Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Foutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Randy Foutch and I represent the Anschutz Corp. We are owners in undi vided issues of oils and gases in the Palisades area, and I would like to briefly address the oil and gas potential of the Palisades area. The Overthrust Belt has been mentioned several times this morning that it extends from Alaska into at least Mexico, all the way across the Western United States. The only substantial pro duction of oil and gas production in the U.S. Overthrust is in the southern thrust area of Wyoming and Utah. It's basically in a very unique geological setting, that is very limited, in an area extending something on the order of the magnitude of 50 miles long and 10 miles wide. This production is substantial. • The Anschutz Corp. believes that the Palisades area may have the very same unique set of geological characteristics. Three things leading for oil and gas production on traps: Something to trap accu mulation, the source, and a seal on top of the trap. Traps are just almost everywhere in the Overthrust all across the Western United States. The source in the UP strip, the southern area, is basically creta ceous sediment and the seal is basically also cretaceous sediment. The Palisades area that exists has the same set of cretaceous source rocks, it has the same basic seal, and it has the same overth rust package of sediment called Absaroka, which has tremendous potential for reservoir rock. There have been some activity in the Palisades area but these were drilled, if my memory serves me right, more than 10 years ago. One of them, however, did have en couraging on-gas shows. It is our belief that the Palisades area is similar in geological area to this Wyoming-Utah portion of the Overthurst, which does have substantial oil and gas production. Thank you.