Applications for drilling permits in Grand County, Utah, are skyrocketing in a region known for its national parks, wildlands, uranium and recreation. As of Dec. 4, the state had approved 52 drilling permit applications in the county for 2007. In 2003, seven permits were approved. The region’s energy development scenario took a new twist in December when the Grand County Council issued a six-month moratorium on the construction of oil and gas wastewater evaporation pits. The moratorium followed outcry from Mesa County residents after The Daily Sentinel reported in November that the county issued a permit to Mesa County-based Danish Flats Environmental Services for an evaporation pit near Cisco, Grand County Councilman Bob Greenberg said. Grand County’s hazardous waste ordinance does not address liquid waste, prompting some energy companies to apply for evaporation pond permits in the county, he said. Council members immediately responded to public concern that Grand County would become a target for the energy industry because its regulations were perceived to be less stringent than those in Mesa County, he said.

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