The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public comment period for two proposed oil wells inside the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Refuge came to an end July 14.  The vast majority of comments collected indicate public concern for the wildlife that inhabits and uses the wetlands area as a migration stop-over.  Overwhelmingly, both private individuals and governmental organizations ask the applications by H&C Oil Operating, Inc. and L.D. Drilling, Inc. be denied.
In June, the Corps. published two permit applications on their website, and provided 21 days for public comment.  The Tribune received a tip alerting us to the story. The original comment period was scheduled to end July 4, but the Environmental Protection Agency requested an additional 10-day extension.
Sixty-two private individuals weighed in, with 58 written comments and four phone calls, in opposition to drilling in or around the Cheyenne Bottoms.  Many indicated a history, either their own or a family member, with the oil business.  All asked the Corps to deny the permits.  Many also asked for the Corps to hold a formal public hearing about the proposed projects.
Comments were also collected from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency, the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club International, the Kansas Wildlife Federation, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.  
The Nature Conservancy, owner of the surface rights of the land where H&C Oil proposes to drill, also weighed in.  TNC offered recommendations for mitigation should the proposal be approved.  They called for the proposed access road to be directed to the south west, which could shorten it. Other demands-- all electrical lines be buried to protect Whooping cranes, any wetland mitigation be completed on TNC land (not in-lieu-fee as proposed), and excavated plants be stockpiled.  Only native plants would be acceptable for restoration of disturbed areas.    
Both the Kansas Historical Society and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska indicated there was no known historic properties or tribal grounds that could be affected by the projects, and voiced no objection to the proposal for those reasons.
Luke Cory, USACE Regulatory Team Leader at the Kanopolis Regulatory Field Office, will need to decide if a hearing will be scheduled and will make the final decision to approve or deny the applications.  
“We weight public interest factors and try to make a fair decision,” Cory said in July.  “It’s a complicated process. Every comment will be considered.”