BLM Kowtows to Industry

by Kelly Matheson

The Bureau of Land Management's Pinedale Field Office recently approved a project that reverses more than a decade of science-based policy.

For the past two years, Questar Exploration and Production Company has asked the BLM's Pinedale office for permission to drill for gas throughout the winter in crucial mule deer winter range and sage grouse nesting habitat - an action that the agency has prohibited since 1987.

The BLM denied Questar's request during the 2001-2002 season, citing poor range conditions and the declining health of mule deer. However, this year, the agency approved the request even though it admitted that the continuing drought had significantly reduced forage available to mule deer and other wildlife.

The BLM's approval of Questar's winter-long drilling request came at a time when many other public lands in Wyoming were closed to protect wintering wildlife from human-caused stress. In fact, the Pinedale BLM recently closed the area already being drilled by Questar to off-road vehicles, stating that, "The closure is necessary to protect wintering mule deer and prevent soil erosion. Increased disturbance caused by motor vehicles could add to the physiological stress on wintering deer. In addition, weather conditions could easily change for the worse."

While the BLM has wisely closed this area to off-road vehicle traffic to protect wintering wildlife, it has kowtowed to industry, in keeping with the Bush Administration's National Energy Plan, by allowing an energy company to develop a noisy, polluting industrial site that will operate 24 hours a day all winter long, with constant vehicle traffic, in the middle of crucial winter range.

In response, WOC, with a coalition of other conservation groups, asked the BLM's Wyoming state director to review the decision. In late January, the state director rejected our request. In early March, WOC brought suit in U.S. federal district court, challenging the BLM's decision and requesting that the drill rig be shut down until winter is over and deer have started migrating back to their summer range. The groups also seek toclarify the extent to which the public will be allowed to participate in such decisions.