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

Oil and Gas Development and Impacts
the company’s safety standards). In the aftermath of some industrial accidents, the Campbell
County Fire Chief has witnessed CBM contractor crews that were somewhat drunk and/or
unprepared to carry out work safely.
Roads
In Sheridan County, 50% of county roads have been impacted by CBM development, while in
Campbell county more than 25% have been affected. Increased road usage by the CBM industry
and new residents has reduced the facility life of the roads, and has increased the cost of
road operations and maintenance. In Sheridan County, some impacts on county roads are
being mitigated by CBM companies that sign road “user agreements” with the county (in which
the companies agree to: repair road damages beyond normal wear and tear; restore roads to
existing condition; and provide labor and materials for road repairs). Even with these agreements,
however, Sheridan County estimates that $8.7 million will have to be spent on road
improvements in the county and City of Gillette.
Dust
Another consequence of CBM development is significant dust emissions along county roads.
Horses in some areas of Sheridan County have experienced chronic coughing from increased
dust emissions. Some ranchers in Campbell County have found that cattle do not eat grass that
is within 0.25 miles of both sides of some county roads. Some counties are applying magnesium
chloride to suppress dust; others are using gravel, which is thought to be a more effective
dust suppressant. Campbell County, which does not have its own gravel source, imports gravel
for dust suppression at a cost of $6/ton.
Property Values
In some Wyoming counties, housing values, in general, have increased due to the recent boom
in CBM development combined with an overall housing shortage in those counties.
A study conducted in La Plata County in Colorado, found that despite an overall increase in
housing values between 1990 and 2000, the selling price for properties that had an oil or gas
well on them was 22% less than a similar property without a well on site. 217
Interestingly, the study found that if a property did not have a well, but was located within 550
feet of a property with an oil or gas well, that the non-well-bearing property increased in value.
The authors suggested that this occurred because buyers assumed that there was a low likelihood
of two wells being drilled right next to each other. This assumption may have disappointing
results for those buyers, however, because state agencies can and do change well spacing
requirements – especially as the oil or gas field ages – and wells may eventually have to be
drilled in between existing wells in order to get more oil or gas out of the formation. (Read about
well spacing in the section on Field Organization earlier in this chapter)
Noise
Many landowners choose to live in rural areas because they want to live a peaceful life. Oil and
gas development, however, can greatly affect the peace and tranquility of rural areas, and can
become a major annoyance to those living close to oil and gas facilities. This, in turn, may affect
a person’s health and quality of life. The following section provides an overview of noise issues
for landowners dealing with oil and gas development. See Chapter V for additional resources
related to noise.
Noise from oil and gas development comes from a number of sources: truck traffic, drilling and
completion activities, well pumps and compressors.
In general, the volume of a sound is measured in decibels (dB). According to the World Health
I-44