10 FEBRUARY 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® How Agriculture and Energy Production Coexist in Colorado Adapted from Information by Chevron When you look out on Art Guttersen’s 35,000acre Colorado ranch, you’ll see cows, horses, and chickens. You’ll also see active gas and oil operations including well heads, tankless facilities, and drill rigs strategically placed throughout his property. As his cows graze against the backdrop of green fields and the snowcapped Rocky Mountains nearby, Guttersen reflects on how energy development spared his multigenerational farm from being sold to developers. “Chevron saved my ranch,” he said. Guttersen has been leasing his land to energy producers since the 1970s and he wants his ranch to serve as an example of how these sectors can work together to meet the growing demands for both. “Our ranch is better today with wells on it,” he said. “It’s no longer just a ranch. It has become a major producer for the economy.” He also said his ranch land near Greeley, Colorado, likely would have been sold and rezoned for housing if mineral rights hadn’t helped subsidize his income. Chevron has policies to help protect the environment, including restoring the fields to their original condition after work in a certain area has concluded. “Reclaiming the land helps protect the environment by taking the human element out of it and giving a habitat back to native species,” said Victoria Eliason, asset retirement superintendent. “Being part of that process, where you’re seeing an area transition from an oil and gas producing site back to its native state, is really rewarding.” Cows aren’t the only things you’ll find on the ranch, which is also home to antelopes, tortoises, rabbits, horses, chickens, and various wild birds. The ranch has been in the Guttersen family for 85 years. In recent decades, he went from watching his children help around the farm to seeing his grandchildren learn to do the same. His son Parker, now a married dad of three, continues to help out on the ranch, occasionally with a little back up from his own young children. Guttersen said the line of succession that’s forming never would have been possible without Chevron. “Ranching is a tough way to make a living,” he said. “Chevron came in and helped us maintain the lifestyle that we’re accustomed to, not only today but for future generations as well. We know their interests are the same as ours, which is to promote the best for our family, the environment, and the State of Colorado.” Chevron gained exclusive rights to develop natural gas and oil from Guttersen Ranch through a comprehensive plan approved by the state in 2018. The company helped develop the ranch by building power lines, roadways, and water lines. Chevron also worked to retire older equipment for newer, centralized infrastructure to help protect the environment. Those visiting Guttersen’s ranch must abide by a series of rules: no smoking, littering, or exceeding the 21 mph speed limit. G&O Mfg., Scree Atlan Inc. en & ntic E-mail: atlantic@ce Atlantic-Screen.c Manufactu 302-684-3197 Manholes j Clear PVC Pipe j Inline Chemical Mixers j ell Rehabilitation Produ jW e.net com urers 7 ucts Milton, DE 19968 142 Broadkill Rd ½” - 24 ranging f Perforated of Slotted Fax: 302-384-0643 more! MUCH And j Bailers Sampling j Locking Caps j Filter Sock j Bentonite j 4” from d Pipe dand 3 Hey - Heads Up! By the time you read this - we will be working toward the APRIL issue! Space reservation is the 25th of February 2024.
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