Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office (JIO)
The Jonah Natural Gas Field is located in the Upper Green River Basin of west central Wyoming south of Pinedale. Jonah’s 30,000 acres of rolling sagebrush are 94 percent federally owned. The area has one of the richest concentrations of natural gas in the United States, currently estimated at more than 14 trillion cubic feet.
The Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office was created by the Jonah Project Record of Decision (ROD) to provide overall management of on-site monitoring and off-site mitigation activities. To perform these functions, the JIO manages a $24.5 million monitoring and mitigation fund committed by EnCana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc. and BP America Production Company.
Although the Jonah Infill Drilling Project (JIDP) results in significant impacts within the project area, the ROD represents an innovative approach to encouraging industry to minimize the footprint of development, maximize recovery of natural gas and speed up the reclamation process. The JIO provides a crucial mechanism to further mitigate project impacts by funding and implementing both on- and off-site monitoring and mitigation projects.
Pinedale Anticline Project Office (PAPO)
The Pinedale Anticline Natural Gas Field is located in the Upper Green River Basin of west-central Wyoming, south of Pinedale. The Anticline’s 198,000 acres of rolling sagebrush are 80 percent federally owned. The area has one of the richest concentrations of natural gas in the United States, currently estimated at more than 25 trillion cubic feet.
The Pinedale Anticline Project Office was created by the Anticline Project Record of Decision (SEIS ROD) to provide overall management of on-site monitoring and off-site mitigation activities. The PAPO obtains, collects, stores and distributes monitoring information to support the adaptive management process and analyzes mitigation projects primarily focusing on mule deer, pronghorn and Greater sage-grouse.
The SEIS ROD established a Monitoring and Mitigation Fund to mitigate potential impacts to wildlife, air and other resources in the area. Ultra, Shell, and Questar contribute $7,500 to the Monitoring and Mitigation Fund for each well spudded in the Anticline, with a total contribution of $36 million during the life of the project.