Group gears up for CBM fight

WASILLA -- Still reeling from the recent, unexpected announcement that 20,000 acres had been leased for coal-bed methane exploration in Homer with little public notice, some Alaskans were primed for a fight this weekend.

And, Friday and Saturday, they gathered their armor at the Alaska Coal-bed Methane Summit, held at Lake Lucille Inn. The summit was sponsored primarily by the Oil & Gas Accountability Project, a national group that serves as a resource for other groups seeking to fight for responsible coal-bed methane development on a more local level. Local groups Cook Inlet Keeper, Alaska Center for the Environment and Friends of Mat-Su co-sponsored the event.

Gwen Lachelt, director of the Oil & Gas Accountability Project, said the group began organizing the Alaska Summit about a year and a half ago, shortly after information surfaced that Alaska may hold more coal-bed methane than all of the Lower 48 combined. More than one thousand trillion cubic feet of shallow natural gas is apparently available in Alaska, according to information from the U.S. Geological Survey. The goal of OGAP, Lachelt said, is to prevent and reduce problems caused by oil and gas development.

It wasn't all about gathering armor -- some of the 200 or so attendees were assembly members seeking to gain more information about the potential effects of CBM development. Others were representatives from the oil and gas industry -- Evergreen Resources and Phillips were among the companies represented. And with good reason -- two of the speakers Saturday morning discussed the events surrounding a lawsuit they filed against Evergreen, and the suit Evergreen subsequently filed against them.

A lot of information was presented at the meeting, but the mood was one of determined fatalism. Development in Alaska will happen, attendees were told, and most likely it will involve lawsuits, bullying, state officials looking to line their own pockets or state coffers instead of the good of their constituents, and ultimately, on some scale, destruction of the land. According to Bob Shavelson with Cook Inlet Keeper, the first commercial CBM well in Alaska was accompanied by the first surface-owner dispute, which was adjudicated by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

"This shark is out to do what it does, which is develop these resources in the cheapest way possible," said Jill Morrison, a recognized leader in the fight for responsible CBM development. "What the governments seem to be doing is allowing it do that."

Morrison is a Wyoming rancher and senior organizer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council. She was among about 20 speakers who flew up for the event, with the help of funds raised by the Oil & Gas Accountability Project.

Tweeti Blancett, a New Mexico rancher and business owner, gave attendees a list of do's and don'ts she suggested people keep in mind when dealing with CBM companies. Don't bother targeting Evergreen, she said early on -- if the natural gas reserves are anywhere near as plentiful as early indications suggest, they'll only be one in a sea of companies vying for development. Seventeen companies have wells on Blancett's land, she said, and eight different pipelines cross their property.

"You're probably not going to be able to stop them, but you can make them do it right," Blancett said, referring to companies who seek to gain access to private land to use subsurface mineral rights. "Don't be afraid of industry's threats and intimidation … lock your gates and be willing to go to court."

Blancett and her husband Linn were among a few property owners getting royalties from the gas companies on their land. The money from royalties, Blancett said, was never enough to convince them the development was good for their family.

"It was a good deal. Our family has royalties, we also get Section 29 tax credits … Let me tell you, it's not worth it," Blancett said. "We aren't bringing you stories to make you cry, we're bringing you stories to make you mad and get ready to stand up and fight. If you don't stand up and protect your lands now, you'll look like we do."