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MichaelAnthony

MichaelAnthony

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Maybe for temporary pipeline work or drilling but that's about it. You can drive up to pumpjacks scattered all over BLM land as it is.
While that may be true in Texas in Pennsylvania where i live they have all the entrances fenced and gated and posted. That is Shell refinery.
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D60

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While that may be true in Texas in Pennsylvania where i live they have all the entrances fenced and gated and posted. That is Shell refinery.
Yeah Penn might as well be a different planet from the West. Just about anywhere in CO, NM or UT you can walk right up to the pump jacks. There's 4 around my house I walk the dogs by all the time. They actually electrified 'em all ~8 years ago so they're quiet, but they'll also auto-start (almost silently) at any time....kinda spooky until you get used to it

The bummer is that even though 3ph now passes right by my driveway the power company was a total dick about letting me on for my shop. So screw them, I'll just use my RPC forever.
 

IMBlu

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So, I signed up on this forum strictly because of this thread; for some reason it came up in my Google News feed. This is my first post, yes.

I work for a small, PE-backed oil company here in Houston. We do not operate around Moab. However, I've been an O&G geologist for 15 years and have been 'wheeling Moab even longer. As has been said, the majority of the trails around the Moab area were opened by uranium prospectors, so leasing mineral rights directly lead to the creation of trails we all know and love. There's been O&G companies doing exploratory drilling around Moab for decades; hell, I remember running the PSM-GS-GBR series in late '14 and seeing a rig running on the horizon. That was during the period when domestic oil was selling for ~$100/bbl. Bill Barrett Corp was one of the main operators exploring the area; their prospects never panned out. So, if they couldn't drill economic wells at $100 oil, they sure as hell can't now at $40 oil and $1.60 natural gas. Point being, just because the land is for lease, doesn't mean it will be leased. I doubt there will ever be large-scale development in the region.

Federal leases generally carry "rental" terms, if you will, and last ten years. I'm not sure if they carry work or production requirements to hold the lease like many private leases do, but there are numerous requirements. Where my company operates we try to avoid Federal leases as much as possible so we don't have to spend even more money on archaeological investigations, land use studies, and so on. All those things decrease your realized profit per barrel and make Federal leases much less attractive; in the public sphere, they also work to protect YOUR land. Also, because it's Federal land, the operator cannot strictly control access, except to the immediate well site (meaning, unless a well was drilled right in the middle of a trail, access to that trail wouldn't be affected).

So, what I'm getting at, is that fear-mongering journalism with an agenda shouldn't make you fear losing access to public land. What should? Irresponsible use; destruction of public property; the numerous forces opposed to motorized access to public land (when was the last time you shopped at REI? They donate money to a number of anti-access organizations!) Believe me, even though there are anti-Jeep people in Moab, even they, begrudgingly, acknowledge the economic benefit of our hobby and this industry. It's probably even more apparent since Grand County effectively eliminated tourism for a couple of months, due to the virus. You really don't need to worry about "Big Oil" taking away your access.
Reading through this thread, it states over and over how we are at odds, adversaries with environmentalists. Several comments on that
1. It puts us in a bad light. We go on trails for the challenge, but also for the beauty surrounding the trails. Most of us are both.
2. I have been an avid hiker and camper long before I owned my beloved wrangler. And guess what? I still am!
3. In terms of politicians, let’s be honest, when Is the last time you saw one you voted for do the things she/he promised they would? Also which one fits your view exactly? Let me guess: zero?
4. “Bids” and auctions are just illusions. If a deal is made, there is no bidding competition. They just say it is.
5. Above comments are spot on, imho.
Anyway, just my two cents worth. Also, this thread is quite good.
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