Tom Darin Moves On

by Christine Lichtenfels

Photo by Steve Jones

After three-and-ahalf years as the director of WOC's Public Lands and Resources Program, Tom Darin is leaving WOC and moving to Jackson. There, he will serve as program director for our frequent conservation partner, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.

During his time at WOC, Tom took the lead in our efforts to rein in runaway coalbed methane development in the Powder River Basin and elsewhere in Wyoming. He won several important decisions from the Interior Department's Board of Land Appeals, which ruled that oil and gas leases could not be sold without adequate environmental analysis of coalbed methane's unique impacts. Tom spearheaded our response to the Bureau of Land Management's Powder River Basin Oil and Gas Environmental Impact Statement, and served as co-counsel in our pending case challenging the BLM's final decision.

He also responded to frequent calls from state, regional and national print and broadcast media reporters, who appreciated his thorough knowledge of the thorny legal issues surrounding CBM development, and, no doubt, his quick wit. At the same time, Tom wrote articles that have been published in several prestigious national environmental law journals.

And, very importantly, Tom kept us laughing with his humorous accounts of virtually every event in his life, particularly Darin family gatherings, and his hilarious emails regarding the proper technique for using Tray 3 - our printer's re-used paper tray. Under Tom's careful tutelage, we all "learned" that Tray 3 does not work when re-used pages are still stapled together, already printed on both sides, previously spindled, ripped or shredded.

"Leaving WOC was a terribly difficult decision to make," says Tom. "But I'm not saying good-bye. I look forward to working with WOC on joint campaigns to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Upper Green River Valley from industrial-scale energy development."

Thanks, Tom, for all your excellent work. We look forward to working with you at the Alliance.