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Montana could play major role in energy security, Burns says

March 13, 2002 /

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Montana could play a significant role in the nation’s energy security if more areas could be explored for
oil and gas, Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., said Tuesday.

By CLAIR JOHNSON
Of The Gazette Staff

"To say we can’t get those reserves because of suggested damage to the landscape or whatever is not a
solid argument," he said. "I believe that very strongly. We could be a player in energy security."
Burns discussed the energy bill being considered by the Senate during a media conference call from
Washington D.C.
He said debates about vehicle fuel efficiency and oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska,
two major issues, would be the last amendments considered before final passage. The leadership wants to
get the bill completed by March 22, before the Easter recess.

Burns supported moving forward with coalbed methane development calling it "a viable energy we can
use." Asked whether tax credits should be extended for coalbed methane, Burns said he thought the industry
will probably be able to stand on its own and compete in the energy market.
Drilling for coalbed methane involves pumping out large volumes of ground water to release the pressure
that holds the gas in coal seams. The Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana has the potential for
significant methane development because of its vast coal reserves.
Burns said it is in the national interest to tap into oil and gas reserves and that it can be done in
environmentally sensitive ways. After exploration, the effect on the environment by production wells and
pipelines is small, he said.
One area in Montana eyed for its energy potential is the Rocky Mountain Front, which is adjacent to Glacier
National Park and part of the Lewis and Clark National Forest. In 1997, the Forest Service withdrew the Front
from any new oil and gas leasing for 15 years.
According to information from the Wilderness Society, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated in 1995 that the
Front may have 1.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which is enough to meet the nation’s energy demand for
less than a month. The Wilderness Society opposes drilling in the Front and other areas like Weatherman
Draw on Bureau of Land Management lands south of Billings.
Burns said 1.8 trillion cubic feet of gas may not be a lot of gas "until you need it." When the Front’s potential
is added to other possible reserves in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, the potential for energy is "huge," he
said.
Burns also expressed concern that so many public lands have been withdrawn from exploration.
The country needs to think about its national security in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which
changed how the country looks at its priorities and maintains its freedoms and lifestyles, Burns said.
"Energy security is economic security is national security," he said.