylor and passed out to zoning commission
members, he said he was opposed to the amendment because “the purpose
of the amendment is to delay, hinder and, ultimately, prevent natural
resource development in Bridger Canyon.”

The new regulations are subject to change when they go before the
County Commission in two weeks.

After the vote, Combs said Taylor would “look forward to the
opportunity” to continue working with other landowners on the
regulations.

For his part, Fiddaman said he was happy with the vote and “completely
open to amend the amendments.”

Daniel Person can be reached at dpe...@dailychronicle.com or
582-2665.