OVERALL
Questar corporation is an energy company with asset valued at about $4 billion which is the main developer of the gas wells arround the Pinedale Mesa, an area that is famous at the gateway to the hunting, fishing, and hiking treasures. Ocassionally elk, mule deer, pronghornantelope and other wild life, including the imperiled greater sage grouse, descent from their habitats atop the mesa and gingerly make their way around and between the questar wells around Pinedale. Not suprisingly, environmentalist are at war with questar, whose expanding operations are increasingly encroaching on the wild life habitats that lies atop the mesa. Yet the natural gas that questar pumps up from beneath the mesa is a desperately needed resource that provides the nation with clean and cheap source energy. CHRONOLOGICAL
It was not until the mid 1990s industry developed techniques for fracturing the sandstone and freeing the gas In 1998, Questar Corporation drilled its first succesful test wall on the Pinedale Mesa. Before, it was not feasible because the gas was trapped in tightly packed sandstone that prevented it from flowing to the wells and no one knew how to get it out. In mid-2000, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved drilling up to 900 wellson federal lands sitting on a top of the Pinedale Mesa. By the beginning of 2004, Questar had drilled 76 wells on the 14,800 acres it leasedfrom the federal government and had plans to eventually drill at least 400 more wells. In May2004, the U.S and Wildlife Service announced that it would begin the processof studying whether the sage grouse should be categorized as an endangered species.Questar opposed, because once this was done, large areas of federal land would beoff-limits to drilling, mining and development. 80% of Wyoming is considered sagegrouse habitat, including much of Pinedale Mesa. The BLM required Questar to cease all drilling operations on the mesa each winter from November 15 to May to protect the animals. Because sage grouse is not only thethe thethe spe specie cies affected affected by Questar Questar drill drilling ing operat operations ions,, but also also mule mule deer, deer, elk, elk, moose, moose,an and d pron pr ongh ghor orn n ante an terl rlop opee
BENEFITS
Energy experts welcomed the new supply of natural gas, which burns more cleanly than any other fossil fuel such as coal, diesel, oil, or gasoline. Increasing jobs, tax revenue and a booming local economy. 60% of the state budget is based on royalties the state receives from coal, gas and oil operations.
COST
Large areas of the mesa provide habitat for mule deer, pronghorn sheep, sage grouse,and other species. Sage Grous population¶s is decreased Sage grous is a colourful bird that today toda y survives only in scattered pockets in 11states. It is estimated that 200 years ago the birds numbered 2 million. By the 1970s, their number fallen to about 400,000. A study completed in June 2004, the number only between 140,000 and 250,000of the birds left. Another animals at risk The mesa is an important migration route and wintering ground
"Environmentalists feared that if the animals were prevented from reaching their winter ranges, or if the winter ranges became inhospitable, the large herds would wither and die off.
LOBBYING
Questar and other companies formed a coalition led byJim Smith, to lobby theBush administration to keep the grouse off the endangered species list. Dru Bower, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming said that³[endangered species] listings are not good for the oil and gas industry, so anythingwe can do to prevent a species from being listed is good for the industry.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
In 2004, Questar submitted a proposal to BLM to invest in a new kind of drilling rig technology called directional drilling. The benefit of the new technology is: Minimized the land occupied by the wells Reduced the number of required road ways and distribution pipes. Instead of carrying liquid waste away from operating wells on noisy truck, the company would build a second pipe system that would pump liquid wasted away automatically Would substantially reduce any harmful impact that drilling and pumping had onthe wildlife inhabiting the mesa.
CONCERN OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY
The added cost for the 400 additional wells Questar would total $185 million. The company can justify the extra cost if it can drill and complete all the wells on a pad in one continous operation which continued through the winter. They could finish drilling all wells in 9 years instead of 18.
RESULTS
To allow the company to test the feasability of directional drilling and to study its effect, BLM allowed Questar to drill at a single pad through the winter of 2002-2003 and again throught the winter 2003-2004. The 5 year study would continue until 2007, and hoped to be permitted until then. BLM said there was ³no conclusive data to indicate quantifiable, adverse effect to deer´ from the drilling. The Upper Green River Valley Coalition sued the bureau for failing to adhere its own rules when it allowed Questar to drill on mule deer range on the mesa during winter and for failing to conduct an analysis of the potential impacts before granting the permits.
QUESTIONS
1. What are the systemic, corporate, and individual issues rose in this case? a. Systemic Issues
The government has to look up in the macro view. Not just from the economical reasons, the government has to look from the ecological point of view. Seeing the fact that Questar drilling has benefited the local economies as well as increasing welfare, there are also concerns about the endangered sage grouse and other wildlife population in the surrounding area. In addition, with the rising need of clean energy, the natural gas drilling has also become very important. b. Corporate Issues The issues rising within Questar is how the company should be able to meet the demand of the natural gas without having to be sued over some environmental matters. Moreover, as the drilling operations are forced to stop, next to the rising costs, there would be more lay-offs, of which would damage the employees trust and thus creating more problems. c. Individual Issues Jim Smith, a former communications director for President George W.Bush Energy ask Force, tried to lobby the Bush administration to keep the grouseoff the endangered species list, encouraged "grass-roots opposition" to " provide political cover", and suggested "funding scientific studies" to showthe bird was not endangered. Dru Bower, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming said that³[endangered species] listings are not good for the oil and gas industry, soanything we can do to prevent a species from being listed is good for theindustry.´ George W. Bush, the president of USA, said that new sources of domesticenergy are key to the country's economic future, he came to power seeking tounsnarl bureaucratic red tape, speed government's issuance of permits and open up as much public land as possible. Once in office, he attacked Clinton-era proposals to create national monuments and tried to open 58 million acresClinton had closed to road building, logging and drilling.
2. How should wildlife species like grouse or deer be valued, and how should that be balanced against the economic interests of a company like Questar? It is extremely difficult to put on wildlife species into monetary valuation. Some of available research even mentioned that one of the ways of valuating the wildlifespecies is to count on the effort made on the conservation. The higher theconservation cost is, the higher is the monetary value. But however, the wildlifevaluation isn’t all about monetary aspects. There is an environmental balance needs to be concerned as well. Basically, valuing them isn’t an easy job.However, when it deals with company’s economic interest such as Questar, thereshould be an effort by the company itself to both reserving the environment as well as providing some conservation funds to help the work of conservation. 3. In light of The US economy’s dependence on oil, and in the light of environmental impact of Questar’s drilling operations, is Questar morally obligated to cease its drilling operations on the Pinedale Mesa? Basically, Questar is morally obliged, but it is definitely not the only one having theobligation. The Questar company should continue their innovation for drilling, so the environment and animal around Questar can be survive and have a chance to breath. 4. What, if anything, should Questar be doing differently? From begining they should consider the solution of the impact for environment andanimals arround Questar.
5. In your views, have the environmental interest group behave ethically? Although the environmental interest group is fighting over for the sake of the environment, they do not fully ethically behave. By asking the company to stopdrilling in the winter, it would cause the cost leap for the company as well as the lay-offs of workers that need to be considered. They cannot simply weighing for one side without thinking over the result of action inthe other side.
