The Western Heritage Alternative recognizes the value of oil and gas development in Wyoming, but wants to ensure that it occurs in the right place and at the right pace. The Alternative calls for responsible management of our public lands by striking a balance between oil and gas development and other uses such as wildlife protection, ranching, hunting and additional types of recreation.

• Under the Western Heritage Alternative, 90.5 percent of the resource area would remain open for sustainable oil and gas development.

• The plan proposes that a total of 8 percent of the planning area would be set aside as Wilderness Study Areas to preserve the Great Divide’s most sensitive wildlife habitat and spectacular landscapes. This is in addition to 1.5 percent already not available for leasing.

• The Western Heritage calls for the protection of cultural and historical sites in the Great Divide. The Greater Red Desert has been important to Native Americans for thousands of years. Pioneers traversed the region on their way west. Outlaws hid out in this wild country to escape the law. Ranchers have lived on the land for close to 100 years. This history deserves to be preserved for future generations.

• Sustainable development is defined as development that minimizes impacts on wildlife, air and water, and quality of life. This includes:

1. Directional drilling and no surface occupancy in crucial big game wintering areas and sage grouse strutting grounds, as well as near raptor nests and around areas where rare and endangered species live.
2. The use of Best Available Technologies in all development to minimize impacts on air and water quality.
3. Inject water produced by coalbed methane development back into the ground to prevent damage to fish populations, aquifers and surface water.
4. Minimize the number of roads and well pads to help prevent habitat fragmentation.
5. Stage development to slow down the boom.

Background:
• The Western Heritage Alternative provides a sustainable vision for the future of the public lands managed by the Rawlins Field Office of the BLM.

• Wyoming people and her visitors support the Western Heritage Alternative. During the initial scoping period on the Great Divide Plan, which took place in the spring of 2003, 94 percent of the 10,500 public comments received by the BLM explicitly asked the agency to adopt the Western Heritage Alternative.

• The Rawlins Field Office released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement Rawlins Resource Management Plan on December 17, 2004. The public had until March 18, 2005 to submit comments. The BLM is currently reviewing all comments and is expected to issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement in the end of 2005 or early 2006.

Read the Western Heritage Alternative (520KB in pdf)