For only $2.35 per acre, the Idaho Department of Lands leased 1900 acres of state mineral and surface rights in Payette and Gem counties to Snake River Oil and Gas at an auction on August 3.  The transferrable, ten-year (or indefinite if productive) leases for oil and gas exploration and development cover 44 tracts of public trust lands BENEATH navigable river and lake beds along the Payette River (see the map).  The high (and only) bidder railroaded through the 2012 Idaho legislative session House Bill 464, which undermines local control of oil and gas facilities siting and ordinances, and other industry-favorable laws and state regulations.  Snake River Oil and Gas will perform seismic tests to gather data and map areas surrounding the river, but lease preconditions disallow drilling on (but not under?) the river.  Proceeds from the state’s 12 percent royalty fee on oil and natural gas production revenues could benefit Idaho’s general fund (soon ravaged by the aftermath of mine-and-run gas companies).  Peruse the following local, state, and national articles for more information:

Gem County Acres Leased for Oil and Gas Exploration

Snake River Oil and Gas Wins Oil and Gas Lease Bids from State

Idaho Oil, Gas Leases Generate Just Over $4,450

(From WIRT Newsletter)

Looming frackers of southern Idaho described their seismic exploration for oil and natural gas over the next three months near Payette at a Wednesday, July 25, informational meeting:

Oil and Gas Exploration Meeting Set for Payette

Payette County Seismic Testing to Begin Soon

Gas Exploration Comes to Gem County

(From WIRT Newsletter)

Seismic testing will soon be conducted in the New Plymouth area as the next step to discovering and extracting natural gas in western Idaho.

Rod McLeod, a geologist from Gulf Coast Permit Services hired by Snake River Oil and Gas, which is currently collecting leases for mineral rights in the area, presented in front of the Payette County Commissioners Tuesday about his plans for testing for natural gas in the area.

In his presentation, McLeod said he plans to use a seismic test to make a “picture” of the Earth’s subsurface.  The test will be used to create a virtual 3D photo of what is underneath to show where natural gas is likely to be.

Read more: Seismic Testing Will Identify Natural Gas

(By Cherise Kaechele, The Argus Observer, Ontario, Oregon)

BOISE – The new owners of natural gas wells in western Idaho plan to spend more and drill more to find more gas in the state.

“This is exciting news for Idaho,” Snake River Oil and Gas President Richard Brown told the Idaho Statesman in a story published Saturday.  “This acquisition of the productive wells and the thousands of associated leased acres means we can expand our oil and gas exploration program, drill more wells, and bring major investments to the region and the state.”

The company is partnering with AM Idaho LLC, a subsidiary of Texas-based Alta Mesa Holdings.

The companies recently purchased the Idaho gas wells from Bridge Resources Corporation and its partner, Paramax Resources Ltd.  Those companies in 2010 produced what appear to be commercially viable natural gas wells after drilling 11 wells in Payette County.

The new owners plan to use advanced technology that allows geologic mapping of the region to find more natural gas. Continue reading →

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho ― Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter signed the bill restricting local control over the natural gas industry, putting the finishing touches to a measure that launched the Senate’s ethics investigation into Senator Monty Pearce.  The law, HB 464, went into effect Friday, forbidding local governments from enacting ordinances to prohibit gas drilling.  From now on, Idaho cities and counties can’t require exploration companies to secure conditional use permits for their projects.  Though the bill cleared the House and Senate on wide margins, it created a sensation in the 2012 Legislature when Democrats accused Pearce of not disclosing a conflict of interest.  Pearce has leased land to Snake River Oil and Gas, the company behind the bill.  He didn’t disclose his leases publicly until the final vote.  Wednesday, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed the complaint.

(By Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise, The Spokesman Review)

On Monday, March 19, in Weiser, and on Tuesday, March 20, in Fruitland, the Idaho Organizing Project of the Western Organization of Resource Councils and Oregon Rural Action hosted guest speaker John Fenton of Pavillion, Wyoming, the rancher and chair of the Pavillion Area Concerned Citizens featured in the Gasland documentary.  Throughout two informative evenings of free, public presentations, John talked about his and his neighbors’ personal experiences and their direct struggles against the negative aspects of living in the middle of oil and gas fracking development on their ranches and in their community.  See a brief video of John explaining how his peers organized themselves and recruited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a seminal study of their ground water.

(Link provided by Liz Amason)

The Senate ethics investigation into Senator Monty Pearce is over – as a bipartisan committee voted unanimously to drop a conflict-of-interest complaint.

But the hard feelings linger.

In a news release this morning, Senate Democrats complain that they were saddled with an unreasonable burden of proof. They say they were told to prove that Pearce, R-New Plymouth, would derive direct and unusual financial benefit from oil and gas leases from the process.

Committee Republicans and Democrats closed the process with an agreement that potential conflicts should be disclosed sooner in the legislative process – not on the Senate floor, before a final vote on legislation, as Pearce did last week.

Read more: Idaho Senate Democrats Decry ‘Unpleasant Ordeal’ of Pearce Ethics Process

(By Kevin Richert, The Idaho Statesman)

Controversial legislation fast-tracked by the Idaho Petroleum Council through the Idaho Legislature, House Bill 464 faced a gridlock 17 to 17 vote on the Senate floor last Friday, March 9, about whether it should be sent to the Amending order for language changes.  This industry-sponsored law would allow state agencies and commissions to pre-empt city and county control of natural gas development and would exempt associated wells from state regulations governing Class II injection wells, thus permitting disposal of hazardous drilling waste such as hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) fluids.  In an unexpected turn of events, Lieutenant Governor Brad Little cast the deciding vote in favor of revisions (see the Boise Weekly article also on the WIRT website, Senate Deadlocks on Amending Gas Drilling Measure, Lieutenent Governor Casts Tie-Breaker. Continue reading →