Linn
& Tweeti Blancett
Ranchers and Motel Owners - Aztec, New Mexico
 We
are sixth generation ranchers in northern New Mexico's San Juan
Basin and we hope our grandkids will be the eighth generation.
We've been ranching this land near Aztec for over 100 years. We
battle droughts, winter weather, and fluctuating cattle prices.
However, unlike many western cattle ranchers, we also contend
with the everyday, detrimental impacts of the Basin's oil and
gas industry.
Our
ranch is a mixture of public and private land. We are overrun
by more than 500 active gas wells. Each well pad and access road
gobbles up about 3 acres of grazing land.
Gas
gathering and distribution pipelines transect our property everywhere.
Pipelines are not reseeded, roads are built too wide without adequate
drainage, and surface spills are not cleaned up. Cheat grass and
thistle sprouts all over the pipeline scars, making the ground
unusable for grazing.
Access
roads are usually poorly constructed, with steep grades and improper
drainage. Sporadic maintenance results in roads with cavernous
ruts that make them almost impassable even to 4-wheel drive vehicles.
When the access roads are muddy, industry service rigs and trucks
often drive on the adjacent pasture land which is drier and offers
better traction.
At
the well pads, the waste pits and compressors are unfenced or
so poorly fenced that cattle and wildlife can drink from the pits
and drip pans. Uncovered drip pans hold ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
and water, a sweet tasting beverage that kills livestock and wildlife
that drink from it.
We
lose several cows a year due to these hazards. Since well operators
are reluctant to pay for livestock losses and require proof that
the animal was killed as a result of their operations, we must
have each animal autopsied and examined for hydrocarbon residues
and cause of death. That doesn't even count all the fees for lawyers
and other experts we pay to collect damages from the oil companies.
Read other accounts from A High Price to Pay:
|
