I found this on r/b. It has not been verified by me and I don't know the poster. I''m working on it now. (See the last line)
By: otcstk1
11 Dec 2005, 02:08 AM EST
nevada article i wante to post...
Computer Model Assists Oil and Gas Permitting
by John Snow
The Division of Minerals has been working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reduce the permit approval time and expense for oil and gas wells. Nationally the number one environmental concern that delays BLM oil and gas permits is archaeological studies. Each well pad and access road needs an archaeological review to ensure compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act prior to permit approval. These reviews involve inventorying cultural properties and determining if specific sites are eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The responsibility for conducting the Archeological reviews resides with the BLM, however due to workload demands the BLM gives the applicant the option of hiring a consulting archeological firm to prepare the reports for BLM's review. The option to hire a consultant often expedites permit approval times and as such has become the norm rather than the exception. These contract studies can range in cost from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. In Railroad Valley alone over 450 cultural resource inventories identifying over 1300 sites have been conducted over the past 20 years. Keeping tract of these has been difficult for BLM and resulted in past work not being used to its fullest extent in land management planning and permit approvals.
The oil and gas personnel at Division of Minerals and BLM perceived that portions of Railroad Valley did not require further study due to extensive cultural work done in the past. At the Petroleum Expo in Las Vegas which was sponsored by the Division and cosponsored by BLM, one of the speakers presented the concept of using a computer model to predict the location of archaeological sites. This Archaeological Predictive Model concept was well received by industry and government as a sensible scientifically based solution to a difficult land management conflict.
The basic concept is to use water, soil, plant, tree and wildlife habitat data in an Geographical Information System (GIS) to predict the portions of the valley that prehistoric hunter-gatherers occupied. Hunter-gatherers sought the shade of pinyon-junipers and water from the springs. With the resource data in GIS format, maps can be developed that predicted the location of sites that contained prehistoric resources like lithic material used in arrowheads, stone tools etc. With 450 cultural inventories that identify over 1300 sites on file that contain the actual location of the prehistoric sites, validation of the predictive models maps is possible. It is alarming to view a map of the valley that graphically depicts all the seismic lines, 3-D seismic blocks, access roads, well pads and power corridors that have had cultural inventories conducted on them.
With funding assistance from the Department of Energy a contract to conduct Archaeological Predictive Modeling was let to a Carson City consulting firm. A draft report has been prepared and is currently being evaluated, once the terms of the contract have been fulfilled the BLM will use the findings to streamline permitting in Railroad Valley. We are expecting large blocks of land to be excluded from further inventory and thus reducing permit time and expenses. Other blocks of land will identify sites that need to be protected and subsequently avoided. Some sites may need further inventories but the good news is exploration companies and agency personnel will have the data in a usable format up-front. Say for example the model shows that the hunter-gatherers did not occupy what is now the plyia. This block of land might be excluded from further inventory. On the other hand if the model identifies a site and the exploration activity can totally avoid the site no or limited inventory might be required.
When the predictive model approach is accepted as a land management planning tool the methodology can be used in other valleys. The next phase of the contract calls for implementation of the model in Pine Valley up in Eureka county just south of Carlin. Pine Valley is the only other valley that currently produces oil in Nevada. **
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