Oil and Gas at Your Door? (2005 Edition) - Earthworks

Oil and Gas Development and Impacts
two wells per 40 acres – one well to access the methane in the Vermejo formation, and one
to access methane in the Raton formation. In that situation, however, the wells must be
located on the same pad unless the operator gets a variance or exception to the rule.
Spacing requirements vary drastically from state to state. For example, in California, wells can
be spaced as closely as one well per acre; while in Florida, gas wells are spaced at one well per
640 acres. 76 Shallow wells are usually spaced more closely together than deep wells. For more
information on spacing requirements, the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission has produced
a summary of the various spacing requirements on a state-by-state basis. 77
Downspacing and Public
Health and Safety Concerns
In the 30,000-acre Jonah conventional natural gas field in
Wyoming, industry hopes to use 20-acre well spacing (32 well
pads per section of land) instead of the current 40-acre spacing.
The industry proposal would increase six-fold the number of
permitted natural gas wells in the Jonah Field (from about 500
to more than 3,000). If this were to occur, it is likely that air
quality for the entire area would fail both national and
Wyoming ambient air-quality standards. Consequently, in
order to protect public health and safety, federal Bureau of
Land Management officials have been discussing closing all
public roads into the Jonah Field and forbidding any hunting
or discharge of firearms in the 30,000-acre area.
Photo at right shows Jonah Field with 40-acre spacing of gas
wells.
Adapted from: Taylor, Meredith. Fall, 2003. “Industry Stakes its Claim to
the Upper Green’s Public Lands,” 78 Photo credit: Image by SkyTruth for the
Upper Green River Valley Coalition.
Well Spacing—Tips for Landowners
• Landowners should be aware that it is not uncommon for well spacing densities to change
over time. While the state sets the initial well density requirements for an area, it is common
for companies to later request that the wells be more closely spaced together. When states
increase the number of wells that can be located in an area, it is referred to as infilling or
downspacing. Landowners who buy land thinking that there will not be oil and gas development
on their property (based on current well density regulations) may be shocked to find that
a few years after buying property the spacing regulations have changed, and that there are
wells proposed on their land. See the story “County officials say residents ignored,” in Chapter
IV for an example of downspacing.
• Additionally, companies are sometimes exempted from the spacing requirements. A state’s
spacing regulations usually mention the conditions under which a company may be exempted
from the spacing rules.
• Within the drilling unit, some states may designate a drilling window, which is an area within
a drilling unit where wells may be drilled. The location of the drilling window is dependent on
a number of factors. In many states, wells cannot be drilled within a certain distance of
homes. So, if there are a number of homes within a drilling unit, there may be a limited number
of areas that can be used for drilling. In many states, however, it is not uncommon for com-
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