Report from our D.C. Office

by Tom Darin

On a crisp fall morning one Sunday in November, while hiking along the Appalachian Trail in splendid Shenandoah National Park, I had time to reflect on my first couple of months in our nation's Capital.

Going it Alone

When I first arrived in Washington and moved into our office in the National Wildlife Federation building, I immediately realized how vital Bonnie, WOC's office manager, is to the organization. From filing legal pleadings and organizing certified mailings to days of frustration trying to figure out my email hookup and searching in vain for a decent stapler, I was at a loss without Bonnie.

A Voice for Wyoming's Public Lands

WOC opened its D.C. office primarily to actively engage congressional and federal agency officials whose decisions directly affect Wyoming's public lands and environmental quality.

When I first arrived, I met with Members of Congress to advocate protections for Wyoming's wild places, wildlife habitat, and air and water in a sweeping energy bill that was then in conference. Given the turnaround after the mid-term elections, the Bush Administration's determination to ramp up domestic fossil fuel development and a new energy bill that will undoubtedly emerge from the new Congress, a voice in D.C. for Wyoming's public lands is particularly important.

In addition, I've met with key decisionmakers in the Department of Interior regarding Powder River Basin coalbed methane issues, possible oil and gas leasing reforms and the Bureau of Land Management's reaction to and program changes as a result of our Interior Board of Land Appeals victory (see story on page 11). I've been closely tracking the actions of two federal agency task forces: one charged with "improving" the National Environmental Policy Act; the other on oil and gas bonding. And I've met with a number of national environmental groups headquartered here as part of our ongoing campaign to maintain a high profile for the Red Desert, the Powder River Basin, the Upper Green River Valley and other endangered public lands in Wyoming.

I'm honored to be in our nation's Capital and to have a more direct voice in some key national policy directives. But on some days, as I jostle for standing room on the overcrowded Metro, I dearly miss Wyoming's quiet, solitude and seemingly endless open spaces. I'm looking forward to my next trip West.