BLM to Resume Issuing Leases Year

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will resume issuing oil and gas leases on federal lands in California next year after a study found relatively limited environmental impacts from hydraulic fracturing and other well-stimulation drilling techniques. With the release of the California Council on Science and Technology’s (CCST) independent science review, which BLM commissioned in September 2013, CCST will incorporate and expand the analysis and include a review of offshore and gas well stimulation.

“The CCST report, in concert with the public scoping report and internal guidance, provide key scientific data, internal process, and public participation components to better inform decisions for the future of the BLM oil and gas program in California,” said Jim Kenna, BLM California state director. “With these pieces in place, we will be able to both contribute to meeting America’s energy needs and implement appropriate, safe, and responsible measures to protect groundwater and other critical resources.”

The report notes that well stimulation in California differs from other states, such as Texas and North Dakota, due to differences in the geology of petroleum reservoirs. Generally, hydraulic fracturing in California is performed in shallower wells that are vertical, not horizontal, requiring much less water but using fluids with more concentrated chemicals. Consequently, the experiences in other states do not necessarily apply to hydraulic fracturing in California.
There have been no reported instances of potable water contamination from subsurface releases in California, CCST found. However, more than half of stimulated oil wells have shallow depth. Shallow hydraulic fracturing poses a potential risk for groundwater if usable aquifers are nearby. As a result, the state needs to develop an accurate understanding about the location, depth, and quality of groundwater in oil- and gas-producing regions in order to evaluate the risk of well stimulation.