In my opinion, some of the most beautiful parts of our country are located in Utah; particularly in southern Utah. I have spent many days and weeks of my life camping and hiking in places such as the Grand Staircase National Monument, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and Desolation Canyon. These are places that present a visitor with great scenery, and are full of history. Nine Mile Canyon, for example, contains pictographs and petroglyphs that were cut into the rock walls by the Fremont and Ute Indians hundreds, and perhaps thousands of years ago. Indeed, these are places that deserve extra protection to ensure that they remain for future generations to experience and enjoy.
Yet the outgoing Bush administration is bound and determined to open these places to drilling rigs, along with the access roads, heavy trucks and equipment, noise, air, and water pollution that accompany them. And this despite the fact that the oil and gas industry in Utah already has nearly 3,500 drilling permits that have not been acted upon.
Prior to election day, groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance warned that the BLM would be announcing on election day its intention to sell hundreds of oil leases in the above places. But true to the opaque and secretive nature of administrative agencies during the last eight years, BLM officials merely announced that they would open 360,000 acres to oil exploration, without pointing to where those leases would fall.
The following is from the Salt Lake Tribune:
[T]he U.S. Bureau of Land Management's supposed list failed to detail those 241 proposed oil and gas parcels - some of which are thought to be near national parks and monuments. Instead, the BLM included only a muddled statement issued at the end of the workday by the agency's Salt Lake City office, whose officials skedaddled without offering any explanations.
Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office released a report Tuesday questioning why the BLM continues to offer so many leases when so few ever are developed.
The GAO looked at six Western states - Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming - and found that of nearly 48,000 leases issued from 1987 through 1996, only 2,900 ever were drilled and only about 1,800 produced any oil or gas.
In Utah, the BLM issued 5,127 leases during the same time period, but developers drilled only 323 (6.3 percent) and produced oil or gas on 225 leases (4.4 percent). The leases all were for 10 years with the possibility of a two-year extension.
I understand the need for so many leases, after all, not every lease will produce oil. But why sell hundreds more in ecologically sensitive areas when so many have never even been touched by a drill bit?
According to the SUWA, "the tracts of public lands that will be opened to leasing are dominated by lands that BLM inventoried in Utah between 1996-99 and again between 2001-2007 and determined to have wilderness character. They are largely all part of the lands proposed for Wilderness designation in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act (H.R.1919/S.1170), a bill that has been supported in the 110th Congress by 10 senators and 160 members of the House of Representatives."
So my question is this: Where's the outrage? Why is this not a bigger issue? We're talking about damage to southern Utah wilderness that will be irreversible. I hope you will consider writing a letter to President-elect Obama, or to your representative in Congress. Or donate to the SUWA to aid them in fighting the proposed lease sale (scheduled to take place on December 19th, before Obama takes office). After all, don't we want our children to enjoy the same beautiful country that we have grown up with?
7 comments:
Fortunately, it seems that as I was making this post, the BLM was backing off somewhat on the proposed lease sale. It seems that there has been substantial opposition from the National Park Service, members of Congress and Obama's transition team.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11072818
Most of the sites that have been taken off the table, however, appear to be near the national parks, with the fate of various lands around places like Dinosaur National Monument and Nine Mile Canyon remaining unclear.
I'm glad some of it has been taken off the table. But to answer your question, "where is the outrage?", in my opinion, it's sad but too true that people in Utah don't involve themselves in politics much other than maybe national elections and then for smaller issues, it's just lip service. I think they are just wrapped up in their personal lives and figure that things will somehow magically take care of themselves. No idea why it's this way but I didn't really realize it until I moved to Vermont where EVERYONE is involved in the community and participates in even the smallest of votes.
I'll tell you where the outrage is, it doesn't exist because Utah is a red state. They are more worried about putting gas in their tanks and the future of our oil based society than the Indian carvings. Sure, everyone wants to enjoy the beautiful landscape but when it comes right down to it, I'll take electricity,(Have you lived in Houston after a hurricane?? No power for two weeks blows.) Besides from the looks of it, they probably won't even drill there.
Hillary,
When I wrote this post, I was not trying to make a statement against the need for oil, or even for the need to reduce our dependence on oil. Rather, I was making the point that there should be some balancing of the need for energy with valid environmental considerations.
In the post I observed that less than 10% of the thousands of oil leases issued have ever been explored. Given that fact, I then questioned the need to issue more leases in environmentally sensitive and historical places.
Why can't the oil companies explore the areas that are covered by existing leases without seeking additional leases? And who's to say that if they explore the existing leases, the oil that we need will not be found?
There's no reason we can't obtain the oil we need and also preserve places of environmental and historic importance. Come on, let's find some balance.
I agree with you. And I wish Utah would suck it up and care more already.
Thanks for the info.
It is the nearsighted ignorance and entitlement mentality of many U.S. citizens which has led to the ensuing economic troubles. I lived through four Florida hurricanes without power, water, etc. for weeks. It is that kind of experience which is needed to wake up the spoiled American population. Such experiences were had during the great depression. The gifts to the oil companies and other industries at the expense of our natural treasures reflects a government put into power by the bling seeking public. All of these events happen in cycles and soon the pendulum will swing to the side of fundamental human values and away from greed. For my part, on this particular issue, I sent emails to my representatives demanding a stop to the upcoming auction of these lands. You can do the same at the NRDC website.
Post a Comment