Editorials/Op-ed
Wyoming Range Environmental Study Should Start Over
2008-04-24 Editorial Gov. Dave Freudenthal was right to protest a Denver energy company's influence over proposed oil and gas leasing in the Wyoming Range. The U.S. Forest Service has breached the public's trust and should start the process over. In his letter to the Forest Service, the governor exposed the unbelievable control Stanley Energy has had over an environmental study of leasing in the Big Piney Ranger District in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. (Casper Star Tribune)
Drilling Rigs in Camouflage?
2008-04-08 Guest Editorial As a sportsman, I know firsthand the reason for camo. Like many sportsmen, I often go to great lengths to conceal my presence in the backcountry while pursuing big game. From the scent control we try to practice, which includes sometimes dousing ourselves in things that are unmentionable, to the pattern of camo we use, the goal is deception. So as I read the testimony being offered by the Bureau of Land Management that was prefaced as supportive of the Legacy Act, I couldn’t help but think, "They just don’t get it." (Casper Star Tribune)
State wants Wyoming Range Left as it is
2008-01-27 Guest Editorial Last spring a Texas-based company, Plains Exploration and Production Company (PXP), united our state in robust opposition to a proposal to drill three test wells in the Upper Hoback area of the Wyoming Range. Sportsmen, local property owners, Gov. Dave Freudenthal, outfitters and guides, steelworkers and gas field workers, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and even the State Board of Tourism publicly opposed drilling in this back-country area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest -- about 19,000 in all said "no!" (Casper Star Tribune)
Hoback Rim no place for wells
2007-12-12 Editorial The Bridger-Teton National Forest and Plains Exploration and Production Co. haven't gotten the message: Wyoming folk don't want the forest around Hoback Rim turned into a gas field. That sentiment has been expressed by thousands since the Texas-based energy company proposed drilling three wells near the Hoback Ranches subdivision a few years ago. Read full pdf here.
Wyo Range Coalition Needs to Stick Together
2007-10-30 Editorial It's taken many diverse interests working together to get a bill to protect 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range introduced in Congress. While Sen. John Barrasso, the bill's sponsor, and supporters deserve to be commended for their work thus far, there's a lot left to be done. A fundamental problem remains unresolved: What will happen to existing, undeveloped leases on 44,600 acres that have been suspended?
(Casper Star Tribune)
Barrassso Makes Right Wyoming Range Decision
2007-09-11 Editorial It's appropriate that Barrasso will spearhead the Wyoming Range bill and make it part of his own agenda. It became clear to those who closely followed Thomas' congressional career that preserving the Wyoming Range in the Bridger-Teton National Forest had become an integral part of his legacy to the state. As Thomas noted just days before his death, "That's a pretty special place." (Casper Star Tribune)
Barrasso has some of Thomas' work to finish
2007-06-23 Editorial John Barrasso, Wyoming's new U.S. senator, should owes it to voters, and to the memory of the man he is replacing, to carry out some of the key legislative goals that the late Sen. Craig Thomas advanced. That includes a bill that would designate more than 400 miles of Wyoming rivers as wild and scenic, and a measure to protect the habitat and wildlife of the Wyoming Range from destructive energy development. (Casper Star Tribune editorial)
Gov. makes good case to protect Wyoming Range
2007-05-06 Editorial Gov. Dave Freudenthal can hardly be mistaken for an enemy of energy development. The governor's record gives him much credibility when he decides there are some areas in the state where development should not be considered. The Wyoming Range is one of those special places. Freudenthal has protested the Texas-based Plains Exploratory Co.'s ill-conceived proposal to drill in the Wyoming Range. He's not exaggerating when he says the project could be the "first domino" toward industrialization of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The governor and other opponents have provided the U.S. Forest Service with evidence that explains why that domino must not be allowed to fall. The federal agency needs to heed their warnings, or Wyoming risks sacrificing an irreplaceable treasure for some short-term economic gain. (Casper Star Tribune editorial)
Drilling on the Rim: A bait and switch?
