I am strongly opposed to the gas lease sale of parcel 7379 in Montezuma County. This 720-acre parcel is at the east end of Road Z, in sections 11 and 14, just half a mile from the dam at McPhee Reservoir. The north and east sides of this parcel border national forest. And it is outside of the draft master leasing plan boundary. Horizontal drilling can go two miles. I believe that it’s not safe to drill within one-half mile of the dam structure. Has the geology of the land between the lease parcel and the dam been studied? Are there any fault lines that could be disturbed? Could fracking cause small earthquakes that could damage the dam structure?
Unless these questions can be answered satisfactorily to guarantee no chance of contamination of the water and damage to the dam structure itself, I am strongly opposed to any lease at this site. Human health and safety could be devastatingly impacted by either of the above.
Marianne Mate
Dolores
