From 2000 to 2010, the development of the gas drilling activities of Questar Corporation in the Pinedale Mesa was a matter of debate between environmentalists and representatives of the gas and oil industry in the United States. The problem was in the fact that the environmentalists accentuated the adverse effects of gas drilling on the wildlife in the area. The drilling of many wells in the Pinedale Mesa influenced the life of deer, antelopes, and grouses negatively, leading to the necessity of protecting animals and birds.
The authorities launched the limiting rules for drilling activities. On the other hand, the proponents of Questar’s operations focused on the necessity to support the company’s activities because of the obvious economic advantages. The progress of gas drilling could lead to covering the demand for local energy resources and in new jobs for the population. Although the opponents of Questar’s operations pointed at their negative environmental effects, the economic benefits should also be taken into account while discussing the situation, and the detailed analysis of arguments is necessary.
Even though many wildlife species cannot be included in lists of endangered animals that need specific protection, they should be highly valued to preserve the ecological balance and biodiversity. Thus, wildlife should be protected to guarantee a balanced ecosystem. The risk of the deer and grouse extinction is high when the gas drilling activities in certain areas are not limited according to the environmental standards. While permitting winter drilling and improving the monitoring activities, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) should have imposed new limiting rules for controlling the winter operations to minimize threats to the wildlife.
However, the economic benefits of gas drilling are also significant for not only local communities but also for the state’s economy. The state’s economy needs to decrease the dependence on foreign suppliers of gas while developing the industry in the region. The other benefits include improved employment and increased taxes leading to overall economic growth. The cessation of the gas drilling activities in the Pinedale Mesa can result in dramatic financial consequences.
The economic benefits cannot be ignored in discussing the problem. Therefore, Questar should use such technologies and approaches that can contribute to the improvement of operations, increasing productivity, and decreasing the negative environmental effects.
To balance the environmental and economic interests, it is important to implement an action plan that could satisfy the needs and expectations of all stakeholders. Questar has significant economic interests in drilling more wells and continuing operations during the winter months. The reason is in decreased operations costs and possibilities to increase profitability.
Still, the activities of Questar during the discussed period were more oriented to satisfying their economic needs than following the BLM guidelines because the decline in the number of protected species was observed. In this context, Questar should invest more in the research and continue developing the technology able to decrease the negative environmental effects. Also, more limiting principles should be imposed by the BLM for drilling activities of energy sector companies.
The analysis of approaches proposed by the BLM to address the situation indicates that the implemented solution was the most balanced to meet the expectations of both companies and communities. The reason is that prohibiting winter drilling, the BLM could not satisfy the economic needs of the state. On the contrary, permitting winter drilling in special areas without environmental monitoring, the BLM could not respond to the ecological problem. Nevertheless, the implemented solution was also ineffective to prevent the decline in wildlife species. Therefore, Questar should contribute to further research to develop the most efficient technology to preserve the possibility of winter drilling and address environmental needs.