2007-04-25 Guest Editorial: The Forest Service and Plains Exploration & Production are not being forthright about plans to drill for natural gas in the upper Hoback, which could be the first step to drilling across the Wyoming Range. They are not leveling with the public about the potential long-term escalation of drilling. Much more is at stake than just a few exploratory wells. (Jackson Hole News & Guide)
Make a stand: No drilling in national forest
2007-04-17 Guest Editorial: Enough. It is a no-brainer to join the many groups and individuals that have rallied against proposed exploratory gas drilling in the northern Wyoming Range. Drilling and building or expanding roads would change this prisine area forever. It simply is not worth it this time, other than more profit for the energy companies. (Pinedale Roundup editorial)
Wishes for 2007: Buy back leases
2006-12-28 Editorial: The state of Wyoming, awash in mineral and petroleum royalties, should take some of that money and buy controversial oil and gas leases in the Wyoming Range. The range is a pristine part of Wyoming that should be protected. Buying back leases is a sound investment in the state's future and it makes sense to spend a portion of the state's huge mineral revenue stream to protect an area endangered by oil and gas development. (Jackson Hole News and Guide)
Protecting Wyoming's namesake mountains
2006-10-19 Guest Editorial: Wyoming residents are proud of the contribution their state makes to the nation's energy production, but they are equally proud of their special landscapes, even little-known places such as the Wyoming Range. "While many of us would like to keep these mountains our state's best-kept secret, we can't afford to keep quiet," writes Hoback Ranches resident Peter Doenges. (Pinedale Roundup)
Thomas should push harder
2006-07-05 Editorial: Sen. Craig Thomas should insist the government reverse its decision to allow the Wyoming Range to be turned from a public playground to a private industrial development. In offering more tha 40,000 acres for lease, the government relied on environmental studies that were a decade old and did not reflect the lighting pace of nearby development in the Upper Green River Valley. (Jackson Hole News and Guide)
Are you listening?
2006-06-28 Guest editorial: Despite receiving reams of protest letters from sportsmen like me, the Forest Service and BLM continue to move full-speed ahead to sell off our public lands for oil and gas development. I work for the oil and gas industry and recognize the benefits that come with exploration and development. But I am asking now, "How much is too much?" Jeff Boula, Evanston hunter. (Pinedale Roundup)
Get Passionate: Time to protect the reasons why we are here
2006-04-26 Guest editorial: One of the outfitters appealing Wyoming Range leases says energy development would jeopardize the livelihoods of those who depend on these mountains. "People don't pay money to view landscapes covered with well pads, devoid of wildlife and air that has a brown tint," writes Dan Smitherman of Hoback Peak Outfitters. (Jackson Hole News and Guide)
Lease moratorium on backcountry is a start
2006-04-06 Guest editorial: Gov. Dave Freudenthal wisely negotiated a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in unroaded parts of the Shoshone and Bridger-Teton national forests. Our backcountry lands, such as those found in the Wyoming Range, are a final refuge, not only for fish and wildlife, but also for hunters and anglers who seek quality experiences in some of the world's most beautiful places. Protecting these places should be a priority for the agencies that manage our public lands. Cathy Purves and Tom Reed, Trout Unlimited. (Pinedale Roundup)
Protect 44,600 breathtaking acres
2006-03-30 Guest editorial: Proposed oil and gas leasing will lead to the degradation of the Wyomign Range's forests, range and streams that proivde important habitat for big game and rare species. It will also dramatically reduce the quality of life of the residents of Noble Valley as well as diminsh the outdoor experience for the hunters, fisherman and others who vist the area and support our businesses. Joe Ricketts, owner Jackson Fork Ranch. (Pinedale Roundup)
2006-03-15 Guest editorial: We should not sacrifice the Wyoming Range to satisify our energy needs because we will need its natural treasures to get us through the inevitable bust. "If we put drill rigs from the tops of our mountains to our river bottoms, where will the wildlife go? And when the wildlife is gone, where will those of who have lived here through booms and busts go?" writes Gary Amerine of Greys River Trophies in Daniel. (Jackson Hole News and Guide)