Large crowd gathers to hear carbon sequestration proposal

A large crowd from throughout the county gathered October 12, 2023 at the Carter County Events Center to hear a presentation from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Denbury about a proposed carbon sequestration project known as the Snowy River Project. The proposed area encompasses approximately 100,000 acres south and west of Ekalaka, locally known as the C and B Grazing District.

Denbury currently has a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) pipeline running through the area. The CO2 would be injected into deep wells (5,000 to 8,000 feet) at 15 different sites.

Members of the audience were concerned about the effects this project would have on underground aquifers, wildlife and grazing. Also of concern was the timeline for the public comment period. The audience was largely uninformed that the 30 day comment period had already started September 27, with comments due October 27, 2023. Many felt that the first public meeting in the area to be affected should have taken place prior to the release of the comment period or that the comment period be extended.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it would be extending the public scoping period by 30 days for an overall 60-day comment period.

"We want to ensure everyone who would like to, has the opportunity to provide their comments on this project application," said Eric Lepisto, Miles City Field Manager. "This is part of the process; to solicit public input on issues, impacts, and potential alternatives the BLM needs to inform the environmental analysis, on this proposal."

The new scoping period will end November 27, 2023.

As presented in the September 29, 2023 Ekalaka Eagle page 3, the relevant documents, maps and a venue for submitting comments are available on the BLM e-planning project website: https://eplanning.blm.gov Search using the NEPA number: DOL-BLM-MT-CO2-2023-0070-EA.

For more information, contact Irma Nansel, Planning & Environmental Coordinator at inansel@blm.gov .

This article was updated to include the new comment period.