The fine view of oil drilling near the CDT???

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

Allegheny Orogeny, I don't think Sunny Walker was being an over alarmist. He never said many deaths of oil drilling workers occur from H2S. He's probably just relaying H2S(hydrogen sulfide gas) concerns as they were related to him by an OSHA compliant safety class. My dad was a petroleum engineer and my cousin and brother in law still are. I used to be able to enter refineries with my dad pre 911. When in some areas we had to wear H2S protection. My brother in law is now working in in Odessa and Midland TX in the oil and natural gas fields. In natural gas production H2S concentrations are even much higher than in common petroleum refineries so it is something to be aware of.

When I hike in Hawaii Volcanoes NP and in other places around some hot springs I'm warned about H2S also.

Well, Dogwood, yes he did ring the alarmist bell, and he did it repeatedly. In #24 he alleges that a curious hiker walking up to a wellhead could be "killed dead". In #33 he cites "stories" of 6-8 workers killed at one site. That's many deaths to me. Also in #33 he notes having personally seen dead deer and cattle at wellheads, so I suppose he's a veterinarian able to determine cause of death from the highway as he drives by. If that's not a nice collection of alarmist allegations, I don't know what is.

There's been no downplaying of H2S dangers by me herein. What I'm calling out is bringing in alarmist innuendo about it into a discussion of viewshed. The oil and gas industry has been dealing with H2S since long before my geology school days in the 1970s. Lots of natural gas reservoirs have it, hence the term "sour gas". When it's present, special facilities are constructed to remove it before pipeline transmission. These facilities, and indeed the very production wellheads and the pipelines to the sweetening facility, all bear hazardous materials type placards and clear warnings of the possible presence of H2S gas. It's the implication that an innocuous-looking wellhead spewing H2S could be encountered by a "curious hiker" who could then be "killed dead" on the spot which is ludicrous and has no place in a calm, informed discussion of the presence or absence of oil and gas development within sight of the CDT or a National Park.

And of course refinery workers and engineers wear detection devices and are well aware of H2S dangers. I said so from the get-go. That's categorically different from an alarmist statement that a production wellhead might "kill a hiker dead" though, isn't it?

After hopefully putting the hydrogen sulfide gas matter to rest, we should consider how the hiker community might best deal with development of any and all kinds within the so-called viewshed of a trail, National Park, National Monument, etc. We need to realize that some consider the concept of viewshed to be something of a stretch, along the lines of "OK, the National Park is off-limits to development, and now you want to restrict development on property within sight of the National Park?". I say this not to take a position one way or the other, but instead to make the readers aware that some very well-intentioned thoughts and concepts sound like an over-reach to some on the other side. We just need to remember this, since we need co-operation among all owners and users of real estate in order to further the most important of our conservation goals.

AO

[Montana]

I don't think it is the same company or lease, but this issue is back in the news: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com...e26ebe7ad.html

[Marta]

I think it is the same company and same lease. There have been several events recently in and around the Blackfeet reservation that hope to publicize the lease. Drilling opponents say that the feds had no business giving out this lease on Blackfeet land a couple of decades ago--the selling of the lease was illegal. They want the lease cancelled.