How could federal oil and gas reforms impact Carlsbad Caverns National Park?

Reforms to the federal government’s policies for oil and gas operations on public land could have a unique impact on an icon of southeast New Mexico in Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

The park, a world-famous tourist destination renowned for massive underground cave formations and an economic boon for the surrounding communities is situated amid the Permian Basin – the U.S.’ busiest oilfield.

Shared by New Mexico and Texas, the Permian produces about 5.8 million barrels of oil per day, almost of the U.S.’ total crude oil output of about 12.6 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration.

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But all that oil production takes a lot of drilling underground, potentially disrupting the sensitive ecosystems and structures that define Carlsbad Caverns.

The Bureau of Land Management was considering new policies to dictate how land are analyzed when being considered for this extraction, intending to drive operations away from sensitive areas like the Caverns, opting instead to target areas where oil and gas drilling is already ongoing.

Emily Wolf, New Mexico representative with the National Parks Conservation Association said the Caverns’ underground cave system contains several delicate, karstic aquifers that provide drinking water to nearby communities.

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These porous formations could be imperiled by drilling in the area, she said, susceptible to water contamination from spills.

“The subterranean landscape is deeply connected to cave and karst resource and to underground aquifers that provide local drinking water,” Wolf said.

Dark skies at the Caverns could also be at risk from light pollution tied to expanded oil and gas operations, Wolf said, with facilities often running all night and impeding nocturnal wildlife like the hundreds of thousands of bats that call the park home.

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“That population is just essential to the caverns and have seen more dark sky impacts in the area of the caverns,” Wolf said of the bats. “It’s impacted the dark skies which have impacted the visitor experience.

“Protecting our dark skies not only improves the visitor experience but also is absolutely critical for wildlife.”

Reforms to bonding under the BLM propose would require operators to pay more into the cleanup of abandoned wells.

The Association estimated there were 198 abandoned wells in the area around the Caverns, typically unmonitored and potentially leaking air and water pollution into the surrounding environment.

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This provision, the Association argued, would augment public funds provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to clean up existing orphaned wells by requiring energy companies to pay for the work themselves.

And new language in the BLM rules would increase the analysis of leased land and consider areas that are culturally and environmental sensitive.

Wolf said 90 percent of BLM lands around the Caverns and in the Carlsbad area were already leased to oil and gas producers, and the new rules would help balance the needs of the environment and the public with the industry’s economic benefits.

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“There is an incredible amount of development already taking placed and that has been locked in. The updates really are providing protections in a system that has long favored the oil and gas industry,” she said. “It’s really taking a hard look at the cumulative impacts of the oil and gas industry.”

A report from the National Park Service did specify that oil and gas could impact sensitive caves at the park, namely Lechuguilla Cave which lies beneath a wilderness area and adjacent to BLM land.

The cave was until 1986 believed a small “fairly insignificant” landform, the report read, but scientists since mapped more than 145 miles of passages and a depth of 1,604 feet.

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This makes Lechuguilla Cave the one of the four longest caves in the U.S., one of the 10 longest in the world, and the second-deepest limestone cave in the world.

It’s also been studied for the lifeforms in the cave, as microbes were documented the Park Service said could pose medicinal benefits.

“Oil and gas drilling on BLM-managed areas could leak gas or fluids into the cave's passages, killing cave life, destroying the fragile ecosystem, and threatening the safety of people inside the cave,” read the report. “The park is actively managing the cave and karst resources to minimize threats.”

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But in attempting to mitigate these impacts, oil and gas industry groups worried the new rules could impede energy development in New Mexico and across the U.S.

In public comments submitted to the BLM on its proposed rules, a group of oil and gas trade groups including the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association cautioned that the agency reforms posed “sweeping” changes to federal oil and gas policy.

The groups called for a 90-day extension of the public comment period set to end Sept. 22.

We understand one of BLM’s key goals with this rulemaking is improving the return to the American people from oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands,” read the comments.

“We share that goal – and we believe it can be best accomplished by a comment period that leaves sufficient time for the type of careful evaluation which thoroughly and constructively identifies potential unintended consequences.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: How could federal oil and gas reforms impact Carlsbad Caverns?